From 23 to 25 March 2026, the DFG-funded research network “(Post-)Colonial Business History” convened at the University of Hamburg for its latest internal meeting. Over three days, network members came together, both on-site and via hybrid sessions, to take stock of the network’s progress, advance ongoing collaborative work, and discuss and plan the path ahead.… Continue reading Meeting of the network in Hamburg
In memory of Professor Shakila Yacob
It is with deep sadness that we have learned of the passing of our colleague and valued network member Professor Shakila Yacob. She was a leading business historian, widely respected and highly valued in the field and an inspiration for our group. As a professor at the Jeffrey Cheah Institute on Southeast Asian Studies, Sunway… Continue reading In memory of Professor Shakila Yacob
„Companies and the Colonial Past“: 48th Symposium of the Gesellschaft für Unternehmensgeschichte, 9th and 10th October 2025, Weinheim, Germany
Report by Dr. Tristan Oestermann, University of Bamberg In 2025, the annual conference of the Gesellschaft für Unternehmensgeschichte (GUG) explored new directions in German business history: For the very first time, the GUG placed colonial entanglements of companies in the focus. Hosted by Freudenberg & Co. of Weinheim, the symposium united German as well as… Continue reading „Companies and the Colonial Past“: 48th Symposium of the Gesellschaft für Unternehmensgeschichte, 9th and 10th October 2025, Weinheim, Germany
The Archives of German Construction Companies and their Post-Colonial Projects
By Paul Sprute How can one research the activities of German companies in the Global South? In this blog post, I present an overview of archives relating to construction companies as one sector of German post-colonial business stemming from the work in the research project “Conquering (with) Concrete: German Construction Companies as Global Players in… Continue reading The Archives of German Construction Companies and their Post-Colonial Projects
Kim Todzi – University of Hamburg
I am a historian specializing in the history of globalization, colonial history, global capitalism, the pharmaceutical industry, and postcolonial memory cultures. Currently, I am a senior researcher in the Department History at the University of Hamburg and serve as the coordinator for the University wide profile initiative “(Post-)Colonial Orders”. I am convinced that business history… Continue reading Kim Todzi – University of Hamburg
New Publication: “Reassessing Germany’s Colonial Economies:Actors, Dynamics and Legacies” Special Issue VSWG
Nina Kleinöder and Kim Todzi have guest‑edited a special issue of the Vierteljahresschrift für Sozial‑ und Wirtschaftsgeschichte (VSWG; Journal of Social and Economic History) titled “Reassessing Germany’s Colonial Economies: Actors, Dynamics, and Legacies.” The issue features research articles by network members Nina Kleinöder, Kim Todzi and Tristan Oestermann. All articles are available open access: https://biblioscout.net/journal/vswg/112/2
Bilge Karbi – Orient-Institute Istanbul
I studied Public Finance and History in Turkey. I received my doctorate from the Institute of Social Sciences, Department of Modern Turkish History at the Yıldız Technical University Istanbul. Currently, I am working as a director’s assistant at Orient-Institute Istanbul. My research interests are the history of the Ottoman Empire and Turkey, I particularly focus… Continue reading Bilge Karbi – Orient-Institute Istanbul
Julian zur Lage – University of Hamburg
As a global historian, my research is located at the intersection of the history of colonial globalization on one hand and the circulation and movement of people, goods and ideas on the other. My PhD thesis, published with a title that can be translated as ‘Historiography out of the library. Sedentary scholars and the global… Continue reading Julian zur Lage – University of Hamburg
Nina Kleinöder – University of Bamberg
I am assistant professor for economic and social history at the University of Bamberg. I am a trained historian, focussing on the history on the 19th and 20th century. In my research, I am interested in industrial relations and the change of working environments. I have a distinct research focus in business history and my… Continue reading Nina Kleinöder – University of Bamberg
Samuël Coghe – Ghent University
I am Associate Professor in African and Global History at Ghent University and PI of the ERC Starting Grant CATTLEFRONTIERS. After earning my PhD from the European University in Florence in 2014 with a thesis on population politics in colonial Angola, I have been postdoctoral fellow at the MPI for the History of Science in… Continue reading Samuël Coghe – Ghent University
