Max-Weber-Kolleg offers support for doctoral preparation

The Max Weber Centre for Cultural and Social Studies at the University of Erfurt is once again offering young academics financial support for their doctoral preparation this year.

The programme is aimed at young female academics who have recently obtained an excellent Master’s degree or are about to do so and who wish to do an interdisciplinary doctorate in the context of the Weberian research programme at the Max-Weber-Kolleg, which can be supervised by members of the Kolleg.

After the one-semester doctoral preparation, which also includes individualised mentoring, an exposé should be available that enables application to the doctoral programme of the Max-Weber-Kolleg. The doctoral preparation is oriented towards the individual needs of the participants and consists of mentoring in relation to the research question of the dissertation project and the research status, participation in selected colloquia and the opportunity to participate in seminars and in the qualification programme of the University of Erfurt (certificates are also issued for the latter). The admission procedure as a doctoral candidate to the Max-Weber-Kolleg remains unaffected.

For the participation in the doctoral preparation, the Max-Weber-Kolleg offers financial support for the duration of up to six months in the form of a scholarship, which is awarded according to the scholarship statutes of the University of Erfurt. The doctoral preparation usually starts at the beginning of the respective semester on 1 April (summer semester) or 1 October (winter semester). However, direct follow-up funding in the case of acceptance as a doctoral candidate from a doctoral scholarship can only be made possible if the full six months are not required for the preparation of the exposé and the application deadlines for acceptance as a doctoral candidate at the Kolleg are observed.

Since the Max-Weber-Kolleg would like to support women in a special way, this call for applications is exclusively addressed to women. For information on requirements and application, please refer to the call for applications (German only).

In addition, the Max Weber Kolleg announces up to three of these scholarships for all applicants. Please find all information in the following announcement (German only).

Wissenschaftsrat presents new recommendation on Institutes for Advanced Study

„The recommendations of the German Council of Science and Humanities show that the Max-Weber-Kolleg is on a very good and promising path with its concept of combining an IAS with a Graduate School, taking into account interdisciplinarity, internationality and intergenerationality. We are pleased with this confirmation of our work and look forward to continuing along this path,“ said Hartmut Rosa and Jörg Rüpke, the directors of the Max-Weber-Kolleg.

On 28th of April 2021, the German Science Council (Wissenschaftsrat) presented its recommendations for the funding of Institutes for Advanced Study. The Science Council is the oldest science policy advisory body in Europe and was founded on September 5, 1957 in the Federal Republic of Germany by the Federal Government and the Länder on the basis of an administrative agreement. It advises the Federal Government and the governments of the Länder on all matters relating to the substantive and structural development of science, research and higher education.

In recent decades, Institutes for Advanced Studies (IAS) have developed worldwide from an exceptional phenomenon into a distinctive type of institution in the science system. Based on historical models – such as the Princeton IAS – today a variety of functions and forms are gathered under this umbrella. They enable scholars from different universities in Germany and abroad to devote themselves intensively to a research project for a limited period of time within the framework of a fellowship. The Max-Weber-Kolleg of the University of Erfurt is the only Institute for Advanced Study in Thuringia and was consulted in the preparation of the recommendation and is also mentioned in the recommendation of the Council of Science and Humanities in several places as an example, for instance when it comes to the promotion of young researchers:

„Special attention is paid by a large part of the IAS to the promotion of young scientists. In this context, the task of promoting young scientists is one of the statutory tasks of both university-based and non-university institutions. For example, the Max-Weber-Kolleg for Advanced Cultural and Social Studies at the University of Erfurt focuses on the promotion of young academics at university-based IAS.“

The recommendations of the Council of Science and Humanities refer to aspects such as interdisciplinarity, internationality and promotion of young researchers and call for enabling long-term planning for IAS.

New Publication: „Erfüllung im Diesseits“

A new book by Josef Römelt, moral theologian at the University of Erfurt, has been published by Herder under the title „Erfüllung im Diesseits“ (Fulfilment in this world). It looks at the question of how contemporary utopias challenge the Christian message of salvation.

The religious offer of a final anchorage in God, in a life after death, is challenged today by a widespread fascination with this world, with life in the here and now. Josef Römelt’s book explores the spiritual atmosphere of our time and enters into a dialogue with the popular thinkers Yuval Noah Harari („Homo Deus“) and Hartmut Rosa („Resonance“), whose utopias have found a great echo.

Harari stands for a functional-rational, technically-perfected view of reality, as represented by the so-called transhumanists. They promise an optimisation of life in this world with the help of natural science and technology. Hartmut Rosa, on the other hand, has presented an influential counter-vision with his theory of resonance and resonant human relationships with the world. Both exponents of the intellectual atmosphere of our time fundamentally challenge the Christian message of salvation. Josef Römelt shows how the Christian faith can find a new, human-friendly language in the confrontation with Harari and Rosa and thus open up important resources of meaning: It becomes an invitation to the human longing for deep vitality, joie de vivre and a love of life, to trust oneself even in the borderline experiences of failure, illness and death.

Francesca Fulminante presents a working paper ‚From heterarchies to hierarchies: the role of religion at the birth of first cities and state organization in central Italy (1100-500 bc)‘

Between the 10th and the 5th century BC Italian populations underwent radical changes in the social, political and ethnic organization which led from the mainly „egalitarian“ communities of the dispersed villages of the Bronze Age, to the „hierarchical“ and „centralised“ societies of the Archaic cities. Many scholars have contributed to delineate this trajectory by looking at various aspects of the social structure, production, economy but probably the religious aspect has been less intensively investigated, apart the emphasis posed by Alessandro Guidi on early urban cult places, preceding the monumental realization of the temples of the Archaic Period, especially in Latium vetus. Connecting to Polignac, Lefevre and Bourdie and by taking Rupke’s concept of religion as active agent of urbanity, the project seeks to explore the specific role of religion in the creation of the first cities in Western Europe. Transition from more heterarchical so. At the core of the project is the following questions: 1) is it the city which contributes to the rise of the sanctuary, or the sanctuary, which contributes to the rise of local cities? 2) Which is the role of religion in the shift from more heterarchical to hierarchical organizations? The project will answer these question by analyzing cult places in the wider network of central Italian transportation communication system and by comparing their reciprocal position and role within the system as compared to other types of settlements (domestic, functional, funerary etc.). This will allow to elaborate on the role and significance of the various spaces of ritual performance within the societies involved and eventually verify of Polignac’s model is applicable to central Italy as well.

Hartmut Rosa appointed „Distinguished Senior Scientist“ of the Johanna Quandt Young Academy

For his outstanding achievements in research and his exceptional commitment to promoting young scholars and international academic cooperation, Professor Hartmut Rosa, Director of the Max-Weber-Kolleg at the University of Erfurt, has now been appointed „Distinguished Senior Scientist“ of the Frankfurt Johanna Quandt Yound Academy.

Since 2018, the interdisciplinary and international Johanna Quandt Young Academy at Goethe (JQ Young Academy, JQY A), under the leadership of its director, Professor Matthias Lutz-Bachmann, has been supporting a number of selected excellent early-career researchers from all departments at Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main in their academic careers. These are admitted to the Academy as Fellows. In addition, the Academy invites three to four internationally established researchers as so-called „Distinguished Senior Scientists“, who act as an external scientific committee for the JQ Young Academy.

The award, which is endowed with 10,000 €, is accompanied by the fact that Hartmut Rosa is involved in the annual selection of the fellows as a committee member for three years. In addition, he will take part in the annual conferences of the JQ Young Academy and contribute with a keynote speech.

Rosa: „I am very pleased about this award, which recognises and supports a model of intergenerational cooperation with senior and junior fellows that we have been successfully practising at the Max-Weber-Kolleg for a long time.“

Max-Weber-Kolleg welcomes new fellows and collegians

In the summer semester of 2021, the Max Weber Centre for Advanced Cultural and Social Studies at the University of Erfurt will once again welcome numerous new researchers from Germany and abroad.

The research group „Religion and Urbanity: Reciprocal Formations“, which focuses on India, welcomes the new coordinator Dr Klara-Maeve O’Reilly (Dublin/Görlitz) this semester. In addition, the following new fellows are welcomed: Professor Konstantin Akinsha (Italy), who will come to Erfurt again to work on the topic „Writing the 5th Gospel“; Professor Meera Dass (India), who will work on the topic „Through the Pillar: Religion and Urbanity of Besnagar 2nd century BCE to 7th century CE“, and Professor Cristiana Facchini (Italy), who is continuing her project „As a nautilus shell… Religious Diversity and Urbanity. An historical journey“. Dr. Francesca Fulminante (UK) will discuss her project on „Religion and Urbanity in its Formation: A case study from Early Rome and Central Italy“ in the collegiate research group. Professor Nimrod Luz (Israel) is investigating „The Infrastructures of Religiocity in Acre. Materialities of Faiths and their Politics in a Mixed Israeli City“. Dr Harry Maier (Canada) is working on „Practising the City: Spatial Imagination, Imperial Location, and Reciprocal Processes of Urban Transformation in Second Century Christianity“. And Professor Joachim Trezib (Germany) is investigating „Spatial formations of ‚Geist‘: Edgar Salin’s nomological concept of statehood and its relationship to the circle of Stefan George“.

The group „Social Theory and Social Philosophy“ welcomes the Predocs Heinrich Hofer and Steven Sello, who want to develop initial ideas for doctoral projects into an exposé within the framework of their Predoc fellowship. Associate Junior Fellow Dr Moritz von Kalckreuth is researching „On the interdisciplinary and inner-philosophical justification of a philosophy of values“. Associate Fellow Dr Christoph Baumgartner (Netherlands) is coming for another short stay to work on „Civil Relations under Conditions of Religious Diversity“.

In the International Graduate School „Resonant Self-World Relations in Ancient and Modern Socio-Religious Practices“, which is carried out in cooperation with the University of Graz, the doctoral student Seraphim Schirrmacher was associated, who will work on the topic „Music Lessons as a Space for Resonance in School?

The new special research area Transregio 294 „Strukturwandel des Eigentums“ is conducting research in cooperation with colleagues from Jena. In this context, we welcome Dr. Stefan Schmalz as Junior Research Team Leader as well as the Junior Researchers Jing Cheng, Helen A. Gibson, Sanjay Jothe, Ling Li, Anna Möllers, Moana Jean Packo, Varun Patil and Dirk Schuck. Maria Dell’Isola, Sofia Bianchi Manchini and Asfia Jamal will join them in the course of the summer semester.

The director of the Max-Weber-Kolleg, Hartmut Rosa, is pleased about the newcomers from Germany and abroad and emphasises: „On the one hand, we are happy to be able to offer the young researchers a great research environment and exciting contact persons thanks to the many experienced fellows at the Max-Weber-Kolleg, and on the other hand, we have made the experience that our fellows learn a lot from the young researchers. All the more reason for us to look forward to joint research and learning processes.“

Thuringian Research Award for Hartmut Rosa

Every year, the Free State of Thuringia honours excellent research achievements with the Thuringian Research Award. This year, the prize in the category „Basic Research“ goes to the sociologists Professor Klaus Dörre (University of Jena), Professor Stefan Lessenich (LMU Munich) and to Professor Hartmut Rosa, the director of the Max-Weber-Kolleg at the University of Erfurt, who also works in Jena at the Friedrich Schiller University.

The three receive the 25,000 euro award for their work on post-growth societies. Within the framework of the research group „Landnahme, Beschleunigung, Aktivierung. On the (De-)Stabilisation of Modern Growth Societies“, the sociologists have investigated the structural growth constraints of modern societies and uncovered the social mechanisms of „always more and never enough“. The research group has been funded by the German Research Foundation between 2011 and 2019.

The world, according to the diagnosis, is in an economic-ecological pincer crisis: economic growth as we know it from the past is no longer possible without further exacerbating the catastrophic ecological consequences. Conversely, climate protection and the conservation of natural resources require a departure from previous economic and transport concepts. „The primacy of growth has reached its limit. Growth exacerbates the current crisis of capitalism and no longer offers the solution,“ underlines Professor Klaus Dörre. The Professor of Sociology of Labour, Industry and Economics at the University of Jena accepted the award on behalf of the entire team of the research group. He emphasises that the current Corona pandemic exacerbates the pincer crisis on the one hand and makes the underlying mechanisms clearer on the other: The fact that Germany actually achieved its climate goals in 2020 was mainly due to the Corona lockdowns and not so much the result of a successful strategy. „The example shows that the system change to a post-growth society has already begun. If we don’t actively shape it ourselves, the next crisis will further force us to do so.“

The sociologists want to follow the development even after the conclusion of the research college – the Thuringian Research Award, according to the sociologists, is both recognition and motivation for this.

Elisabeth Begemann presents a working paper on ‚The Dancing Deity: Diminishing the Goddess Libertas on the Palatine‘

In the Speech for His House (de domo sua), Cicero needs to persuade his audience that the shrine erected by his adversary, Clodius, was not a public cult site or any cult site at all, in order for it to be removed and his house returned to him. One of the means in which he attempts to do this is by suggesting that no cult beyond a personal Clodian cult ever took place here. As focus of this cult, he suggests the image of courtesan stolen from a gravesite in Tanagra. The allusion is suggestive: Tanagra became famous in the 19th century when small clay figurines of women and goddesses were unearthed from Hellenistic graves. These figures showed richly dressed and painted women in a variety of poses, their dress clinging to their bodies, seated or dancing. As Maik Patzelt demonstrated, Clodius dedicated the shrine to Libertas by employing a three-step dancing figure, known from other cultic contexts. By connecting Clodius’ dancing dedication with the figure of a dancing deity, he connects the two in the minds of his listeners. Moreover, by suggesting that Clodius’ Libertas was not only “just” a personal deity, but her statue stolen from the grave of a prostitute, he diminishes the supposed deity in the mind of his listeners by making her unacceptable on multiple levels: social (as a prostitute), legal (as a stolen item) and religious (as coming from a grave, thus tainted with death).

Globetrotter with a social vision: Sisi Sung teaches and conducts research at the University of Erfurt

A traffic-calmed city center, people sitting in the sun and reading, no rushing crowds. Erfurt is a contrast for Sisi Sung. The Chinese economist grew up in Hong Kong and lived for ten years in big cities like Beijing and Seattle. She came to the Thuringian capital for the first time on a business trip. And as soon as she stepped out of the train station, she knew, „This is where I want to stay for a while.“ Today, she lives and works in Erfurt: at the university’s Max Weber College, she is researching career obstacles for women in large companies as part of her dissertation. She also teaches at the Willy Brandt School of Public Policy and supports the university’s internationalization through committee work. „WortMelder“ spoke with her about her research and life in Erfurt.

Ms. Sung, Erfurt is so very different from the cities you’ve lived in so far….

After traveling to and studying in more than 30 countries, I felt the charm of Erfurt being old in pace, modern in facilities. I was more astonished by the many bookstores in the city and people reading books in open spaces. I knew I wanted to live and work on my doctoral project here, so I did not make any second choice. When navigating my way to Erfurt, I was fascinated by the University of Erfurt’s history as the oldest university in Germany, and I wondered how study life would be in the university.

And then you must have quickly come across the Max Weber College?

As an economist, Max-Weber-Kolleg is a perfect accommodation for my doctoral project. Its international and interdisciplinary structure is very innovative. It is a unique platform to gain global experience and intellectual inspirations from interactions with a wide variety of renowned social scientists and outstanding young researchers. With my goal of promoting diversity and equality through cross-cultural and intersectional collaboration, Max-Weber-Kolleg is a perfect fit.

So you do research on diversity and equality. What exactly are you investigating?

I am always interested in fostering diversity and equality. Having men and women working together in parity can have many benefits, especially economically. For example, with both men and women working, the economy grows in size, and each individual’s income in society can improve. At a company level, more women on the board or in the executive team can generate a better profit. Ultimately, they help to achieve economic growth. So my research basically aims to locate the drivers for diversity and equality and navigate a path to economic development.

Working on the topic can be difficult. Although the economic benefits, it remains a fact that more efforts are required to achieve diversity and equality. Given the challenge to attain diversity and equality, studying them can be a demanding task. Besides, the issues can be so prevalent and complicated that it can be hard to thoroughly examine with the scope of my doctoral project.

How did you get involved in this topic?

I came from a typical Chinese family. I am thankful that they often emphasize the importance of social responsibility. They sent me to the oldest girls‘ school in Hong Kong. The school was created to offer girls equal education opportunities as boys because before that, girls had no access to education in Hong Kong. Reflecting back on the six years, it was a life-changing experience and perhaps the earliest motivation that has shaped my determination to strive for diversity and equality in the global community.

As an economist, I attended many international conferences, and for most of the time I found that the guest panels were mostly men. When I saw some discussions had no female speakers, the diversity issue was very trivial and striking. After visiting some of the world’s largest Chinese companies, such as Alibaba and Tencent, I observed that male senior managers often dominated the meetings. I became more curious about where the women were. When I sat in a guest lecture by Christine Lagarde, she mentioned that „if Lehman Brothers was Lehman Brothers and Sister, things would be different.“. It immediately brought me back to the exact date in 2008 when I was sitting in a classroom surrounded by male students. My undergraduate alma mater, Tsinghua University, has been one of the most prestigious science and engineering universities in China, so it seemed not surprising to be one of the fewer female students. Her words reminded me of the experiences, and I immediately knew that I wanted to explore more about diversity and equality.

What contribution do you want your study to make to society?

One primary motivation, which is also my ambition, is to connect academic research with practice. My interest in the topic stemmed from past experiences, so I hope that my academic work can be applied to solve real-life problems. Therefore, I am eager to share my experiences and contribute my expertise to the development of our community. After completing my doctoral project, I would like to provide the findings and help leaders overcome inequality and achieve diversity. I would like to push for collaboration among scholars, organizational leaders, and policymakers to cultivate a path towards diversity and equality in the global community. I believe that diversity and equality can make policy and decisions more effective, less biased, and making people live better.

Now, you had high expectations for your time studying in Erfurt and at MWK. Have they been fulfilled?

Living and studying in Erfurt has been amazing. After two years of intellectual discussions with colleagues, lecturing at Willy Brandt School, and representing all Ph.D. students at University of Erfurt and Max-Weber-Kolleg, I definitely gained experience I could not have attained anywhere else. Max-Weber-Kolleg has provided ample formal and informal exchange opportunities, with a nice balance of academic and social events. The best part has always been the personal connections and conversations with prominent scientists and my fellow researchers from different backgrounds.

… Just like your students at the Brandt School. You just mentioned the lectures you give there. How does teaching enrich your research work?

I realize I haven’t stopped teaching since 2010. I have taught at Tsinghua University in China, the University of Washington in the U.S., and now at Willy Brandt School. Each has been an invaluable experience. I am lucky to have met so many intelligent students and benefited from the interactions. At Willy Brandt School, I teach two courses that involve cross-cultural collaboration and strategic management of public leadership. I am always inspired by the unique perspectives of my students. Discussions with them not only enrich the understanding of my own research work but also provide useful suggestions to improve my research.

For a year now, the pandemic has already overshadowed us. How are you coping with it far from home?

University and Max-Weber-Kolleg always offer the most they can in supporting my study and living in Erfurt. Especially during the pandemic, the directors and staff at Max-Weber-Kolleg have expressed their availability for assistance. My fellow colleagues and I also regularly organize a walk in the city to tackle the challenging lockdown. These supports are very helpful during the pandemic because you know there is always someone you can reach out to, even when you are 9,000 km away from home. During the pandemic, I will spend an hour or two on workout every day, which helps me stay to my work routine. I would say Erfurt is such a nice place for outdoor workout.

New issue of „Religion and urbanity online“

A new issue of the open access journal „Religion and urbanity online“ of the DFG-funded collaborative research group „Religion und Urbanity“ at the University of Erfurt has just been published. This time, the thematic focus is on the role of religion and the transformation of religion in processes of urbanisation.

Christopher Smith reflects about the development of a religious field in processes of binding elite groups to a densified settlement. Matthew Naglak interprets the rise of central Italian Gabii in terms of house societies. Claudia Moser explores the co-development of production and ritual spaces in early Italian sanctuaries. Onno van Nijf and Christina Williamson analyse the production of interurban networks through festivals in the Hellenistic Eastern Mediterranean.

Groundbreaking work on the urban dimension of religious practices and reflections in precarious settlements is published as a second focus. Martin Fuchs follows Dalits in Dharavi (Mumbai) and Qudsiya Contractor presents empirical research on Muslims opting for an intensification of religion in Hindu-majority Mumbai.

More about the new issue