Prof. Dr. Antje Flüchter

Prof Dr Antje Flüchter has been Professor of General History with a special focus on the early modern period at Bielefeld University since 2014. Her research specialisms include the history of global interdependencies with a focus on relations between Asia and Europe, gender history, historical theory and the history of religiosity. More recently, she has focussed on the ordering of people through comparative practices from the 15th to the 19th century, not least on the declining significance of religious affiliation and birth status on the one hand and the growing importance of racialising classifications on the other.
Since September 2025, Antje Flüchter has chaired the Association of German Historians. In June 2023, Antje Flüchter was elected to the advisory board of the Käte Hamburger Research Centre Dis:connectivity in Processes of Globalisation (global dis:connect); since November 2023 as its chairwoman. From September 2021 - September 2025, she was a member of the committee of the Association of German Historians. She was also spokesperson for the Global and Entangled History profile area of the Department of History at Bielefeld University and, from May 2021 to December 2025, spokesperson for the CRC 1288 "Practices of Comparison. Ordering and Changing the World".
From 2018 to 2021, Antje Flüchter was Dean of the Faculty of History, Philosophy and Theology at Bielefeld University. 2013-2014 she taught as Associate Professor at the University of Oslo/Norway. From 2008-2013, she led research groups at the Cluster(s) of Excellence Asia and Europe in a Global Context in Heidelberg, and since 2012 she has also been PI (Principal Investigator) of this research network.
Antje Flüchter studied history, political science and geography in Freiburg and Cologne. From 1997 to 2008, she was an academic co-worker at the University of Münster (Stollberg-Rilinger Chair), where she completed her doctorate in 2002 (Der Zölibat zwischen Norm und Devianz. Church politics and everyday parish life in Jülich and Berg in the 16th and 17th centuries (Norm und Struktur; 25), Cologne 2006). In 2012, she completed her habilitation at the University of Heidelberg (Die Vielfalt der Bilder und die eine Wahrheit: Die Staatlichkeit Indiens in der deutschsprachigen Wahrnehmung (1500-1700), Affalterbach 2020).

since September 2025:
Chairwoman of the Board of the Association of German Historians e.V.

May 2021 to December 2025:'
Spokesperson of the CRC 1288 "Practices of Comparison: Organising and Changing the World"

2018-2021:
Dean of the Faculty of History, Philosophy and Theology

since 2014:
Professor of Early Modern Studies at Bielefeld University

2013-2014:
Associate Professor of Cultural History, IKOS, University of Oslo

Winter term 2012/13:
Substitute Prof. Dr Thomas Maissen at the University of Heidelberg

Summer term 2012:
Visiting professor at the DFG Research Training Group Dynamics of Space and Gender at the Universities of Kassel & Göttingen

since July 2011:
Principal Investigator (main applicant) of the Cluster(s) of Excellence "Asia and Europe in a Global Context"
at the University of Heidelberg

since 2008:
Research Group Leader of the project "Cultural Transfer as a Factor of Statebuilding" at the Cluster(s) of Excellence "Asia and Europe in a Global Context" at the University of Heidelberg

2008:
Substitute Prof. Dr Francisca Loetz at the University of Zurich

1.3.–30.6.2008:
Research Fellowship at the International Research Centre for Cultural Studies (IFK) in Vienna

2002-2008:
Research Assistant to the Chair of Early Modern History in Münster (Prof. Dr Barbara Stollberg-Rilinger)

1997-2002:
Academic co-worker at the Chair of Early Modern History in Münster (Prof. Dr Barbara Stollberg-Rilinger)

2012:
Completion of the habilitation process at the Faculty of Philosophy at Heidelberg University (topic of the habilitation thesis: Die Vielfalt der Bilder und die eine Wahrheit. The statehood of India in the German-speaking perception (1500-1700))

2002:
Doctorate in Modern and Medieval History, Political Science at the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität in Münster (topic of doctoral thesis: Celibacy between Norm and Deviance. Church politics and everyday parish life in Jülich and Berg in the 16th and 17th centuries)

1997:
Graduated as Magistra Artium at the University of Cologne in Medieval and Modern History, Political Science and Geography under Prof. Dr Johannes Kunisch (topic of the Master's thesis: Ständetum und Staatsbildung in Böhmen im Konfessionellen Zeitalter)

1989-1997:
Studied Medieval and Modern History, Political Science, Geography and Folklore in Freiburg (1989-1991) and Cologne (1992-1997)