The German Historical Institute Washington (GHI) is a center for advanced historical research. From its two locations in Washington, DC, and Berkeley, CA, the Institute fosters innovative scholarship and dialogue that connect historians across continents, disciplines and generations. As a cultural ambassador, the GHI builds bridges between academic research and public discourse.
Advancing Research
The GHI advances historical research through individual and collaborative projects, conferences, and fellowships that encourage comparative, transnational and global perspectives. Its research program focusses currently on four fields: German, European & Jewish History; History of the Americas & Transatlantic History; History of Migration & Mobility; and the History of Empires & their Legacies. The GHI also supports digital initiatives that make historical resources widely accessible and promote new approaches to historical inquiry.
Supporting Scholars
The GHI enables scholars to conduct research and share their knowledge. Beyond providing support for staff researchers, each year it awards around 30 short-term travel fellowships for doctoral and postdoctoral researchers conducting archival work in North America, as well as a select number of long-term visiting fellowships and binational tandem fellowships. GHI conferences, workshops, and seminars, often organized in cooperation with partner institutions in Europe and the Americas, offer vital forums for scholarly exchange and collaboration.
Building Networks
The GHI’s program rests on the conviction that engaging with diverse audiences is vital to advancing historical understanding. Since its founding in 1987, the GHI has strengthened transatlantic connections throughout North America. The establishment of its Pacific Office in Berkeley in 2017 expanded this network, enabling new research initiatives linking the Atlantic and Pacific worlds and deepening cooperation across the Americas. The GHI fulfills its scholarly and cultural mission in close partnership with German, American, and international institutions.
History of the GHI
The GHI was established in 1987 as an independent non-profit foundation. Since 2002 it has been part of the Max Weber Stiftung - Deutsche Geisteswissenschaftliche Institute im Ausland (Max Weber Foundation - International Humanities), a public-law foundation funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, which coordinates an international network of humanities institutes in Rome (established in 1888), Paris (1958), Beirut (1961), London (1976), Tokyo (1988), Warsaw (1993), Moscow (2005-2024), Istanbul (2009), and Delhi (2021). While the GHI's basic operating budget comes from the Max Weber Foundation, special programs and initiatives are funded by grants from German and American foundations.
To learn more about GHI Washington's history, see:
The German Historical Institute in Washington, 1987-2012: A Short HistoryWashington's Second Blair House: 1607 New Hampshire Avenue, an Illustrated History