The interrelationships between literature, culture and economics
Athene Young Investigator Lisa Wille deals with the present – and researches the past to do so
2024/07/03 by Astrid Ludwig
How have the literature and bourgeoisie of the 18th century shaped our current understanding of individuality, uniqueness and gender? How has Americanisation and US consumer culture influenced our society since the time of the Weimar Republic? The cultural and literary scholar Dr. Lisa Wille focuses on these questions in her research. The new Athene Young Investigator also has a degree in economics.
At first glance, the humanities and economics are two fields of study that don’t necessarily go together. However, this did not prevent Dr. Lisa Wille from studying German Studies, philosophy and art history in Kassel while also studying economics in parallel. “I have always been interested in literary and cultural history but economic thought shapes our everyday lives and is omnipresent. I wanted to understand the economic interrelationships that of course also influence literature and culture”, says the 37-year-old researcher. Her dual degree allowed her to develop a very interdisciplinary approach to her field of research. Funding as an Athene Young Investigator at TU Darmstadt will now help support this unique approach.
Wille is a research associate at the Institute of Linguistics and Literary Studies in the Department of History and Social Sciences at TU Darmstadt. Her broad range of interests are reflected in her main areas of research. “I approach my work mainly from a cultural science perspective”, she emphasises. Since receiving her doctorate at TU Darmstadt in 2019, the young researcher has focussed on the literature and culture of the 18th century with its themes of enlightenment, storm and stress (Sturm und Drang) and sentimentalism but especially on issues relating to bourgeois identity in this period. She investigated these themes in her doctoral thesis based on the social critiques in the dramas written by Heinrich Leopold Wagner, a friend of Goethe.
The emergence of modern individuality
“We all define ourselves as unique and individual today. Concepts such as identity or individuality are – seemingly – very clear to us. Yet this notion of uniqueness only arose in the 18th century”, she explains. Wille believes that we can use literature to understand the processes by which of these ways of thinking developed in society. Wagner’s dramas such as the “Die Reue nach der Tat” (Regret after the Deed) or “Die Kindermörderin” (The Child Murderess) particularly highlight the conflict between the demand for liberty among the bourgeoisie and social oppression.
Another focus of Wille’s work is the associated theme of literary-based gender research, in which she also takes a broad historical approach. She has written a course book on gender history from the 18th century through to the present day together with the Professor of German Studies Franziska Schößler that introduces students to the interdisciplinary theories and methods of gender studies. “I was interested at an early stage in how societies are constituted both today and in the past and what connections we can identify between them. What historical process of change can we identify? Which value systems and norms drive our actions today? And what knowledge relevant to these questions can literature provide us?”, she emphasises.
Americanisation of the 20th century
Her current research project focuses on economic aspects and the interplay between literature, culture and economics. She is researching, for example, the Americanisation of the 20th century that is reflected in consumer culture and which was also conveyed to a great extent by literature and culture. The researcher understands Americanisation as the economic, political and cultural influence of the USA on another country and the associated acceptance and adaptation of American ideas, values, goods and practices.
She is focussing on the period of German history from the Weimar Republic until the post-war era following World War II. Mass culture and mass consumption started to influence society in the 1920s and 1930s, which was reflected, for example, in cinemas or the first best-seller lists for literature. Allied occupation policies after 1945 then also made the “American Way of Life” popular. For example, “America Houses” were established so that German society could learn more about American culture. “It is also important that we don’t forget how popular culture was a powerful movement from below in the success of Americanisation”, explains Wille. This was driven, for example, by Hollywood, Elvis and Rock ’n’ Roll.
An Ernst Ludwig Mobility Grant gave the German studies specialist the opportunity to spend several months as a visiting researcher at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. as well as the University of British Columbia in Vancouver to broaden her research on this subject and also on the field of gender studies, while allowing her to develop a transatlantic network. “This research stay is still proving fruitful to this day and enabled me to develop long-term projects and collaborations”, emphasises Wille, who has also received a scholarship from all three funding lines within the Mentoring Hessen programme.
Objectives and future projects as an Athene Young Investigator
The 37-year-old researcher believes that the funding as an Athene Young Investigator is now a “fantastic opportunity to raise awareness for my research themes”. She plans to apply for a research project, launch an international conference, establish an independent junior research group and take on her first doctoral students by the summer. The Rhine-Main Universities – an alliance between TU Darmstadt, the University of Frankfurt and the University of Mainz – offer good opportunities for cooperation on her research themes. She also plans to continue work on her habilitation. “My aim is to become a professor”, she says. “That’s what I’m working towards and my selection as an Athene Young Investigator is therefore an important milestone on this path.”
The Athene Young Investigator Programme
The Athene Young Investigator (AYI) Programme at TU Darmstadt supports exceptional researchers on their career path for a period of five years. The aim is to promote the scientific independence of early career researchers and give them the opportunity to qualify for the post of university professor by leading an independent junior research group. The heads of these junior research groups are given certain professorial rights and their own budget.
In 2024, the TU Darmstadt has awarded another three excellent young researchers as “Athene Young Investigators”. In the coming weeks, we will introduce the three researchers on the TU Darmstadt website.
