Mary Jean Alexandra Fulbrook, (née Wilson; born 28 November 1951) is a British academic and historian. Since 1995, she has been Professor of German History at

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

. She is a noted researcher in a wide range of fields, including religion and society in early modern Europe, the German dictatorships of the twentieth century, Europe after the Holocaust, and historiography and social theory.

Early life

Fulbrook was born Mary Jean Alexandra Wilson on 28 November 1951 to Arthur Wilson and Harriett C. Wilson (née Friedeberg). She was educated at

Sidcot School Sidcot School is a British co-educational independent school for boarding and day pupils, associated with the Religious Society of Friends. It is one of seven Quaker schools in England. The school is based in the Mendip Hills near the village of ...

, an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

day A day is the time period of a full rotation of the Earth with respect to the Sun. On average, this is 24 hours, 1440 minutes, or 86,400 seconds. In everyday life, the word "day" often refers to a solar day, which is the length between two so ...

and

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exten ...

in Somerset, and at King Edward VI High School, an all-girls independent school in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

. She went on to study at

Newnham College, Cambridge Newnham College is a women's Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1871 by a group organising Lectures for Ladies, members of which included philosopher Henry Sid ...

. In 1973, she graduated with a double first class

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

(BA) degree; this was converted to

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

(MA Cantab) in 1977. She then moved to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

where she undertook

post-graduate study Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor's) degree. The organization and struc ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

. She completed her

(AM) degree in 1975 and her

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...

(PhD) degree in 1979.

Academic career

Fulbrook began her academic career as a temporary

lecturer Lecturer is an List of academic ranks, academic rank within many universities, though the meaning of the term varies somewhat from country to country. It generally denotes an academic expert who is hired to teach on a full- or part-time basis. T ...

at the

London School of Economics , mottoeng = To understand the causes of things , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £240.8 million (2021) , budget = £391.1 millio ...

for the 1977/1978 academic year and at

Brunel University Brunel University London is a public research university located in the Uxbridge area of London, England. It was founded in 1966 and named after the Victorian engineer and pioneer of the Industrial Revolution, Isambard Kingdom Brunel. In June 1 ...

for 1978/1979. She was then held the Lady Margaret Research Fellowship at

New Hall, Cambridge New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz (South Korean band), The Boyz Albums and EPs * New (album), ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartn ...

from 1979 to 1982, and was a research associate at

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

from 1982 to 1983. On 1 October 1983, Fulbrook joined

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

(UCL) as a lecturer. She was promoted to

Reader A reader is a person who reads. It may also refer to: Computing and technology * Adobe Reader (now Adobe Acrobat), a PDF reader * Bible Reader for Palm, a discontinued PDA application * A card reader, for extracting data from various forms of ...

in German History in 1991, and made Professor of German History in 1995. She was head of UCL's Department of German from 1995 to 2006, and was Executive Dean of its Faculty of Social and History Sciences from 2013 to 2018. Fulbrook was the first female Chair of the German History Society; and, together with

Richard J. Evans Sir Richard John Evans (born 29 September 1947) is a British historian of 19th- and 20th-century Europe with a focus on Germany. He is the author of eighteen books, including his three-volume ''The Third Reich Trilogy'' (2003–2008). Evans was ...

, was a founding Editor of its journal, ''German History''.

Personal life

In 1973, the then Mary Wilson married Julian Fulbrook. Together they have one daughter and two sons.

Honours

In 2007, Fulbrook was elected

Fellow of the British Academy Fellowship of the British Academy (FBA) is an award granted by the British Academy to leading academics for their distinction in the humanities and social sciences. The categories are: # Fellows – scholars resident in the United Kingdom # C ...

(FBA). She is also an elected

Fellow of the Royal Historical Society A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

(FRHistS). For her monograph, ''Reckonings'', Fulbrook won the 2019

Wolfson History Prize The Wolfson History Prizes are literary awards given annually in the United Kingdom to promote and encourage standards of excellence in the writing of history for the general public. Prizes are given annually for two or three exceptional works ...

and one of the two "Recognition of Excellence"

Cundill Prize The Cundill History Prize (formerly the Cundill Prize in Historical Literature) was founded in 2008 by Peter Cundill to recognize and promote literary and academic achievement in history. The prize is presented annually to an author who has publish ...

s awarded in 2019.

Publications

* ''German National Identity after the Holocaust''. Cambridge: Polity Press, 1999 * ''Historical Theory'' Routledge, 2003 * ''The People's State: East German Society from Hitler to Honecker''. New Haven, Conn.; London : Yale University Press, 2008. , * ''Power and Society in the GDR, 1961-1979: The 'Normalisation of Rule'?''. New York: Berghahn Books, 2008. , * ''German History Since 1800''. London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2010. , * ''Dissonant Lives: Generations and Violence Through the German Dictatorships''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011. , * ''A Small Town Near Auschwitz: Ordinary Nazis and the Holocaust''. Oxford University Press. 2012. , * ''Reckonings: Legacies of Nazi Persecution and the Quest for Justice.'' Oxford University Press. 2018. ,

References

External links

University College London staff page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fulbrook, Mary Living people 1951 births Academics of University College London People educated at Sidcot School People educated at King Edward VI High School for Girls, Birmingham Alumni of Newnham College, Cambridge Fellows of the Royal Historical Society Fellows of the British Academy Harvard University alumni British women historians Academics of the London School of Economics Academics of Brunel University London Fellows of New Hall, Cambridge Academics of King's College London