Yıldız Aşar

Yıldız Aşar, Researcher at the University of Bamberg's Faculty of Humanities and Cultural Studies, specializes in ecocriticism, ecofeminism, and speculative fiction. Her work bridges environmental literature with queer and gender studies, focusing on contemporary American texts.

• Doctoral student in American Studies (2022–present)
• Research Assistant at Chair of American Studies (2021–present)
• Erasmus exchange at Karl-Franzens University Graz (2018–2019)

Her research explores:

• Ecofeminist readings of speculative YA fiction
• Latinx and Afrofuturist responses to climate change
• Queer aging narratives in North American literature
• Post-apocalyptic kinship structures
• Environmental trauma in borderland narratives

Recent trends include analyzing girlhood agency in Rebecca Roanhorse's Trail of Lightning and Lilliam Rivera's Dealing in Dreams, alongside ecojustice themes in climate fiction. She has received multiple awards including the DAAD Award for Outstanding Foreign Students and Bavarian American Academy Fellowship.

• Thematic Certificate in Inclusive University Teaching (2024)
• FNK Travel Grant for Ecocritical Theory Seminar (2023)

As a conference presenter, she has lectured at CUNY Graduate Center, University of Cologne, and University of Vienna. Her teaching spans American Modernism, Ecocritical Theory, and Speculative Fiction analysis.