About My Practice

My work brings together literary scholarship, teaching, and artistic practice. It is centered on questions of language, power, identity, and social participation.

This website documents my academic and artistic work. It functions as a working site rather than a portfolio. Updates are made on an ongoing basis; individual projects are presented on dedicated pages.

About My Practice

My work brings together literary scholarship, teaching, and artistic practice. It is centered on questions of language, power, identity, and social participation.

This website documents my academic and artistic work. It functions as a working site rather than a portfolio. Updates are made on an ongoing basis; individual projects are presented on dedicated pages.

Du bist, wer du bist

Du bist, wer du bist

Du bist der Fighter, drehst deine Runden. Du atmest tief, formst das Ende, scharf wie ein Messer. UND SIE? Die checken nichts, die gucken nur, während du den Takt vorgibst. Sag ihnen: „Nicht mit mir!“

Die Schule sagt dir, du brauchst Wissen, als wär’s der Schlüssel zum Glück. Aber weißt du was? Du gehst deinen eigenen Weg. Dein Wissen, das reicht – der Rest? Der kann warten. Und wenn der Lehrer dir sagt, du musst das wissen, um weiterzukommen, dann sagst Du:

„Wo bleibt der Platz für mich?“

Die haben ihre Schablonen, ihre Regeln. Aber du? Du bist der, der mit den Ecken und Kanten. Der, der durchbricht, der in den Ecken gräbt, wo andere nicht hinkommen. Du bist, wer du bist. Hinter deiner Tür steckt der wahre Schlüssel – und der passt nicht in ihre Welt. Du bist mehr als das, was sie sehen. Die alten Muster? Lass stecken. Dein Wert liegt in dem, was du aus dir machst. Wohin du gehst, bleibt dir überlassen.

Du bist der Fighter, drehst deine Runden. Du atmest tief, formst das Ende, scharf wie ein Messer. UND SIE? Die checken nichts, die gucken nur, während du den Takt vorgibst. Sag ihnen: „Nicht mit mir!“

Research

Research focuses on language as a political and social space, particularly at the intersection of literature, ethics, and digital culture.

Research

Research focuses on language as a political and social space, particularly at the intersection of literature, ethics, and digital culture.

Literary Studies

  • German-language literature of the 20th century (incl. Heinrich Böll)
  • Polyphonic authorship and dialogicity
  • Politics, language, and literature
  • Literature and identity

Didactics

  • Media in German language education
  • Artificial intelligence in education

German Studies

  • Communicative ethics (Arendt, Habermas, Benhabib)
  • Discourse theory
  • Gender Studies
  • Digital literary and cultural studies

Activities & Awards

  • Lectures and seminars at the University of Cologne, TU Dortmund University, and the University of Silesia in Katowice (Poland)
  • Conference participation in the United States, Europe, and Germany
  • Richeza Prize of the State of North Rhine–Westphalia (2019)

Links

Monograph
Polyphonic Authorship

The book addresses readers interested in literature, language, and power. It brings together democratic theory, ethical, and dialogical approaches to develop a model of polyphonic authorship that connects literary multivoicedness with communicative rationality.

J.B. Metzler, Berlin, 2023 (in German).
ISBN: 978-3662684917
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-68492-4

Press: Press: Interview with Georgios Chatzoudis, in: Gerda Henkel Foundation (ed.), L.I.S.A. Academic Portal, published June 4, 2024 →

→ Polyphonic Authorship at Springer Nature 

Edited by Stefan Neuhaus and Immanuel Nover
AnNa R. und der politische Song der Gegenwart

The article The Aesthetics of Performative Anger in K.I.Z (Die Ästhtetik des performativen Zorns bei K.I.Z) examines the complex interplay of politics, art, and social reflection in the work of the Berlin-based rap group. Focusing on the interplay of irony, post-irony, and performative anger in ›Ich bin Adolf Hitler‹, ›Görlitzer Park‹, and ›Frieden‹, it explores how popular music can expose social contradictions while simultaneously enabling sincere forms of political communication.

Königshausen & Neumann, Würzburg, 2026 (in German).
ISBN: 978-3-8260-9857-4

→ AnNa R. und der politische Song der Gegenwart at Königshausen & Neumann

Edited by Stefan Neuhaus 
Rheinromantik

The contribution examines the complex relationship between Heinrich Böll’s literary work and German concepts of home and identity. It focuses on the interplay of Romanticism and realism that characterizes Böll’s writing and raises the question of how literary spaces can function as sites of reflection and dialogue.

Königshausen & Neumann, Würzburg, 2025 (in German).
ISBN: 978-3-8260-9058-5

→ Rheinromantik at Königshausen & Neumann

Yearbook
Edited by Häntzschel et al.
treibhaus Alfred Andersch

treibhaus 2025 "Alfred Andersch" © edition text + kritik

„Im Gegensatz zu anderen Versuchen ist dieses Jahrbuch ein Musterbeispiel dafür, wie man sich der neueren Literaturgeschichte nähern sollte.“

Helmut Böttiger on the 20th volume of treibhaus – Yearbook for the Literature of the 1950s

The anniversary volume is dedicated to the author Alfred Andersch and brings together contributions on the literary and cultural history of the postwar period. The contribution examines the relationship between Alfred Andersch and Heinrich Böll.

edition text+kritik, München, 2024 (in German).
ISBN: 978-3-96707-701-8

Review: Helmut Böttiger, “Der Skandalautor, endlich differenziert,” Deutschlandfunk Kultur, Lesart, December 23, 2024 (accessed April 13, 2025) →

→ treibhaus – Alfred Andersch at edition text + kritik

Additional Information

Literary Studies

  • German-language literature of the 20th century (incl. Heinrich Böll)
  • Polyphonic authorship and dialogicity
  • Politics, language, and literature
  • Literature and identity

Didactics

  • Media in German language education
  • Artificial intelligence in education

German Studies

  • Communicative ethics (Arendt, Habermas, Benhabib)
  • Discourse theory
  • Gender Studies
  • Digital literary and cultural studies

Activities & Awards

  • Lectures and seminars at the University of Cologne, TU Dortmund University, and the University of Silesia in Katowice (Poland)
  • Conference participation in the United States, Europe, and Germany
  • Richeza Prize of the State of North Rhine–Westphalia (2019)
  • Does Europe Need One Voice? Polyphony and Consensus in Contemporary Europe
    EU Literature? Institution – Imagination – Inheritance, Yale University, New Haven, USA, 2026
  • Facts Becoming Fiction – How to Remember History through Language, Literature and Politics in Recent Times
    GSA, Atlanta, USA, 2024
  • Who Do I Speak to, Talking to Myself – Readings through the ›Deutschland‹ of Our Times
    NeMLA, Boston, USA, 2024
  • The Agony in Recent Politics in Germany and in the Works of Heinrich Böll
    Dissent, Disagreement and Difference, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., USA, 2023

Articles 

Selected International Conference Papers

  • Does Europe Need One Voice? Polyphony and Consensus in Contemporary Europe
    EU Literature? Institution – Imagination – Inheritance, Yale University, New Haven, USA, 2026
  • Facts Becoming Fiction – How to Remember History through Language, Literature and Politics in Recent Times
    GSA, Atlanta, USA, 2024
  • Who Do I Speak to, Talking to Myself – Readings through the ›Deutschland‹ of Our Times
    NeMLA, Boston, USA, 2024
  • The Agony in Recent Politics in Germany and in the Works of Heinrich Böll
    Dissent, Disagreement and Difference, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., USA, 2023

Music and Aesthetic Practice

Alongside academic research, musical and literary works have been developed over many years. This practical experience accompanies and complements theoretical engagement with language, identity, and the public sphere.

Music and Aesthetic Practice

Alongside academic research, musical and literary works have been developed over many years, accompanying and complementing theoretical engagement with language, identity, and the public sphere.

Deine Vorstadt, live performance at Rock am Dom (2019).

Under the name Deine Vorstadt, musical work was developed over several years in the field of German‑language songwriting and DIY production. The projects included studio recordings and live performances and represent a completed phase of this aesthetic practice.

Jetzt und Wir (2021) Recording and Production by Geo Schaller
Streaming Spotify → Deezer →

Clio Heiser is an independent project at the intersection of music and literature. It combines German-language texts and poetry with documentary observations and cinematic imagery.

clioheiser.de →

Music
Mit dem Fahrrad durch die Felder · Spotify → Apple Music → YouTube Music → Deezer → Amazon Music →
Bittersüße Liebe (forthcoming, 10/2026)

Literature
Ein paar Stimmen (forthcoming, 10/2026)· Thalia → Hugendubel → Amazon →

About This Website

About This Website

This website documents the academic, didactic, and artistic work of Clemens Fuhrbach. It focuses on questions of language, literature, identity, and social participation. The site is conceived as a working and project‑based space and is updated on an ongoing basis.

Contact

Clemens Fuhrbach
Remscheider Str. 87
51103 Cologne
Germany

+49 178 / 238 66 28

mail@clemensfuhrbach.com