Closed PhD projects

Liesbeth Haagdorens’ doctoral project is situated within the field of German Literature. It offers a literary analysis of three German Jewish authors in exile: Lion Feuchtwanger, Albert Drach and Anna Seghers. Liesbeth Haagdorens received her PhD in Literature on 19 September 2008.

Veerle Vanden Daelen’s historical research analyzes the reconstruction of the Jewish Community in Antwerp after the Second World War (1944-1960). After having received her PhD in History on 24 May 2006, Veerle Vanden Daelen was appointed Assistant within the History Department at the University of Antwerp.

Nathan Van Camp's doctoral project, entitled Redesigning Life: Eugenics, Biopolitics, and Originary Technicity, includes an analysis of some of the most famous 20th century German-Jewish philosophers, and aims at uncovering the specific Jewish elements which lie at the core of their diagnosis of modern technology-driven society. Nathan Van Camp received his PhD in Philosophy on 24 May 2013.

Karolien Vermeulen’s doctoral project is entitled Wordplay in the Hebrew Bible and the versiones antiquae and is situated in the interstices of linguistics, literature, translation studies, theology and history. Karolien Vermeulen received her PhD in Literature on 9 December 2013.

Jo Bogaerts' project is entitled Transcendence Estranged: Sartre, Kafka and French Existentialism and investigates French existentialism’s engagement with Kafka’s work in order to explore the complex interface between literature and philosophy, which has been of paramount importance since the second half of the 20th century. Jo Bogaerts received his PhD in Literature on 22 April 2015.

David Dessin's project is entitled Secularization and Universalization: Franz Kafka, Max Brod and Hans-Joachim Schoeps and wants to contribute to our understanding of the relationship between philosophy, religion and literature by studying the way in which e.g. Max Brod and Hans-Joachim Schoeps have read and used the work of Kafka and other literary texts.