Dr. Michael Hau

Biography

Michael Hau is an Associate Professor in History at Monash University, specializing in modern German history, the history of medicine, and the cultural significance of the body. His recent book, "Performance Anxiety: Sport and Work in Germany from the Empire to Nazism" (University of Toronto Press, 2017), examines the relationship between work and sports sciences and explores how the Nazi regime utilized company sports to foster competitive worker attitudes. The book documents how Nazi mass organizations aimed to increase productivity by turning work into a sport. Additionally, Dr. Hau analyzes the implications of the Olympics as a labor phenomenon, reflecting on the promotional efforts to instill a sporting spirit within factories and promoting collective sacrifice within the racially defined German community. His current research is part of a larger collaborative project focused on the social and ideological functions of meritocratic discourses in postwar West Germany and Japan. He has also authored "Cult, Health and Beauty in Germany: A Social History, 1890-1930" (University of Chicago Press, 2003), which critiques the relationship between alternative medicine and popular culture, discussing discourses on physical beauty, class formation, gender identities, and racial thought. Hau's academic credentials include an M.A. in history and anthropology from the University of Tübingen and a Ph.D. in history from the University of Iowa. He has previously worked as a postdoctoral research fellow at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin.

Research Interests

Experience