Ceremonial honor: Dr. Gabriele Dürbeck celebrates 25 years of service!

Ceremonial honor: Dr. Gabriele Dürbeck celebrates 25 years of service!

A very special anniversary is being celebrated at the University of Vechta in the south of Lower Saxony: Prof. Dr. Gabriele Dürbeck looks back on 25 years in public service. The interim president, Prof. Dr. Thomas Bals, and praised her extensive work in science. Dürbeck can look back on an impressive career that began at universities in Hamburg, Paderborn and the former IU Bremen. Her dissertation, which deals with the connection between imagination and enlightenment in the 18th century, was published in 1998.

After her assistantship in Rostock, she completed her habilitation in 2004 with a thesis on 19th century travel literature, which is dedicated to oceanism. Since her appointment as corner professor for literary and cultural studies at the University of Vechta in 2011, Dürbeck has not only shaped the academic landscape, but has also played an active role in university self-administration. She has served in various positions, including member of the Academic Senate, dean and dean of students.

Commitment to research

Dürbeck's commitment extends far beyond the boundaries of the university. She has held guest lectureships in the USA, Australia and Cameroon and participated in Humboldt Kollegs. Her research interests, particularly the area of ​​postcolonial German studies, have made her a pioneer in this field. She founded the topic of postcolonial studies in Germany through a DFG network and a book series that she published together with Axel Dunker. In this context, the volume “Postcolonial German Studies” was created, which promotes the theoretical and historical discussion of the topic and brings together the results of the network “Postcolonial Studies in German Studies”. This anthology consists of two parts: inventories and theoretical perspectives as well as critical readings of existing postcolonial analyzes and media.

Postcolonial studies have gained importance in recent years and have developed further in three phases. Initially the focus was on criticism of culture and power. Today, aesthetic perspectives and the analysis of migration literature in the context of multiculturalism and globalization can also be found. These are just some of the approaches that highlight Dürbeck's work and which she has also integrated into her teaching to inspire students for this dynamic area of ​​research. She also attaches great importance to interdisciplinary exchange and the promotion of young scientists.

Further projects and publications

Dürbeck is currently leading several important projects, including the DFG project “Natural-Cultural Memory in the Anthropocene – Archives, Literatures and Media of Earth History,” which will run from 2023 to 2026. In addition, she is responsible for the MWK project “Natural-Cultural Transformation in Lower Saxony” with her colleague Simon Probst. Her publications on German-language nature writing, which deal with ecological awareness and literary representations of nature, prove to be valuable contributions to the current debate in the field of literary and cultural studies.

Prof. Dr. Gabriele Dürbeck has been Editor-in-Chief of the Cultural Studies Journal (KWZ) since 2024 and headed the Cultural Studies Society from 2015 to 2019. Her commitment on many levels testifies to her deep interest in interdisciplinary and reflective research that takes into account aspects of both knowledge and social history. With her short, succinct manner, she not only enlivened the study of humanities at the University of Vechta, but also created new perspectives for the scientific examination of the challenges of our time.