Bucerius Institute for Research of Contemporary German History and Society
Encyclopedia
The Bucerius Institute for Research of Contemporary German History and Society at the University of Haifa
was established in 2001 by the ZEIT-Stiftung Ebelin und Gerd Bucerius
and its chairman, Professor Dres. h.c. Manfred Lahnstein
. The Institute is committed to the research of social and historical issues of contemporary Germany. The founder and first director of the Institute was Prof. Yfaat Weiss. Since 2008, Dr. Amos Morris-Reich has been the director of the Bucerius Institute.
The thematic and methodological variety of topics that the Institute's program has encompassed over the past decade has included identity, migration, integration, multiculturalism, citizenship and liberalism, "race", visual history and the history of science in a German, Israeli and European context. The Bucerius Institute aims to involve different disciplinary backgrounds and methodologies, historical periods and immediate geographical contexts to bring to the fore aspects of modern German and Jewish history that can reveal complex aspects of the convoluted history of contemporary Germany.
The Institute has become an important source of information about specific developments in post-war Germany, and in Europe in general. This information is regularly used by students and scholars at the University of Haifa and the general public.
, Josef Joffe
and Wolf Biermann
lectured during special events at the Institute.
Occasionally, the Institute arranges special events, such as film festivals and music shows, which attract a large audience from outside the University. In 2007, the Institute was part in the organization of a DEFA/GDR film festival relating to the topic "German Cinema from behind the Iron Curtain" and, in 2008, hosted a musical drama with the title "The Myth and the Real Life of Marlene Dietrich
".
The Institute contributes towards the research of contemporary Germany in Israel and towards collaborations with scholars from both Israel and abroad.
The Bucerius Institute has partnerships with several international research institutions, such as the Leo Baeck Institute
, the German-Israeli Foundation (GIF) for Scientific Research and Development, the Simon Dubnow Institute for Jewish History and Culture, the Hamburg Institute for Social Research
, the Institute for the History of the German Jews, the Research Group "Didactics of Biology" of the University of Jena, the various German party foundations in Israel, and other academic institutes in Germany and Israel.
Furthermore, some essays from the conference "Europe and Israel: What Next?", regarding "Remigration," have been included in the "Leo Baeck Institute Year Book 2004". In addition, Prof. Yfaat Weiss published an article and, in collaboration with Prof. Ulrich Bielefeld, the editorial in "Mittelweg 36. The Journal of the Hamburg Institute for Social Research, Yearbook 13 October/November 2004".
There are numerous publications of associate members of the Institute dealing with the current history of Germany and the relationship between Jews and Non-Jews in Germany, Europe and Israel.
University of Haifa
The University of Haifa is a university in Haifa, Israel.The University of Haifa was founded in 1963 by Haifa mayor Abba Hushi, to operate under the academic auspices of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem....
was established in 2001 by the ZEIT-Stiftung Ebelin und Gerd Bucerius
ZEIT-Stiftung
The Zeit-Stiftung Ebelin und Gerd Bucerius was founded in 1971 by Gerd Bucerius . The name refers to the founder, his second wife Gertrud Ebel whose nickname was Ebelin, and to the weekly newspaper Die Zeit, which was founded by Gerd Bucerius. The foundation is registered in Hamburg...
and its chairman, Professor Dres. h.c. Manfred Lahnstein
Manfred Lahnstein
Manfred Lahnstein is a German politician . In 1982 he was German Federal Minister of Finance as well as Federal Minister of Economics and until 2004 worked for the media conglomerate Bertelsmann.- Family :...
. The Institute is committed to the research of social and historical issues of contemporary Germany. The founder and first director of the Institute was Prof. Yfaat Weiss. Since 2008, Dr. Amos Morris-Reich has been the director of the Bucerius Institute.
Research
The Institute promotes research on the contemporary history and the social, cultural and political reality of Germany and works to foster greater familiarity and understanding of modern Germany among the academic community. It further facilitates academic exchange between Germany, Europe and Israel.The thematic and methodological variety of topics that the Institute's program has encompassed over the past decade has included identity, migration, integration, multiculturalism, citizenship and liberalism, "race", visual history and the history of science in a German, Israeli and European context. The Bucerius Institute aims to involve different disciplinary backgrounds and methodologies, historical periods and immediate geographical contexts to bring to the fore aspects of modern German and Jewish history that can reveal complex aspects of the convoluted history of contemporary Germany.
The Institute has become an important source of information about specific developments in post-war Germany, and in Europe in general. This information is regularly used by students and scholars at the University of Haifa and the general public.
Academic and Public Activities
The Institute annually organizes conferences, workshops and guest lectures, such as "Queer experiences during the Third Reich and the Holocaust" and "Perspectives on Contemporary Iran and Iranian Culture in Germany and Israel.", dealing with a broad range of topics within the fields of interest, and contributing in initiating scholarly discussions. In addition, outstanding German public figures such as Rita SüssmuthRita Süssmuth
Rita Süssmuth is a German politician and a member of the Christian Democratic Union .From 1985 to 1988, Süssmuth was Federal Minister of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth under Chancellor Helmut Kohl. She was a member of the German Bundestag from 1987 to 2002...
, Josef Joffe
Josef Joffe
Josef Joffe is publisher-editor of Die Zeit, a weekly German newspaper. His second career has been in academia...
and Wolf Biermann
Wolf Biermann
Karl Wolf Biermann is a German singer-songwriter and former East German dissident.-Early life:Biermann's father, who worked on the Hamburg docks, was a German Jew and a member of the German Resistance....
lectured during special events at the Institute.
Occasionally, the Institute arranges special events, such as film festivals and music shows, which attract a large audience from outside the University. In 2007, the Institute was part in the organization of a DEFA/GDR film festival relating to the topic "German Cinema from behind the Iron Curtain" and, in 2008, hosted a musical drama with the title "The Myth and the Real Life of Marlene Dietrich
Marlene Dietrich
Marlene Dietrich was a German-American actress and singer.Dietrich remained popular throughout her long career by continually re-inventing herself, professionally and characteristically. In the Berlin of the 1920s, she acted on the stage and in silent films...
".
Scholarship and Academic Exchange
The Bucerius Institute has an active exchange program for M.A. and Ph.D. students with grants and scholarships. Numerous visiting research scholars have given lectures and seminars under the Institute’s auspices.The Institute contributes towards the research of contemporary Germany in Israel and towards collaborations with scholars from both Israel and abroad.
The Bucerius Institute has partnerships with several international research institutions, such as the Leo Baeck Institute
Leo Baeck Institute
The Leo Baeck Institute-New York in Manhattan is a library, archive, and exhibition centre devoted to the study of the history and culture of German-speaking Jewry. The Institutes's offices and collections are housed in Center for Jewish History in New York City...
, the German-Israeli Foundation (GIF) for Scientific Research and Development, the Simon Dubnow Institute for Jewish History and Culture, the Hamburg Institute for Social Research
Hamburg Institute for Social Research
The Hamburg Institute for Social Research is an independent private foundation whose scholarship is focused on both contemporary history and the social sciences. Founded in 1984 it currently employ's around 50 people with roughly 50% working in the research fields of sociology and history...
, the Institute for the History of the German Jews, the Research Group "Didactics of Biology" of the University of Jena, the various German party foundations in Israel, and other academic institutes in Germany and Israel.
Publications
In March 2005, the Bucerius Institute published "Memory and Amnesia: The Holocaust in Germany", edited by Gilad Margalit and Yfaat Weiss (in Hebrew). This volume represents the final product of a weekly workshop organized by the Bucerius Institute in 2001/2002 by leading researchers of the Holocaust in Israel, Germany, Europe and the United States. The workshop used historiography, literary genres and cinematography to analyze the master narratives of the victim, perpetrator and bystander in works dealing with the Holocaust.Furthermore, some essays from the conference "Europe and Israel: What Next?", regarding "Remigration," have been included in the "Leo Baeck Institute Year Book 2004". In addition, Prof. Yfaat Weiss published an article and, in collaboration with Prof. Ulrich Bielefeld, the editorial in "Mittelweg 36. The Journal of the Hamburg Institute for Social Research, Yearbook 13 October/November 2004".
There are numerous publications of associate members of the Institute dealing with the current history of Germany and the relationship between Jews and Non-Jews in Germany, Europe and Israel.