Dr. Anita Wohlmann

GRK-Postdoc from 2014 to 2016

Background:Anitaneu
I trained as a media designer and worked as a freelance cutter and filmmaker for several years before I came to Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and studied American Studies, Film Studies and French. I graduated in 2009 and started my PhD project in the graduate college “Life Writing” at the Department of
English and Linguistics in Mainz. In my dissertation project, I focused on the cultural meanings of age and aging and analyzed characters in their twenties and thirties in contemporary American novels and film, arguing that age and aging are crucial topics for characters (and people) of all ages. In 2013, I worked at the Center for Quality Development and Assurance at the University of Mainz where I supported teachers in higher education within a peer-coaching program. In June 2014, I joined the GRK as a postdoctoral researcher.

The GRK is..._MG_1863
an amazing opportunity for scholars of literary studies, like myself, to apply our knowledge and expertise in fiction and narrative to real-life situations and to explore new paths in interdisciplinary research.
Coming from the field of age studies, which incorporates medicine, sociology, psychology, cultural and literary studies, I have had the chance to experience the immensely creative spirit and fertile new grounds and ideas that begin to blossom when like-minded, enthusiastic people come together to explore topics of social and cultural interest.

My goal is...
to work with the PhD students and contribute my share, as a postdoc, to helping them accomplish their individual dreams for their careers. When I was a PhD student, I experienced this time as a wonderful phase of extraordinary freedom that allowed me to dedicate myself to an exciting topic of my own choice. I want to develop my own postdoc project in dialog with the PhD candidates; together, I hope that we create a spirit of passion and gratification so that we can experience our collaboration in the GRK as a truly exceptional time in our lives.

My project...
analyzes the role of metaphors in North-American fictional narratives. It explores metaphors as epistemic and experiential meeting places between medical and scientific information and individual lifeworlds.