Research Area 3Apocalypses of the Present
Based on the premise that the apocalypse has already begun because it reveals the unsustainability of our current (Western-dominant) way of life, the research area examines apocalyptic phenomena on various natural and/or social science levels.
A world ends not only with a pandemic or the ecological crisis, but also with mental illness or the disintegration of the basic consensus of a society when the original project is called into question at the moment of crisis. Although these figures and experiences of the end have long been in the focus of the disciplines involved, the synopsis of forecasts of the respective perceived actual end and the post-apocalyptic scenarios makes it possible to re-perspectivise original questions systematically and transdisciplinarily and thus to profit quite substantially from the dialogue with the humanities. Research projects from the field of empirical sciences thus investigate not only when the end has struck, but also who proclaims this end and by whom which scenarios are thought for the aftermath. In addition to the global perspective, regional, culture- and group-specific perspectives must also be included.
Exemplary Fellow Projects
Due to the overlap and the diverse connections between the research areas, the Fellows' research projects can hardly be assigned to just one research area. Nevertheless, some projects can be considered exemplary for a focus on the aspects of the research area:
