Barbara Henning
- History
Areas of Expertise:
Turkish & Ottoman history; Ottoman-Kurdish history; Memory studies; Conceptual history, Cultural translation, History of knowledge
Membership:
since
2021
Contact
Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Germany
Department of History
Jakob-Welder-Weg 20
55128 Mainz
Germany
+49 6131 3921157
bahennin(at)uni-mainz.de
Visit research profile
About me
I am a professor for Islamic history at Mainz University with a focus on Ottoman and Turkish history and a theoretical grounding in cultural history and social anthropology. For my PhD, I followed the trajectories of members of a late-19th century Ottoman-Kurdish family, working on the basis of self-narratives and qualitative network analysis. The overarching questions of memory, difference, and belonging have stayed with me since: I am currently researching Ottoman concepts of social boundaries, drawing on Ottoman advice literature, the example of the descendants of the Prophet Muhammad, and the management of diversity in Ottoman urban contexts.
In AGYA, I can unlock new perspectives and synergies for my research, teaching, and professional outlook.
Topics that I currently work on include memory studies, conceptual history, and urban transformation – all of which are best explored not in isolation, but in a broader collaborative and interdisciplinary setting like AGYA.
Academic career
| 2020 - today | Professor for Islamic History of the Eastern Mediterranean (Jun.-Prof., tenure track), History, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Germany |
| 2018 - 2020 | Post-doctoral research associate in the DFG Priority Program Transottomanica, Turkish Studies, Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg, Germany |
| 2017 - 2018 | Consultant for cultural policy (film, literature, and translation), German Federal Foreign Office, Berlin |
| 2017 | Ph.D. in Ottoman History, Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg, Germany, awarded with Dissertationspreis der Gesellschaft für Turkologie, Osmanistik und Türkeistudien (GTOT) and Promotionspreis der Hans-Löwel-Stiftung |
| 2013 - 2016 | Research Associate and Ph.D. candidate, Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg, Germany |
| 2012 - 2013 | Member of the Ph.D. program ‘Interdisciplinary Near and Middle Eastern Studies’, University of Washington, Seattle, USA |
| 2012 | M.A. in Turkish Studies, Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg, Germany |
- Working Groups
- Arab and German Education
- Common Heritage and Common Challenges
- My Commitment to AGYA
- Member in Charge of the Working Group 'Common Heritage and Common Challenges' (since 2022)
On a personal note
Must read in my discipline:
A Culture of Ambiguity: An Alternative History of Islam by Thomas Bauer
Favourite novel:
Unterleuten by Juli Zeh
The scientist from my country you should know:
Cultural Theory & Translation Studies by Doris Bachmann-Medick
