"Jan C. Behrends is a research fellow at the Centre for Contemporary History (ZZF) in Potsdam. He teaches East European history at Humboldt Universität zu Berlin. His areas of interested include modern dictatorships, urban studies and physical violence. His recent publications include ""Races to Modernity: Metropolitan Aspirations in Eastern Europe, 1890-1940"" (2014) and ""Underground Publishing and the Public Sphere: Transnational Perspectives"" (2014)."