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{{Short description|German cultural studies academic, writer and essayist (born 1971)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Mithu Sanyal
| image = Mithu Sanyal 2023.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Sanyal in 2023
| birth_name = Mithu Melanie Sanyal
| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1971}}
| birth_place = [[Düsseldorf]], Germany
| death_date =
| death_place =
| nationality =
| other_names = Mithu M. Sanyal
| occupation = Academic, journalist, author
| years_active =
| known_for =
| notable_works = ''[[Identitti]]''
| education = [[Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf]]
| children = 2
}}
'''Mithu Melanie Sanyal'''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dr. Mithu Melanie Sanyal |url=https://speakerinnen.org/de/profiles/dr-mithu-melanie-sanyal |access-date=24 February 2025 |website=Speakerinnen |language=de}}</ref> (born 1971), also known as '''Mithu M. Sanyal''', is a German academic in [[cultural studies]], a journalist and author. Her main focuses are on [[feminism]], racism, [[pop culture]] and [[postcolonialism]].

== Life and work ==
Mithu Sanyal was born in [[Düsseldorf]] in 1971<ref name="Vita">[https://web.archive.org/web/20170301070235/http://www.sanyal.de/dr-mithu-sanyal/ "Dr. Mithu Sanyal"]. Archived at the Internet Archive 1 March 2017.</ref> to a Polish-born mother and an Indian father. Her mother's parents moved to Duisburg to work as miners.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Reichwein |first=Marc |date=13 September 2023 |title="In den 1980ern wurden Rassismus und Sexismus noch ungeniert ausgelebt" |url=https://www.welt.de/kultur/literarischewelt/article246711734/Mithu-Sanyal-In-den-80ern-wurden-Rassismus-und-Sexismus-ungeniert-ausgelebt.html |access-date=18 December 2024 |website=[[Welt (TV channel)|Welt]] |language=de}}</ref> She studied German and English [[literary studies]] at the [[Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf]], where she went on to do a doctor's thesis on the [[cultural history]] of [[female genitalia]]. In 2009, she published a book called {{Lang|en|Vulva. The uncovering of the invisible sex|italic=yes}} ({{Lang|de|Vulva. Die Enthüllung des unsichtbaren Geschlechts|italic=yes}}) based on her dissertation.

Since 1996, Sanyal has been an author for radio programmes and audio books for the German public broadcaster [[Westdeutscher Rundfunk|WDR]]. Among others, she has also been writing for the [[Norddeutscher Rundfunk|NDR]], [[Bayerischer Rundfunk|BR]], [[Frankfurter Rundschau|''Frankfurter Rundschau'']], [[die tageszeitung|''taz'']], [[junge Welt|''junge Welt'']] and the [[Federal Agency for Civic Education]].<ref>[https://www.bpb.de/geschichte/deutsche-geschichte/frauenwahlrecht/279361/ist-nun-gleichberechtigung ''Die erste Kanzlerin. Ist nun Gleichberechtigung?'', Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung, 12 November 2018] retrieved 28 July 2020.</ref> Since the publishing of her second book, ''Rape. From Lucretia to #MeToo'', Sanyal has been invited to speak publicly on panels, readings and TV shows.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Zeitung |first=Badische |date=2019-03-12 |title=Mithu Sanyal spricht heute über die Tiefengrammatik von sexueller Gewalt |url=https://www.badische-zeitung.de/mithu-sanyal-spricht-heute-ueber-die-tiefengrammatik-von-sexueller-gewalt--168288590.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=2025-08-29 |website=Badische Zeitung |language=de}}</ref><ref name="argento">{{Cite web |last=deutschlandfunkkultur.de |date=2018-08-23 |title=Vorwürfe gegen Asia Argento - "Eine Person kann nicht eine Bewegung diskreditieren" |url=https://www.deutschlandfunkkultur.de/vorwuerfe-gegen-asia-argento-eine-person-kann-nicht-eine-100.html |access-date=2025-08-29 |website=Deutschlandfunk Kultur |language=de}}</ref><ref>[https://www.frauenrat.de/mithu-m-sanyal/ Deutscher Frauenrat: Mithu M. Sanyal, Video 16 January 2019]; [https://www1.wdr.de/mediathek/audio/wdr3/wdr3-kultur-am-mittag/audio-eure-heimat-ist-unser-albtraum----gespraech-mit-mithu-sanyal-100.html WDR Hörfunk: "Eure Heimat ist unser Albtraum", Gespräch mit Mithu Sanyal, WDR 3 Kultur am Mittag, 21 February 2019]; [https://lila-podcast.de/tag/mithu-sanyal/ Der Lila Podcast. Mehrere Gesprächsrunden mit Mithu Sanyal, 2017–2019]; [https://www.gwi-boell.de/de/person/dr-mithu-m-sanyal Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, Gunda Werner Institut: Alle Beiträge von Mithu Sanyal, 2017–2018]; [http://litlog.uni-goettingen.de/potente-dialektik/ Literarisches Zentrum Göttingen in Kooperation mit der 10th European Feminist Research Conference 2018 und dem Fachbereich Kultur der Stadt Göttingen: Mithu Sanyal im Gespräch mit Svenja Flaßpöhler, 2018]</ref> The books ''Rape'' and ''Vulva'' have been translated into several different languages.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=2021-04-30|language=de-DE|title=Vergewaltigung|url=https://edition-nautilus.de/programm/vergewaltigung/|website=EDITION NAUTILUS}}</ref>

Sanyal was critical of the [[MeToo movement]], arguing that accusations of sexual assault or harassment were irreversibly stigmatizing to the accused.<ref name="argento" /><ref>{{citation|access-date=2019-03-29|author=Mithu Sanyal, Marie Albrecht|date=13 February 2017|periodical=Die Tageszeitung: Taz|title=Beschreibung sexualisierter Gewalt: Du Opfer!|url=https://taz.de/Beschreibung-sexualisierter-Gewalt/!5379541/}}</ref> Feminist media in Germany condemned this statement as a trivialisation of rape and sexual violence.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=2019-03-29|date=18 February 2017|title=Offener Brief gegen die sprachliche Verharmlosung sexueller Gewalt|url=https://diestoerenfriedas.de/offener-brief-gegen-die-sprachliche-verharmlosung-sexueller-gewalt/|website=Die Störenfriedas}} {{cite web|access-date=2019-03-29|date=21 February 2017|title=Opfer sollen nicht mehr Opfer heißen|url=https://www.emma.de/artikel/opfer-sollen-nicht-mehr-opfer-heissen-334215|website=EMMA}}</ref> Right-wing blogs and websites misrepresented Sanyal's argument as a result of her Indian heritage, with some falsely claiming that rape was legal in India.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|access-date=2019-03-29|date=22 February 2017|title=Gutmenschin meint Vergewaltigungs-Opfer sollten mehr Erlebende sein|url=https://blog.halle-leaks.de/2017/02/gutmenschin-meint-vergewaltigungs-opfer-sollten-mehr-erlebende-sein/|website=halle-leaks.de (Blog)}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|access-date=2019-03-29|author=David Berger|date=23 February 2017|title=Unglaublich: Opfer von Vergewaltigung sollen ab jetzt "Erlebende" heißen|url=https://philosophia-perennis.com/2017/02/23/mithu-sanyal/|website=Philosophia Perennis}}</ref>

On 17 February 2017, an article by Sanyal and the journalist Marie Albrecht published in the German newspaper ''[[Die Tageszeitung]]'' sparked a controversy. After interviewing people who had experienced sexual violence, they suggested an alternative, additional term for self-identification of {{Lang|de|Opfer}} (victims), namely {{Lang|de|Erlebende sexualisierter Gewalt}} (people experiencing sexual violence). ''[[Politically Incorrect (blog)|Politically Incorrect]]'', a right-wing German blog, published Sanyal's private e-mail address, whereupon she received rape and death threats.<ref>{{citation|access-date=2019-03-29|author=Katrin Gottschalk|date=25 February 2017|periodical=Die Tageszeitung: Taz|title=Beschreibung sexualisierter Gewalt: Debatte statt Hetze|url=https://taz.de/Beschreibung-sexualisierter-Gewalt/!5387275/}}</ref> Her article was widely discussed in mainstream media,<ref>{{citation|access-date=2019-03-29|author=Marion Detjen|date=27 February 2017|location=Hamburg|periodical=Die Zeit|title=Vergewaltigung: Gewalt ohne Namen|url=https://www.zeit.de/kultur/2017-02/vergewaltigung-opfer-sexuelle-gewalt-opferbegriff-erlebnis-10nach8}} {{citation|access-date=2019-03-29|author=Ursula Scheer|date=24 February 2017|periodical=Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung|title=Verbrechen und Sprache: Erlebnis Vergewaltigung?|url=https://www.faz.net/aktuell/feuilleton/opfer-von-vergewaltigung-als-erlebende-bezeichnen-14892468.html}}</ref> and even the German feminist linguist [[Luise F. Pusch]] commented upon it in her blog.<ref>[https://www.fembio.org/biographie.php/frau/comments/vergewaltigung-als-erlebnis/ ''Vergewaltigung als Erlebnis?''], Luise F. Pusch, Fembio Blog, 25 February 2017.</ref> Hundreds of people also wrote e-mails to Sanyal showing her solidarity.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=2019-03-29|author=Mascha Drost|date=3 March 2017|title=Kulturwissenschaftlerin Mithu Sanyal – "Die Supermarkt-Verkäuferin fühlt sich vom Mainstream-Feminismus nicht repräsentiert"|url=https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/kulturwissenschaftlerin-mithu-sanyal-die-supermarkt.691.de.html?dram:article_id=380448|website=Deutschlandfunk.de}}</ref> In July 2019, the investigative journalism newsroom [[Correctiv]] published a statement about the incident, titled ''No, Mithu Sanyal did not tell victims that a rape could be an experience'' ({{Lang|de|Nein, Mithu Sanyal hat Opfern nicht geraten, eine Vergewaltigung könne "auch Erleben sein"}}).<ref>{{cite web|access-date=2021-02-22|author=Alice Echtermann|date=18 July 2019|publisher=Correctiv|title=Nein, Mithu Sanyal hat Opfern nicht geraten, eine Vergewaltigung könne "auch Erleben sein"|url=https://correctiv.org/faktencheck/gesellschaft/2019/07/18/nein-mithu-sanyal-hat-opfern-nicht-geraten-eine-vergewaltigung-koenne-auch-erleben-sein}}</ref>

In 2021, Sanyal published her first novel, ''[[Identitti]]'', about a professor of [[postcolonial theory]] who named herself after the Hindu goddess [[Saraswati]] and falsely claims to be of Indian descent. When she turns out to be German and to have darkened her skin, the ensuing scandal is told from the perspective of one of her students, Nivedita, who like Sanyal has a Polish mother and an Indian father. Using the pseudonym Identitti, Nivedita is the author of a blog and several social media accounts, on which she comments on topics such as racism, migration, sexual identity and orientation as well as identity politics. The character Saraswati alludes to the case of [[Rachel Dolezal]]. The novel has received mostly positive reviews.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kniebe |first=Tobias |date=17 February 2021 |title="Identitti", Roman von Mithu Sanyal: Chaos der Identitäten |url=https://www.sueddeutsche.de/kultur/mithu-sanyal-identitti-romandebuet-1.5209068 |access-date=29 April 2021 |website=[[Süddeutsche Zeitung]] |language=de}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Kramatschek |first=Claudia |date=13 February 2021 |title=Mithu Sanyal: "Identitti" – Debatte im Schleudergang |url=https://www.deutschlandfunkkultur.de/mithu-sanyal-identitti-debatte-im-schleudergang.950.de.html?dram:article_id=492428 |access-date=2021-04-29 |website=[[Deutschlandfunk Kultur]] |language=de}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Düker |first=Ronald |date=13 February 2021 |title="Identitti": "Literatur muss freundlich sein" |url=https://www.zeit.de/2021/07/identitti-mithu-sanyal-roman-identitaetspolitik-rassismus |access-date=2021-04-29 |website=[[Die Zeit]] |language=de}}</ref>

In October 2021, Sanyal was admitted to the [[PEN Centre Germany]].<ref>{{cite web|access-date=2022-02-11|date=28 October 2021|title=PEN nimmt neue Mitglieder auf, darunter Mithu Sanyal, Sharon Dodua Otoo, Jo Lendle und Benedict Wells|url=https://www.pen-deutschland.de/de/2021/10/28/pen-nimmt-neue-mitglieder-auf-darunter-mithu-sanyal-sharon-dodua-otoo-jo-lendle-und-benedict-wells/|website=PEN-Zentrum Deutschland}}</ref> Sanyal was among the members who left when the organisation split due to the [[Russian invasion of Ukraine]], and she was elected to be on the board of the newly founded PEN Berlin.<ref>{{cite news|access-date=2022-06-14|author=Andreas Platthaus|date=10 June 2022|newspaper=[[FAZ.NET]]|title=Nach Abspaltung: Wie begonnen, so zerronnen|url=https://www.faz.net/aktuell/feuilleton/buecher/themen/gruendung-von-pen-berlin-nach-eklat-um-deniz-yuecel-18094474.html}}</ref>

Sanyal's 2024 novel, ''Antichristie'', was longlisted for the [[German Book Prize]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=20 August 2024 |title=Die 20 nominierten Romane stehen fest |url=https://www.deutscher-buchpreis.de/news/eintrag/die-20-nominierten-romane-stehen-fest/ |website=[[Deutscher Buchpreis]] |language=de}}</ref>

Sanyal and her husband live in [[Oberbilk|Düsseldorf-Oberbilk]], Germany. They have two children,<ref>{{cite web |author= |date=19 November 2016 |title=Mithu M. Sanyal: "Vergewaltigung ist kein Frauenthema" |url=https://rp-online.de/nrw/staedte/duesseldorf/vergewaltigung-ist-kein-frauenthema_aid-21499645 |access-date=2021-04-09 |website=[[Rheinische Post]] |language=de}}</ref> a son and a daughter.<ref>{{Cite web |date=15 June 2018 |title=Der ewig postpubertäreTyp |url=https://www.ruprecht.de/2018/06/15/der-ewig-postpubertaeretyp/ |website=ruprecht |language=de}}</ref> She told the magazine ''[[Der Stern|Stern]]'' that she has had several abortions.<ref>{{Cite web |date=7 June 2021 |title=Mithu Sanyal: "Zu meinem Leben gehören Kinder, aber auch Abtreibungen" |url=https://www.stern.de/gesellschaft/protokoll-einer-abtreibung---es-gibt-oft-nur-zwei-standpunkte--30551318.html |website=[[Stern (magazine)|Stern]] |language=de}}</ref>

== Awards ==
Among other awards, Sanyal has received the Dietrich-Oppenberg-Medienpreis by the foundation [[Stiftung Lesen]] three times for her radio features about cultural history.<ref name="Vita" /> Her novel ''Identitti'' was shortlisted for the [[Deutscher Buchpreis|German Book Prize]] in 2021. In 2026, Sanyal was awarded the [[Heinrich Mann Prize]] for essayistics.<ref>[https://adk.de/news-einblicke/news/2026/01/mithu-m-sanyal-erhaelt-den-heinrich-mann-preis-2026-der-akademie-der-kuenste "Mithu M. Sanyal erhält den Heinrich-Mann-Preis 2026 der Akademie der Künste"]. ''adk.de'', 29 January 2026 (in German). Retrieved 28 March 2026.</ref> In the same year, she was awarded the 10-week London scholarship from the German Literature Fund,<ref>[https://deutscher-literaturfonds.de/preise/london-stipendium/ ''London-Stipendium''], Deutscher Literaturfonds, accessed 13 April 2026</ref> as Writer-in-Residence at [[Queen Mary University of London]].<ref>[https://www.qmul.ac.uk/cagcr/writers-in-residence/writers-in-residence/ ''Writers in Residence''], Queen Mary University of London, accessed 13 April 2026</ref>

== Publications ==
'''Books published in English'''
* ''Rape. From Lucretia to #MeToo'', Verso Books, Brooklyn (NY) / London, 2019, ISBN 978-1-78663-750-5 (German original: ''Vergewaltigung. Aspekte eines Verbrechens.'').<ref>[https://www.versobooks.com/books/2922-rape ''Rape. From Lucretia to #MeToo'', by Mithu Sanyal, Verso Books, 2019]</ref>
* ''Identitti'', Astra Publishing House, 2022, {{ISBN|978-1-6626-0130-9}}.
'''Books in German'''
* ''Vergewaltigung. Aspekte eines Verbrechens.'' Edition Nautilus, Hamburg 2016, ISBN 978-3-96054-023-6.<ref>Christiane Florin: [https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/narrative-der-gewalt-ueber-die-kulturgeschichte-der.1310.de.html?dram:article_id=371662 ''Narrative der Gewalt: Über die Kulturgeschichte der Vergewaltigung.''] In: [[deutschlandfunk.de]], ''Andruck – Das Magazin für Politische Literatur.'' 21 November 2016. (24 November 2016)</ref>
* ''Vulva – die Enthüllung des unsichtbaren Geschlechts.'' Verlag Klaus Wagenbach, Berlin 2009, ISBN 978-3-8031-3629-9.
* co-authored by Jasna Strick, Nicole von Horst and Yasmina Banaszczuk: "''Ich bin kein Sexist, aber ...". Sexismus erlebt, erklärt und wie wir ihn beenden.'' Orlanda Verlag, Berlin 2013, ISBN 978-3-944666-00-6.
* ''Identitti.'' Roman. [[Carl Hanser Verlag]], München 2021, ISBN 978-3-446-26921-7.
* ''Über Emily Brontë''. Kiepenheuer & Witsch, Köln 2022, ISBN 978-3-462-00366-6.
*Antichristie. Roman. Carl Hanser, München 2024, ISBN 978-3-446-28076-2

'''Audio books'''
* ''Sternenkinder sterben schöner'', later called ''Aliens sind auch nur Menschen,'' Director: Leonhard Koppelmann (WDR 2009)<ref>{{cite web|access-date=2023-03-16|author=WDR|date=13 March 2023|language=de|title=Hörspiel "Aliens sind auch nur Menschen" von Mithu Sanyal|url=https://www1.wdr.de/radio/1live/podcast/krimi/hoerspiel-verschwoerung-ufo-krimi-100.html}}</ref>
* ''LoveArtLab Rules'', Director: Ulrich Bassenge (WDR 2010)
* ''Post Porn Panik'', Director: Leonhard Koppelmann (WDR 2012)<ref>{{cite web|access-date=2023-02-18|language=de|title=Post Porn Panik – Detektivin trifft auf Sexualtherapeutin|url=https://www.ardaudiothek.de/episode/wdr-3-hoerspiel/post-porn-panik-detektivin-trifft-auf-sexualtherapeutin/wdr-3/72348388/}}</ref>
* ''Gott ist tot. Wirklich.'' Director: Martin Zylka, 55 Min. (WDR 2015)<ref>{{cite web|access-date=2023-02-18|language=de|title=Gott ist tot – wirklich! – Der Messias ist zurück. Oder?|url=https://www.ardaudiothek.de/episode/wdr-3-hoerspiel/gott-ist-tot-wirklich-der-messias-ist-zurueck-oder/wdr-3/88327576/}}</ref>
* ''Identitti''. Director: Eva Solloch, 52 Min. (WDR 2022)<ref>{{cite web|access-date=2023-06-14|language=de|title=Identitti (1/2): Skandal um gefakte PoC-Identität|url=https://www.ardaudiothek.de/episode/wdr-3-hoerspiel/identitti-1-2-skandal-um-gefakte-poc-identitaet/wdr-3/10523259/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|access-date=2023-06-14|language=de|title=Identitti (2/2): Fake-PoC möchte Identität frei wählen|url=https://www.ardaudiothek.de/episode/wdr-3-hoerspiel/identitti-2-2-fake-poc-moechte-identitaet-frei-waehlen/wdr-3/10523329/}}</ref>

'''Articles in newspapers, journals and anthologies'''
* ''Zuhause.'' In: [[Fatma Aydemir]], [[Hengameh Yaghoobifarah]] (Hrsg.): ''Eure Heimat ist unser Albtraum.'' [[Ullstein Verlag|Ullstein fünf]], Berlin 2019, ISBN 978-3-96101-036-3.
* From 2017 to 2019, Sanyal wrote the column Kolumne ''„Mithulogie"'' in [[Die Tageszeitung]] (taz)
* In 2019/2020/2025, she wrote for [[The Guardian]].<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/profile/mithu-sanyal The Guardian, Profil von Mithu Sanyal]</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Fatma Aydemir]]
* [[Hengameh Yaghoobifarah]]
* [[Margarete Stokowski]]

== References ==
<references responsive />

== External links ==
* {{DNB-Portal|137527764}}
* {{Perlentaucher|mithu-m-sanyal|a}}
* [http://www.sanyal.de/ Website von Mithu M. Sanyal]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanyal, Mithu}}
[[Category:1971 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:German women journalists]]
[[Category:German journalists]]
[[Category:21st-century German novelists]]
[[Category:21st-century German non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:German women essayists]]
[[Category:German feminist writers]]
[[Category:Writers from Düsseldorf]]
[[Category:Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf alumni]]
[[Category:German people of Indian descent]]
[[Category:21st-century German women novelists]]

Mithu Sanyal - Revision history

ChristineBabbidg: put up a entry