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More InformationBritta Bußmann &
Anja Becker
Historically informed resistance research in the Northwest: Prof. Dr. Anja Becker, professor of medieval German studies and early modern history through the end of the 16th century at the University of Bremen, and Dr. Britta Bußmann, lecturer in the medieval studies program and in linguistics at the University of Oldenburg, are collaborating on an exploratory project examining narratives of female resistance in the Middle Ages. Their goal is to demonstrate that ancient literature can provide insights into contemporary discourse.
Transcript
00:00 – 00:22
Anja Becker: We want the Northwest Alliance to be recognized as a research hub for historically informed research on resistance.
Question: When and how did you meet?
00:22 – 00:43
Anja Becker: Britta and I have known each other for at least 20 years. We met in Göttingen at the beginning of our academic careers and became closer when I founded an online academic journal with my Oldenburg colleague, Professor Dr. Albrecht Hausmann. Britta regularly contributes to the journal.
00:43 – 01:00
Britta Bußmann: It’s called “Beiträge zur mediävistischen Erzählforschung” (Contributions to Medieval Narratology). It focuses on examining medieval texts from a narratological perspective. The theme of rebellious women as portrayed in medieval literature is surprisingly aligned with modern discourse.
01:00 – 01:16
Anja Becker: How can one resist? How can one tell that story well? It’s not just about actively challenging a position of power; it’s also about how to tell a good story about it – a story that sticks in people’s minds. Two years ago, I was offered a professorship appointment from Bremen.
01:16 – 01:29
Britta Bußmann: I was absolutely thrilled. I was one of the first to know that the appointment had been announced. We had been thinking for quite some time that once we were closer geographically, we could work on a joint project.
Question: What does your collaboration look like specifically?
01:29 – 01:42
Anja Becker: Specifically, since last November, we’ve been researching narratives of female resistance in medieval German literature. We have a joint research project.
01:42 – 01:46
Britta Bußmann: This project is so huge that we can only make a difference by working together.
Question: What do you achieve together that you wouldn’t be able to achieve alone?
01:46 – 01:56
Anja Becker: On my own, it would never have been possible to establish a new research area, develop a new idea, and consider its viability.
01:57 – 02:25
Britta Bußmann: By working together, we can approach the topic from many different angles, examine this problem from various perspectives, and highlight its significance for the entire field of literature.
Question: What else would you like to achieve together?
Britta Bußmann: The long-term goal is to expand this project into a larger one. The funding program for exploratory projects is designed so that we can apply for longer-term funding – for example, from the German Research Foundation (DFG) – by submitting a follow-up proposal.