Marianne Hirsch

Marianne Hirsch is the William Peterfield Trent Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University and holds a concurrent appointment in the Institute for Research on Women, Gender, and Sexuality. She previously taught at Dartmouth College and served as President of the Modern Language Association (MLA). Born in Romania, she earned all her degrees (BA, MA, PhD) at Brown University. Her work bridges feminist theory, cultural memory studies, and Holocaust studies, with a focus on transgenerational memory transmission. She co-founded Columbia’s Center for the Study of Social Difference and the global initiative 'Women Creating Change.'

Education:

• Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctorate in English and Comparative Literature from Brown University

Research Interests:

• Postmemory theory (conceptualizing transmission of trauma across generations)
• Cultural memory in visual and literary forms
• Holocaust studies with transnational frameworks
• Gendered dimensions of memory practices
• Archival methodologies and ethics

Awards & Fellowships:

• Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship
• ACLS Fellowship
• National Humanities Center Fellowship
• Bellagio and Bogliasco Residencies

Grants & Leadership:

• Former editor of PMLA (Modern Language Association journal)
• Co-edited special issues on archives and memory in é-misferica and Signs
• Served on MLA Executive Council and ACLA Advisory Board

Labs/Initiatives:

• Founder of Columbia’s Center for the Study of Social Difference
• Co-creator of 'Women Creating Change' global initiative