Friederike Pannewick

Prof. Dr. Friederike Pannewick is a Professor at the Department of Arabic Literature and Culture, Center for Near and Middle Eastern Studies (CNMS), Philipps University of Marburg. Her research spans modern Arabic literature, theater, and cultural anthropology, with a focus on transregional exchanges and political discourses in the Middle East.

• Educational background: Oriental Studies (University of Bamberg), Arabic/Turkish Studies (Sorbonne, Institut National des Langues Orientales), Drama Academy Damascus, and MA/PhD in Arabic & Theater Studies (FU Berlin).

Key research interests include:

• Postcolonial and transnational literary movements
• Heroism and martyrdom in Arab cultures
• Theatrical traditions and political transformation
• Memory studies and trauma narratives
• Comparative literary frameworks across the Global South

Her publications and projects often intersect with Arab Spring legacy analysis, 20th-century Syrian theater evolution, and interdisciplinary approaches to cultural mobility. Pannewick’s recent work explores contemporary Arabic fiction through the lens of deheroicized violence and subversive aesthetics.

Current roles include

• Executive Director of CNMS (2020-2022)
• Member of the Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in the Maghreb (MECAM) since 2020
• Scientific Commission member, German Council of Science and Humanities (2024)