William Donahue

William Donahue is the Rev. John J. Cavanaugh, CSC Professor of the Humanities at the University of Notre Dame and Director of the Initiative for Global Europe at the Keough School of Global Affairs. He holds a concurrent professorship in Film, Television, and Theatre and has been a Kellogg Institute faculty fellow since 2020. Previously, he chaired Notre Dame's Department of German and Russian Languages and Literatures.

Education:

• Ph.D. in German Literature, Harvard University
• M.T.S., Harvard Divinity School
• M.A., Middlebury College
• B.S.F.S., Georgetown University

Research Focus: Donahue specializes in contemporary European sociopolitical issues (migration, EU integration, populism), German literary/film studies, and Holocaust representation. His work examines art as a vehicle for social protest and community building, emphasizing narrative evolution across cultural contexts.

Publications: His recent scholarship explores German-Jewish cultural memory, Holocaust fiction, and institutional forces shaping literature. Works frequently analyze transnational reception and ethical dimensions of historical narratives.

Awards & Fellowships:

• Kellogg Institute Faculty Fellow (2020–present)
• Nanovic Institute Fellow (2015–present)

Leadership: Co-directs the Notre Dame Berlin Seminar, fostering transatlantic literary dialogue. Founding co-editor of Nexus: Essays in German Jewish Studies and andererseits: Transatlantic Yearbook of German Studies.