Markus Messling

Professor Markus Messling holds the Chair of Romance and General Literature and Cultural Studies at Saarland University's Faculty of Philosophy. He is a founding member and collegium member of CEUS since 2021 and currently serves as Director of the Käte Hamburger Kolleg for Cultural Practices of Reparation (CURE) since April 2024. His academic career spans prestigious institutions including Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Freie Universität Berlin.

• PhD in Romance Philology, Freie Universität Berlin (2007)
• Habilitation, Universität Potsdam (2015)
• ERC Consolidator Grant recipient (2019-2024)
• Member of Academia Europaea

Professor Messling's research centers on the cultural-historical and cultural-theoretical foundations of European self-reflection and its global relationships. His work critically examines universality thinking after European universalism, Mediterranean studies as public space, and the intersections of philology with colonial knowledge production. His scholarship demonstrates a consistent engagement with postcolonial theory, decolonial approaches to literature, and critical examinations of racism in European intellectual history.

His recent publications reveal a strong trajectory in universalism studies, with particular focus on Francophone literatures as sites of alternative universalisms. The 'Rhinozeros' journal series he co-edits explores European transition through various thematic lenses including reparation, property, dreaming, and housing. His monograph 'Champollion's Hieroglyphs' represents a significant contribution to understanding the relationship between philology and colonial world appropriation.

• ERC Consolidator Grant 'Minor Universality. Narrative World Productions After Western Universalism' (2019-2024)
• DFG Emmy Noether-Nachwuchsgruppe 'Philologie und Rassismus im 19. Jh.' (2009-2014)
• Member of Academia Europaea

Professor Messling has directed major collaborative research initiatives including the Franco-German Youth Office-funded 'Penser la Méditerranée ensemble – trans-Mediterranean youth policy' (since 2022) and the Käte Hamburger Kolleg CURE (since 2024). His editorial work on the 'Rhinozeros' yearbook series has created an important platform for interdisciplinary European studies. His international collaborations span institutions including EHESS Paris, University of Cambridge, School of Advanced Study/University of London, and Universität Kobe in Japan, reflecting his transnational scholarly approach.

As Director of the Käte Hamburger Kolleg CURE, Professor Messling leads a major research team focused on cultural practices of reparation. This interdisciplinary center brings together scholars from multiple European and global institutions to examine reparation not merely as legal or financial concept but as cultural practice across historical and contemporary contexts.