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Larry Frohman is an Associate Professor in the Department of History at Stony Brook University, part of the College of Arts and Sciences. His research focuses on modern European history, particularly Germany, with strong emphasis on surveillance, privacy, welfare policy, and intellectual history.
His primary research interests include:
- Surveillance and the Information Society
- Welfare and Social Policy in Modern Germany
- Intellectual History of Modern Europe
- History of Privacy and State Power
- Population Registration and Bureaucratic Governance
- Medical Confidentiality in the Digital Age
Frohman's recent scholarship centers on the historical evolution of personal data governance, especially in West Germany. His 2020 book, The Politics of Personal Information, explores how digital mediation reshaped privacy and power dynamics. Earlier, he examined the roots of social welfare in Poor Relief and Welfare in Germany (2008), tracing the transition from punitive poor relief to modern welfare. His article topics reveal a consistent focus on resistance to state data collection, such as the 1983–87 census boycotts, failed national database projects, and shifts in medical confidentiality due to electronic data processing.
Notable works include:
- 'Only Sheep Let Themselves Be Counted': Privacy, Political Culture, and the 1983–87 West German Census Boycotts
- Network Euphoria, Super-Information Systems and the West German Plan for a National Database System
- Population Registration in Germany, 1842–1945
- Impact of Electronic Data Processing on Medical Confidentiality
Frohman holds a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley (1992), and began his academic career studying the philosopher Wilhelm Dilthey. While no specific awards are listed, his publications appear with prestigious academic presses like Berghahn and Cambridge University Press, indicating scholarly recognition. He is actively engaged in graduate education and historical research, advising students in modern European and German history.
He is affiliated with the Department of History at Stony Brook University, where he continues to explore the intersections of technology, governance, and civil society in modern history.
