The Popularization of Knowledge in Historical Contexts

The central focus of research at the Chair of Modern and Contemporary History at the University of Siegen is on the popularization of bodies of knowledge and their contexts within a historical framework. The time frame spans from the late 18th century to the present day in the early 21st century. In terms of content, two main areas can be identified. On the one hand, the research focuses on the public discourse surrounding historical knowledge. Concepts of history and historical contexts are examined across various media and time periods. On the other hand, the focus is on the dissemination of scientific knowledge among ever-broader segments of the population, a trend that began in the 19th century. This addresses people’s desire to acquire more knowledge, which became widely available in the wake of technological progress and the parallel development of modern mass media. One medium that combined these strands with particularly broad impact was the World’s Fairs (and other similarly large-scale trade exhibitions) beginning in the mid-19th century. These can be understood as platforms for diverse themes, representations, and negotiations, as well as spaces for various forms of appropriation.

This gives rise to three major areas of focus in which the members of the department conduct their research on this complex topic, namely:

• the popularization of history in mass media, from illustrated newspapers to video games,
• the popularization of the natural sciences and technology since the 19th century,
• and the popularization of knowledge at world’s fairs and trade exhibitions between 1850 and 1960.

Beyond its own research, the chair is involved in research networks aimed at interdisciplinary exploration of the popular. This includes, above all, participation in the Siegen Collaborative Research Center 1472 “Transformations of the Popular” with a project investigating the popularity of history in digital games, as well as collaboration with the interdisciplinary research center “Popular Cultures” at the University of Siegen. At the level of the Department of History, research on the popularization of history is also consolidated within the Research Center for Transnational Cultural History.