About
Prof. Dr. Saskia Handro is a Full Professor of History Didactics with a special focus on historical teaching and learning research at the Institute for the Didactics of History, University of Münster. Her research spans memory culture, language-sensitive history education, historical reading strategies, teacher professionalization, textbook analysis, and collective memory in East Germany.
- Education: University of Leipzig (1988–1994) in History, Germanistics, and Classical Philology; State Examination in 1994; PhD in 2001.
- Appointments: Junior Professor at Ruhr-Universität Bochum (2003–2006), Interim Professorships at University of Münster and Dortmund (2004–2006), and Full Professor at University of Münster since 2006.
Research Focus: She examines controversies in memory culture, language in historical learning, and the professionalization of history teachers. Her work bridges DDR historical education, textbook research, and language-sensitive pedagogy.
Publications: Over 15 recent articles address topics like street name debates, language integration in classrooms, and historical anniversaries. These reflect her interdisciplinary approach combining history, education, and cultural studies.
Leadership Roles: Chair of the German Historical Didactics Conference working group on language and history; member of advisory boards for institutions like the Center for Multilingualism and the Körber Foundation's History Competition.
Supervised Dissertations: Guided research on DDR museums, historical thinking in schools, and commemoration practices, reflecting her commitment to advancing history education through student work.
