Dr J.J.M. Dera (Jeroen)

Dr Jeroen Dera (b. 1986) is an Associate Professor of Dutch Literature. He received his PhD in 2017 with a dissertation on literary programs on Dutch radio and television from 1925 to 1975, with particular attention to how such programs combined a literary orientation with education and cultural mediation.

After completing his PhD, Dera focused his research on literature education and the reading culture of young people. The leading themes in his research line are:

* How literature is conceptualized and legitimized in schools
* Young people’s reading behavior and views on literature (including the issue of declining reading)
* Cross-pollinations between literary studies and the school subject Dutch, especially in the areas of poetry and contemporary literature
* Digital literary culture (e.g., BookTok, online reading challenges, bookishness)
* Representations of young readers in popular culture

For his research, Dera has received several grants from NWO (Veni; Vidi; SGW XS) and FWO. In 2023, he received a KNAW Early Career Award for his innovative research on youth literary culture.

At Radboud University, Dera teaches in the BA Dutch Language and Culture, the MA Literary Studies, and the MA Education in Language and Culture. Nationally, he is a member of the 'Meesterschapsteam Nederlands' within Vakdidactiek GW and of the 'Commissie voor Taal- en Letterkunde' of the Maatschappij der Nederlandse Letterkunde. In 2024, he also joined the Dutch Young Academy of the KNAW.

Dera is an editor of the 'Tijdschrift voor Nederlandse Taal- en Letterkunde' (TNTL) and of 'Vaardig met vakinhoud', the new handbook on Dutch subject didactics published by Coutinho in 2023. He also writes a poetry column for 'Levende Talen Magazine'. His most recent book on poetry, 'Poëzie als alternatief', was published in 2021 by Wereldbibliotheek.