Dr. Oesmann’s work centers on questions of how historical trauma and radical political change are represented in literature, performance, and art. Her published work explores how 20th century theater as a genre has responded to specific historical events in the context of mass culture and entertainment. Currently she works on memory formation and how different aspects of Holocaust history influenced the philosophical approaches of Theodor W. Adorno and Siegfried Kracauer. Expanding on her work on Adorno and the playwright Bertolt Brecht, she examines how the Holocaust has altered our reception and perception of tragedy.

Academic History: 

Ph.D., Columbia University