Christine Achinger

Christine Achinger is an Associate Professor of German Studies at the University of Warwick's Faculty of Arts, currently on research leave during 2024-25 as a Visiting Fellow at the Frankfurt Institute for Social Research. She joined Warwick in 2006 after completing her PhD at the University of Nottingham and has held prestigious fellowships at the University of Michigan and University of Chicago.

Her educational background includes a BSc equivalent in Physics and BA equivalent in Philosophy from Hamburg, an MA in Gender and Ethnic Studies from London, and a PhD in German Studies from Nottingham. Her academic journey reflects interdisciplinary engagement with philosophy, literature, and social justice, including work at Hamburg-Neuengamme concentration camp memorial and the Institute for the History of German Jews.

• Research Focus: Critical analysis of antisemitism, racism, and Islamophobia as distorted manifestations of capitalist modernity
• Methodological Approach: Interdisciplinary examination of literature, social theory, and cultural history from Enlightenment to Fin de Siècle
• Key Contributions: Reconceptualizing intersections of Jewishness, gender, and ethnicity beyond stereotypical frameworks like the 'beautiful Jewess'

Her publication trends reveal a sustained focus on critical theory applications to German-Jewish history, with increasing attention to intersectional frameworks since 2015. Recent work connects historical antisemitism to contemporary issues of racism and Islamophobia, demonstrating how constructions of alterity reflect broader social transformations.

• Leverhulme Fellowship for Frankfurt Institute research
• Visiting Fellowships at University of Michigan and University of Chicago
• Leadership in the Moishe Postone Legacy Project promoting critical theory
• Board membership in European Sociological Association's Racism and Antisemitism Network

As a supervisor, Achinger guides doctoral research on Black feminist movements, Weimar cinema representations, German-Israel relations, and leftist political violence. Her institutional roles include directing Warwick's Centre for Global Jewish Studies and co-directing the Centre for Research in Philosophy, Literature and the Arts. She actively contributes to multiple professional associations including the German Studies Association and British Association for Jewish Studies, while maintaining involvement with the Villigster Forschungsforum on National Socialism, Racism and Antisemitism.