Spotlight On..... Dr Anna Koch

What brought to you work at SSEES?

I am trained as a historian, but I have been moving between different disciplines a lot, both in my research and in my teaching. So, I love being in a truly interdisciplinary environment. In recent years my research brought me closer to Eastern Europe – I am, for instance, editing a volume on Holocaust Memory across the Iron Curtain. Thus, the regional focus of SSEES works well for me even if Germany and Italy are the two countries I am most familiar with.

Three words to describe the SSEES community (staff/students/alumni)? 

Kind, curious, interesting.

If you weren’t working in academia, what would be your dream job?

When I finished school, I thought I may become a journalist… I suppose it would be fun to do something entirely different, like being a gardener. But then none of the plants I have bought ever survived very long so it’s probably not a viable alternative.

Can you tell us a bit about your research/teaching and why it’s important to study this?

I am interested in displacement, exile and people’s emotional attachment to their home. A lot of my research circles around the question what makes a place home, and what happens when people lose their home. My book, more concretely, looks at Italian and German Jews who returned to their homes after the Holocaust and examines the complex, fragile and often fraught relationships they rebuilt with the countries that had ostracized them. While I explore displacement and the loss of home from a historical perspective, these questions remain pressing today.

Outside of work, how do you unwind?

I spend time with my family and friends. I have two kids who keep me busy and entertained. When I can make time for it, I run and do yoga, and I read a lot.

Have you recently made any lifestyle changes help out the planet and environment?

The things I am doing I have been doing for years. I grew up in 1980s Germany and environmentalism was really central in my upbringing. We recycle, reduce our waste, avoid plastic, shop little, drive very rarely etc. But, of course, there is always more that we could do.

If you could recommend only one book, what would it be?

I am reading Jason Lutes’ Berlin at the moment which I am really enjoying. But I am sure my answer would change in a few weeks. It’s hard to settle on one book.

What is your favourite country from the SSEES region and why?

I am fascinated by Russia even though this is not the focus of my study. When I was in secondary school, I participated in a student exchange with Moscow, and I loved it. Though clearly Germany is the country with which I am by far most familiar.

What is your biggest professional achievement to date?

I suppose my book. It took a long time, largely because of the pandemic and the lack of childcare that came with it. But I am really glad I managed to finish it, in spite of the obstacles. However, it’s probably emails from students who tell me that my classes made a real difference for them or that they are thinking back to some of our discussions, that make this job most worthwhile.