Olaf Stieglitz

Olaf Stieglitz serves as Professor for American Cultural History at Leipzig University, with academic roots at Cologne University (Habilitation 2012) and Hamburg University (Ph.D.). His career includes a 2005 Humboldt Fellowship at Florida State University and visiting professorships at Münster, Erfurt, Cologne, FU Berlin, and Leipzig. His teaching spans BA courses on North American history (colonial era to 21st century) emphasizing social/cultural history and transnational entanglements, and MA seminars on Memory Studies, body politics, and visual culture.

Research Interests: Stieglitz specializes in US Social and Cultural History since the 1890s, intersecting with Gender History, History of the Body, and Sports History as Cultural History. His work critically examines power structures across class, race, gender, and ability, while exploring History of Visual Media (photography/film) and Memory Studies to bridge historical analysis with contemporary discourse.

His 2023-2024 publications reveal interdisciplinary trends spanning sports history (e.g., Althea Gibson, swimming pools), political memory (Bonus Army, Black Panther Party), and body politics, reflecting a cohesive focus on cultural narratives of power, identity, and visual representation in American history.

Scientific Recognition:

• Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellowship (2005)

Stieglitz actively mentors students through the Hans Böckler-Stiftung as Vertrauensdozent and organizes key academic initiatives including OAH conference sections and workshops on American globalization. His service includes editorial roles for Body Politics – Zeitschrift für Körpergeschichte and memberships in GAAS, OAH, AHA, and German historical/sports associations.

Current collaborative projects include the Handbook American Globalization Projects and Status Quo Vadis Körpergeschichte workshop, demonstrating ongoing engagement with international research teams.