Susan Arndt

Professor Susan Arndt is a distinguished academic at the University of Bayreuth, serving as Professor of English Studies and Anglophone Literatures since the summer term of 2010. Her academic career spans multiple prestigious institutions including Goethe-Universität Frankfurt/Main and Humboldt-Universität Berlin, where she held temporary professorships in New English Literatures and Cultures, and African Literature and Gender Studies respectively. She also serves as Liason Lecturer for Hans-Böckler-Stiftung since 2018.

Arndt's research interests form a cohesive intellectual framework centered on postcolonial theory, critical whiteness studies, and African literature. Her work critically examines the intersections of race, gender, and power structures, particularly focusing on how colonial legacies continue to shape contemporary discourse and knowledge production. She has pioneered research in Critical Whiteness Studies within the German context, exploring how whiteness functions as an unmarked norm that structures social relations and knowledge systems.

Her publication record reveals a consistent focus on the relationship between language and power, particularly how racial categories are constructed and maintained through linguistic practices. The most recent publications demonstrate an evolving interest in futurity studies, examining how African and diasporic literatures imagine alternative futures that challenge colonial temporalities. Her work connects historical analysis with forward-looking perspectives, creating a unique scholarly contribution at the intersection of memory studies and futurism.

• Extensive publications on racism in German language and society
• Foundational work in Critical Whiteness Studies in Germany
• Editor of multiple influential collections on African literature and postcolonial theory
• Regular contributions to public discourse on racism and language

Professor Arndt has been instrumental in organizing the BIGSAS Festival of African and African-Diasporic Literature at the University of Bayreuth, creating important platforms for scholarly exchange. Her academic leadership extends to supervising numerous BA and MA theses, mentoring the next generation of scholars in postcolonial and critical race studies. Through her teaching, research, and public engagement, she continues to shape important conversations about race, language, and power in German academia and society.