Job title:
Visiting Professor (Spring 2027)
Department:
Folklore
Bio/CV:
Manuel Trummer is Professor and Chair of Empirical Cultural Studies and European
Ethnology at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich. Before that, he served as Managing
Director of the Institute for Folklore Studies at the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and
Humanities, taught at the University of Regensburg as an Associate Professor (Privatdozent),
held a visiting fellowship at Leeds Beckett University, and was an extraordinary member of
the Bavarian Academy of Sciences.
Ethnology at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich. Before that, he served as Managing
Director of the Institute for Folklore Studies at the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and
Humanities, taught at the University of Regensburg as an Associate Professor (Privatdozent),
held a visiting fellowship at Leeds Beckett University, and was an extraordinary member of
the Bavarian Academy of Sciences.
Trained in European ethnology, folklore, and art history in Regensburg, where he earned both
his doctorate and habilitation, Manuel Trummer explores how communities make sense of
transformation across past and post-digital worlds. His work bridges vernacular narrative
traditions—reflected in his role as co-editor of Fabula: Journal of Folktale Studies—with the
politics of everyday culture, particularly in rural contexts. He currently directs two major,
government-funded research projects investigating infrastructures and heritage practices
across peripheral rural landscapes, and serves on the German Commission for UNESCO’s
Expert Committee on Intangible Cultural Heritage.
His recent publications on these topics include “Listed! And Now What? Negotiating
Uncertainty and Intangible Cultural Heritage in Rural Areas” (2025) and “The Rural as a
Cultural Category” (Das Ländliche als kulturelle Kategorie, 2020). Alongside his work on
folklore and space, he has written extensively on popular culture, rock music, and religion in
mass media, including the co-edited volumes “Pop the Nation!” (2023) and “Sympathy for
the Devil?” (2014).
Uncertainty and Intangible Cultural Heritage in Rural Areas” (2025) and “The Rural as a
Cultural Category” (Das Ländliche als kulturelle Kategorie, 2020). Alongside his work on
folklore and space, he has written extensively on popular culture, rock music, and religion in
mass media, including the co-edited volumes “Pop the Nation!” (2023) and “Sympathy for
the Devil?” (2014).
Outside the department, he spends his time with heavy guitar music and vintage folk horror.
Role:
