Jürgen Overhoff

Jürgen Overhoff is a Professor at the University of Münster specializing in the history of the Enlightenment, German-American educational history, and political theory of the early modern period. He leads project A3-41 on Catholic Enlightenment in Europe, the Americas and Australia (1750–1840) as part of the Cluster of Excellence on Transcultural Entanglement and Disentanglement.

His research focuses on the history of the Enlightenment in Europe and North America, German-American educational history, political theory of the early modern period, and university history. Overhoff's work bridges European and American intellectual traditions, with particular attention to transatlantic educational exchanges and the Catholic Enlightenment.

His recent publications reveal a strong focus on Catholic Enlightenment as a transnational phenomenon, German-American intellectual connections, and the enduring relevance of Enlightenment educational ideals. His scholarship spans monographs on figures like Benjamin Franklin, Friedrich the Great, and George Washington, as well as analyses of philanthropinism and educational reform.

• Erwin-Stephan-Preis der Technischen Universität Berlin (1993)

Overhoff has supervised doctoral students including Nick Johnson (2023), Andreas Oberdorf (2019), and Tim Zumhof (2017). His teaching covers Enlightenment history, educational reform, and transatlantic intellectual history, with courses scheduled through 2025/26. He serves on the board of the German Society for the Study of the 18th Century as secretary since 2016.

His academic work connects historical Enlightenment thought with contemporary educational debates, emphasizing the enduring value of humanistic education in modern society.