Maureen Gallagher

Dr. Maureen Gallagher is a Lecturer in German Studies at The Australian National University's School of Literature, Languages & Linguistics. Her research focuses on identity construction in Germanophone literature and culture, with emphases on race, gender, decolonial pedagogy, and postcolonialism. She holds a PhD from the University of Massachusetts and has held teaching positions at Lafayette College, the University of Pittsburgh, and the University of Notre Dame before joining ANU.

Her educational background includes a PhD in German Studies (University of Massachusetts), MA in German Studies with a Women's and Gender Studies certificate, and BA in English and German (University of Nebraska-Lincoln). She was a Fulbright Scholar in Germany and received the Coalition of Women in German dissertation prize.

Research interests include Black German studies, critical race theory, and inclusive language practices. She leads curriculum development projects like Grenzenlos Deutsch, supported by NEH grants, and received the 2024 CASS IDEA Award for teaching excellence. Her work integrates decolonial methodologies into language education, particularly addressing settler colonialism and Indigenous knowledge integration.

Recent publications explore gender plurality in language education, Black German cultural resistance, and museum decolonization. She actively collaborates on open-access educational resources and serves on the Grenzenlos Deutsch editorial board. Current projects include a book manuscript on whiteness in Wilhelmine youth literature and pedagogical initiatives embedding Indigenous perspectives in language courses.

• Grants: Strategic Teaching and Learning Grant (2024), NEH Grant (Grenzenlos Deutsch)
• Labs/Teams: Co-founder of Grenzenlos Deutsch open curriculum project