Chair of American Studies

The Chair of American Studies addresses one of the most pressing questions of our time: how demographic plurality is shaped and dynamized within processes of cultural negotiation. It systematically links the analysis of contemporary American societies—incorporating hegemony-critical approaches—with historical depth.

In doing so, the Chair accounts for the historical, socio-political, and cultural relevance of the US for Europe and transatlantic relations across multiple dimensions. The central focus lies on North American Cultural Studies. Here, the US is examined as an exemplary model for the dynamic negotiation of diversity within scenarios of inequality and as a site of profound contradictions between ideals and realities. We consistently define culture as a contested site of claims to legitimacy.

The Chair conceives of American Studies as a pivotal hub for interdisciplinary theory-building within the humanities. Accordingly, the field is researched and taught as a theoretical, methodological, and empirical interface discipline, productively bridging fields in the humanities and adjacent social sciences.