Fritz Kusch

Fritz Kusch is a doctoral candidate and Researcher in Modern and Contemporary History at the University of Bremen, affiliated with the Collaborative Research Center 1342 (Global Development Dynamics of Social Policy). His academic work focuses on the interplay between protectionism, political culture, and social policy in the United States (1880–1930), particularly through populist agitations and visual propaganda.

• Education
  • PhD in Modern and Contemporary History (University of Bremen, since 2022)
  • MA in Historical Sciences (Freie Universität Berlin, 2018–2021)
  • BA in Turkology (Freie Universität Berlin, 2017–2021)
  • BA in Modern and Contemporary History (Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, 2013–2017)

Kusch’s research explores the ideological foundations of American protectionism, linking economic policies to nationalism, exceptionalism, and xenophobia. His work emphasizes cultural interpretations of political economy, as seen in his upcoming publications on tariff cartoons, anti-intellectualism, and labor rhetoric.

His publications analyze how protectionist elites popularized complex economic debates through emotionalized media like cartoons and pamphlets, bridging academic and public discourse. These studies intersect with broader themes of mass democracy and opinion-shaping techniques in late 19th- and early 20th-century America.

• Scientific Awards
  • Recipient of the Deutschlandstipendium (2019–2021) at Freie Universität Berlin

Kusch contributes to academic discourse through conference presentations at venues like the International American Studies Association and the International Federation for Public History. He is part of Project B11 (Protectionism and Social Policy in the Americas, 1890–2020) within CRC 1342.