Colette Lawson

Colette Lawson is a Lecturer in the German Department at the School of Modern Languages, University of St Andrews, providing teaching and supervision across all levels with specialization in 20th and 21st Century German literature, history, and culture.

Her research centers on Memory Studies and Holocaust Studies, examining representations of the Nazi past in German cultural production. She has particular expertise in East German Cinema, Contemporary film and literature, and contributes significantly to Comparative Literature through theoretical and textual analysis of diverse genres.

Lawson's scholarly output focuses on literary representations of historical trauma, especially Allied bombings in World War II. Her work analyzes themes of victimhood and cultural memory in post-war German literature, engaging with authors like W. G. Sebald and Gert Ledig to explore how destruction is processed in cultural narratives.

She has led and participated in funded research projects:

• 10 Years of the Nazi Past: After Downfall (2014-2015): Principal Investigator, funded by The Russell Trust.
• UGC-UKIERI Thematic Partnerships Award (2014-2016): Co-Investigator with colleagues including M.-A. Hutton and E. Bond, funded by the British Council.