The Press and Information Office of the State of Berlin announces: „In honoring Anita Traninger, the jury is recognizing a scholar who is regarded as one of the most outstanding and internationally prominent voices in literary studies research on the early modern period. Key factors in the decision included the extraordinary thematic breadth of her work and her high level of conceptual innovation. The jury also recognizes her significant contribution to the conception and development of the literary studies cluster of excellence “Temporal Communities: Doing Literature in a Global Perspective” and the founding of the internationally renowned research center echo in Berlin, which Anita Traninger established using funds from the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize awarded to her in 2023."

Dr. Ina Czyborra, Senator for Higher Education and Research, Health, and Long-Term Care, who chaired the selection committee for the Berlin Science Prize, states: “Anita Traninger has not only had a decisive influence on gender studies in Berlin as a feminist scholar. Through her research in the humanities, she raises questions that are relevant far beyond her discipline."

In an interview with campus.leben about this important recognition, Anita Traninger also discusses the role of the humanities, especially in times of budget cuts: “Freie Universität is expected to cut costs by about 10 percent across all academic and administrative departments. This also affects the humanities, which are among the leading disciplines at Freie Universität and throughout Berlin—both in terms of external funding and international visibility. I see the fact that both the main prize and the early career prize are going to women in the humanities this year as a signal that the humanities are a flagship discipline for Berlin—and should remain so in the future.” 

Our warmest congratulations to Anita Traninger!

Further information can be found in the press release of the Press and Information Office of the State of Berlin on the Senate Chancellery's website as well as in Freie Universität Berlin' press release. I