Moritz Peter Herrmann, Historian

Moritz Peter Herrmann

Historian and Postdoctoral Researcher at Universität Trier

About

Moritz Peter Herrmann holds an Erstes Staatsexamen LaG (equivalent of a Master's degree) in History and German Language and Literature from Johannes Gutenberg Universität Mainz. He earned his Ph.D. in modern history, also from JGU Mainz, with a thesis on the memory of the Quilombo dos Palmares, an early modern resistance to plantation slavery in colonial Brazil.

Moritz Herrmann's research interests encompass topics such as slavery, racism, and anti-racism, colonialism, culture and politics of memory, labour and social movements. His research is characterized by a global perspective and a particular regional focus on Brazil.

Currently, Moritz Herrmann holds a position as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Trier, where he is a contributor to the GloVib project, which explores the global and Ibero-American entanglements of racial discourse in Germany. His ongoing research project focuses on the Rehoboth Basters in present-day Namibia and their role in shaping the global discourse on miscegenation during the early 20th century through their interactions with the German colonial government.

Academic path

2023 and ongoing: Postdoctoral researcher in the research group GloVib (Global entanglements and racial categorisations: The Iberian Roots of German Racial Thought) at the University of Trier, Germany
2016–2023: Doctorate at the historical seminar of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany. Title of the dissertation: "Das Quilombo von Palmares in Geschichte und Gedächtnis (ca. 1595–1995): Sklaverei, Rassismus und Freiheit in Brasilien und entlang des Atlantiks", en: "The Quilombo of Palmares in History and Memory (ca. 1595-1995): Slavery, Racism and Freedom in Brazil and along the Atlantic"
2007–2015: Studies in history, German language and literature, and educational sciences (Lehramt an Gymnasien) at the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany
2010/2011: Erasmus semester at the University of Turku, Finland

Professional experiences (selection)

2023: Employment at the Landesjugendring RLP (Representation of interests for young people and youth associations) with purview in the areas of public relations and the development of a historical documentation and exhibition on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the organization
2021: Co-speaker at the "Mini Curso Brasil em Diálogos", organised by the Brazilian Embassy in Sudan
2021: Assistance in researching the provenance of museum objects with a colonial background in Thuringian museums
2020/21: Teaching assignment at the historical seminar of the University of Mainz: "Transatlantic Slavery and the Holy Roman Empire: History and Memory".
2019–2020: Museum education assistant at the Landesmuseum Koblenz with a focus on historical education, workshops and visitor support
2011: Participation in the anti-racism working group at the University of Mainz, co-organisation of the "Festival Contre le Racisme" and a conference on anti-Muslim racism in Mainz

Publications

Democratizing memory and the question of Black difference in Brazil (ca. 1980–1988): The transformation of the Serra da Barriga (Alagoas), from haunted "Black territory" to national memorial in the transition between dictatorship and democracy. In: Memory Studies 14 (6) (2021), p. 1362–1381.
"I am Dandara" – Fiction, History and Gender in the Memory of the Resistance to Colonial Slavery. In: "Collecting Loss". Edited by Simone Bogner [et al.]. Ilmtal-Weinstraße 2021, p. 68–79.
Repassando a chama – sindicalismo e anarquismo na Alemanha, do período imperial até a segunda guerra mundial. In: Critica Histórica 11 (21) (2020), p. 265–294.
Anarquia em Sicília – uma revolta de escravos na Siracusa Antiga 491/490 A.C. In: Fronteiras e Debates 3 (2) (2016), p. 5–23.
Die goldene Frucht Ostindiens. Eine Warengeschichte der Muskatnuss. In: Skriptum – Studentische Onlinezeitschrift für Geschichte und Geschichtsdidaktik 2 (1) (2012), p. 30–62.
Intervention und Herausforderung: Die Rezeption der "Ästhetik des Widerstands" im Umfeld der DKP. In: Peter-Weiss-Jahrbuch für Literatur, Kunst und Politik im 20. und 21. Jahrhundert 21 (2012), p. 47–62.

Presentations (selection)

Those Who Fight for the True Liberation of the Black Race - Conflicting Memories of Slave Resistance as Aspect of Political Struggle in Brazil (ca. 1928-1936). Fifth Annual MSA Conference Warsaw. July 2021.
Rebuilding Palmares. The memory of slave resistance as shared utopian vision among social movements in the struggle for democracy and equality. Online-Konferenz: Narrating Horizons of Hope in "Politics out of History", University Gießen. December 2020.
Palmares and Haiti: Remembering Slave Resistance in the Age of Revolutions. Critical Thinking on Memory and Human Rights, Second Annual Workshop Supported by the Memory Studies Association and the Frankfurt Memory Studies Plattform. February 2020.
Zumbí wird niemals sterben. Erinnerungsgeschichte eines Widerstandes gegen die Sklaverei im kolonialen Brasilien. Bewegungen, Identitäten und Utopien. Kolloquium des Instituts für soziale Bewegungen. December 2019.
Das Gedächtnis der Hydra: Eine Erinnerungsgeschichte des Quilombos von Palmares. Sklaverei, Rassismus und Widerstand in Brasilien und entlang des Atlantiks. Frankfurt Memory Studies Platform, Interdisciplinary Memory Studies Group. December 2019.
Espártaco Brasileiro: A contribuição do marxismo para a construção da memória de Palmares. SBPC Afro e Indigena, UFAL Maceió, July 2018.

Funding and Scholarships

Ph.D. scholarship by Gerda Henkel Foundation
DAAD scholarship for research stays abroad
Ph.D. scholarship by the Hansen Foundation for Collectivity Studies

Memberships and Scholarly Networks

Language skills

spoken and written: German, Portuguese, English
written only: French, Spanish, Latin

Contact and Imprint

Moritz P. Herrmann

Universität Trier
Fachbereich III - Neuere Geschichte
Universitätsring 15
54296 Trier
Germany

herrmannm[at]uni-trier.de