معرفی
Alessandra Schininà is a Full Professor of German Literature at the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, University of Catania, where she has been a central academic figure since 1996. She is based at the Ragusa campus and has held significant leadership roles, including President of the L12 Degree Course in Linguistic and Intercultural Mediation and Departmental Coordinator for Internationalization and Erasmus since 2011. She has been actively involved in national and international research projects, particularly PRIN initiatives, and maintains strong academic ties with Austria.
Her research centers on modern and contemporary German-language literature, with a focus on Austrian literature and Exilliteratur. She has published extensively on authors such as Jura Soyfer, Franz Grillparzer, Elfriede Jelinek, Erich Fried, and Rose Ausländer. Her work explores themes of exile, identity, memory, migration, bureaucracy, and intercultural dialogue. She has also contributed to ecocritical perspectives in literature and the cultural significance of the Mediterranean in German-language writing.
Her recent publications and conference presentations (2021–2025) show a consistent thematic trajectory: examining contemporary German literature in a Euromediterranean context, analyzing political and ethical dimensions in drama, and engaging with exile narratives and cultural memory. She frequently contributes to interdisciplinary dialogues, especially in the fields of memory studies, political literature, and transnational literary exchange.
- Bruno Kreisky Prize for the Political Book (2004) – for co-curating the volume Das Verbindende der Kulturen
Schininà has supervised numerous degree theses and mentors young scholars. She has participated in and led major research grants, including FIR 2014 and PRIN 2008 and 2022. She is a key organizer of international academic events, such as the Hybläer Studientage der Germanistik and various conferences on Kafka, Soyfer, and Austrian literature. She is also co-editor of the Galatea book series and serves on the editorial boards of TRANS (A-list), LEA, and Elements.
She is actively involved in international academic networks, including the Jura Soyfer Society (Vice President) and the INST in Vienna (Advisory Board). She has coordinated Erasmus exchange agreements with universities in Austria, Germany, and Slovakia, reinforcing her role as a bridge between Italian and German-speaking academic communities.
