Michael Rothberg

Michael Rothberg is a Professor of English and Comparative Literature and holds the 1939 Society Samuel Goetz Chair in Holocaust Studies at UCLA. He is also the Department Chair of Comparative Literature, co-organizer of the Working Group in Memory Studies, and affiliated with the Alan D. Leve Center for Jewish Studies. His research focuses on cultural memory, Holocaust studies, critical theory, and postcolonial studies. Rothberg earned a B.A. (Highest Honors in English and Linguistics) from Swarthmore College and a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the CUNY Graduate Center. He has authored three influential books, including Multidirectional Memory: Remembering the Holocaust in the Age of Decolonization (2009), which sparked national debates in Germany. His work appears in leading journals like Critical Inquiry and PMLA, and has been translated into multiple languages. He received a 2023 Guggenheim Fellowship for his project on comparison controversies in cultural memory. Rothberg teaches courses on contemporary literatures, critical theory, and directs graduate research in Holocaust studies and human rights. His edited volumes include The Holocaust: Theoretical Readings (2003) and special journal issues on topics like 'Trump and the Jewish Question' and 'Transcultural Negotiations of Holocaust Memory.'

Educations:

• B.A., Swarthmore College, English and Linguistics (Highest Honors)
• Ph.D., CUNY Graduate Center, Comparative Literature

Research Interests: Rothberg’s work explores multidirectional memory frameworks, ethical comparisons between historical traumas, and intersections between Holocaust studies, postcolonialism, and human rights. He advocates for transcultural approaches to memory that address entangled histories of violence and solidarity.

Publications: Over 150 articles and book chapters, with key works addressing Holocaust memory’s relationship to decolonization, migrant archives, and affective solidarity. Recent projects include co-editing Feeling Implicated: Affect, Responsibility, Solidarity (2023–24).

Awards: 2023 Guggenheim Fellowship, 2011–12 ACLS Collaborative Fellowship (with Yasemin Yildiz).

Teaching & Mentoring: Supervises graduate students in comparative literature, critical theory, and memory studies. Courses include 'Cultural Memory and Global Conflict' and 'Postcolonial Literary Theory.'

Labs/Initiatives: Co-founded the Working Group in Memory Studies at UCLA, fostering interdisciplinary dialogue on memory politics and cultural comparison.