Prof Tobias Benedikt Zürn received UGC's Germany/Hong Kong Joint Research Scheme 2025/26 grant

Prof. Tobias Benedikt Zürn recently received UGC's Germany/Hong Kong Joint Research Scheme 2025/26 grant for a project, titled “Intertextuality as Cultural Texture: An Interdisciplinary Approach.” Together with Dr. Markus Greulich (University of Leipzig), PI on the German side, he will oversee and conduct this project over the next two years. By introducing the concept of “cultural textures,” they develop a novel approach to the study of intertextuality that highlights the significance of non-linguistic cultural artifacts and practices such as rituals, material culture, sensory perception, and non-linguistic media for understanding premodern writings.

The project team consists of scientists with several years of post-doc experience and three PhD students from HKUST and UL. They will collaborate both in digital formats and in person. Workshops at the University of Leipzig in 2026 and HKUST in 2027 will introduce them to specific topics and forms of intertextuality. The workshops will also provide an opportunity to discuss their theses with other researchers.

Prof. Tobias Benedikt Zürn	Dr. Markus Greulich photo by Anke Steinberg / University of Leipzig