Introduction: The Humboldtian Tradition and Its Transformations

Abstract

Wilhelm von Humboldt's spirit hovers over the modern university. His name, or at any rate the principles that he is said to represent, is invoked across the world. It is now a little over two hundred years since Humboldt, as a leading Prussian government official, took the initiative in founding Berlin's university, often hailed as the first modern research university. When the Humboldt-Universitat zu Berlin celebrated its centenary in 2010, the legacy of its founder was discussed at numerous conferences and symposia. In Humboldt's model, the position of professor was considerably strengthened, even though the state still retained the right to determine appointments. The Humboldtian tradition's origin and transformations suffices to show that one initial proposition is correct, that the history of the last two hundred years has been complex. Keywords: Berlin; Germany; Humboldtian tradition; legacy; Wilhelm von Humboldt