Dr. Melanie Carina Schmoll, M.A.
Historian & Political Scientist | Security Studies
Scholar of Security Studies, Historical-Political Education, and Holocaust Education.
Welcome.
I am Melanie Carina Schmoll.
I am a historian and political scientist specializing in security studies, Holocaust education, international relations, and historical-political education. My interdisciplinary work combines research, university teaching, Holocaust education, and educational media. My current research focuses on securitization and performative security practices, and comparative approaches to historical-political education in Germany, Canada, and Israel.
I work with universities, educational institutions, public-sector organizations, professional organizations, publishers, and civil-society institutions through academic lectures, professional seminars, teacher education, educational projects, curriculum development, and public scholarship.
Research | Expert Lectures | Professional Seminars |
Educational Projects
For Institutions
Research-based lectures, seminars, professional development, educational projects, and expert contributions for universities, schools, public-sector organizations, professional institutions, publishers, and civil-society organizations.
Expert Lectures · Seminars & Workshops · Teacher Education · Educational Projects · Expert Consulting
For institutional inquiries and invitations, please get in touch.
Latest Publications
October 2026
Conscription as Civic Participation: Republican Citizenship and Civil–Military Relations
In contemporary debates—particularly in Germany—questions of recruitment and military service are predominantly framed in liberal terms, focusing on individual autonomy, voluntariness, and the limits of state coercion. In this article, I argue that this narrow framing tends to obscure an important normative dimension of military service in democratic societies.
Drawing on republican conceptions of freedom as non-domination and citizenship as a form of shared political responsibility, I explore how conscription can be interpreted as an institutional expression of civic participation in the maintenance of the political order. Recruitment systems are not merely organizational arrangements of the armed forces; they shape the relationship between citizens and collective defense responsibilities. By shifting our focus from the dichotomy of voluntariness and coercion to questions of civic obligation and democratic self-government, a republican perspective helps us understand how different institutional arrangements structure the societal embeddedness of the military and the distribution of defense responsibilities.
Projects
Summer 2026
On the Production of Political Reality in Digital Systems
Public scholarship project
A five-part analytical series exploring how digital systems shape political visibility, authority, language, and collective perception.
I work at the intersection of history, political education, and public scholarship.
Media appearance
Public Scholarship and Blog
Research-based essays and reflections on history, politics, education, security, memory, and contemporary public discourse. My work as a historian goes far beyond research. I operate at the intersection of history, political science, and consulting: I develop teaching materials for teachers and lecturers, provide history teaching resources, give lectures, and advise institutions and individuals on historical and political issues. I address pressing historical questions. For example:
What is the Holocaust? Does Holocaust education work? Does Holocaust eduction reduce antisemitism? What is anti-Semitism—and where does it begin? What can Holocaust education realistically achieve?
Here, you will find links to free teaching materials, reflections on current debates, and practical perspectives on studying, working, and building a career in history.
