معرفی
Prof. Dr. Steffen Martus is Professor of Modern German Literature at the Humboldt University of Berlin since 2010, holding the chair for 'Modern German Literature (18th century to the present)' within the Faculty of Languages and Literature. Previously, he served as Professor at Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg (2006) and Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel (2007).
His academic background includes studies in German Philology, Social Studies, Philosophy and Sociology at the University of Regensburg (1989-1994), a doctorate in 1998 with 'Friedrich von Hagedorn – Constellations of Enlightenment' (awarded the Humboldt Prize), and habilitation in 2006 with 'Werkpolitik. On the Literary History of Critical Communication from the 17th to the 20th Century'.
Martus's research spans Enlightenment studies, 18th-20th century German literature, literary field theory, and praxeology of humanities. His work consistently examines literature's relationship with knowledge production across historical periods. Recent scholarship shows a methodological evolution from traditional literary history toward computational approaches and network analysis, particularly in his work on the GDR literary field. His publications demonstrate growing interest in digital humanities methods while maintaining foundational engagement with Enlightenment literature.
His scholarly contributions include monographs such as 'The Brothers Grimm. A Biography' (2009) and 'Enlightenment. The German 18th Century – A Portrait of the Era' (2015), alongside numerous edited volumes including the 'Killy Literature Encyclopedia' (2008-2012).
- Humboldt Prize (1998) for his dissertation
- Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize (2015)
Martus has secured multiple DFG-funded projects including the 'Research Platform Literary Field GDR' (since 2019) and 'Is Expert Knowledge Key?' (2023-2026). He serves on numerous scientific advisory boards including the Fritz Thyssen Foundation (since 2024) and the selection committee for the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Prize (since 2022). His editorial work as co-editor of the Yearbook of the German Schiller Society shapes scholarly discourse in German literary studies.
He leads the 'Research Platform Literary Field GDR' project and collaborates with the Center for Book Studies in Munich and the Interdisciplinary Center for Research on the European Enlightenment in Halle, connecting with research groups focused on literary field theory and digital humanities approaches to literature.
