CERES is proud to announce that Prof. James Retallack, a CERES fellow and professor in the Department of History, has been awarded the distinguished Killam and Guggenheim Fellowships.

Retallack is in the early stages of researching and writing “The Workers’ Emperor”: August Bebel’s Struggle for Social Justice and Democratic Reform, 1840-1913, a biography of the leader of the Social Democratic Party in pre-World War One Germany. Retallack is one of the world’s leading experts on Germany’s missed opportunities to implement liberalism and democracy and steer away from the horrors of Nazism. His study of Bebel’s life will shed new light on the Second Reich’s inner conflicts and explore how Germans distinguished between routine opposition, civil disobedience, and “political terrorism” in a modernizing world.

“The division of political society in Germany before 1914 in many ways separated socialists from everyone else,” said Retallack. “Several issues that drew Bebel’s attention – the rights of women, abuse of aboriginal peoples, discrimination against Jews, fair elections, state surveillance – resonate today in Canadian public discourse. My aim is to illuminate the historical dynamics and uncertain outcomes that arise from the clash of political systems and charismatic individuals.”

The Killam Fellowships support scholars engaged in ongoing projects of outstanding merit and widespread interest in their fields. The prize affords each recipient the opportunity to spend time focused solely on their research.

The Guggenheim Fellowships are awarded to scholars, artists, and scientists by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation in acknowledgment of prior achievements together with the potential of their current projects. The award allows recipients to spend time focused solely on their research.

Congratulations, Prof. Retallack!

Read the press release regarding Prof. Retallack’s Killam Fellowship.

Read the press release regarding Prof. Retallack’s Guggenheim Fellowship.