Mag. Dr.
KERSTIN MAYERHOFER
I am a scholar of Jewish Studies and a cultural historian with a particular interest in the intersections of religion, gender, and race.
I hold a PhD in Jewish Studies from the University of Vienna. My doctoral research explored the motif of Jewish male menstruation in medieval Christian discourse. A monograph based on my dissertation, Queer Blood, is under contract with ARC Humanities Press and is due for publication in 2026.
I have previously held academic positions at the University of Vienna, the IFK Vienna, the University of St Andrews (UK), and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Israel). I am currently post-doctoral assistant in the Department of Jewish Studies at the University of Vienna.
My current project investigates Jewish constructions of the womb. It draws on a wide range of Jewish sources—from the Hebrew Bible and Rabbinic literature to Kabbalistic texts—and examines medical lore alongside religious teachings about the uterus and reproduction across the medieval and modern periods.
I regularly teach in the Department of Jewish Studies in Vienna, focusing on topics such as gender, social inequality, and Jewish identity from an interdisciplinary standpoint. My courses attract students from a broad array of disciplines beyond Jewish Studies, including theology, religious studies, gender studies, history, political science, and psychology.
Learning and the exchange of knowledge lie at the heart of my academic work. I design my teaching to encourage active engagement with texts and ideas, helping students to make connections, ask critical questions, and draw conclusions that reach beyond the classroom. I aim to foster an environment in which students continually reflect on and refine their knowledge and values in response to new insights. Their perspectives, in turn, consistently shape and enrich my own teaching and research.
When I’m not researching, writing, or teaching, I spend most of my time outdoors – hiking, cycling, and (trail) running across Austria and throughout Europe. I also take great pleasure in people-watching over a proper Italian coffee.
