Dr. Aneke Dornbusch

Aneke Dornbusch is a research assistant at the subdepartment of Modern Church History at the Faculty of Protestant Theology of the University of Bonn.

Consultation hours:

During the lecture free period, individual appointments can be arranged via e-mail.

About

1991 born in Melle
2011-2018: Studies in Protestant Theology in Göttingen and London
2018-2022: Doctoral studies in Göttingen, at the same time repetiteur of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Hanover
2022: Doctorate; Doctoral thesis: "Hermann Dörries (1895-1977) - Ein Kirchenhistoriker im Wandel der politischen Systeme Deutschlands" (Supervisor Prof. Dr. Peter Gemeinhardt)
Since 2022: Research assistant (post-doc) at the University of Bonn, Faculty of Protestant Theology, Chair of Modern Church History

Ausschnitt aus einem Missivenbuch der oberösterreischen Regierung

Research Interests

‘Deviant’ Reformation movements in the early modern period incl. the history of research of this topic (Argelander Starter Kit Grant “Networks of defamation and persecution of Reformation deviance in southern Germany, 1525-1530” [2023-2025])
Digital Humanities in Reformation Research (Project Group of the WGTh"Networks in Church History and Theology")
Contemporary church history, especially the history of theology in the 20th century and the role of women in theology

Habilitation project: "Persecution of Anabaptists in southern Germany as reflected in administrative correspondence networks (1527–1555)"

The project deals with the persecution of the Anabaptist religious minority in southern Germany in the first half of the 16th century.

It overcomes a purely comparative perspective between territories by bringing together sources from various archives and editions. The focus is on legal texts – the so-called mandates – and administrative correspondence from the southern German authorities.

In addition to a genre-critical examination of these sources, the project aims above all to reveal the discrepancy between the pretense and reality of Anabaptist persecution as reflected in the sources. By highlighting the significance of different power structures, conflicts and negotiation processes, existing narratives on Anabaptist persecution are questioned. The supra-regional cooperation between territories and cities is also being examined with the help of historical network analysis.

Coins from Münster during the Anabaptist Reign (British Museum) © Aneke Dornbusch / Universität Bonn

REFORC PAPER AWARD

Aneke Dornbusch has won the REFORC Paper Award 2023 for her paper “Concerning the Defamation and Execution of the ‘Radical’ Ludwig Hätzer (1500-1529): An Attempt at Using Social Network Analysis on Small Samples” . The article has now been published in the Journal of Early Modern Christianity.