Cluster of Excellence Cross-Cultural Philology

The Cluster of Excellence Cross-Cultural Philology takes a cross-cultural approach to the study of philological practices and cultural dynamics over a 5,000-year period. The cluster is one of the largest humanities initiatives funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG).

Cooperations within the Cluster of Excellence

To ensure that philological practices are researched from a global perspective, the Cluster of Excellence collaborates with multiple national and international partners.

Involved Faculties (LMU)

7 Faculties of the LMU collaborate in the Cluster.

Participating Disciplines

In addition to disciplines that are traditionally considered to be philological, other areas such as musicology and legal history also form part of the Cluster.

International Cooperation

The Cluster of Excellence cooperates with numerous renowned institutions worldwide, including Harvard University, the British Library, the Pontifical Biblical Institute, the Ben Zvi Institute, the University of Tokyo, and many more.

Newsfeed

21/06/2026 First Cluster publication out now!
"Vormoderne Praktiken der Philologie" with articles in German and English available as open access e-book
13 Jul

13/07/2026 The beginnings before the beginnings. Cross-cultural traces of vernacular writing in the Early Middle Ages [in German]
15 Jul

15/07/2026 The activist author and the run-away reader. Lecture from Ineke Sluiter
16 Jul

16/07/2026 Translating as a form of close readings. Lecture from Hans-Jörg Rheinberger
Latest news

The Cluster will research and safeguard a significant part of the global cultural heritage, and contribute to the pressing social challenge of improving understanding and communication between cultures.

Prof. Dr. Beate Kellner, Spokeswoman of the Cluster of Excellence Cross-Cultural Philology Listen to the full interview with Prof. Kellner