Joint Research Network Elfriede Jelinek

The Joint Research Network Elfriede Jelinek is a cooperation established in February 2020 between the University of Vienna and the Music and Arts University of the City of Vienna (MUK). These are the two universities Elfriede Jelinek attended for her studies. This interaction is not only an innovative model of affiliating a university that focuses on the sciences and an arts university but is also a logical consequence of Elfriede Jelinek’s intermedial approach and her strong affinity with music, the theatre (including musical theatre), dance and film.

In this interuniversitary dialogue, our research association links science with art, developing new and interdisciplinary methodical approaches and formats which elaborates new forms of scientific-artistic research. The Joint Research Network is based on the Research Platform Elfriede Jelinek, since 2013 until 2019 at the University of Vienna and cooperates with the Research Centre Elfriede Jelinek.

The aim of the Joint Research Network is to forward the interdisciplinary research on Elfriede Jelinek’s work, contexts and reception by working together with experts of the University of Vienna and the Music and Arts University of the City of Vienna, cultural institutions and artists.

The Joint Research Network is an institution, which – on the basis of the archive of the Research Centre Elfriede Jelinek – accomplishes essential work such as the documentation of Elfriede Jelinek’s work, its reception and contexts, the supervision of the information and communication centre, which is used globally. The Joint Research Network also compiles reference books about the author.

Beyond this, Jelinek’s work, topics and processes are the basis and the driving force for thematically large-scale scientific-artistic research projects. Elfriede Jelinek represents important social topics and their reflexion in the arts, as well as aesthetic strategies (of which the focus is on intermediality and the interconnection of the arts). By using new media and by organizing scientific-artistic events and compiling publications, these projects will have an impact on public discourse.

The connection between research projects and teaching and the promotion of aspiring artists and scientists is also an important matter for the Joint Research Network.