Background and Research
I'm a student of literature and culture, with a particular focus on the US. In my PhD dissertation I tackled questions of cultural memory and trauma in the contemporary African American novel; my postdoctoral dissertation (Habilitationschrift) then dealt with notions of literature as a form of "life knowledge" by focussing on short stories from the late 19th to early 21st century. In my recent projects I'm dealing with the concept of (cultural) resilience, with issues of race and racism, and with post-Cold War culture, among other things.
Research interests:
- Literary and Cultural theory
- African American literature and culture
- Literature and knowledge
- Narrative theory and cultural narratology
- Interdisciplinary resilience studies
- genre theory and history