Bielefeld mourns the loss of Professor Dr. Jochen Martin: A life's work in history

Bielefeld mourns the loss of Professor Dr. Jochen Martin: A life's work in history

On May 3, 2025, Professor Dr. Jochen Martin died at the age of 88. The respected historian was appointed as the first professor of ancient history at Bielefeld University in 1976 and is considered one of the founding fathers of ancient history within the Faculty of History. His creative period at the university spanned four years before he moved to the University of Freiburg im Breisgau.

During these four years, Martin laid the foundation for the development of ancient history in Bielefeld. He became dean of the faculty early on and played a crucial role in structuring and integrating the philosophy department. As early as 1978, he took over the newly established vice-rectorate for teaching and student affairs. An important concern for him was the institutional anchoring of “women's studies” within the framework of a university priority area (USP). Beyond his influence on Bielefeld University and the Faculty of History, Philosophy and Theology, his legacy is also honored in a detailed obituary in the History Department's blog, such as aktuell.uni-bielefeld.de reported.

Bielefeld ancient history and its methodology

The ancient history in Bielefeld is characterized not only by its lived tradition, but also by its specific methodological approach. This discipline focuses on the historical existence of man in ancient form and analyzes key formational categories such as institutions, power relations and inequality. The focus on basic human figurations such as family, gender and economics is of central importance for research. uni-bielefeld.de

The Bielefeld ancient historians use both classical and modern sociological models in the interpretation process in order to connect ancient phenomena with people's historical self-location in the present. A fundamental goal of the research work is to convey contextual knowledge and to promote contact with ancient sources.

Women's and gender history as an academic discipline

The discussion about the role of women in history is an area that has become increasingly important. Over the last 15 years, women's history research has established itself as an independent academic discipline. An example of this is the upcoming conference at the Historians' Congress in September in Münster, where three sections on women's and gender history will be presented. This reflects progress despite the challenges historians face bpb.de reported.

The successful establishment of women's history requires a continuous examination of patriarchal structures in historical studies. Feminist theorists call for a new perspective that centers women's experiences and represents a fundamental element in historical thinking that challenges patriarchal premises. Despite progress in staffing positions for female historians, the underrepresentation of women in historical research remains a challenge that needs to be addressed.

The contribution by Professor Dr. Jochen Martin on the promotion of women's studies shows that the integration of such topics into academic debate remains both necessary and continually called for. The academic community is called upon to take greater account of the insights and perspectives from women's history research and to sustainably improve the visibility of historical women's work.