World Literary Awards

← Back to Home

Philipp Ther

フィリップ・テル

Philipp Ther

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1967-05-16
Nationality
Austria, Germany
Languages
German, English
Residence History
Bavaria (grew up) → Istanbul (part of childhood) → Ukraine (several years) → Poland (several years) → Vienna (resident)

Career

Occupations
historian, university professor, author/researcher
Active Years
1997-
Affiliations
University of Vienna (Institute of Eastern European History), RECET (Research Center for the History of Transformations) — founding director, European University Institute (Florence) — professor, European University Viadrina (Frankfurt (Oder)) — former junior professor

Education

University of Regensburg
Studied Modern History, Eastern European History, Sociology and Political Science
Period: 1988–1992
Year of Graduation: 1992
Country: Germany
Studied at Regensburg and Munich
Georgetown University
Graduate studies (Master's level)
Degree: MA
Period: 1992–1993
Year of Graduation: 1993
Country: United States
Received Master's degree in 1993
Free University of Berlin
History (PhD)
Degree: PhD
Period: 1993–1997
Year of Graduation: 1997
Country: Germany
Doctoral dissertation on German and Polish displaced persons (1945–1956)

Awards

Richard G. Plaschka Award
2006
Work: Operntheater in Zentraleuropa (Music theater in Central Europe)
Organization: Austrian Academy of Sciences
Result: 受賞
Leipzig Book Fair Prize (Nonfiction Book Prize)
2015
Work: Europe since 1989: A History
Organization: Leipzig Book Fair
Result: 受賞
Wittgenstein Award
2019
Work: Research project 'Die Große Transformation' (The Great Transformation)
Organization: Austrian Science Fund (Wittgenstein Award)
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Dark Side of Nation-States: Ethnic Cleansing in Modern Europe

2014 history / non-fiction

An analysis of ethnic cleansing in modern Europe and its political contexts.

ethnic cleansingnation-state formationconflict and memory

Center Stage: Operatic Culture and Nation Building in Nineteenth-Century Central Europe

2014 cultural history / music history

A comparative historical study of opera houses and nation-building in 19th-century Central Europe.

operanationalismcultural policy

Europe since 1989: A History

2018 contemporary history / comparative history

A comprehensive history surveying political and social transformations in Europe after the end of the Cold War.

transformationpost-Cold War politicsintegration and division

The Outsiders: Refugees in Europe since 1492

2021 migration history / social history

A comparative long-term history tracing refugee movements in Europe since 1492.

refugeesmovement and exclusionborders and citizenship

Bibliography

  • Operntheater in Zentraleuropa
  • The Dark Side of Nation-States
  • Europe since 1989: A History
  • The Outsiders: Refugees in Europe since 1492

Style & Themes

Literary Style
comparative-historical and academic analytical styleaccessible academic writing aimed at a broader readership
Recurring Motifs
transformationnationalism and memoryhistory of migration and refugees

Legacy

Recognized internationally as an expert on transformations in East-Central Europe and migration issues; influential through both academic scholarship and works aimed at a general audience. After receiving the Wittgenstein Award he founded RECET to promote comparative research on transformations.

Academic Societies

  • Austrian Academy of Sciences (award-giving institution)

Archives

  • German National Library (holdings)
  • Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek (holdings)

Trivia

  • Won the Leipzig Book Fair Prize (Nonfiction) in 2015.
  • Received the Wittgenstein Award in 2019 and subsequently founded RECET.
  • Was proposed as sole candidate for president of Viadrina University in 2022 but declined.