معرفی
Prof. Dr. Mita Banerjee serves as Professor and Chair of American Studies at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, where she also directs the Gutenberg Research College since 2023. As co-speaker of the DFG research training group 'Life Sciences – Life Writing,' she bridges humanities with biomedical research while leading the Center of Comparative Native and Indigenous Studies (CCNIS), which she co-founded in 2010 to advance transnational indigenous scholarship.
Her research critically examines intersections between American literature and medicine, law, and economics, focusing on decolonization processes, citizenship constructions, and narrative medicine's pedagogical applications. Banerjee explores how medical categories shape cultural identities and investigates 'deeper learning' through narrative approaches in digital environments, with significant contributions to Ethnic and Indigenous Studies through works like Ethnic Ventriloquism (2008) and Medical Humanities in American Studies (2018).
Analysis of her recent publications reveals three dominant trajectories: (1) Medical humanities expanding into pharmaceutical narratives and disability studies; (2) Citizenship frameworks addressing migration, indigeneity, and digital identity; (3) Critical examinations of racial justice and environmental health through narrative lenses. Her work consistently applies transnational perspectives to American cultural production while innovating methodological approaches to online information processing.
Scientific Awards:
- Gutenberg Teaching Council’s JGU Teaching Award (2018/19)
Banerjee directs the CCNIS and leads DFG-funded projects including SFB 1482: Humandifferenzierung (TP A04: Successful Aging) and the PLATO program on Positive Learning in the Information Age. Her 'Biopiracy in India' research examines seed diversity and knowledge ownership, while her role in the 'Life Sciences – Life Writing' graduate school demonstrates sustained commitment to interdisciplinary training. Though specific advisees aren't listed, her teaching award reflects exceptional mentorship in courses spanning Comparative Indigenous Studies to Asian American Literature.
She collaborates with international teams across medical humanities, indigenous studies, and aging research, currently investigating narrative medicine's impact on student learning in digital environments and 'granfluencer' representations of aging on social media. Her leadership in the Gutenberg Research College positions her at the forefront of institutional innovation in transdisciplinary humanities research.
