معرفی
Niklaus Largier is the Sidney and Margaret Ancker Professor of German and Comparative Literature at the University of California, Berkeley, and currently serves as Chair of the Department of Comparative Literature. His research focuses on the intersections of literature, philosophy, and theology, with particular emphasis on medieval mysticism, the history of affects, and aesthetic experience. He holds affiliations with UC Berkeley’s Medieval Studies, Berkeley Center for the Study of Religion, Critical Theory, and Renaissance and Early Modern Studies programs.
Education: Studied German Literature, Philosophy, and Russian at the University of Zurich and Paris, earning his Ph.D. in German Literature from Zurich in 1989. He has held visiting professorships at Harvard, Konstanz, and Princeton Universities.
Research Interests: Medieval mysticism (especially Meister Eckhart), history of affects and senses, symbolism, and the aesthetic dimensions of contemplative practices. His work bridges medieval studies, comparative literature, and critical theory, exploring how mysticism influenced modern aesthetic and philosophical thought.
Key Publications: Figures of Possibility (2022), In Praise of the Whip (2007), and Spekulative Sinnlichkeit (2018). His recent work examines symbolism, medieval imagery, and the relationship between mysticism and modernity.
Awards: Anneliese Maier Research Award (2015), Guggenheim Fellowship (2004), honorary doctorates from Georgian universities (2023), and fellowships from the Getty Center, Wissenschaftskolleg Berlin, and others.
Leadership Roles: Directed Berkeley’s Medieval Studies and Religious Studies programs, chaired the Department of German (2006–2013), and currently chairs Comparative Literature. He co-edits Representations and contributes to book series on medieval philology and German literature.
Future Work: Ongoing projects include a book on symbolism and studies of medieval visual culture and demonic traditions.
