Prof. Dr Ralf Grüttemeier has been a researcher and lecturer in Dutch literature at the Institute of Dutch Studies since 1997. He studied Dutch philology, German studies and history in Aachen, Cologne and Amsterdam, where he also earned his PhD in 1994. Before joining the University of Oldenburg, he taught and researched in Amsterdam, Cologne and Ankara. His research focuses on Dutch literary history and the relationship between law and literature. One of his current projects deals with literary concepts of the legal and political elites in the Netherlands in the twentieth century. In 2010, he received the university’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. Grüttemeier was Dean of the School of Linguistics and Cultural Studies from 2005 to 2007 and from 2017 to 2019. He is a well-respected scholar, also in the Netherlands and Flanders, and as a member of a review board participates in decisions on the allocation of Flemish research funding in the field of art and literature studies.