Hans-Christian Riechers

Hans-Christian Riechers is a Researcher in the Department of Modern German Literature at the Faculty of Philosophy, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf. He is currently working at SFB 1671 'Heimat(en)' since October 2024, following a DFG Research Fellowship at the University of Basel (2021-2024) and a guest stay at the Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies (2024). As a member of the Jungen Akademie | Heidelberg Academy of Sciences since 2021, he represents emerging scholarly talent in Germany.

Riechers' research spans German Intellectual History, Literary Theory, Postcolonial Studies, and Cultural History, with particular focus on figures like Peter Szondi, Friedrich Gundolf, and Adolph Knigge. His scholarly work demonstrates a consistent engagement with questions of cultural exchange, literary hermeneutics, and the intersections between literature and historical consciousness. His publications reveal a methodological approach that bridges close textual analysis with broader cultural and historical contexts.

Riechers' recent publications indicate a growing interest in Mediterranean border zones (Ceuta and Melilla), postcolonial readings of German literature, and the literary representation of historical figures like Columbus and Eichmann. His work often examines how literature processes historical trauma and cultural encounters, with particular attention to German-Jewish intellectual history and the transnational dimensions of German literary production.

• Member of Jungen Akademie | Heidelberg Academy of Sciences (2021-present)
• DFG Research Fellowship at University of Basel (2021-2024)

Riechers has taught courses on contemporary German literature (Sebald, Timm), Romanticism, literary theory, and colonial heroism across multiple institutions including Bielefeld, Freiburg, Basel, and Saint Petersburg. His editorial work on Friedrich Gundolf's literary history demonstrates significant contribution to German literary scholarship. As co-organizer of conferences on heterodox science and conviction strategies, he actively shapes scholarly discourse in his fields of expertise.