Martin Klimke

Vice Provost; Associate Professor of History; Global Network Associate Professor of History Affiliation: NYU Abu Dhabi
Education: MA, PhD University of Heidelberg

Research Websites: The Global Sixties Family Business Histories The Civil Rights Struggle, African American GIs, and Germany The Nuclear Crisis

Research Areas: intersections of political and cultural, diplomatic, and transnational history, 20th century US-European relations, Cold War


Martin Klimke’s research explores the intersections of political and cultural, diplomatic, and transnational history. It is dedicated to the role of America in the world with an emphasis on processes of transnational exchange in US-European relations in the 20th century, and more particularly in the period of the Cold War. Klimke analyzes the multifaceted impact “American” ideas and cultural practices have had once adopted in different sociopolitical settings, and the ways in which US history has become intertwined with other countries’ politics and societies.

The increasingly global cultural, political, and military presence of the United States, especially after World War II, as well as the country’s complex entanglement with the forces of globalization, are at the center of his scholarly interests. A special focus of his research is transnational protest movements, processes of cultural transfer, and global networks of dissent, e.g., with respect to 1960/70s protest movements, the African American freedom struggle in the 20th century, or the grassroots activism of the 1980s.

Klimke studied at the University of Göttingen, Amherst College, and the University of Heidelberg. Before joining NYU Abu Dhabi, he taught at the University of Heidelberg, Georgetown University, Rutgers University, and Meiji University, Tokyo.

He is an associated faculty member in the Department of History at NYU New York and an associated researcher at the Heidelberg Center for American Studies (HCA) at the University of Heidelberg as well as in Transatlantic Cultural History (TCH) at the University of Augsburg, Germany.

Klimke is editor-in-chief of The Global Sixties: An Interdisciplinary Journal (Taylor & Francis) and co-editor of the publication series Protest, Culture & Society (Berghahn Books, New York/Oxford).

As Vice Provost, Martin Klimke advises the NYUAD Provost in key decision-making for all academic, faculty, and research affairs, and supports the Provost in ensuring the highest caliber academic quality for all units by planning for and benchmarking success in meeting strategic goals over time. He also oversees the implementation of the academic strategy in collaboration with all institutional stakeholders, as well as activities and initiatives supporting the Provost Office’s strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in coordination with the Office of Inclusion and Equity.  In this role, Martin heads the Office of Academic Policies and Governance for faculty and other academic appointments. He also oversees the Office of Faculty Advancement and Engagement, the NYUAD Library and the Office of Academic Technology, and the general assessment and monitoring of risk involving NYUAD’s academic operations

Courses Taught