Board: German Language and Cultures

I am an Associate Professor of German at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. My research interests include German-language comics, diversity and representation in German-speaking Europe, and the works of Hermann Broch. My first book, Hermann Broch and Mass Hysteria: Theory and Representation in the Age of Extremes, analyzed how Broch used literature and theory as distinct but complementary means of conceiving and countering the mass hysteria of National Socialism. The book received the Radomír Luža prize in 2023. My current book project will present the first comprehensive history of German-language comics written in English. Since joining the GSA in 2014, I have worked consistently to promote the study of comics within German Studies by developing numerous panel series, as well as co-founding and co-organizing the GSA Comics Studies Network in 2017. As co-organizer, I have collaborated with colleagues in networks including Black Diaspora Studies, Queer and Trans Studies, and Asian German Studies. If elected, I would bring this interdisciplinary spirit to the GSA Board. I am especially eager to work for greater inclusivity and accessibility within the GSA. Further, I hope to work with colleagues to develop strategies for sustaining German Studies for the long term.

Christine Rinne (Ph.D., Indiana University, 2005) held two visiting positions before joining the faculty at the University of South Alabama. She is currently associate professor of German in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Literature, directs the International Studies program, and coordinates the Global Engagement Certificate. Her research focuses on reproductive labor and material culture through the lens of the maidservant in 19th- and 20th-century texts; she is currently exploring the cleaning lady’s growing popularity in crime fiction. She is drafting a monograph entitled, Soldiers Writing in Uncertainty: German POWs Prepare to Return Home, which analyzes the content and format of newspapers published by German prisoners of war held at two camps in Alabama from 1943-46. She has presented her research at numerous GSA conferences, served on the 2016 and 2017 GSA program committees, and is a member of the GSA mentoring initiatives task force. She would welcome the opportunity to actively engage in GSA’s conversation about how to best adapt to our evolving academic environment and develop new programming to better include scholars in all phases of their career.