Constantin Fasolt

__NOTOC__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.

Early life and education 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.

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.

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. and The Limits of History (2004). 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). Hanna H. Gray and Constantin Fasolt, Quantrell Awards 1989. (Photo courtesy of The University of Chicago) 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.

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.

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 and help with Osvaldo Cavallar and Julius Kirshner, Jurists and Jurisprudence in Medieval Italy: Texts and Contexts (2020).

In 1989, he received the Quantrell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching.

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.