Birgit Aschmann

Prof. Dr. Birgit Aschmann holds the Chair of 19th-Century European History at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. Her academic career includes roles as Managing Director and Deputy Director of the Institute of History. She specializes in political cultural history, emotional history, and European religious history, with a focus on Spain and Prussia. Aschmann has authored/co-edited over 30 books and numerous articles, including seminal works on Catalan separatism, Franco-Prussian War discourse, and the history of emotions. She serves on multiple academic boards and actively mentors female PhD researchers. Her research explores intersections of nationalism, religion, and environmental history, with a particular emphasis on 19th-century European dynamics.

• Education: Studies in History, German, Spanish at Kiel University (with medical studies 1986–1989)
• Doctorate (1995): Relations between West Germany and Spain (1945–1963)
• Habilitation (2006): National honor discourse in pre-Franco-Prussian War context

Research interests span Catalan nationalism, emotional dimensions of political conflict, Spanish monarchy history, and Prussian military culture. She leads projects on modernity, environmental history, and the role of emotions in decision-making. Aschmann frequently publishes in Cuadernos de Historia Contemporánea and Historical Reports of the Ranke Society, and contributes to public discourse via media interviews and podcasts.

Her advisory roles include memberships in the Central Committee of German Catholics and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. Supervised PhD projects address topics like Catalan separatism’s emotional underpinnings and German colonialism’s ethical dimensions.

Current research focuses on 19th-century environmental debates, the legacy of Pope Benedict XV’s peace initiatives, and gender dynamics in Spanish revolutionary movements. She co-leads the IMPRS Moral Economies research center and organizes interdisciplinary conferences on military cultures and European integration.