Arndt Brendecke

Arndt Brendecke is a Professor of Early Modern History at the University of Munich (LMU), where he has held the Chair since 2011. He has also directed the Research Center Foundations of Modernity (since 2012) and led the LMU Department of History (2013-2014, 2019). His academic career spans roles such as Professor for the History and Culture of Latin America at the University of Berne (2010-2011) and research fellowships at institutions like the German Historical Institute in London and the Instituto de Historia in Madrid.

• Doctorate (summa cum laude), University of Munich (1999)
• Postdoctoral lecture qualification (Habilitation), University of Munich (2008)
• Co-editor of the journal SAECULUM (since 2011)

His research explores the interplay between empires and knowledge systems, focusing on early modern European expansion, Spanish colonialism, and the politics of archival technologies. His work bridges comparative history with conceptual analyses of authority and information flows in pre-modern states.

Brendecke's publications reveal recurring interests in the Spanish Empire's administrative epistemology, transatlantic governance, and the material cultures of knowledge creation. His scholarship often examines how empires managed information asymmetry through bureaucratic technologies and archival practices.

• Carl-Erdmann Prize (2010)
• 'Geisteswissenschaften International' award (2012)
• Elected to Academia Europaea (2016)
• Full member, Bavarian Academy of Sciences (2024)

Brendecke has advised institutions including the Badisches Landesmuseum, directed research programs like SFB 573 'Pluralisierung und Autorität', and shaped academic debates through editorial roles. His leadership extends to the Collaborative Research Centre 1369 'Vigilance Cultures' (since 2019) and the Munich Centre for Global History.

Key laboratory affiliations include the Research Center Foundations of Modernity at LMU and collaborative networks like NEMOS (Network of Early Modern Senses). His work remains deeply intertwined with archival epistemology and the material history of imperial knowledge systems.