Helmut Zedelmaier

Prof. Dr. Helmut Zedelmaier is an Associate Professor of Modern History at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU), affiliated with the Historical Seminar (Faculty 09). His academic journey includes studies in history, German studies, politics, and sociology at Munich and Berlin universities, followed by a promotion in 1989 and habilitation in 1996. He has held leadership roles, including Acting Professor for the History of Science and University at LMU (1999–2004), Managing Director of the Association of Historical Research Institutions (AHF) since 2004, and Head of the Center for Digital Humanities at the Bavarian Academy of Sciences (2014/15). He has also served as a visiting scholar at the University of Erfurt and part of the Alexander von Humboldt Professorship for Modern Written Culture in Halle-Wittenberg (2015–2020).

His research focuses on cultural and intellectual history of the early modern period and 19th century, with special attention to knowledge practices, book history, and academic institutions. Notable publications include Bibliotheca universalis (1992), The Beginning of History (2003), and Collections in Motion (2024). His work examines topics like excerpting practices, early modern libraries, and the historical dynamics of knowledge compilation. He has edited volumes on figures such as Johann Lorenz Mosheim and Christoph August Heumann, reflecting his engagement with early modern intellectual networks and religious-humanist traditions.

Zedelmaier’s academic contributions span monographs, edited collections, and essays addressing historical methodologies, cultural transfers, and the materiality of knowledge. His current roles include overseeing digital humanities initiatives and maintaining a focus on interdisciplinary historical research.