Carla Heelan is a historian of modern Europe, with a particular focus on the cultural history of nineteenth- and twentieth-century Germany. Her current book project explores the importance of historical myths for modern nationalism. From 1815 to 1945, certain moments from German history became essential to the creation of a sense of modern national belonging, and narratives about the supposed origins of Germany during Middle Ages were especially important for debates about citizenship, progress, and modernity.
Heelan has presented and taught extensively on these themes, as well as on broader topics of modern European history, including industrialization, urbanization, the creation of party politics, and the global dimensions of modern European nationalism. She received her Ph.D. from Harvard in 2016.
At the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Heelan co-organizes the Thesis Workshop for Juniors.
This information is accurate for the time period that the scholar is affiliated with CES.
