Julia Gehrke

Julia Gehrke is a Researcher at the Institute of Modern History at the University of Bonn, specializing in German UNESCO policy during the Cold War. She holds a Master's degree in History and Art History from the same institution and has been a research assistant at the Kießling Chair of Modern and Contemporary History since 2020.

• Doctoral candidate (2021–present) under Prof. Friedrich Kießling
• Recipient of Gerda Henkel Foundation funding (2022–2023)
• Focus on postwar German multilateralism and international role concepts

Her research examines UNESCO's dual role as platform for international cooperation and national interest negotiation, particularly after the 1983 US withdrawal. Methodologically combines historical analysis with international relations theory, bridging the Federal Republic's "attitude of restraint" (1950s-1960s) and "civilian power" paradigms (post-1989).

• Hugo Preuß Prize for Master's thesis on intellectual cooperation in the League of Nations
• Co-editor of three Königswinter Conference proceedings on resistance movements

Contact: gehrke@uni-bonn.de | Office hours: In-person (Aug 7, Aug 28, Sep 9 2025) or by appointment