Ernst Langthaler

Ernst Langthaler is a Professor and Head of the Institute for Economic, Social and Environmental History at Johannes Kepler University Linz, where he has held a professorship in social and economic history since 2016. He teaches multiple courses including Theories of History, Introduction to Economic History, and seminars on rural history and the Anthropocene.

Education:

• Graduated from Krems Academy of Education (teaching mathematics, history, and social studies) in 1986
• MA in History from University of Vienna (Mag. phil.) in 1995
• PhD in History from University of Vienna (Dr. phil.) in 2000
• Habilitation in economic and social history at University of Vienna in 2010

Langthaler's research focuses on agricultural and nutritional history, global and regional history, and historical theories and methods. His work examines agrarian society under National Socialism, forced labor during World War II, family farming in industrial society, and he is currently researching the history of globalization in the 20th century through the lens of soybean production and trade. His interdisciplinary approach bridges economic, social, and environmental history with particular attention to rural societies across different historical periods.

Professional Affiliations:

• Board member of the European Rural History Organisation (EURHO)
• Member of the Commission for Interdisciplinary Ecological Studies of the Austrian Academy of Sciences
• Co-editor of 'Commodity Frontiers,' 'Austrian Journal of Historical Sciences,' 'Contemporary History,' and 'Yearbook of Rural History'
• Co-editor of book series 'Social and Economic History Studies' and 'Sources and Research on Agricultural History'

Scientific Recognition:

• Recipient of APART scholarship from the Austrian Academy of Sciences

Langthaler previously served as director of the Institute for Rural History in St. Pölten from 2011-2016. He has held visiting professorships at the Universities of Innsbruck and Vienna and a fellowship at the Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society in Munich. His current research on soybean history represents an innovative approach to understanding globalization processes through commodity chain analysis.

His institute serves as a hub for interdisciplinary historical research that connects economic structures, social formations, and environmental transformations across different historical periods, with particular strength in rural history and the historical dimensions of contemporary environmental challenges.