Historian receives 700,000 euros for research on Danube history!

Historian receives 700,000 euros for research on Danube history!

PD Dr. Luminita Gatejel, historian at the University of Regensburg, was honored for her outstanding research achievements as part of the Heisenberg Program of the German Research Foundation (DFG). The considerable funding amount of almost 700,000 euros will be available to Gatejel until 2030. Her specialization is in the technological and environmental history of Southeastern Europe, with a current focus on ecological transformations and social conflicts on the Danube, particularly in Romania in the 20th century.

In her current research project, Gatejel examines the history of Romania's floodplain landscapes since modern times. She focuses on the modernization processes in rural areas, analyzing social, economic and environmental distribution struggles in relation to these areas. Her work emphasizes the need for interdisciplinary collaboration and incorporates disciplines such as anthropology, geography and engineering to understand the complexity of the topics covered.

Research goals and experiences

Gatejel completed her habilitation at the University of Regensburg and leads an international collaborative project of the Leibniz Association. Her experienced career also includes a stint at the University of Augsburg, where she served as interim director of the Bukovina Institute. In addition, Gatejel plans to further deepen her research work by collaborating with international colleagues at Trinity College Dublin and Maastricht University.

The Heisenberg Program, under which Gatejel is funded, aims to support outstanding scientists in preparing for a long-term professorship and in deepening further research topics. Scientists from all disciplines who can provide proof of a habilitation or habilitation-equivalent achievements are eligible to apply. The funding can be advertised in different versions, so that researchers can choose between Heisenberg professorships, Heisenberg positions, Heisenberg rotation positions and Heisenberg fellowships, and the total duration of the funding is a maximum of five years.

Gatejel's research in the field of environmental history falls into a broader context, which also includes research work on Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology is shaped. An article was published under the direction of Adam Izdebski that deals with methodological questions in historical research in the context of the Anthropocene. Izdebski argues that the challenges of the Anthropocene require interdisciplinary approaches that combine historical narratives with scientific knowledge.

Interdisciplinarity and historical narratives

Climate change and historical peoples have traditionally been portrayed as either catastrophes caused by climate damage or the resilience of societies. Izdebski calls for expanding environmental history beyond these narratives of catastrophe and resilience. The importance of understanding the interaction between climate and historical societies is highlighted in order to develop new, sustainable narratives and recognize the strengths and weaknesses of both narratives.

These interdisciplinary approaches are also important for Gatejel's research. Her analysis of the Romanian floodplain landscapes in conjunction with current discussions on environmental history illustrates how necessary such collaboration is in order to understand the complex connections between ecological changes and the associated social conflicts.