Christoph Söding

Dr. Christoph Söding is a Research Associate at the Institute of Romance Studies within the Faculty of Languages and Literature at Humboldt University Berlin. He coordinates the Franco-German Doctoral Program "Literature and Knowledge 16th-21st Centuries" and has maintained an office at Dorotheenstraße 65, Room 4.37 since joining the university in 2016. His contact information includes email (christoph.soeding@hu-berlin.de) and phone (030 2093-73548).

Dr. Söding's educational background includes:

• Studies in Romance Studies, English Studies and Comparative Literature at Münster, Perugia and London
• Doctorate completed in 2016 at the University of Münster
• Previous position as Lecturer for special tasks at WWU Münster (2011-2016)

Dr. Söding's research focuses on Italian and French literature of the 19th century, Political Literature of the Risorgimento, Heroes and heroization, Reception of myths, and the intersection of Utopia and Science Fiction. His work demonstrates a particular interest in how literary representations intersect with political and social movements, especially during periods of national formation. His scholarship reveals a methodological approach that combines close textual analysis with broader historical contextualization, allowing him to trace the evolution of literary motifs across time and national boundaries. His current habilitation project on "The French Comedy between comédie humaniste and Corneille (1600-1640)" represents a shift toward earlier periods of French literature while maintaining his interest in the relationship between literary forms and social contexts.

Analysis of Dr. Söding's publications reveals a consistent engagement with heroic narratives across different historical periods and national traditions. His scholarly output spans from Dante reception in early modern French literature to contemporary science fiction, demonstrating remarkable chronological breadth while maintaining thematic coherence. A significant portion of his work focuses on Italian literary production during the Risorgimento period, where he examines how literary representations contributed to the formation of national identity. More recently, his scholarship has expanded to include analyses of utopian thought and its manifestations in both historical and contemporary contexts, as seen in his work on Calvino's "Le città invisibili" and temporal representations in science fiction including Star Trek: Discovery.

Dr. Söding is an active participant in academic governance, having served on the Institute Council of the Institute of Romance Studies (2018-2020, 2022-2024), the Faculty Council of the Faculty of Languages and Literatures (2020-2022), and the Doctoral Committee of the Faculty of Languages and Literatures (2022-2024). He regularly teaches courses on Italian and French literature spanning from the medieval period to contemporary works, with particular emphasis on Dante, the Risorgimento period, and 19th century literature. His teaching portfolio demonstrates considerable breadth, covering topics from medieval literature to contemporary science fiction, though with particular concentration on 19th century Italian and French literature and the literary manifestations of the Risorgimento period.

Dr. Söding is a member of both the German Association of Romance Languages and the German Association of Italianists, reflecting his dual expertise in French and Italian literary traditions. His extensive publication record and teaching portfolio indicate an active research program with particular emphasis on comparative approaches to Italian and French literary traditions across historical periods.