Christine Gundermann

Christine Gundermann is a Professor at the Historical Institute, Faculty of Human Sciences, University of Cologne, where she specializes in Public History and History Didactics. She is actively involved in research, teaching, and academic leadership, contributing to national and international scholarly networks.

• University: University of Cologne
• School: Faculty of Human Sciences
• Department: Historical Institute
• Academic Rank: Professor
• Email: christine.gundermann@uni-koeln.de

Her research focuses on Public History as a distinct sub-discipline, with particular emphasis on digital public history, comics as historical narratives, cultures of remembrance in Western Europe, and extracurricular historical learning. She investigates how visual and digital media shape historical consciousness and public understanding of the past.

The most recent publications reveal a strong trend toward digital history, especially the analysis of historical content on social media such as Instagram, and the use of graphic narratives in memorial education. Her work explores the intersection of history, media, and public engagement, with recurring themes in Holocaust memory, gender representation, and transnational memory.

• Scientific Advisory Board, House of History of the Federal Republic of Germany Foundation (since 2021)
• Chair, Applied History/Public History Working Group, Association of German Historians (VHD)
• Board Member, Conference for History Didactics (KGD)
• Member, IFPH Curriculum and Training Committee

Prof. Gundermann supervises doctoral dissertations and leads major research initiatives, including the DFG Network Public History and the development of the 'Orte der Demokratie in Köln' app. She frequently organizes and participates in lecture series, workshops, and conferences on comics, digital history, and public history pedagogy. She also co-edits influential publications that define the conceptual and methodological foundations of Public History in the German-speaking world.

She is a key figure in the digital public history movement, having co-organized ring lectures and edited volumes that explore digital storytelling, historical learning in virtual spaces, and the educational potential of digital media. Her collaborative work with institutions like the ZZF Potsdam and the NS-Dokumentationszentrum Köln underscores her commitment to bridging academic research with public engagement.