Constantin Fasolt
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University of Heidelberg
Columbia University (Ph.D.)
Constantin Fasolt | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | March 18, 1951 |
| Occupations | Historian, professor |
| Known for | Work on conciliar theory, historiography, and the philosophy of history |
| Academic background | |
| Education | University of Bonn University of Heidelberg Columbia University (Ph.D.) |
| Thesis | William Durant the Younger's Tractatus de modo generalis concilii celebrandi: An Early 14th-Century Conciliar Theory (1981) |
| Doctoral advisor | John Hine Mundy |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | History |
| Sub-discipline | Intellectual history, medieval and early modern Europe |
| Institutions | University of Chicago |
| Notable works | Council and Hierarchy (1991) The Limits of History (2004) |
| Website | constantinfasolt.org |
Constantin Fasolt (born 1951) is a German-American historian and scholar specializing in the development and significance of historical thought. He is the Karl J. Weintraub Professor Emeritus of Medieval and Early Modern European History at the University of Chicago, where he taught from 1983 until his retirement in 2017.[1]
Fasolt was born in Germany and attended the Beethoven-Gymnasium in Bonn from 1961 to 1969. After completing two years of military service, he enrolled at the University of Bonn to study philosophy, history, and English language and literature. He later transferred to the University of Heidelberg, where he studied under noted philosophers including Hans-Georg Gadamer, Michael Theunissen, and Ernst Tugendhat.[2]
Fasolt was especially impressed by Tugendhat, and later remarked, "that was a philosopher—if I had met him as my first teacher, I could have stayed in philosophy, probably, and not gone to the United States." However, disillusioned by what he described as "overcrowded" and "undemanding" conditions at German universities, he decided to pursue his academic career in the United States.[2]
In 1975, Fasolt moved to the U.S. and enrolled at Columbia University, where he studied medieval history with John H. Mundy, J. M. W. Bean, Robert Somerville, Eugene F. Rice Jr., and Paul Oskar Kristeller and wrote his dissertation under Mundy's supervision. He earned his M.A. in 1976, M.Phil. in 1978, and Ph.D. with distinction in 1981.[2]
Academic career
From 1979 to 1981 Fasolt taught Columbia University's core course "Contemporary Civilization" as a preceptor in history, and from 1981 to 1983 as a lecturer in history. From 1981 to 1983 he also held a Mellon Fellowship at Columbia's Society of Fellows in the Humanities.[3]
In 1983, he joined the University of Chicago as Assistant Professor of History and shifted most of his teaching and research into the early modern period. He became Associate Professor in 1990, full Professor in 1999, and was named Karl J. Weintraub Professor in 2007. He retired in 2017 and now holds the title of Karl J. Weintraub Professor Emeritus.[1]
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He held visiting professorships at the University of Virginia (1999–2000) and the University of Notre Dame (2002–03).[2]
Fasolt came to prominence through his work in conciliar theory and historiography, especially in Council and Hierarchy (1991)[4] and The Limits of History (2004).[5] As an administrator, he chaired numerous committees and served as Master of the Social Sciences Collegiate Division, Deputy Dean of the Division of the Social Sciences, and Associate Dean of the College (2005–2008).[6]
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He was also general editor (1993–present) of the book series New Perspectives on the Past, with volumes published by Cornell University Press, Blackwell, and Wiley.[7]
Research and scholarship
Fasolt's scholarship centers on the transformation of European political and historical thought from the medieval period through the early modern era. His research delves into the evolution of concepts such as sovereignty, democracy, and human rights, examining how these ideas have shaped modern understandings of history and governance.[1]
His first major work, Council and Hierarchy: The Political Thought of William Durant the Younger (1991), explores the origin and significance of late medieval theories of constitutional government for the conciliar movement and its role in the replacement of ecclesiastical with secular forms of governance in early modern times.[4] In The Limits of History (2004), Fasolt challenges the modern understanding of historical objectivity, arguing that the scholarly study of history on the basis of primary evidence, no matter how thoroughly devoid of bias, is inherently and essentially political.[5] He further elaborates on these themes in Past Sense: Studies in Medieval and Early Modern European History (2014), a collection of twenty previously published studies with a new introduction.[8]
Fasolt has also contributed to the translation and analysis of significant historical texts, including his edition of Hermann Conring's New Discourse on the Roman-German Emperor[9] and help with Osvaldo Cavallar and Julius Kirshner, Jurists and Jurisprudence in Medieval Italy: Texts and Contexts (2020).[10]
In 1989, he received the Quantrell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching.[11]
Professional service
Fasolt served as chair of multiple core programs at the University of Chicago, including "History of Western Civilization," "Classics of Social and Political Thought," and "History of European Civilization." He was a member of the College Council, a referee for major academic publishers and foundations, and served on editorial boards including H-WCiv and H-Teach.[12]
