Elizabeth Harding

Dr. Elizabeth Harding serves as Deputy Head of the Department for Scholarship Programs and Scientific Events and as Ombudsperson for safeguarding good scientific practice at the Herzog August Library. She has been Head of Scholarship Programs at the institution since 2018 and has held various research positions there since 2010. Her academic career includes membership in the DFG-funded network 'Material Culture and Consumption in Early Modern Europe' (2012-2016) and teaching assignments at the Historical Seminars of the Universities of Mainz and Münster (2006-2010).

Dr. Harding's research focuses on three interconnected areas: auction systems in the Early Modern period, material culture and collection history, and the history of nobility and universities in the early modern period. Her current major project, 'The Herzog August Library in 100 objects. Approaches to the collection and institution' (2024-2026), funded by Pro*Niedersachsen, represents a significant contribution to collection studies. Her work uniquely bridges economic history with cultural analysis, examining how commercial practices like auctions functioned as social and cultural phenomena rather than merely economic transactions.

Her publication record demonstrates consistent scholarly productivity across multiple formats. She has authored two well-received monographs, edited several important volumes including the recent open-access 'Listed Things. Objects and Lists in the Early Modern Period' (2024), and published numerous articles in leading historical journals. Her research output shows a clear trajectory from early work on nobility and university structures toward more recent investigations of material culture, auction systems, and knowledge economies in the early modern period.

Among her notable recognitions:

• Funding from Oestreich Foundation for her monograph on nobility representation
• Current major funding from Pro*Niedersachsen for her collection history project
• Fellowship at the Institute for European History, Mainz (2008)
• Membership on the editorial board of H-Soz-Kult since 2016
• Board membership in the Working Group Early Modern Period of the Association of German Historians since 2022

Dr. Harding plays a significant role in supporting academic research through her leadership of scholarship programs at the Herzog August Library, which provides vital funding and resources for humanities scholars. Her dual role as Ombudsperson for scientific practice demonstrates her commitment to research integrity. Her scholarly work connects closely with her administrative responsibilities, as she specializes in the historical structures of academic knowledge production while facilitating contemporary scholarly work.