We are delighted to welcome PD Dr. Matthias Ruoss as a Mercator Fellow of the Research Unit Voluntariness! He will be a visiting scholar at the University of Erfurt from early April to early June 2026. Matthias is no stranger to our group; as the co-director of two projects on the gendered history of voluntariness at the University of Fribourg, he has long been a close collaborative partner.
As early as 2022, he authored a guest post for our blog, and most recently—together with Jürgen Martschukat and Regula Ludi—he co-edited the special issue “The Power of Voluntary Activity: Global Perspectives” which was published in February 2026 in the journal Comparativ. However, on the occasion of his Mercator Fellowship, we would like to introduce Matthias in a little more detail:
His recent career stops include visiting professorships at the Institute for Economic and Social History at the University of Vienna and a visiting professorship at the Department of History at the University of Bern.
Currently, he serves as a Senior Researcher and *Privatdozent* at the University of Fribourg, where he completed his *Habilitation* in 2023. His research interests include, among other areas, the analysis of capitalism, gender history, social theory, and historical anthropology. His most recent book, “Auf Pump: Ratenkredite im industriellen Kapitalismus 1860–1910,” was published by Wallstein in 2024.
As a historian who focuses extensively on voluntariness—both as an analytical category and a social practice—Matthias is a tremendous asset to our group. In addition to contributing his expertise to the work of our sub-projects and participating in our lecture series, Matthias will also be organizing a workshop. Together with Regula Ludi—who will also be in Erfurt as a Mercator Fellow during May and June 2026—he will host an event on May 28, 2026, titled „Solidarität und Subversion: Freiwillige Hilfen am Rande der Legalität.“ For us, Matthias’s fellowship residency marks a highlight in our long-standing collaboration, and we are absolutely delighted to welcome him here in Erfurt!
