The purpose and future of global history: Roland Wenzlhuemer gives the 2025 RHS / GHIL Lecture

22 January 2025

The Society’s annual lecture in global history, held in partnership with the German Historical Institute, London, was given yesterday by Roland Wenzlhuemer, professor of modern history at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and a director of the Käte Hamburger Research Centre global dis:connect.

Roland’s lecture — ‘Raise, Reuse, Recycle: Global History and Marine Salvage in the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Century’ — considered the history of maritime salvage as an act of material reclamation, entrepreneurship, memorialisation and national gesture, as seen in the gifting by Britain in 1880 of the ‘Resolute desk’, made from the timber of HMS Resolute, to the US President, Rutherford B. Hayes.

In turn, Roland discussed salvage as a means to consider the purpose, value and current state of global history today. Wrecks represent a breakdown of networks and infrastructures, and are examples of the disruptions and lost connections integral to a study of the global past. Lost ships point to the limitations of global interconnection, while salvage promotes alternative connections, material, cultural and memorial over time.

An audio recording of Roland Wenzlhuemer’s lecture is available here (via the GHIL podcast).

Our thanks to Roland Wenzlhuemer for his lecture and to the German Historical Institute, London for their partnership.