Hi, I’m Jens! I am glad that you found your way to my website.
By training, I am a Classicist and Ancient Historian whose research has so far focused on religion and the role of authority in the transmission of knowledge in the ancient world.
At the same time, I was also the first person in my family not only to enter higher education, but, despite starting rather late, ultimately to complete a PhD, while picking up one or two distinctions along the way.
For many years, I regarded these parts of my life as largely separate. Increasingly, however, I have come to realise how deeply intertwined they are. My experience as a German First-Generation Academic trying to navigate a field with an unmistakably elite patina has profoundly shaped the way I think about the institutions that produce, preserve, and transmit knowledge, and I have gradually come to recognise that this perspective also informs my academic work.
For this reason, these pages bring together both my research and a series of reflections on subjects that matter to me. Some are autobiographical, others deal with questions related to academia, education, art, and culture. But although they might differ considerably in subject matter, many of them are concerned, in one way or another, with how people try to navigate and leave their mark on worlds they did not inherit.
In any case, I sincerely appreciate your interest in my work. If you have any questions, comments, ideas for collaboration, or would simply enjoy a chat, please feel free to get in touch.
Recent Essays:
Research Profiles:
Jens Fischer 