Tanja Bueltmann
{{short description|German historian and university teacher}}
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| name = Tanja Bueltmann
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| birth_place = Bielefeld, Germany
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| citizenship =German & British
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| alma_mater = Bielefeld University
Victoria University of Wellington
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| discipline = Historian
| sub_discipline = {{hlist|History of human migration|Diaspora studies|European emigration}}
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Tanja Bueltmann, {{Post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|FRHistS}} (born 1979){{Cite web|url=https://portal.dnb.de/opac.htm?method=simpleSearch&cqlMode=true&query=nid%3D1033636665|title=Katalog der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek|website=portal.dnb.de|access-date=2019-03-03}} is a German-British historian and academic, who holds the chair in International History at the University of Strathclyde. She specialises in the history of migration and diaspora. She is also a citizens' rights campaigner and founder of the EU Citizens' Champion campaign.{{Cite web|url=http://eucitizenschampion.co.uk/tanja-bueltmann|title=Tanja Bueltmann - founder of the EU Citizens' Champion campaign}}
Education
Bueltmann studied British Cultural Studies, History and Sociology at Bielefeld University, also spending a year at the University of Edinburgh as an ERASMUS study abroad student, receiving an MA in 2005.{{Cite web|url=https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/about-us/our-staff/b/tanja-bueltmann/|title=Tanja Bueltmann|website=www.northumbria.ac.uk|access-date=2018-01-20}}{{Cite web|url=http://thescottishdiaspora.net/?page_id=7|title=About – {{!}}{{!}} The Scottish Diaspora Blog {{!}}{{!}}|website=thescottishdiaspora.net|language=en-GB|access-date=2018-01-20}} Participation in the ERASMUS study abroad programme "laid the roots for her subsequent research and career".{{Citation|last=(www.dw.com)|first=Deutsche Welle|title=Has the public's initial post-Brexit denial passed? {{!}} Europe{{!}} News and current affairs from around the continent {{!}} DW {{!}} 24.07.2016|url=http://www.dw.com/en/has-the-publics-initial-post-brexit-denial-passed/a-19424177|language=en|accessdate=2018-01-20}} She was a PhD candidate with the Irish-Scottish studies programme at the Victoria University of Wellington, with her PhD research funded by the New Zealand government's New Zealand International Doctoral Research Scholarship scheme.{{Cite web|url=http://thescottishdiaspora.net/?page_id=7|title=About – {{!}}{{!}} The Scottish Diaspora Blog {{!}}{{!}}|website=www.ethnicandexpatriate.co.uk|language=en|access-date=2018-01-20}} While she was a PhD student, Bueltmann published several papers and appeared in national media.{{Cite web|url=http://www.nzjh.auckland.ac.nz/document.php?wid=1771&action=null|title=New Zealand Journal of History - document|website=www.nzjh.auckland.ac.nz|access-date=2018-01-20}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/sunday/20080330|title=Sunday Morning for Sunday 30 March 2008 Sunday Morning {{!}} RNZ|website=Radio New Zealand|language=en-nz|access-date=2018-01-20}}
Career
Bueltmann's research interests are in diaspora history, particularly in connection to Scottish and English immigrant communities.
In 2011, Bueltmann published her thesis "Scottish Ethnicity and the Making of New Zealand Society, 1850-1930", in which she "sets the scene for Scottish migration to New Zealand".{{Cite journal|last=Pearson|first=D.|date=2012-10-01|title=TANJA BUELTMANN. Scottish Ethnicity and the Making of New Zealand Society, 1850-1930.|journal=The American Historical Review|language=en|volume=117|issue=4|pages=1209–1210|doi=10.1093/ahr/117.4.1209|issn=0002-8762}}{{Cite book|title=Scottish ethnicity and the making of New Zealand society, 1850 to 1930|last=Tanja.|first=Bueltmann|date=2011|publisher=Edinburgh Univ Press|isbn=978-0748646364|location=[Place of publication not identified]|oclc=755006750}} In 2012, she focused on English communities overseas, co-editing a collection entitled [https://books.google.com/books?id=YFF8ynVL4wIC&dq=locating%20the%20english%20diaspora&pg=PP1 Locating the English Diaspora, 1500-2010].{{Cite book|title=Locating the English Diaspora, 1500-2010|date=2012|publisher=Liverpool University Press|others=Bueltmann, Tanja., Gleeson, David T., MacRaild, Donald M.|isbn=978-1781387061|location=Liverpool|oclc=794181543}} She continued to research the movement of Scots overseas, and, in 2015, co-edited [https://books.google.com/books?id=lGs3BQAAQBAJ&dq=locating%20the%20english%20diaspora&pg=PP1 The Scottish Diaspora] together with Professor Graeme Morton and Dr Andrew Hinson.{{Cite book|title=The Scottish diaspora|last=Tanja.|first=Bueltmann|date=2013|publisher=Edinburgh University Press|others=Hinson, Andrew., Morton, Graeme.|isbn=978-0748650620|location=Edinburgh|pages=|oclc=870832701}} Later that year she published [https://books.google.com/books?id=fxPxDQAAQBAJ&dq=locating%20the%20english%20diaspora&pg=PR1 Clubbing Together: Ethnicity, Civility and Formal Sociability in the Scottish Diaspora to 1930], investigating Scottish ethnicity and associational activism.{{Cite book|title=Clubbing together : ethnicity, civility and formal sociability in the Scottish diaspora to 1930|last=Tanja|first=Bueltmann|others=UPSO eCollections (University Press Scholarship Online).|date=April 2015|isbn=978-1781387436|location=Liverpool|oclc=911019261}} The book is the 2015 winner of the Saltire Society Scottish Research Book of the Year award.{{Cite web|url=http://www.saltiresociety.org.uk/awards/literature/previous-years/literary-awards/2015/shortlist/clubbing-together/|title=Saltire Society Scottish Research Book of the Year 2015}} In 2017, Bueltmann published the co-authored monograph [https://books.google.com/books?id=IYLJDgAAQBAJ&dq=locating%20the%20english%20diaspora&pg=PP1 The English Diaspora in North America: Migration, Ethnicity and Association, 1730s-1950s], the output of an AHRC funded grant.{{Cite news|url=http://www.manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/articles/author-qa-english-diaspora-north-america/|title=Author Q&A: The English diaspora in North America - Manchester University Press|date=2017-01-17|work=Manchester University Press|access-date=2018-01-21|language=en-US}}
Bueltmann argues that amid the uproar about migrant populations trying to seek refuge within the UK, it is easy to forget the historic outward migration of Britons.{{Cite news|url=https://theconversation.com/the-british-diaspora-is-a-story-of-migrants-who-changed-the-world-49840|title=The British diaspora is a story of migrants who changed the world|last=Bueltmann|first=Tanja|work=The Conversation|access-date=2018-01-20|language=en}} More recently, she has also examined the collective action being taken by EU citizens in the UK in response to Brexit.
Bueltmann is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society (FRHistS) and Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA).
Bueltmann worked at Northumbria University from February 2009 until July 2020, when she became chair in International History at the University of Strathclyde.
The UK's EU referendum and Brexit
Bueltmann is vocal in her support for Britain remaining in the European Union.{{Cite web|url=http://www.iamanimmigrant.net/tanja-bueltmann|title=Tanja Bueltmann {{!}} I Am An Immigrant|website=www.iamanimmigrant.net|language=en|access-date=2018-01-20}} As her research is focused on migration history, and she is a German living in the UK, her concern about Brexit is both professional and personal.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/profile/tanja-bueltmann|title=Tanja Bueltmann|website=The Guardian|access-date=2018-01-20}} She was a member of the lobbying group "Historians for Britain in Europe" and describes herself as an EU citizen.{{Cite web|url=http://academicsforeurope.eu/why-i-say-yes-to-the-eu-tanja-bueltmann/|title=Why I say Yes to the EU: Tanja Bueltmann – Academics for Europe|website=academicsforeurope.eu|language=en-US|access-date=2018-01-20}}{{Cite web|url=http://historiansforbritainineurope.org/|title=Historians for Britain IN Europe|website=historiansforbritainineurope.org|access-date=2018-01-20}} Before the referendum, Bueltmann voiced concerns that the "tolerant UK I love seems to be vanishing".{{Cite news|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2016/09/30/europe/brexit-news-100-days/index.html|title=Exit before Brexit: The 'unwelcome' EU citizens eying their escape|first=Bryony |last=Jones|work=CNN|access-date=2018-01-20}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.timeshighereducation.com/blog/tolerant-uk-i-love-seems-be-vanishing|title=The tolerant UK I love seems to be vanishing|date=2016-06-16|work=Times Higher Education (THE)|access-date=2018-01-20|language=en}}{{Cite news|url=https://theconversation.com/mood-around-immigration-has-made-britain-a-nastier-place-61234|title=Mood around immigration has made Britain a nastier place|last=Bueltmann|first=Tanja|work=The Conversation|access-date=2018-01-20|language=en}} After becoming a public figure for the Remain movement, she received abusive messages.{{Cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/brexit-result-triggers-wave-of-hate-crimes-in-uk-1.2706032|title=Brexit result triggers wave of hate crimes in UK|newspaper=The Irish Times|access-date=2018-01-20|language=en-US}}{{Cite news|url=http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/brexit/2017/03/07/abused-in-the-street-invited-to-a-brexit-bbq-the-limbo-of-being-german-in-the-uk/|title=Abused in the street, invited to a Brexit BBQ: the limbo of being German in the UK|newspaper=Lse Brexit|date=7 March 2017}} She was not surprised by the outcome of the EU referendum, but, as many others, has been troubled by the events since.{{Cite news|url=http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2017/03/13/the-limbo-of-being-german-in-the-uk/|title=Abused in the street, invited to a Brexit BBQ: the limbo of being German in the UK|date=2017-03-13|work=EUROPP|access-date=2018-01-20|language=en-US}}
In March 2017 she attended Newcastle's pro-EU rally, and, when interviewed by the BBC, said she had moved from Germany to "contribute to life and society in the UK and I think I've been doing that every single day since I arrived eight years ago".{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-39167222|title=Hundreds gather for pro-EU rally|date=2017-03-04|work=BBC News|access-date=2018-01-20|language=en-GB}} She was a guest speaker at the People's March for Europe in London in September 2017.{{Cite news|url=http://www.politics.ie/forum/events/258889-people-s-march-europe-pro-eu-march-london-9-september-2017-a.html|title=The People's March for Europe|work=Politics.ie|access-date=2018-01-20|language=en}} Since Britain's vote to leave the EU, she has written articles for a number of newspapers and online platforms, including The Guardian,{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/profile/tanja-bueltmann|title=Tanja Bueltmann - Guardian profile and articles|website=TheGuardian.com }} HuffPost UK,{{Cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/author/tanja-bueltmann/|title=Tanja Bueltmann - HuffPost UK profile and articles}} and Metro.{{Cite web|url=https://metro.co.uk/author/tanja-bueltmann/|title=Tanja Bueltmann - Metro profile and articles|date=23 May 2019}}
Bueltmann has publicly spoken out against the government's Brexit reassurances.{{Cite news|url=https://www.timeshighereducation.com/blog/eu-nationals-me-uk-higher-education-not-our-destination-it-our-home|title=To EU nationals like me, the UK is not our 'destination' – it is our home|date=2017-12-04|work=Times Higher Education (THE)|access-date=2018-01-20|language=en}} She remains concerned about the rights of EU citizens in the UK, and Britons who live in the EU, and continues to take a vocal stand against their being used as bargaining chips in negotiations.{{Cite news|url=http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/brexit/2017/06/22/first-bargaining-chips-now-stocktaking-the-plan-to-register-eu-citizens/|title=First bargaining chips, now stocktaking: the plan to register EU citizens|date=2017-06-22|work=LSE BREXIT|access-date=2018-01-20|language=en-US}} When the government made a plea for EU academics to remain in the UK, Bueltmann told The Independent newspaper: "if they really meant they want us to stay, they would have guaranteed our rights fully on 24 June 2016".{{Cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/brexit-latest-news-uk-eu-citizens-valued-stay-leave-europeans-britain-immigration-rules-brexodus-a7947181.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220526/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/brexit-latest-news-uk-eu-citizens-valued-stay-leave-europeans-britain-immigration-rules-brexodus-a7947181.html |archive-date=2022-05-26 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=British Government pleads for 'valued' EU citizens to stay after Brexit|date=2017-09-14|work=The Independent|access-date=2018-01-20|language=en-GB}} She later argued in the Times Higher Education, in a rebuttal to the then Immigration Minister Brandon Lewis's article addressed to EU nationals working in Higher Education,{{Cite web|url=https://www.timeshighereducation.com/blog/eu-academics-we-want-you-uk-and-you-will-not-be-asked-leave|title=EU academics: we want you in the UK and you will not be asked to leave|date=December 2017}} that what everyone failed to see was that the UK is not the destination for EU nationals, but their home.{{Cite web|url=https://www.timeshighereducation.com/blog/eu-nationals-me-uk-higher-education-not-our-destination-it-our-home|title=To EU nationals like me, the UK is not our 'destination' – it is our home|date=4 December 2017}}
Since the EU referendum Bueltmann has focused primarily on the situation of the more than three million EU citizens at home in the UK and fighting for the protection of their rights. She is working with other campaigners, politicians and policy organisations, including the German Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung.{{Cite web|url=http://library.fes.de/pdf-files/id/14683.pdf|title=Endangered Rights: The Impact of Brexit on EU Citizens}}
In July 2018, Bueltmann founded the [http://eucitizenschampion.co.uk/ EU Citizens' Champion] campaign to facilitate that work. The campaign serves two purposes: to support the3million, the UK's leading not for profit organisation working to protect EU citizens’ rights, with a fundraiser, and to facilitate engagement activities that help change the narrative about freedom of movement and migration.{{Cite web|url=http://eucitizenschampion.co.uk/project/about|title=About the EU Citizens' Champion campaign}} The campaign launch video - a satire on settled status - features actor and director David Schneider.
References
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Category:21st-century German historians
Category:German women historians
Category:Fellows of the Higher Education Academy