Doxumentale Prize for the best non-fiction book: Racha Kirakosian awarded for Berauscht der Sinne beraubt: Eine Geschichte der Ekstase (Intoxicated and Deprived: A History of Ecstasy)
Freiburg, 09/07/2025
Racha Kirakosian, Professor of Medieval German Studies at the University of Freiburg, was awarded the prize for best non-fiction book at the international documentary film and media festival Dokumentale for her work Berauscht der Sinne beraubt: Eine Geschichte der Ekstase (Intoxicated and Deprived: A History of Ecstasy).
Berauscht der Sinne beraubt: Eine Geschichte der Ekstase (Intoxicated and Deprived: A History of Ecstasy) is the title of the book for which Freiburg medievalist Racha Kirakosian received the prize for best non-fiction book at the Dokumentale in Berlin. Her research focuses on the intersection of textual history and religious philosophy in the Middle Ages. Now she is expanding the scope of her interests in her book and showing that trance and ecstasy are phenomena that transcend cultures and epochs – from Meister Eckhart to the Love Parade.
The following is the jury’s statement about the award-winning book:
“This book seduces upon second glance. Its title flirts—with expectations, perhaps even with clichés. But what the author unfolds is far from fleeting ecstasy. … With analytical clarity and historical depth, she illuminates the ground beneath our notions of ecstasy. Her language is precise yet never dry—on the contrary, it opens eyes and awakens the senses without ever losing its head. … A book that thinks—and invites us to think with it. … This book masterfully bridges scholarly depth and narrative suspense, never losing the reader in complexity—and always with a touch of poetry.”
About the author
Kirakosian studied at the University of Göttingen, where she earned a master’s degree in German philology and medieval and modern history. She earned a master’s degree in digital humanities and art history from the École nationale des chartes in Paris. After completing her doctorate in Medieval and Modern Languages at the University of Oxford, she worked as a dual-subject professor of German and the Study of Religion at Harvard University. Since 2020, she has been Professor of Medieval Studies at the University of Freiburg. In April 2025, she received the ”Momentum Funding” from the Volkswagen Foundation.