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Stefan Ihrig

Germans and Turks
A Forgotten History of Europe
Bloomsbury
25 June 2026

Blackness in Interwar Germany
Jazz, Race and the Making of the Third Reich
Hurst
October 2026

"a delightfully sprawling book overflowing with empathy, irony and a wealth of detail"

Nicholas Danforth, Deputy Editor, Foreign Policy Magazine

"Throughout the centuries, Germans and the Turks developed an 'elective affinity,' and Stefan Ihrig does a great job telling this story."

Ayhan Aktar, Retired Professor of Sociology, Istanbul Bilgi University, Turkey

"A timely and thought-provoking account of the deep, complex, and often surprising history connecting Germans and Turks. Thoroughly researched, elegantly written, and rich in insight, it is a valuable resource for historians, students, and general readers alike."

Pascal Firges, Lecturer, University of Basel, Switzerland

more

Justifying Genocide
Germany and the Armenians from Bismarck to Hitler
Harvard University Press, 2016

“Yet another excellent book by Stefan Ihrig about the uncanny German–Turkish connection.” Moshe Zimmermann, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

“After Atatürk in the Nazi Imagination, Stefan Ihrig again presents an intelligent book of uncommon originality... Written in the elegant style of a historical drama in several acts, this is a great achievement.” Rolf Hosfeld, Lepsiushaus Potsdam

“Written in a lively style, well-balanced and well-documented, this book will advance the debate on the relationship between mass violences that marked the twentieth century.” Raymond Kévorkian, University of Paris VIII

Atatürk in the Nazi Imagination

Belknap Press/Harvard University Press, 2014

“As Ihrig shows, politically active Germans of the Weimar Republic, especially on the far right, saw in Turkey a model for successful revisionism, authoritarian rule, secular modernization and the political utility of genocide. This brilliant and original study sheds new light on the rise of Nazism and the pre-history of Nazi racial policy.” Christopher Clark, University of Cambridge

“This is a most important and refreshingly original book about a hitherto unknown yet pivotal influence on Adolf Hitler and other National Socialists. Its eye-opening conclusions will change how we think about German and European history as well as the Holocaust.” Thomas Weber, University of Aberdeen

Wer sind die Moldawier? (Who are the Moldovans?)

Rumänismus versus Moldowanismus in Historiographie und Schulbüchern der Republik Moldova, 1991-2006

“It is beyond any doubt that Ihrig’s book is an important study and a valuable source for all interested in the post-Soviet history of Moldova and the process of nation-building in general.” Aneta Mihaylova, Études balkaniques 1-2 (2010), 276-280

“In describing and unveiling the nation-building approach of the two main identity discourses, [Ihrig] has made an interesting and compelling study of this problem, making his work one of the most complete ones in describing the Moldavian identity problem. We can surely state that Stefan Ihrig’s book does not only serve as a tool in researching the aspects of identity crises and nation-building, but also in understanding the situation of post-Soviet republics nowadays.” Raluca Betea, Europolis 4 (2008), 377-380

Europa am Bosporus (er-)finden?

(Inventing/finding Europe on the Bosporus?)

Die Diskussion um den Beitritt der Türkei zur Europäischen Union in den britischen, deutschen, französischen und italienischen Zeitungen

with Christian Weiß and Roberta Carnevale

Peter Lang, 2005

The debate about Turkey's accession is not only about Turkey itself, but above all about the character of the EU. How to respond to Turkey gives a clear indication of what Europe is or should be. This analysis typologizes and documents the different lines of argument of the discussion participants in Western Europe. The conceptual struggle for Europe, which comes to a head in the case of Turkey, is examined using daily newspapers from Germany, France, Great Britain and Italy. It becomes obvious how strongly the national perspective still predominates when discussing European issues. The cultural and historical founding of Europe is a Franco-German peculiarity. This shows how different the ideas of (EU) Europe are.

and a few edited volumes

The Armenian Genocide and the World

special issue of the Journal of Levantine Studies (2015/2016)

Perioada interbelica în Basarabia

Istoria între ştiinţa şi şcoală

edited by S. Ihrig, V. Dumbrava, D. Müller & I. Şarov

Editura Cartdidact 2008

History Education and Post-Conflict Reconciliation

edited by K. Korostelina & S. Lässig with S. Ihrig

Routledge 2013

History Teaching and its (Dis)Contents

Grenzen schulischer Geschichtsdarstellung

special issue of Internationale Schulbuchforschung/

International Textbook Research 2 (2006)

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