Maren Möhring

Maren Möhring is Professor of Comparative Cultural and Social History of Modern Europe (18th-21st century) at the Institute of Cultural Studies, Faculty of Humanities, University of Leipzig, a position she has held since March 2014. Her academic career includes leadership of the 'Wandel des Politischen' research department at the Center for Contemporary Historical Research (ZZF) in Potsdam (2012-2014), a substitute professorship in Modern and Contemporary History at the University of Cologne (2011-2012), and a fellowship at the Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies (2010-2011).

Dr. Möhring studied history, German studies, and pedagogy at Hamburg University and Trinity College Dublin (1990-1998). She completed her doctoral studies at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, earning her PhD in 2002 with the dissertation 'Der natürliche Körper in der deutschen Nacktkultur (1890-1930)' under Professor Martin H. Geyer. She received her venia legendi in modern history from the University of Cologne in 2011, with the habilitation thesis 'Fremdes Essen: Die Geschichte der ausländischen Gastronomie in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland'.

Professor Möhring's research focuses on the social and cultural history of modern Europe, examining migration history, body and gender history, mass culture history, and the historical role of nutrition and health in modern societies. Her work explores how concepts of belonging, identity, and community have evolved in European contexts through interdisciplinary lenses that integrate cultural studies, gender studies, and postcolonial perspectives. She has developed particular expertise in food studies as a window into broader societal transformations, examining topics from colonial encounters to contemporary migrant gastro-economies.

Dr. Möhring serves on numerous prestigious advisory boards including the Scientific Advisory Board of the Department of History at the University of Basel, the Council for Migration, and the Scientific Advisory Board of the Gisela-Eisenreich Research Center. She is a member of the directorate of the Research Centre Global Dynamics (ReCentGlobe) at Leipzig University and serves on the boards of the Leipzig Lab and the Graduate School for Global and Area Studies.

Her current research projects include 'Pandemic Space: Quarantine and Responsibilization in Times of Corona' (2022-2025), 'Einheit herstellen: Das Integrationsdispositiv und seine Begriffe in der deutsch-deutschen, britischen und französischen Gesellschaft im langen 20. Jahrhundert' (2020-2024), and the international graduate college 'Belongings: Jewish Material Culture in Twentieth-Century Europe and Beyond' (2024-2029). Her teaching encompasses courses on scarcity and abundance, global health history, migration in modern Europe, and the cultural history of the body, reflecting her commitment to interdisciplinary approaches and contemporary relevance in historical scholarship.