Doctoral Student Daniel Weinmann
Contact Information
Daniel Weinmann, M. Ed.
Heidelberg University
Department of History
Grabengasse 3-5
D-69117 Heidelberg
Email: daniel.weinmann@uni-heidelberg.de
About
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10/2023 | M. Ed. Thesis in History, title: : „History Makers. Vladimir Medinskijs kaleidoskopartiges Histotainment und die geschichtsgetriebene Politik Russlands“ (‘History Makers. Vladimir Medinskij's Kaleidoscopic Histotainment and the History-driven Politics of Russia’), supervised by: Prof Dr Klaus Gestwa, grade: 1.0 |
06/2020–10/2023 | Studies at the University of Tübingen, M. Ed. History and Russian Language |
07/2023 | Participation in the 17th Aldersbacher Schreib-Praxis of the IfZ Munich - Berlin and the publishing house De Gruyter Oldenbourg |
05/2020 | B. Ed. Thesis in History, title: „Überlagertes Gedächtnis. Das Blockadebuch und geschichtspolitische Konstruktionen in der Sowjetunion“(‘Overlaying Memory. The Blockade Book and Historical-Political Constructions in the Soviet Union’), supervised by: Prof. Dr Klaus Gestwa, grade: 1.0 |
04/2016–04/2020 | Studies at the University of Tübingen, B. Ed. History and Russian Language |
06/2014 | Abitur at the Friedrich-List-Gymnasium Reutlingen |
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Since 01/24 | Junior Scholar in the research project ‘The Aggressor: Self-perception and external perception of an actor between nations’ at the Department of History at Heidelberg University |
07/2023 | Editing for Aufbau Verlage GmbH & Co. KG of: Mikhail Zygar: ‘War and Atonement. Ukraine's long struggle against Russian oppression’, Berlin 2023 |
06/2022–12/2023 | Employee in the library of the Institute for Eastern European History and Regional Studies at the University of Tübingen |
04/2021–08/2021 | Research assistant for Alexa von Winning, M.A. as part of the programme „Hilfskraftmittel Digitale Lehre in Corona-Zeiten (SoSe 2021)“ (‘Auxiliary resources for digital teaching in Corona times (Summer semester 2021)') of the Equal Opportunities Commission of the Faculty of Humanities, University of Tübingen |
10/2020–02/2021 | Research assistant for Alexa von Winning, M.A. as part of the “Mehr Zeit” (‘More Time’) programme of the Equal Opportunities Commission of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Tübingen |
10/2019–04/2020 | Student Assistant for Alexa von Winning, M.A. as part of the “Mehr Zeit” (‘More Time’) programme of the Equal Opportunities Commission of the Faculty of Humanities, University of Tübingen |
09/2016–06/2022 | Student/research assistant at the Institute for Eastern European History and Regional Studies, University of Tübingen |
Doctoral Project
History Makers – The Construction of Aggressor Images in (Digital) Historical Propaganda in Putin-Era Russia
PhD Supervisor: Prof Dr Tanja Penter
The project examines how officially sanctioned historical narratives are used in Russia to manipulatively anchor and legitimise current political decisions and events in the past. The period analysed ranges from the transformation in the 1990s to the present and examines the representation and discourse on historical aggressors and enmities as a process that reciprocally shapes and influences Russian politics.
The first objective is to analyse the media dimension and its infrastructure. The focus here is on the various media formats in which public historical discourses take place, their trends and their role in establishing images of aggressors. This includes not only traditional media, but also new (social) media such as YouTube and other platforms, which are both carriers of discourse and can themselves be stylised as aggressors. The second objective is to investigate the development of a centralised politics of history and memory. Of particular interest here is the role of Russian historiography. The focus is on the development of a friend-foe dualism among the main actors, which defamed dissenters as ‘foreign agents’ and worse. The third objective focuses on the institutional level and examines the role of state-organised non-governmental organisations (GONGOs) and the narratives they disseminate. These organisations serve to reinforce the Kremlin's control over civil society and supposed historical knowledge. In the context of historical organisations, we can refer to them and their representatives as ‘History Makers’, as their work consists of simulating state independence as well as being part of a pluralistic and vibrant civil society from which they supposedly emerged.
By juxtaposing the narratives and politics of history in Russia with those in Ukraine and/or Europe, the project seeks to better understand a cornerstone of Putin's ideology. It also seeks to analyse the use of history as a political tool and ideological driver for Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.
Research interests
- History politics and cultures of remembrance
- History in the (social) media
- Putinism
- Soviet, Russian and Ukrainian history
- Historical propaganda
- History of transformation
- History of violence in the 20th and 21st centuries
Publications, conference reports and interviews
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Lectures
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History Makers. Aggressor Images of Digital Historical Propaganda in Putin’s Russia on YouTube
- Conference of the Ladenburg Network of the Daimler and Benz Foundation, 26-28 February 2024, Ladenburg
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History Makers: „Heilige“ und „digitale“ Geschichtspropaganda in Putins Russland
- Joint lecture with Oleg Morozov at the 10th German-Swiss Study Day for Eastern European History, 4-5 May 2023, Studienhaus Wiesneck
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History on RuTube. New Propaganda Media, Old Methods and Distracting Narratives
- Lecture at the workshop ‘A short History of Digital Publics at War’ of the Chair of Public History at the FernUniversität in Hagen, 1-3 May 2023, Berlin
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Geschichte auf RuTube. Performanz, Motive und Resonanz geschichtsdidaktischer Videos im russischen Internet
- Lecture in the advanced seminar of the Institute for Eastern European History and Regional Studies Tübingen on 23 January 2023
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Krieg in Europa – Ukraines „Kellerkinder“
- Lecture followed by a discussion and Q&A session at the KjG in the Böblingen deanery and the Caritas services in refugee work on 19 December 2022, online
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Geschichte auf RuTube. Performanz, Motive und Rezeption geschichtsdidaktischer Videos im russischen Internet.
- Presentation at the student conference ‘Що робити? - What to do?’ on 9 October 2022 at the FU Berlin
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Überlagertes Gedächtnis. Das Blockadebuch und geschichtspolitische Konstruktionen in der Sowjetunion
- Lecture at the colloquium of the Institute for Eastern European History and Regional Studies Tübingen on 15 June 2020.
Stays abroad, scholarships and memberships
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Since 04/2024 | Member of the German Association for East European Studies (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Osteuropakunde e.V) |
02/2019–07/2019 | Studies at the State Pedagogical Herzen University of St. Petersburg, Russian Federation. With a scholarship from the Baden-Württemberg Foundation |
03/2015–06/2015 | Language assistant at Jiaxing High School No. 5, Jiaxing, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China |
