Ute Fendler

Prof. Dr. Ute Fendler holds the Chair of Romance Literature and Comparative Studies with Special Emphasis on Africa at the University of Bayreuth. Her academic journey includes a 2006 Habilitation and 1992 PhD from Saarland University, with research spanning Francophone African literatures, intermedial phenomena, and postcolonial cinematic analysis. She coordinates the Bayreuth Academy of Advanced African Studies as Vice-Director and serves on multiple editorial boards.

• 2006-Present: Professor at University of Bayreuth
• 2011-2015: Director of Institute for African Studies
• 2015-Present: Vice-Director of Bayreuth Academy of Advanced African Studies

Her research interrogates urban ecotonal spaces through African music videos, transnational cinematic flows in African and Afro-Asian contexts, and mediated memory practices. Recent publications explore post-apocalyptic storytelling and decolonial aesthetics in music videos and films.

Scientific contributions include:

• 2025: Staging Atmosphere: Urban Ecotonal Spaces in African Music Videos (Brill)
• 2024: Co-edited Asia-Africa: Multifaceted Engagement (Palgrave Macmillan)
• 2022: Animating the Future: Superheroes in Africa (Brill)
• 2020: Ghosts as Mediators: Memory and Hauntology (iwalewabooks)
• 2019: K-Pop Fandom in Germany (Korea University Press)

She received the Faculty Enrichment Award from the Canadian Embassy in 2005 and serves on multiple academic committees including the University Library Commission (2007-2016).