Bio
Irene Kuo received her B.A. in Comparative Literature at Georgetown University and her Ph.D. in German Studies from Stanford University. Her area of specialization is in 21st century German literature, with a focus on concepts of autobiographical authenticity and legal credibility in representations of refugees and migrants at the intersection of asylum law and literature, as well as humanitarian discourse in life writing. Across her undergraduate and postgraduate career, she has studied and worked in Tübingen, Ingelheim am Rhein, and Münster. Her interests in migration and comparatist approaches to literary and cultural studies stem from her experiences growing up in Venezuela, Taiwan, and U.S. She has published and presented papers on Senthuran Varatharajah, Abbas Khider, and the credibility assessment process in the Common European Asylum System. Other research interests include narratology, autobiography studies, German Expressionism, Turkish-German Literature, and Miguel de Unamuno.