Manuela Achilles

Manuela Achilles is an Associate Professor of German and History at the University of Virginia, with a joint appointment in the Department of German and the Corcoran Department of History. She serves as Director of both the Center for German Studies and European Studies MA Program. Her scholarly work bridges transnational German history, European studies, and critical theory, focusing on democratic cultures, fascist ideologies, and sustainability discourses.

• Research Trends: Recent publications analyze Holocaust memory in literature, Europe's geopolitical responses to Middle East conflicts, and symbolic politics in Weimar Germany. Earlier works examine Germany's post-Fukushima energy policies and economic theories under Nazi regimes.

Teaching & Outreach: She offers seminars on topics like Neighbors and Enemies, German and Jews, and Fascism in Global Perspective. Post-2017 Charlottesville attacks, she co-founded transnational initiatives with the Heinrich Böll Foundation to explore historical memory, democracy, and transformation through collaborative scholarship and community dialogue.