The University of Toledo

Justin Pfeifer is an advanced Ph.D. graduate student in the Department of History at the University of Toledo.

Justin has taught several courses as a graduate assistant in the program, including: History to 1600, History from 1600 to present, and Modern Russia. Professor Larry Wilcox directed his M.A. thesis “The Jewish-Bolshevik Untermensch: German Soldiers’ Perceptions of the Soviet Union during the Second World War.” Professor Wilcox also directed Justin’s primary fields of study, with focuses on subjects such as modern Germany, the Third Reich, and Holocaust and Genocide studies. Dr. Roberto Padilla directed Justin’s minor field research areas: Modern China and Japan, Race Relations and Foreign Relations in China and Japan.

Justin’s dissertation research focuses on the worldview of Wehrmacht soldiers during the Second World War, and the impact of their outlooks on the Soviet Union during the Eastern Front conflict. An analysis soldiers’ wartime and postwar writings in relation to themes such as individual and group identity, “othering”, ideology, racism, and atrocities will be integral parts of the project.