Hans van Stralen

Dr. Hans van Stralen is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Comparative Literature, Faculty of Humanities, University of Utrecht. Specializing in 20th-century literature, Modernism, Existentialism, hermeneutics, and the intersection of literature, philosophy, and theology, he holds a PhD in Literature (1990) and Theology (2009). His academic career includes lectureship at Utrecht University since 1990 and secondary roles at institutions like the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and the Institute for Philosophy in Amsterdam.

• PhD in Literature (University of Utrecht, 1990)
• PhD in Theology (University of Amsterdam, 2009)
• M.A. in Philosophy (Utrecht University, 1997)
• M.A. in Theology (University of Amsterdam, 2000)
• Bachelor's in Theology (Radboud University Nijmegen, 1978)

Van Stralen's research explores the hermeneutic interplay between literature and theology, focusing on conversion narratives, existentialist motifs in modernist texts, and postmodernist reinterpretations of fairy tales. His work bridges phenomenology, French existentialist philosophy (Sartre, Camus), and Dutch literary traditions, examining themes like religious identity, otherness, and the phenomenology of the reader.

Over 15 recent publications address topics such as literary apologetics, existentialist theater, and Augustinian theological reception. These works span books, journal articles, and chapters, reflecting his interdisciplinary engagement with topics like self-portraiture, postcolonial discourse in Sartre, and the existentialist genre of French chanson.

Van Stralen co-supervised PhD projects on theologians Mönnich and Henkels, and continues teaching seniors in Utrecht since 2006. His academic network includes roles in projects like the NWO priority programme on Dutch culture and the 'Word and Image' department at Vrije Universiteit.