Stefan Willer

Prof. Dr. Stefan Willer is Professor and Director of the Institute of German Literature at Humboldt University of Berlin within the Faculty of Languages and Literature. His academic work focuses on modern German literature from the 17th to 19th centuries, with particular emphasis on cultural transmission, heritage studies, and futurology.

Willer's research spans multiple interdisciplinary fields connecting literature with cultural history, knowledge studies, and future-oriented thinking. His scholarly interests include the concept of generation, disaster knowledge in literary contexts, literary epistemology, and the relationship between etymology and Romantic literature. He has made significant contributions to understanding how literary works engage with concepts of heritage, transmission, and future possibilities, particularly examining how German literature from the 18th and 19th centuries conceptualized time, knowledge, and cultural continuity. His methodological approach combines close reading with conceptual history, examining how literary texts both reflect and shape broader cultural and intellectual frameworks.

His extensive recent publication record (2023-2025) demonstrates consistent engagement with future studies, disaster knowledge, comparative methods in literary analysis, and temporal concepts in literature. Willer's scholarship reveals a thematic focus on how literary works function as sites of knowledge production regarding cultural transmission and future possibilities. His work frequently examines the intersection of literature with conceptual history, particularly in relation to terms like 'generation,' 'prognosis,' and 'heritage.'

As an academic leader, Willer has served as editor for numerous significant publications including special issues of the journal 'Trajekte' focused on 'Jerusalem Street' and 'Archives of Nature.' He has co-edited important volumes such as 'Futurologies: Orders of Future Knowledge' (2016) and 'Prophecy and Prognostics: Predictions about the Future in Science, Religion, and the Arts' (2013), demonstrating his leadership in establishing interdisciplinary dialogues around future studies and conceptual history.

As Director of the Institute of German Literature, Willer oversees academic programming and research initiatives. His research team includes Dr. Patrick Hohlweck and Luisa Drews as research assistants, along with several student employees who contribute to the institute's operations. His teaching responsibilities for the Summer Semester 2025 include Introduction to Modern German Literature, Romanticism, and specialized seminars such as 'Schleiermacher and Romantic Religion,' indicating his active engagement with students at Humboldt University.