New Transnational Research Group in Santiago de Chile
June 2, 2026
Ulrike von Hirschhausen, Director of the German Historical Institute Washington, will lead a new Transnational Research Group of the Max Weber Foundation based in Santiago de Chile from 2027 to 2031. Together with the German Historical Institute Rome and the German Center for Art History Paris, the GHI Washington successfully proposed the new research hub, which was approved by the Max Weber Foundation’s Board of Trustees at its 56th meeting on May 8, 2026.
The research group, Imperial Legacies. Conflicts over Norms, Power, and Images in the Post-Imperial Societies of Latin America (1820–2020), will examine how colonial and imperial pasts continue to shape political cultures, legal systems, international relations, and visual orders in Argentina, Brazil, and Chile. Bringing together scholars from Latin America and Europe, the project combines perspectives from history, legal history, and art history.
The research group investigates how imperial concepts of order persisted after independence, were reinterpreted, or were contested in debates over citizenship, law, political legitimacy, international influence, and social belonging from the nineteenth century to the present. Emphasis is placed on the intersection of history, legal history, and art history, treating power, norms, and images as interconnected fields through which post-imperial orders continue to be negotiated.
With a new office in Santiago, the Max Weber Foundation is strengthening its presence in Latin America. Chile offers a strategically important location for the research group, combining academic excellence with strong opportunities for regional cooperation and exchange across Latin America.
“The MWS Board of Trustees sees the new research group not only as a promising example of inter-institutional collaboration, but also as the basis for a possible medium-term institute establishment in Latin America — a continent of major forward-looking importance for German historical and social sciences,” stated Ute Frevert, President of the Max Weber Foundation.
Transnational Research Groups enable one or more institutes of the Max Weber Foundation to carry out fixed-term research projects with clearly defined research questions in cooperation with international partners. Projects may be regionally, thematically, or disciplinarily oriented and are intended to contribute to the strategic development of the foundation. Previous Transnational Research Groups operated in Delhi (2013–2017), Dakar (2017–2021), and Rome/Warsaw (2022–2026).
The Max Weber Foundation promotes research in history, cultural studies, economics, and the social sciences in selected host countries around the world. To this end, it maintains 11 institutes as well as research groups and offices internationally. The foundation is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Research, Technology and Space.
For questions on the new research group please contact Dr. Sarah Beringer, head of strategy and communications at the German Historical Institute Washington.