Cordelia Hess comes from a position as Professor of Nordic History at the University of Greifswald, where she has been since October 2017. Previously, Cordelia Hess had her research career in Sweden for nine years, in both Stockholm and Gothenburg, and took her doctorate at the University of Hamburg.

In her research, the new professor at Aarhus University has focused on religious and cultural contact in Greenland and Lapland before 1550.

"I am finishing a project on religious and cultural contact in Greenland and Lapland before 1550. It is about whether pre-modern colonial projects were characterized by racism or an ideology of European superiority, i.e. whether one can speak of colonialism before early modern nation-state colonialism. To some extent, this is a continuation of my previous research, where I have examined the medieval roots of anti-Semitism, i.e. the question of whether it is possible to talk about racist aspects of anti-Jewish faith and anti-Semitism before 1800, and what role religious stereotypes from the Middle Ages play in today's anti-Semitism," says Cordelia Hess.

An area of research that is also important for understanding dynamics in the present:

"Anti-Semitism and racism are forms of group-based misanthropy that have existed for a long time, but which change in different historical and political contexts. Showing that they are not only linked to modern society reminds us of their roots in Christian culture, and this insight is important for understanding today's forms – and also for understanding how deeply Christianity still influences even secular societies in Northern Europe," says Cordelia Hess.

Medieval research will also be a focal point when Cordeila Hess returns to Scandinavia. In addition, she will contribute to various interdisciplinary research projects.

Contact

Cordelia Hess, Professor
School of Culture and Society - Department of History and Classical Studies
Phone: +45 8715 0295
E-mail: c.hess@cas.au.dk