Willi Goetschel

Willi Goetschel is a Professor in the Department of Philosophy and Germanic Languages & Literatures at the University of Toronto. He holds affiliations with the Centre for European and Eurasian Studies. His research focuses on Jewish thought, German Enlightenment and idealism, critical theory, and political theory. Notable publications include *Heine and Critical Theory* (2019), *Spinoza’s Modernity* (2004), and *Constituting Critique* (1994).

Education: PhD (1989) in German from Harvard University and Lic.phil (1982) in Philosophy from Universität Zürich. His current research project, supported by SSHRC (2012–2020), examines 'Difference and Alterity in Modern Jewish Philosophy.'

Research interests span Spinoza, Mendelssohn, Lessing, Heine, Kant, and critical theory. He has authored and edited volumes on Jewish philosophy, German intellectual history, and the legacy of German-Jewish thinkers. Awards include the Moses Mendelssohn Prize (2020) and Royal Society of Canada Fellowship (2024).

Teaching includes courses on German literature (Marx, Nietzsche, Freud) and intellectual history. He serves as President of the North American Heine Society, Editor of *The Germanic Review*, and General Editor of *Bamidbar: Journal for Jewish Thought and Philosophy*.

Grants include SSHRC projects on modernity (2004–2009) and alterity (2012–2020). His work bridges philosophy, literature, and history, often addressing questions of diaspora, secularization, and cultural memory.