Dorine Schellens is a cultural historian specializing in contemporary Russian and German literature and culture, with a focus on how art, literature, and critical thought reflect and shape societal concerns. Her current research explores representations of the future during times of upheaval, particularly in the 1980s and 1990s in Russia and East Germany. From 2024 to 2028, she leads the NWO-funded project Beyond Post-Communism: Imagining the Future in Times of Transition, which examines how writers and cultural theorists envisioned societal futures during this period. Schellens is also active in The University of New Europe (UNE), an academic solidarity network supporting scholars and students affected by Russia's war against Ukraine or political repression. She is the co-editor of the volume Reading Russian Literature, 1980–2024 (Palgrave, 2024), which explores the intersections between reading, memory, and identity in contemporary Russia. Her work bridges historical scholarship with active engagement in contemporary cultural and academic debates.

Photographer: Jenny Audring