Spaces of Contested Statehood: A Legacy of Empire
Feb 19, 2026 | 5pm PT
Lecture at UC Berkeley (223 Philosophy Hall) | Speaker: Ulrike von Hirschhausen (GHI Washington)
Co-Sponsor(s): Institute of European Studies, History Department, Institute of International Studies at UC Berkeley
Ulrike von Hirschhausen will discuss spaces of contested statehood today and trace their history back to the legacies of bygone empires, which are often keen to regain their former territorial scope and spheres of interest. Although the talk focuses on such “frozen conflicts” in Eastern Europe, it sheds light on comparable cases of contested statehood worldwide and offers a new conceptual framework to better understand this growing type of conflict.
About the Speaker
Ulrike von Hirschhausen is a historian of imperial and global history. Her book, Empires: A Global History, 1780–1920, co-authored with Joern Leonhard, was published in 2023 and was listed for the 2024 Austrian Academic Book Award. She received her M.A. from Stanford University, her Ph.D. from the University of Tübingen, and her habilitation (second book), a history of multiethnic Riga in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, from the University of Göttingen. She has served as the director of the German Historical Institute Washington, an internationally renowned center for advanced historical research that promotes transatlantic scholarly exchange through fellowships, conferences, publications, and public programs, since September 2025. The German Historical Institute Washington is an internationally renowned center for advanced historical research whose work reaches beyond the discipline of history. With locations in Washington, DC, and Berkeley, CA, the Institute fosters innovative scholarship and dialogue connecting scholars across continents, disciplines, and generations. As a cultural ambassador, the GHI also builds bridges between academic research and broader publics in Germany, the United States, and beyond.