Dr. Sophie Schmalenberger
Dr. Sophie Schmalenberger is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany. Her research focuses on the German New Right, with particular expertise in the communication and mobilization strategies of the far-right party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD).
Drawing on qualitative and interdisciplinary approaches, her work examines how far-right actors engage in memory politics and affective politics to mobilize support. She is particularly interested in how extremist ideologies intersect with established notions of national identity, belonging, and collective memory.
In addition, Sophie has co-developed a research-based online game for discrimination-critical education and conducted research on young people’s experiences with antisemitism and other forms of hate on social media.
Sophie holds a B.A. in Media and Communication Studies from Freie Universität Berlin and an M.A. in European Studies from Aarhus University, Denmark. In 2024, she was awarded her PhD for her dissertation, Alternative Feelings for Germany: Affect, Memory and the Construction of a Counter-Hegemonic Germanness by the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD).
