From the introduction:"In an academic ceremony on June 15, 2006, Lecture Hall J in the main building of the University of Hamburg was named in Magdalene-Schoch-Hörsaal - the fifth name given according to the program launched in 1999 for naming restored lecture halls after scientists from Hamburg who were expelled from the "Third Reich". [...] This issue of Hamburg University Speeches documents the speeches given at the ceremony [....] The subsequent printed original texts by Magdalene Schoch are not legal essays, but two autobiographical writings that were previously difficult or even inaccessible; one authored shortly before the beginning of the "Third Reich", the other, in English, after its end. [...] The collection of texts is supplemented by a documentary explaining the origin of the decision to use Magdalene Schoch's name."
Der Hamburger Historiker Peter Borowsky (1938-2000), ein "Schüler" Fritz Fischers, vermochte als Autor auflagenstarker Geschichtswerke und vor allem als akademischer Lehrer nachhaltige Wirkung zu entfalten. Die gemeinsam mit Barbara Vogel und Heide Wunder verfasste, 1975 erstmals erschienene "Einführung in die Geschichtswissenschaft" ist bis heute ein wissenschaftlicher "Bestseller"; Borowskys Hitler-Biographie für Jugendliche und seine Überblicksdarstellungen zur Deutschen Geschichte nach 1945 erreichten ebenfalls ein großes Publikum. Kaum messbar ist Peter Borowskys immense Leistung als Lehrender an der Universität Hamburg sowie an den renommierten amerikanischen Hochschulen Smith College und Middlebury College. Die 13 Autorinnen und 34 Autoren der Gedenkschrift aus der Bundesrepublik Deutschland und den USA repräsentieren diverse Generationen, zahlreiche Fachgebiete und verschiedene wissenschaftstheoretische Ansätze. Das Themenspektrum umfasst - neben Texten über Peter Borowsky - Beiträge zu den Bereichen Theorie, Geschlechtergeschichte, Deutsches Kaiserreich, Weimarer Republik, "Drittes Reich", Deutschland nach 1945, Hamburgische Geschichte, Europäische Geschichte, Wissenschafts- und Hochschulgeschichte sowie Kultur. Konzeptionelle Offenheit und - keineswegs beliebige - Vielfalt kennzeichnen den Band, der auf ganz unterschiedliche Weise zur spannenden Lektüre einladen und Lust auf Geschichte machen soll
On October 13, 2000 the historian Peter Borowsky, a "pupil" of Fritz Fischer, died at the age of 62. He has worked at the University of Hamburg for almost four decades: as a student, research assistant, senior scientific officer and private lecturer for modern and contemporary history. In 1996, he was awarded the title of "Professor"; however, he was denied a professorship. As an author of high-circulation historical works, Peter Borowsky reached a large audience. Written jointly with Barbara Vogel and Heide Wunder, the introduction to history first published in 1975 is still a scientific "best-seller"to this day; Borowsky's Hitler biography for young people and his overview of German history after 1945 also experienced numerous editions. However, the focus of his work was on academic teaching, in which he achieved outstanding results. Generations of history students were taught, supervised and shaped by him - at the University of Hamburg as well as at Smith College, Northampton/Massachusetts, where the scholar has regularly held a visiting professorship since 1974. The partnership between these two universities was embodied by Peter Borowsky. The academic commemoration ceremonies in his honour - in February 2001 at the University of Hamburg and the following month at Smith College - conveyed a moving impression. A selection of the speeches given there and previously at the funeral service at the Nienstedten cemetery is summarized in this booklet. At the same time, an extensive commemorative volume was published on June 3, 2003, the 65th anniversary of Peter Borowsky's birth, the title "Lebendige Sozialgeschichte. Borowskys Forschungsfelder" (Living Social History. Borowskys Research Fields) is intended to emphasize the content and methodology of Borowsky's work and at the same time to accentuate his special way of conveying history
Peter Borowsky (1938-2000) was a committed historian and enthusiastic historian. For more than 30 years he taught modern history at the History Department of the University of Hamburg. He left a lasting mark on generations of students through his competence and his way of conveying history in a lively way. This is also evident in the 14 contributions to German history in the 19th and 20th centuries, which are published here for the first time. The topics range from the Hohenzollern region to the political culture of the Federal Republic of Germany and include students in the revolution of 1848, Hamburg's 19th century history, the development from the Weimar Republic to the "Third Reich", German relations with Eastern European countries and the USA. Two texts deal vividly with the history of German historiography and the "Historian's Dispute"
