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Leeder has played a significant role in developing public understanding and appreciation of the culture of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) and its contested legacy after the unification of Germany in 1990. She has over many years promoted the understanding of culture from the former East through publications, translations, public events, work with writers and frequent radio broadcasts. This active work to engage a broad range of audiences, underpinned by high-quality research, has increased awareness of East German culture, has played a role in processes of commemoration, and has supported new forms of literary expression by bringing new works by established and emerging authors, filmmakers and artists to the forefront in public debate on these issues in the UK and beyond.
In this REF period, Christopher Young researched and published widely on the Olympic Games in twentieth-century Germany. Highlights of the impact of this research include: (i) Young's co- authored monograph was the principal reference for an exhibition on the 1972 Munich Olympics, which ran for 6 weeks in 2012 at Munich's main station; (ii) Young made a significant contribution as consultant to three of the six documentary programmes `Olympic Radio Ballads', which were broadcast on Radio 2 in the run-up to London 2012; (iii) Young's research was the basis of his April 2012 presentation at the Historian's Speaker Series at the Office of State in Washington.
The impact derives from research undertaken from 2007 to 2012 by Thomas Biskup (Hull) in collaboration with colleagues in Germany and Oxford. Marking the 2012 tercentenary of King Frederick II `the Great' of Prussia (1712-86), the research contributed directly to a series of major public events in Germany and the UK. The impact assumed two main forms. First, these research- informed public events benefitted the economy of Brandenburg by stimulating tourism, and increasing the number of visitors and overnight stays to record highs. Second, as part of the on- going process of re-defining German national identity and the place of Germany in Europe, the public image of Frederick II was reshaped.
Speaking in 2012, David Cameron declared proudly that the Great War is `a fundamental part of our national consciousness'. But what is acknowledged far less is the role of minority groups in the conflict. Jews, national minorities and colonial troops all fought and died at the front. Tim Grady has helped to push this knowledge to the centre of the public's understanding. His talks, magazine articles, podcasts and consultancy work have raised awareness of the diverse range of voices involved in the First World War, highlighting the impact of other combatants, as well as the involvement of the Jewish community.
The research has had an impact on public understanding of the contested German past. Pathways include public lectures, radio broadcasts, newspaper coverage, and the production of two documentary films as well as A Level source materials and school textbook chapters. The reach has included diverse audiences in Europe, the USA, Australasia and elsewhere. It has improved the knowledge and understanding of students and teachers in the UK, professionals involved in public history activities in Germany and interested members of the public. In the Rhineland, it has led to changes in how the legacies of former officials are commemorated. The research has been of particular personal significance to people variously grappling with the continuing legacies of Nazism and the Holocaust, and the East German dictatorship.
Professor Rainer Schulze's research on the history of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp provided a new analysis of the singular role of Bergen-Belsen in the system of Nazi concentration camps. This research informed a new permanent exhibition at the Gedenkstätte (memorial site) at Bergen-Belsen. The new exhibition has educated hundreds of thousands of visitors since it opened in 2007, and has improved the reputation of the Gedenkstätte, allowing it to secure a donation from the Berlin Bundesregierung of €1million and to incr ease its permanent staff number. In the UK, Schulze's work has had effects on the teaching of Holocaust history in the UK, achieved through his participation in the annual University of Essex Holocaust Awareness week, his Key Stage 3 and 4 and A-Level workshops, and the establishment of the Dora Love Prize for schools in 2012.
The research traces the interrelated debates on art, education and violence from the German Enlightenment to the present day. It analyses how the Enlightenment has shaped discussions of ethics and aesthetics both in the nineteenth century and in post-war German culture. The research has been communicated to a wide range of audiences: students, adult learners, creative organisations and their audiences, resulting in enriched cultural experiences and a different perspective on contemporary issues through the introduction of new ideas, arguments and forms of expression.
The impact of this on-going project has been to raise cultural awareness of Eastern European history and life behind the Iron Curtain by bringing together communities of former Eastern European citizens in Bristol. It has given those communities the opportunity to share their stories with a group with many common experiences. The project has also given them the opportunity to increase their awareness of other Eastern European countries. Public awareness has been raised through a series of events which have allowed project participants to voice their views and experiences, including a museum exhibition, a series of school workshops, and a set of resources for secondary school teachers.
Research by Haase underpinned the successful renaming of one of the central sites of the new Germany — the Marion-Countess-Dönhoff-Platz in Berlin — in 2010/11. Haase's research informed the politically sensitive consultation process between politicians and local communities, and within the communities themselves, and provided research that helped deliver broad-based community support for the new name. The research-informed community engagement approach facilitated by Haase's research set a national standard of excellence in renaming processes. A permanent interpretation board contributes historical depth to locals' and tourists' experience of the Square.
Through his research on Nazi Germany and on the causes of the Holocaust Professor Peter Longerich has made a substantial contribution to CULTURE and to PUBLIC DISCOURSE internationally. He addresses globally important and controversial questions, including the relationship between anti-Semitism and the commission of mass murder, and the degree of responsibility born by Germany as a nation for the Holocaust. His work has been debated in high profile media forums, such as Der Spiegel and Die Zeit.
Longerich's research has also led to impacts on both CIVIL SOCIETY and POLICY MAKING in Germany, for example through his appointment as the chair of the Independent Expert Committee on Anti-Semitism, an advisory group established by the German government, and on EDUCATION: in 2011 he was commissioned to help design a public `document centre' focused on the history of National Socialism in Munich.