Nishio, Takahiro
Faculty of Letters German Literature Professor
Research Overview
My research project is to explore the theme of the "public sphere" led by e. g. the German philosopher Jürgen Habermas from the standpoint of the literary studies. In my doctoral dissertation I focused on the cultural and political situations around 1800 in German-speaking countries, centered on Prussian writer, Heinrich von Kleist, who lived in the social conflicts after the French Revolution. Recently, while shifting gradually its focus to the middle of the “long 19th century”, I address the public roles that a wide range of communication spaces derived from literature and journalism can play in the society from a historical perspective. Currently, the theme I am working on with interest is the problematics of “lying and fiction”.
Specialty
Modern German Literature