Curriculum

Monika Wulz is a philosopher and historian of science, currently teaching and researching at the Chair of Cultural History of Knowledge at Leuphana University. After completing her PhD at the University of Vienna on the epistemology of Gaston Bachelard, she was working at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin, at the Technical University of Braunschweig, the Universities of Konstanz and Lucerne, and, before coming to Leuphana, at ETH Zurich. From 2018 to 2021, she was the coordinator of the PhD program “History of Knowledge” at ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich.

Research interests

Monika's research focuses on the history of knowledge, of science, and of theory from a political and economic perspective.

In her book project “Economies of Intellectual Labor: A History of Productivity and Inequality, 1830–1930,” Monika examines the debates that took place in economic theory, philosophy, and sociology regarding the economic role of intellectual labor during the age of industrialization, globalization, and colonial expansion. The book expands on current discussions about “academic capitalism” and the “neoliberalization of the university” by adding perspectives on the history of intellectual work and the conflicts about its resources.

Her research project, “Non-aligned Science,” deals with the history of political theory, science policy, and the critique of science in the era of decolonization (1960–1990). Looking at international conferences in former Yugoslavia, the project examines the contact zones and political and theoretical conflicts surrounding science and technology between Western capitalist countries, Eastern Bloc states, and non-aligned states of the Global South in the context of the emerging multipolar world.