Fritz is Professor of Germanic Studies and Cognitive Science at Indiana University, where, in 2017, he was one of the youngest recipients of the permanent title Provost Professor. In 1997 he received his PhD in German literature from Johns Hopkins University. In the past, Fritz was a Fulbright Fellow and an Alexander-von-Humboldt-Fellow. Additionally, he has been a regular Visiting Professor at St. Gallen University for close to a decade. At Indiana University, Fritz is building up a track of courses in cognitive arts and humanities and runs the unique Experimental Humanities Lab, whose goal is to bridge the gap between the sciences and the humanities. Since 2009, his books have been published by Suhrkamp. Fritz’s most recent book, The Narrative Brain, won several awards, including Wissenschaftsbuch des Jahres 2023 in Austria. His research areas include German and European culture, cognitive arts and humanities, and the history of psychology.

At THE NEW INSTITUTE, Fritz is a senior fellow in the Academic Year 2024/25.

September 2024 – June 2025