Stephan Jaeger

Dr. Stephan Jaeger is a Professor of German Studies and Head of the Department of German and Slavic Studies at the University of Manitoba (Winnipeg, Canada). He joined the university in 2004 after academic appointments at the Universities of Bielefeld, Gießen (Germany), Szczecin (Poland), Wisconsin-Madison, and Colorado-Boulder (USA). His expertise lies in German Studies and comparative transnational memory studies, focusing on narratives of war, genocide, and migration in museums, literature, film, and historiography.

• PhD, Universität Bielefeld (Germany), 1999
• 1st Staatsexamen (German and English), Universität Bielefeld, 1995

Dr. Jaeger’s research emphasizes transnational museum and memory studies, particularly Holocaust and war exhibitions. He investigates how museum narratives influence critical learning, ethical frameworks, and emotional responses while addressing immersion, empathy, and visitor impact. His work bridges literature and historiography, exploring the poetics and narratology of historical writing.

Recent publications analyze Holocaust and WWII museum narratives, visitor emotions, and ethical representation. His projects include co-editing the De Gruyter series 'Museums and Narrative' and coordinating the Memory Studies Association’s Working Group 'Museums & Memory'.

• SSHRC Insight Grant (2014–2020): 'Between national and transnational memories: World War II in the twenty-first-century museum'
• SSHRC Standard Research Grant (2006–2010): 'Narratological and Aesthetic Challenges for German Historiography'
• Feodor-Lynen Fellowship (2001–2003): Alexander-von-Humboldt-Foundation

He teaches courses on German culture, war narratives, Holocaust representation, and digital storytelling in museums, while contributing to editorial boards and organizing international conferences on memory studies.