Literary scholar and fashion theorist
Barbara Vinken received her doctorate in Konstanz in 1989 and at Yale in 1991. She also obtained her habilitation in Jena in 1996. Before moving to LMU Munich, she held chairs in Romance studies in Hamburg and Zurich. She has been a visiting professor at New York University, Harvard University, Humboldt University in Berlin, EHESS Paris, Université Michel de Montaigne in Bordeaux, Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, and the University of Chicago (The Franke Institute for the Humanities, Centre for Disciplinary Innovation), among others.
Barbara Vinken also writes regularly for "Die Zeit", the "Neue Zürcher Zeitung", the SZ and "Philosophie Magazin". She is a regular guest on "3satbuchzeit". For many years, she was responsible for the radio column "Stilfältig" for Radio Bremen.Thursday, 07. May 2026, 18:30 – 20:00 h
At the University of Zurich, Rämistrasse 71, 8006 Zurich, KOL-G-201 (Aula)
As a new format, SIAF is adding a series of panel discussions to its programme. With these “Meditations on Europe”, we want to explore new perspectives on our continent. To kick things off, we welcome an prominent group of guests from the fields of philosophy, cultural studies, literary studies, politics and history.