Petra Andelka Anders

Dr. Petra Andelka Anders is a Research Assistant at the Chair of Literature and Media within the Faculty of Humanities and Cultural Studies at Otto-Friedrich University of Bamberg. As a scholar with disability herself, she brings lived experience to her academic work while serving as Contact Person for Students with Disabilities or Chronic Illnesses in her department and as a Member of the Representative Body for Severely Disabled Employees (SBV). Her professional journey includes completing her PhD at Leuphana University Lüneburg with a dissertation on disability representation in German cinema, followed by teaching and research positions that have established her as a leading voice in Disability Studies.

Dr. Anders' research focuses on the cinematic representation of disability, interdisciplinary Disability Studies at the intersection with Queer and Gender Studies, and film and series analysis. Her work examines how disability is portrayed across various media formats, challenging problematic representations while highlighting progressive examples that present disability as part of human diversity rather than deviation from norms. She has developed frameworks for analyzing films through Disability Studies lenses, emphasizing intersectional approaches that consider how disability interacts with other identity markers.

Her publication record shows consistent output since 2014, with increasing focus on intersectional analyses connecting disability with queerness, gender, and mental health. Recent works like 'Challenging Devaluation of Disability and Queerness through Cinematic Narratives' (2023) and 'The Disability Tax and the Accessibility Tax' (2022) demonstrate her evolving scholarship that addresses both representation and systemic barriers. She has also made significant contributions to policy discussions through her work with the competence group destigmatization commissioned by the Austrian Federal Ministry.

• Diversity Prize for Research and Teaching 2024 (Otto-Friedrich University of Bamberg)
• Member of Grimme Prize jury (since 2022)
• Founding member of Including Disability journal (since 2022)

Dr. Anders' teaching philosophy integrates Disability Studies with Film Studies, creating interdisciplinary learning environments where students develop critical perspectives on media representation. She has taught numerous courses on disability in film and television, serial analysis, and intersectional approaches to media studies. Her commitment to inclusive education extends beyond the classroom through her advocacy work for students with disabilities and her contributions to developing more accessible academic environments. As both a researcher and practitioner, Dr. Anders bridges theoretical scholarship with practical applications in media production, policy development, and educational accessibility.