New-right Literary Politics

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Torsten Hoffmann
• Subject Area: German Literary and Cultural Studies (Modern German Literature)
• Term: since 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 511314841

The New Right has considerably expanded and professionalised its literature-related journa-lism over the last 20 years. In the meantime, with its publishing houses, magazines, blogs and videos, it has become a versatile literary actor that also attracts attention outside its own politi-cal clientele. The particular relevance of these activities results from the fact that they do not represent a side show of the 'actual' political work, but are a central component of newright meta-politics, which is seen as indispensable for preparing a radical change of the political system. Against this backdrop, the proposed project focuses on the literary-political strategies that have so far only been examined in rudimentary form, in which the engagement with lite-rature is functionalised to generate attention and sympathy, to shift cultural discourse and to reshape the literary canon. Last but not least, dealing with this offers the opportunity to reflect on the ethical implications of literary criticism and literary scholarship.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants