Eva Maria Gajek

Eva Maria Gajek is a historian and Research Associate at the Leibniz-Institut für Raumbezogene Sozialforschung (IRS), joining the Research Area 'Contemporary History and Archive' in May 2025. She will co-lead the third-party funded project 'RichMap – Where the Rich Live,' exploring the spatial and cultural dimensions of wealth in Germany’s long twentieth century. She previously held an interim professorship in Social and Economic History at the University of Duisburg-Essen and has been affiliated with the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies, Justus Liebig University Giessen, and the University of Marburg.

Education:

• PhD in History, Justus Liebig University Giessen, 2011
• Habilitation in History, Justus Liebig University Giessen, 2024
• Studies in Modern History, Economic and Social History, History of Technology, and Modern German Literature, Ruhr University Bochum

Her research centers on the cultural history of the economic, with a focus on wealth, property, and social inequality. Additional interests include media history and European cultural history in the 19th and 20th centuries. She integrates spatial analysis and digital methodologies, including 'thick maps' and citizen science, to examine how elite neighborhoods form and persist. Her work bridges historical scholarship with sociological and geographical perspectives.

The available publication reflects her engagement with interdisciplinary methodologies, particularly the use of social science data in contemporary historical research. Her recent and upcoming talks indicate a growing focus on ransom cases and villa districts as social spaces, highlighting innovative approaches to studying elite cultures.

Scientific Awards:

• Hedwig Hintze Prize, German Association of Historians (2014)
• Dissertation Prize, Justus Liebig University (2012)
• Mentee, Proprofessur Mentoring Programme for Early-Career Women (2016/17)

Eva Gajek has been involved in multiple externally funded research projects, including the Collaborative Research Centre 'Dynamics of Security' and the Leibniz Cooperative Excellence Programme. She is an associate member of the Leibniz Prize research group 'Wealth and Social Inequality' at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies. While no formal list of advisees is provided, her participation in early-career mentoring programs suggests a commitment to academic training and development.

She is currently leading the 'RichMap' project, which employs digital mapping and public participation to investigate the historical development of elite residential areas in Germany. This initiative represents a significant contribution to urban history, economic sociology, and public history, combining archival research with innovative public engagement strategies.