Jakob Benecke

Professor Jakob Benecke is a Professor of Educational Science with a focus on Waldorf Education at the Mannheim Study Centre of the Alanus University of Arts and Social Sciences since September 2019. Previously, he was awarded the title of Privatdozent (PD) by the University of Augsburg in March 2019 and completed his habilitation process with the Venia for Educational Science by the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Augsburg in November 2018. His work focuses on the history of education, particularly examining youth organizations, socialization theory, and the educational systems under National Socialism.

Dr. Benecke's research interests span educational science, Waldorf education, historical education, socialization theory, and the history of education under National Socialism. His scholarship demonstrates a consistent focus on understanding how social structures, particularly youth organizations, shape individual development and social inequality. He has conducted extensive research on the Hitler Youth, examining both its institutional structure and the lived experiences of its members, with particular attention to social stratification within the organization. His work bridges historical analysis with contemporary educational theory, providing insights into how past educational systems continue to influence present practices.

His publications reveal a strong emphasis on historical educational research, particularly focusing on youth organizations from the late 19th century to the present. He has developed a comprehensive analysis of social inequality within the Hitler Youth, examining how race, gender, generation, region, and social milieu created hierarchies within what was ostensibly a unified youth organization. His work on extracurricular youth organizations provides a systematic, historical overview of how these organizations have shaped socialization processes in Germany over the past 150 years.

Professor Benecke serves as a supervisor for doctoral students, with completed work on topics such as education in the Soviet-occupied zone and ongoing research on Waldorf education as peace education. He has also contributed to various editorial projects and has served as an international expert for academic journals including Historia Scholastica, Paedagogica Historica, and Disability Studies Quarterly. His research projects include analyses of Waldorf educational practices under SED dictatorship and the pedagogy of 'unpedagogy' in National Socialist education.