Helga Schwalm

Prof. Dr. phil. Helga Schwalm is a Professor of Modern English Literature ('Neueste Englische Literatur') at the Department of English and American Studies, Faculty of Linguistics and Literary Studies, Humboldt University of Berlin. She has been a faculty member at Humboldt University since 2002 and previously served as Dean of Faculty of Arts and Humanities II from 2011-2016. Prof. Schwalm retired on September 30, 2025, after a distinguished career spanning over two decades at the university.

Her academic journey began with full-time studies in English, German, and Education at the University of Hamburg (1979-1985), followed by doctoral studies in English Literature (1986-1988). She completed her dissertation in 1990 on 'Dekonstruktion im Roman. Erzähltechnische Verfahren und Selbstreflexion in den Romanen von Vladimir Nabokov und Samuel Beckett' and earned her Habilitation in 2002 with a dissertation titled 'Das eigene und das fremde Leben. Biographische Identitätsentwürfe in der englischen Literatur des 18. Jahrhunderts.' Prior to joining Humboldt University, she served as a DAAD Lecturer at the University of Edinburgh (1988-1990) and as an Assistant Professor at the University of Hamburg (1992-2000).

Prof. Schwalm's research expertise encompasses:

• Life writing, particularly from the 18th and 19th centuries
• Topography & Literature
• 18th-century Literature & Culture
• Romanticism
• Theories of Self
• Literary Theory
• 20th-Century & Contemporary Literature

Her scholarly work demonstrates a consistent engagement with questions of identity, sympathy, biography, and the intersections between literature and other disciplines, with a notable focus on how emotional concepts function across historical contexts.

Prof. Schwalm has supervised numerous doctoral students whose dissertations cover diverse topics within her areas of expertise, reflecting her broad scholarly influence. Her extensive publication record includes monographs, numerous articles, and book chapters that have significantly contributed to 18th-century studies, life writing scholarship, and contemporary literary theory.

She has been actively involved in significant research projects including the DFG-Graduiertenkolleg 2190 'Literatur- und Wissensgeschichte Kleiner Formen' (2017) and as leader of Teilprojekt A03 'Sympathie. Zur Transformations- und Funktionsgeschichte des Mit-Fühlens zwischen 1600 und 1800' within Sonderforschungsbereich 644 'Transformationen der Antike' (2013-2016), demonstrating her leadership in collaborative research initiatives.

Prof. Schwalm is a member of several professional organizations including the British Society for Eighteenth Century Studies, Gesellschaft für englische Romantik, Anglistenverband, and Cappella Academica, reflecting her active engagement with both national and international scholarly communities.