معرفی
Prof. Dr. Anita Traninger serves as Professor of Romance Philology and Literary Studies at the Institute of Romance Philology within the Department of Philosophy and Humanities at Free University of Berlin since 2021, holding the highest academic rank (W3) in the German system. She directs the echo Center for the Study of Rhetoric between Old and New Media, co-leads the EXC 2020 "Temporal Communities" cluster (2019–2023 as Deputy Spokesperson), and sits on multiple governing bodies including the Dahlem Humanities Center Board and Free University's Excellence Council. As an ordinary member of the Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften (2023–), she chairs its Literature Sciences Commission from 2025 and organizes the Akademie's 2025/26 annual theme "Konflikte lösen!" (Solving Conflicts!)
Education:
- PhD (Promotion) from University of Vienna (1999)
- Habilitation at Free University of Berlin (2010) with venia legendi in Romance Philology and General/Comparative Literature
Research Focus: Traninger pioneers the study of rhetoric as an epistemic infrastructure across early modern Europe, examining transcultural entanglements in literary/knowledge history from Late Middle Ages to 19th century with concentrated analysis on France and Spain. Her work bridges book history, genre theory, and praxeology of fiction, particularly investigating borderline phenomena of fictionality and gendered institutional dynamics within universities. Recent projects like "Arts of Memory" and "Digital Constructions of Authorship" extend this into digital humanities, analyzing how digital media reshape academic discourse and literary connectivity.
Publication Trends: Her 2023–2025 output reveals three dominant currents: rhetorical analysis of gender in academic institutions (e.g., habilitation processes), digital modeling of early modern knowledge networks (focusing on serendipity and review media), and genre reconfigurations in Spanish Golden Age literature. She consistently applies critical theory to historical material, revealing how rhetorical practices mediate between knowledge production and power structures, with increasing emphasis on global literary history frameworks.
Scientific Awards:
- Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize (2023), Germany's highest research honor
- Central Teaching Award of Freie Universität Berlin (2017)
- Figdor Prize for Language and Literary Studies (2003)
- Einstein Fellowship from Berlin Einstein Foundation (2012–2015)
- Promotion Scholarship from Austrian Academy of Sciences (1996–1997)
- Promotion Scholarship from Dr. Günther Findel-Stiftung (1997–1998)
Advising and Grants: Traninger supervises doctoral projects through her venia legendi and leads major DFG-funded initiatives including SFB 980 "Episteme in Motion" subproject A07 (2014–2024) on questions as epistemic genres. She currently directs EXC 2020 projects such as "Serendipity: Literary Connectivity on Digital Terms" and "Arts of Memory", while co-leading the Oxford-Berlin Enlightenment Hub. Her grant portfolio includes Alexander von Humboldt Foundation collaborations and Fritz Thyssen Foundation funding for gender research.
Labs and Teams: She heads the echo Center for Rhetoric Studies, coordinating its 14-tägig Colloquium in room JK 31/239. Her research group includes project administrators (Regina König, Jannis Sterr), acting professors (Annika Nickenig), and specialized research assistants (Manuela Barney Seidel, Martin Urmann). She actively mentors visiting scholars like Alexander von Humboldt Fellow Verónica Paula Gómez (2024–2026) and integrates student employees (Lisa Damm, Tobias Krüger) into her work on digital humanities and rhetoric.
