Dr. Christian Krug

My teaching and research focusses on popular culture and its historicity, with a focus on the ‘structures of feeling’, the libidinal investments, the desires and fantasies underlying the cultural practices of social groups at specific moments in time – and how these are profoundly ideological. I am also interested in ‘icons’ of popular culture and their ideological functions, ranging from Shakespeare to James Bond (“The Cultures of James Bond” was published in 2011).
In the past, I have done work on popular theatre (especially of the 19th century) and on the “Interactivity of Digital Texts” (at the University of Münster).

Recent Activities

As part of a  lecture series, organised by Sandra Dinter (“Distinktion, Ausgrenzung und Mobilität – Interdisziplinäre Perspektiven auf soziale Ungleichheit”), Doris Feldman and I talked about class, masculinity and sentimentality in representations of the British working class in film, 1960-2000 (8 July 2019).

As part of this year’s Tag der Forschung, I talked about “Sentimentale und gebrochene Helden Shakespeares” (24 July 2019; lecture series Strahlende Helden / Gebrochene Helden, summer term 2019).

I am currently working on “Basil Dearden’s Violent Playground (1957): Masculinity and Sentimental Politics”.