In Memorium: Prof. Wolfgang Jacobmeyer
With great sadness we have learnt of the death of Prof. Wolfgang Jacobmeyer, who had a long and close association with the Georg Eckert Institute. His work on historical education and his perspectives on history teaching and the dissemination of historical knowledge were closely linked with the areas of research in which the Institute specialises. Wolfgang Jacobmeyer was the deputy director of the Institute from 1978 to 1991 and was instrumental to the founding of the Institute in 1975.
His research interests centred particularly on the culture of history, history teaching, and the analysis of learning and dissemination processes. His focus on international textbook work drove and guided progress in textbook research at the Institute. He endowed the German-Polish Textbook Commission and the German-American textbook discussions with his expertise and teaching skills. His seminal three-volume publication ‘Das deutsche Schulgeschichtsbuch 1700–1945‘ (The German History Textbook from 1700-1945) demonstrates how history books evolved from mere collections of royal lineages to frameworks for cultural identities.
Wolfgang Jacobmeyer was for many years a member of the Institute’s Academic Advisory Board and of the German-Polish Textbook Commission. In this latter role his focus extended from German-Polish relations and improvements in textbooks and the history of education to international understanding and democracy education.
His work as an outstanding historian and history educator shaped historical education research for several decades. His research provided significant stimuli for explorations of how history is presented within schools and within society at large.
We remember Wolfgang Jacobmeyer as a highly-esteemed academic who always underlined the importance of history teaching within democratic societies and who supported the development of his field with great dedication and passion.
We would like to extend our sympathies to his family and friends as well as his colleagues and associates.
