Team

I specialise in modern European history, with an emphasis on East Central Europe, France, and Germany. I hold a PhD in History from the European University Institute in Florence (2017) and have been Assistant Professor of Public History at Bielefeld University since 2021, following positions at the Max Weber Centre in Erfurt, the Hannah Arendt Institute in Dresden, and LMU Munich. My research focuses on the transnational history of the social sciences and humanities since the late 19th century, the social history of property and cultural heritage in the 20th century, and the interactions between politics, society, and memory. 

My first book, Politics of Plunder: How Expropriating German Expellees Helped and Harmed the Post-War Reconstruction of East Central Europe, is currently in preparation. In my second-book project, Mnemonic Populism in Contemporary Europe, funded by the Volkswagen Foundation, I investigate the role of history in right-wing populism from a praxeological perspective. 

My extended CV is available here. You can find my publications and seminar syllabi on Academia.edu and other news on LinkedIn.

I am particularly interested in supervising BA, MA, and PhD students on topics related to the social and cultural history of contemporary Europe.

Currently, I teach the following courses.

Contact Details: 

kornelia.konczal@uni-bielefeld.de 
+49 521 10667031

Visiting address: 

Bielefeld University 
Universitätsstr. 24 
D-33615 Bielefeld
office X-A2-215

Postal address: 
Postfach 10 01 31 
D-33501 Bielefeld

I am a cultural historian specializing in the history of popular culture and musical heritage in Europe and the post-Soviet space. My primary research interests include public history, heritage studies, the history of popular music, and the sociology of culture. I hold a PhD in Contemporary European History (2017) from Ural Federal University in Ekaterinburg, an MA in Contemporary European History (2013) from the Higher School of Economics in Moscow, and a specialist degree in Russian History (2010) from the Russian State University for the Humanities in Moscow.

Since 2023, I have been a Postdoctoral Researcher at Bielefeld University and, since early 2025, the content coordinator and editor for the EU-funded project LexiECO. My current research focuses on heritage activism in Russia and the preservation of Soviet rock music heritage in the post-Soviet space. I am currently working on my first monograph, titled Rock, Memory, and Conflicts: The Heritagization of Soviet Rock Music in the Post-Soviet Space.

After leaving Russia in early 2023, I began teaching courses on public history at Bielefeld University, the Free University (Brīvā Universitāte), and Off University, with a focus on the uses and abuses of the past in contemporary Russia. Since 2024, I have been a co-organizer of the seminar Critical Studies of Heritage in the Post-Soviet Space, jointly hosted by the Sorbonne and Bielefeld University.

My full CV is available here, and some of my full-text publications are available on Academia.edu, news and other updates on LinkedIn.

Contact Details: 

aleksandra.kolesnik@uni-bielefeld.de 
+49 152 18737861

Visiting address: 

Bielefeld University 
Universitätsstr. 24 
D-33615 Bielefeld
office X-A2-200

Postal address: 
Postfach 10 01 31 
D-33501 Bielefeld

After leaving Russia in early 2023, I joined Bielefeld University as a Postdoctoral Researcher. My research focuses on medieval history and the uses and abuses of the Middle Ages in contemporary culture, namely, the field of medievalism studies. My current project, Politicized and Depoliticized Global Medievalism in Russia, 2010s–2020s, is supported by a research grant from the Gerda Henkel Foundation.

I began my academic career researching Iberian medieval universities, which was the subject of my PhD thesis at Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia (2016). I am currently preparing a book based on this research, titled Wanderings of the Scientific Community: The Portuguese University in the 13th–15th Centuries. From 2016 to 2022, I worked as a Research Fellow at the Poletaev Institute for Theoretical and Historical Studies in the Humanities (IGITI) and at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow. There, I taught courses on medieval studies, medievalism, public history, and memory in contemporary Russia. Since 2023, I have continued teaching my course on contemporary politicized and depoliticized medievalism at the Moscow Free University, an educational initiative led by Russian academics in exile. I also teach at Bielefeld University and Off University. II co-organize the regular seminar Critical Studies of Heritage in the Post-Soviet Space.

My CV is available here, my publications on: Academia.edu, news and other updates on LinkedIn. My music can be found here.

Contact Details: 

E-mail: aleksandr.rusanov@uni-bielefeld.de 

Visiting address: 

Bielefeld University
Universitätsstr. 24
D-33615 Bielefeld
Office X-A2-200

Postal address: 
Postfach 10 01 31 
D-33501 Bielefeld

I specialise in political sociology and populism studies, with a particular focus on European and Turkish politics. I hold a BA in Sociology with a minor in International Relations and Political Science from Bahçeşehir University in Turkey (2020), and an MA in Sociology – European Societies from Freie Universität Berlin (2022).

Since July 2025, I have been pursuing a PhD at Bielefeld University within the project Mnemonic Populism in Contemporary Europe. My individual research focuses on how right-wing populist parties in Turkey and the UK politicise history as a political opportunity structure.

My broader research interests include right-wing populism, the politicisation of history and emotions, political polarisation, the securitisation of Europe, and movement–countermovement dynamics. In my peer-reviewed publications, I have explored the demand side of populism and analysed electoral consolidation in the context of the 2020 conversion of the Hagia Sophia Museum into a mosque. In addition, I have authored biweekly newsletters on European politics and hosted weekly political discussion livestreams on YouTube, addressing both Turkish and international affairs.

My extended CV is available here, my publications can be found on Academia.edu and ResearchGate, and other news on LinkedIn.

Contact Details: 

melis.konakci@uni-bielefeld.de

Visiting address: 

Bielefeld University 
Universitätsstr. 24 
D-33615 Bielefeld
office X-A2-200

Postal address: 
Postfach 10 01 31 
D-33501 Bielefeld

I specialise in Russian museums and heritage from the 20th to 21st centuries, with a particular focus on the interpretation of contested or dissonant heritage. Since 2023, I have been pursuing a PhD in History at Bielefeld University supported by a DAAD scholarship. I hold a BA (2017) and an MA (2021) in Museology and in the Protection of Cultural and Natural Heritage from the Chelyabinsk and St Petersburg Institutes of Culture. In my PhD project, I examine Russian historical museums under Putin and Stalin as political and propagandistic instruments of the state. My approach draws on digital humanities and other interdisciplinary methods. 

I also disseminate the latest scholarship in the field of heritage and museums to a broad audience. My interviews with experts, as well as my articles on museums, cultural heritage, and memory politics, have been published in various independent media outlets in Russia, Germany, and Uzbekistan.

My CV is available here, some of my full-text publications are available on Academia.edu, news and other updates on LinkedIn.

I am always happy to connect with anyone interested in the diverse aspects of post-Soviet and Russian museums, heritage, and memory politics, whether for academic exchange or media collaboration. 

Contact details:

anastasiia.serikova@uni-bielefeld.de 
Telegram: https://t.me/Nsserikova 

Visiting address: 

Bielefeld University
Bielefeld Graduate School in History and Sociology (BGHS)
Office X-B2-246
Universitätsstr. 24 | D-33615 Bielefeld

Postal address: 
Postfach 10 01 31 
D-33501 Bielefeld

I specialise in Scandinavian Studies and Medieval History, with a particular focus on the reception of the Scandinavian past in the modern era, especially since the 19th century. I studied at the University of Münster, including two exchange semesters at Stockholm University, and hold a BA (2021) in Scandinavian Studies and History as well as an MA (2025) in History and Interdisciplinary Medieval Studies.

Since July 2025, I have been pursuing a PhD at Bielefeld University within the project Mnemonic Populism in Contemporary Europe. My individual research, Soldiers of Odin: Constructions of Masculinity in the Reception of the Viking Age and Their Appropriation by Modern Right-Wing Populism in Germany and Scandinavia (working title), investigates the identity-forming use of the past by political groups—both diachronically, focusing on the High Middle Ages and the 19th century, and synchronically, comparing popular reception (e.g. TV series) with institutional forms (e.g. museums, education).

My broader research interests include various aspects of the Scandinavian Middle Ages, such as cultural memory in historiography and literature, cultural entanglements between Latin Europe and Scandinavia, and constructions of gender roles in the Viking Age and their later reception across medieval, modern, and postmodern contexts.

My extended CV is available here. I will share my publications on Academia.edu  and other news on LinkedIn.

Contact Details: 

hannah.von.legat@uni-bielefeld.de
+49 151 21332292

Visiting address: 

Bielefeld University                                                                        
Universitätsstr. 24                                                                          
D-33615 Bielefeld
office X-A2-200

Postal address: 
Postfach 10 01 31 
D-33501 Bielefeld

I study History at Bielefeld University and have been working as a student assistant since 2023. My responsibilities include mainly literature research and outreach-related activities. I am currently writing my master's thesis.

My academic interests centre on political, public, and contemporary history. As a member of the Bielefeld University Debating Crew, I am also engaged with current debates on a wide range of issues. I believe that public history can offer valuable guidance in our dynamic and complex world. I am therefore grateful for the insights I have gained from within the field.

Contact Details:

Jan-philipp.berendes@uni-bielefeld.de 

Visiting address: 

Bielefeld University 
Universitätsstr. 24 
D-33615 Bielefeld
office xxx

Postal address: 
Postfach 10 01 31 
D-33501 Bielefeld

I have been pursuing a BA in history and social sciences at Bielefeld University since 2023. My academic interests centre on political and cultural history, with a particular focus on Eastern Europe, the history of the GDR, and the ways in which political discourse shapes historical narratives. As a student in the early stages of my academic training, I am currently exploring a broad range of historical topics and methodologies to build a solid foundation in the field. Since 2025, I have been working as a student assistant in the Public History Unit, where I support research, teaching, and outreach-related activities.

Contact Details: 

josephine.herrmann@uni-bielefeld.de

Visiting address: 

Bielefeld University 
Universitätsstr. 24 
D-33615 Bielefeld
office xxx

Postal address: 
Postfach 10 01 31 
D-33501 Bielefeld

I study History and Social Sciences at Bielefeld University and work as a student assistant on the project German Concentration Camps and Their Representations – From Individual Testimonies to Sociological Theories.

I completed a year of voluntary service in Oświęcim (Auschwitz), which deepened my engagement with Holocaust remembrance and sparked a lasting interest in the history of post-war Poland. This experience continues to inform my academic work, especially in relation to the transformation of memory and identity in Central and Eastern Europe.

My academic interests lie at the intersection of modern European history, political rhetoric, and memory culture. I am particularly interested in the comparative study of propaganda strategies during the Nazi era and in contemporary populist movements. In addition, I am interested in analysing antisemitic structures—both historical and contemporary—and in understanding how longstanding prejudices persist or are reactivated in modern political contexts. I am also drawn to oral history as a method that foregrounds personal narratives and challenges dominant historical interpretations.

My goal is to explore interdisciplinary approaches that connect historical inquiry with current debates on democracy, remembrance, and public discourse.

Contact Details:

hanna.negraszus@uni-bielefeld.de

Visiting address: 

Bielefeld University 
Universitätsstr. 24 
D-33615 Bielefeld
office xxx

Postal address: 
Postfach 10 01 31 
D-33501 Bielefeld

I have been working as a team assistant since 2024, quietly keeping many threads together in the background. Coming from the private sector, the university has proven to be a unique and fascinating environment. My professional experience helps me navigate the diverse and often unexpected challenges that arise in everyday work. I truly value the exchange within the team and enjoy gaining insights into the topics my colleagues are engaged with.

Contact Details: 

christina.tokarew@uni-bielefeld.de 

Visiting address: 

Bielefeld University                                                                        
Universitätsstr. 24                                                                          
D-33615 Bielefeld
office X-A2-239
Phone: +49 521 106 3954