Jana Gohrisch

Professor Jana Gohrisch is a W2 Professor for English Literature/New English Literatures at the English Seminar (Department of English Studies) within the Faculty of Philosophy at Leibniz University Hannover. She serves as the Head of Department for British and Postcolonial Studies and has held this position since 2006. Previously, she was Acting Professor at the Universities of Münster and Leipzig (2003-2006) and Research Assistant at Humboldt University of Berlin (1995-2002).

Her academic journey includes completing her Habilitation at Humboldt University of Berlin in 2003 with a thesis on Bourgeois Emotional Dispositions in 19th-century English Prose, and earning her Doctorate in Philosophy at the University of Leipzig in 1991 with a dissertation on ethnic-feminist discourses in contemporary British literature, focusing on Jamaican-British author Joan Riley. She holds a Diploma as an interpreter and translator for English and Spanish from her studies at the University of Leipzig and the University of Leeds.

Prof. Gohrisch's research spans postcolonial studies, British and Caribbean literature, cultural studies, and affective polarization. Her work explores emotional economies of colonial capitalism, representations of slavery and post-slavery literature, and the cultural impacts of Brexit and austerity policies in the UK. She has made significant contributions to understanding racialized affective polarization and the legacies of empire in contemporary British society.

Her recent publications reveal a strong focus on post-Brexit Britain, examining social inequality through the lens of affective polarization. She has also produced important scholarly work on Caribbean literature, particularly on representations of enslavement in post-abolition writing and the cultural significance of middlebrow literature in imperial contexts. Her research demonstrates consistent engagement with how literature and culture reflect and shape social and political realities.

• Teaching Award 2023 of Leibniz University Hannover in the category Motivation and Inspiration
• Senior Visiting Scholar at Murray Edwards College, Cambridge (April-May 2019)

Prof. Gohrisch is actively involved in academic mentoring, as evidenced by her popular "Gohrisch & Gohrisch Podcast" series that guides students through the process of completing degree courses in English. She has supervised numerous qualification procedures and maintains active memberships in professional organizations including the German Association of Anglisten (serving on the Advisory Board since 2021), the Society for the Study of British Cultures (serving as 1st Chair since 2023), and the Modern Language Association of America. Her current research projects include "Legacies of Empire" (with Prof. Dr. Gesa Stedman), examining CLR James in Anglophone culture and politics, and analyzing African Caribbean and South Asian diaspora cultures in contemporary Britain.