Berit Zimmerling

Berit Zimmerling is a Project Staff member and PhD candidate at the Ludwig-Uhland-Institute for Historical and Cultural Anthropology, University of Tübingen. She is affiliated with the Department of Historical and Cultural Anthropology under the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences. Her research focuses on digital remembrance, memory practices, and emotion studies, particularly through interactions with AI-based virtual Holocaust survivor testimonies. She returned to the LUI in March 2022 and joined the DFG-funded project "From the Era of the Witness to Digital Remembrance" in October 2023.

Education: She holds a master’s degree in Cultural Anthropology from the LUI, specializing in emotions and Holocaust commemoration. Her master’s thesis examined political tours in the Israel-Palestine conflict context. She combines digital anthropology, memory culture, and emotion research in her interdisciplinary work.

Research Interests: Her PhD project, "Emotional Remembrance through Virtual Witnessing," explores how AI-driven virtual survivor testimonies shape emotional connections to history. She analyzes socio-technical assemblages and algorithmic practices influencing memory dynamics, using ethnographic methods. Key themes include post-witness era commemoration, digital methodologies, and the interplay between technology and emotion.

Contact & Availability: Consultation hours are Thursdays 2:30–4:00 PM (prior notice via email required). She is reachable at berit-carla.zimmerling@uni-tuebingen.de.