Margrit Grabas

Prof. Dr. Margrit Grabas serves as Professor of Economic and Social History at Saarland University's Historical Institute in Saarbrücken, Germany. Her department focuses on Economic and Social History, including technological and environmental history aspects. She maintains an active teaching schedule with regular office hours on Tuesdays from 2:00-3:00 pm.

Professor Grabas teaches courses across multiple degree programs including History, Historically Oriented Cultural Studies, and Business Administration. Her course offerings include:

• Economic and Social History of the GDR (Summer 2019)
• European Economic and Social History 1871/73–1914 (Winter 2014/15)
• The oil price shocks of 1973/79 – A turning point in European economic and social history? (Summer 2019)
• Myth or Reality? The 'Great Depression' (1873/79 - 1894/95) (Winter 2014/15)

Her research centers on critical junctures in economic history, particularly periods of crisis and transformation. She has extensively studied German economic development across multiple eras, from 19th century industrialization through the GDR period. A recurring theme examines how historical economic crises compare to more recent financial downturns, as seen in her work connecting the 1873 founders' crisis to the 2008 financial crisis.

Professor Grabas's publications reveal consistent focus on economic cycles, structural transformations, and the interplay between economic systems and political frameworks. Her work spans from early modern European economic history to contemporary analyses of globalization challenges, with particular emphasis on German and European contexts.

She actively participates in academic discourse as a member of the Scientific Board at the Herrenhausen Conference on 'Long-Term Processes of Socio-Economic Development' organized by the Volkswagen Foundation. She has also collaborated on research projects such as 'Financial Aid and Regional Economic Development between Continuity and Change' with research associate Dr. Veit Damm. Her scholarly contributions include numerous publications in economic history journals and edited volumes, with recent work addressing the 1953 East German workers' uprising and contemporary perspectives on economic crises.