Katrin Bahr

Katrin Bahr is an Assistant Professor of German at Centre College, where she also serves as the Fulbright Fellowship Advisor and is affiliated with African & African American Studies. She joined the faculty in 2020, bringing interdisciplinary expertise in German studies, GDR history, and German-African relations.

Her research interests include:

• GDR History and Memory
• Socialism in Post-colonial Africa
• Photography and Visual Culture
• Women and Gender Studies
• Post-1989 East German Literature and Film
• Decolonization and Curriculum Reform

Bahr’s scholarly work centers on lived experiences under socialism, particularly focusing on East Germans in Mozambique during the 1980s. Her publications and curated photo exhibitions highlight private narratives and transnational solidarities. She actively contributes to public scholarship through blogs, podcasts, and film subtitling, especially on DEFA films related to Palestine.

Her recent publications and creative projects reflect a strong thematic focus on memory, identity, and decolonization, bridging historical research with contemporary social issues such as racial justice and intergenerational trauma. The recurring motifs in her work include photography, oral history, and the legacy of socialist internationalism.

Scientific awards and recognitions include:

• Fellowship, Berlin Program for Advanced German and European Studies (2015–2016)
• Dissertation Fieldwork Grant, UMass Amherst (2017)
• Research Grant, Central European History Society (2018)
• German Teacher of the Year, AATG-KY (2022)
• DEFA Film Library Program Award (2024)

Bahr advises students on Fulbright applications and is the co-founder of the Third Generation Ost network in the U.S., supporting descendants of East Germans. She has secured grants for events on right-wing extremism and generational memory in Germany. Her teaching spans language, culture, activism, and decolonial thought.

She is involved in collaborative academic networks such as the Diversity, Decolonization, and the German Curriculum (DDGC) mutual aid group and is active in professional associations including the German Studies Association and the Black German Heritage and Research Association.