Bahr Awarded Travel Grant for Research in Germany, Mozambique

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Katrin Bahr, a Ph.D. candidate in German and Scandinavian studies, has received a 2018 Travel Grant from the Central European History Society to conduct research in Germany and Mozambique for her project focusing on the everyday life of East German citizens in Mozambique during the 1980s.

The grant will allow Bahr to complete interviews and archival research necessary to more thoroughly understand the changes facing German Democratic Republic (GDR) development projects and workers in Mozambique. Between 1979-90, thousands of East German teachers, engineers, doctors, consultants and others moved to Mozambique with their families as part of the Friendship Treaty with the GDR. They worked alongside Mozambicans to train and educate locals.

Bahr grew up in East Berlin and lived in Mozambique from 1982-84, along with her sister, mother and father. Her personal life story has motivated her studies in German culture and history.

Bahr holds a master’s degree in social science from Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin in Germany. After completing her studies in 2007, she worked for a German non-profit organization in Philadelphia before starting her Ph.D. program in 2011. She has taught courses on German language and culture, the Holocaust, and dystopian societies. She is a cofounder of the Third Generation Ost network, which aims to open up new perspectives and approaches on research topics focused on the GDR, formerly known as East Germany.

The CEHS grant seeks applications from North American doctoral candidates and recent Ph.D.’s in Central European history for travel and research grants up to $3,500. Funds are intended to support dissertation research and follow-up research.

"East Germany in Mozambique: Private Photographs of a Forgotten Time," an exhibit prepared by Katrin Bahr, will be on display May 3-10 at the Augusta Savage Gallery, New Africa House.