Christian Dewald, historian and educator, is an associated senior researcher at the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Digital History (LBIDH).
He studied theater, German and philosophy at the University of Vienna. During his studies he was active in independent theatre work, for example in the “U-Theater” (1982/83; Hans Czarnik, Gerhard Fischer) and “TheaterAngelusNovus” (1983 to 1988; Josef Szeiler). In 1990, he co-founded the independent research cooperative “das kino co-op” in Vienna and Berlin, where he has been managing director ever since and primarily focuses on the transmedial field of science and art. In 1995, he obtained his Doctorate in Philosophy from the University of Vienna.
Between 1995 and 2002, Dewald collaborated with Elisabeth Büttner on two extensive research projects on Austria’s film history, society and mentality (commissioned by the Austrian Ministry of Science and others). Dewald was also a member of the research focus Cultural Studies / Kulturwissenschaften of the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Culture.
From 2003 to 2013 he served as the scientific director of the Filmarchiv Austria, where he managed projects, conducted research, published works, organized film screenings and exhibitions, delivered lectures, and taught courses on Austrian film history. His areas of expertise included the labor movement, Red Vienna, exile, Viennese urban history, outreach work, and archival practices. In 2009, he received the Victor Adler Prize and the Austrian State Prize for the History of Social Movements, jointly with Elisabeth Büttner.
From 2013 to 2017 he studied Educational Science at the University of Vienna with a focus on special education, reform pedagogy, and historical educational research, and graduated with a BA degree. In 2017 and 2018, he underwent professional training to become a “Specialist Assistant for Clients on the Autism Spectrum in the School Setting”. Since 2015, he has been working with autistic students across various school levels and types, including primary schools (VS), lower secondary schools (NMS), and academic high schools (AHS).
At the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Digital History (LBIDH), he most recently was a senior researcher in the project “Educational Film Practice in Austria” (2019-2023, FWF Austrian Science Fund).