معرفی
Dr. Anna Heller serves as a Research Fellow at the Department of Iranian Studies within the Center for Near and Middle Eastern Studies (CNMS) at Philipps University of Marburg, a position she has held since fall/winter 2021. She teaches Persian language courses and specialized seminars on Iranian history, culture, and theatre for BA and MA programs across multiple semesters through SoSe 2025.
Her academic credentials include a PhD in Iranian Studies (2021) from Otto Friedrich University of Bamberg with the dissertation "Nationalism on Stage: The New Iranian Drama as a Forum of National-Secular Discourse in early Pahlavi rule," complemented by an MA (2012-2014) and BA in Oriental Studies (2011-2012) from Philipps University of Marburg, and a BA in Iranian Studies (2008-2011) from the University of Hamburg.
Dr. Heller's research centers on 20th-century Iranian theatre with rigorous focus on gender representation, national identity construction, and women's biographies in theatrical contexts. Her current project develops a gender-inclusive theatre biography of Loreta Hayrapetiyan and Abdolhoseyn Nushin, while her broader work examines politicization processes in Iranian popular culture through frameworks of social identity and gender performance during the Pahlavi era.
Her publication trajectory reveals consistent engagement with theatre as a political and cultural battleground in modern Iran, demonstrated through her 2023 monograph on nationalism in early Pahlavi theatre and forthcoming 2025 article on female pioneers. These works synthesize cultural history, gender theory, and literary analysis to map the evolution of Iranian stage arts as sites of social commentary.
Her scholarly recognition includes:
- Gerda Henkel Foundation Doctoral Scholarship (2015-2018) for research on nationalism in early Pahlavi Iranian theatre
Through continuous teaching since 2014 and active committee service—including membership on FB 10 Faculty Council since 2024 and CNMS Study Committee since 2022—she contributes significantly to academic governance while mentoring students through specialized coursework on Iranian society and culture.
As a core member of CNMS, she drives interdisciplinary scholarship through co-organization of major workshops including the 2024 "Stages of Performing in Pahlavi Iran (1925-1979)" and November 2024 "Cultural History of Late Pahlavi Iran," establishing vital platforms for international scholarly exchange on Iranian cultural history.
