Raphael Koenig

Raphael Koenig serves as Assistant Professor of French and Comparative Literature at the University of Connecticut and holds affiliated faculty status with the Center for Judaic Studies and Contemporary Jewish Life. His academic appointments include prior teaching positions at the University of Toulouse II and Harvard University following his doctoral completion.

Education:

• Ph.D. from Harvard University (2018)
• M.A. from Paris IV Sorbonne (2011)
• École normale supérieure (2011)
• B.A. from Paris I (2005)
• Agrégation in Modern French Letters

Koenig's research critically examines intersections between aesthetics and social justice through Disability Studies, Medical Humanities, Jewish Studies, and Critical Refugee Studies frameworks. His scholarship investigates how mental health conditions shape artistic production, particularly within psychiatric institutions in France and Germany, while exploring diasporic narratives and translation theory across Francophone contexts.

His publication trajectory reveals consistent engagement with art brut and institutionalized creativity, evolving from edited collections on unclassifiable art objects toward monographic analysis of visionary architecture. These works demonstrate interdisciplinary synthesis across art history, disability theory, and medical humanities, with growing emphasis on spatial manifestations of mental health experiences.

Awards:

• Leonard A. Lauder Fellowship in Modern Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (2019-2020)

Koenig's academic service includes editorial board membership for In geveb: A Journal of Yiddish Studies and the International Association of Art Critics. While specific grant details remain unpublicized, his fellowship at the Met indicates competitive external funding acquisition. His teaching likely involves graduate student mentorship aligned with UConn's French and Comparative Literature programs.

Koenig maintains active affiliations with the Center for Judaic Studies and Contemporary Jewish Life. His professional network extends to NGOs including Atelier des artistes en exil where he previously directed visual arts programming, alongside museum leadership experience at France's Cérès Franco Museum, reflecting sustained commitment to art-as-refugee-support initiatives.