About
Mrs. Susana Rocha Teixeira is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Department of British and American Studies within the Faculty of Linguistics and Literature at the University of Bielefeld, where she contributes to the Collaborative Research Center (SFB) 1288 Practices of Comparing. She also serves as an Academic Trustee at the Friedrich Naumann Foundation and as Editor for the fiar: forum for inter-american research since 2018.
- Ph.D. from Heidelberg University (summa cum laude), supervised by Günter Leypoldt
- Research Focus: American Studies, Corporeality, Masculinities, Inter-American Studies, Social Movements, and Political Comparisons
Her research examines body history and corporeal transformations in American media and literature, analyzing masculinity narratives in The Hunger Games, makeover culture in TV series like Nip/Tuck, and comparative practices during the Harlem Renaissance and Brazilian Movimento Negro. Her work intersects with gender studies, visual culture, and political discourse. Recent publications explore US political comparisons, inter-American cultural networks, and body modification myths in 20th-century fiction.
She has participated in funded projects totaling over 4.25 million euros, including a 2.25 million euros grant from BMBF as project leader at the University of Mannheim. Scientific accolades include the Maria Gräfin von Linden-Preis nomination, DAAD research funding, and the Apollinaire Award from the Robert Bosch Foundation. Her academic activities span institutions like Harvard, Yale, Johns Hopkins University, and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.