Dubbels, who has held the chair in “Modern and Contemporary German Literature” at the University of Osnabrück since October 2025, focuses her work on a surprisingly relevant phenomenon: rumors as factors of political power—and this long before social media existed. To this end, she has examined dramatic texts from the 17th through the early 19th century as a lens through which to observe the political public sphere. These plays sensitize the audience to the political significance of rumors and gossip even in times when the majority of the population did not yet have a political voice.
The first prize, worth 10,000 euros, was presented to Prof. Dr. Elke Dubbels during a ceremony at the Saalkirche in Ingelheim. “I am very pleased to receive this award,” said the German studies scholar. “It is a great recognition of my research and, at the same time, a sign that questions in the humanities can make an important contribution to a deeper understanding of current social developments when viewed within broader historical and cultural contexts.”
The Boehringer Ingelheim Prize for the Humanities has been awarded every two years since 2022 by the Geschwister Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation for the Humanities. The prize honors outstanding dissertations and postdoctoral theses to highlight the importance of the humanities for society and to support early-career scholars.
Further information for the media:
Prof. Dr. Elke Dubbels, University of Osnabrück
Institute of German Studies
