Outline of the project

The Research Training Group explores a topic that is just as diverse as it is culturally relevant. The “Digital Revolution” has led and still leads to extensive changes in our culture. This ongoing development has also changed literature and impacted the literary marketplace on multiple levels. Beyond absorbing other media, digital media are transforming the identity and methodology of other media that continue to exist alongside the digital. Furthermore, digital media affect the production and methodology of literature, which primarily focused until recently on printed books. The Research Training Group investigates the fascinating relations between new media and the production, mediation and reception of literature.

The dissertations deal in particular with the topical, aesthetical and economic changes in the course of digitization, which concern both literary texts as well as the institutions of the literary marketplace from the 1980’s to today. With an transdisciplinary perspective, the projects will analyze literature of the past 30 years, its mediating institutions, and the people involved. Referring to a multitude of subjects, they will also address the vigorously debated relevance of new media formats and digital communication channels.
Additionally, the Research Training Group provides a new model for graduate study in the humanities. A unique approach to additional advanced training ensures the development of high-quality dissertations. This includes a six month internship at a renowned institution of the literary marketplace (including publishing houses, literary archives, literary museums, houses of literature, etc.) for each doctoral student in order to learn more about the structure and dynamics of literary mediation.

A well-proven concept of support and supervision guarantees the feasibility of the program and international networking is provided by visiting scholars. By connecting humanities closely with practical experience, the Research Training Group aims to enlighten an insufficiently examined, highly relevant topic in a scientifically innovative way.