Silke Hensel

PD Dr. Silke Hensel is a historian affiliated with the Center for Intercultural Studies (ZIS) at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. Her research focuses on migration, racism, minority inclusion/exclusion dynamics, and the historical formation of collective identities. She holds a PhD from the University of Hamburg (1995) and a habilitation (2001) for her study on Mexican Americans and Puerto Ricans in the USA. Her work emphasizes the socio-historical construction of ethnic and national boundaries, challenging fixed notions of cultural identity.

Education:

• Studied History, Political Science, and Geography at the University of Hamburg and University of Guadalajara (Mexico)
• Doctorate (1995): The Emergence of Federalism in Mexico: The Political Elite of Oaxaca between City, Region, and State, 1786–1835
• Habilitation (2001): Living on the Border: Discursive Exclusions and Boundaries of Mexican Americans and Puerto Ricans in the USA

Research Interests:

• Transnational migration patterns and cultural transfers
• Racial and ethnic categorization in historical contexts
• Black Atlantic networks and Afro-Brazilian communities
• Debunking 'ethnic cleansing' narratives through historical analysis

In 2004, she delivered a lecture series at ZIS titled "The Social Construction of 'Races' and Ethnic Groups in History", examining colonial caste systems, U.S. multiculturalism, and national identity formation. Her work critiques Samuel Huntington's 'clash of civilizations' thesis by demonstrating the fluidity of cultural boundaries.

Labs/Teams: Active in ZIS research initiatives, including studies on intercultural communication, migration, and transnational identities.