Research Agenda

The initial establishment of Apocalyptic Studies as an independent research field was made possible primarily through methodological and conceptual advancements achieved through the collaboration of fellows and staff at CAPAS. In particular, by examining the apocalypse's spatial, temporal, and affective dimensions together, the research revealed an often-overlooked potential: the ability of apocalyptic narratives to shape society as a whole and serve as a guiding framework for world-making. These dimensions constitute the fundamental parameters of the research program for our next four years.

During the second funding phase (2025-2029), the concept of Apocalyptic Experience—encompassing essential dimensions of time, space, and affect—takes center stage. This guiding concept introduces a novel approach to understanding the scale of the apocalypse, suggesting that it does not solely refer to global world ends but is also applicable to the experiences of smaller groups and individuals, which, in turn, vary based on subjectivities, positionalities, and vulnerabilities in the face of (post-)apocalyptic scenarios. As a result, we aim to diversify the understanding of the apocalypse, making forms of domination and exploitation, along with their ontological and epistemological implications, more comprehensible. As a method, we believe that thinking apocalyptically is a powerful tool to probe the foundations of “Western” eschatology and unveil emancipatory potentialities lying within or beyond its thresholds.

CAPAS understands its field of knowledge and impact as connected to the extensive and well-established research on the Jewish-Christian apocalyptic tradition. However, it also incorporates concepts and experiences of world-making and unmaking from other cultures and epochs. Building on this foundation and going beyond it, we contribute to the study of contemporary challenges that are perceived as “end of the world” scenarios. As a key concept and “Grand Narrative” of "Western” culture, the apocalypse has been inseparably linked to European colonialism since its inception. Even after the secularization of the term in modernity, it remained embedded in a hegemonic world system based on extractivism, racial capitalism, and the coloniality of knowledge. To counteract the (neo-)colonial trajectory of apocalyptic thought, Apocalyptic Studies must take into account racialised forms of domination and exploitation, the epistemic violence they exert, and their ontological and epistemological implications—especially the reality of world endings in the so-called Global South.

TIME

Through interdisciplinary discussions at CAPAS on the apocalypse's inherently narrative and visually powerful nature, the question of temporality in apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic contexts emerged as a central theme. The initial premise—that apocalypses belong to the past, can be experienced in the present, or anticipate future events—was still rooted in a linear or vectorial conception of time. This perspective, however, is itself historically contingent, having developed through secularization and the rise of modern sciences, while also failing to account for alternative temporalities. These alternative conceptions of time stem either from premodern traditions, such as messianic Jewish-Christian time or from non-Western cultural frameworks. As a result, the post-apocalypse does not necessarily follow the apocalypse chronologically; rather, it can represent the continuation of the apocalypse, a loss of the future, or the final phase in completing the destruction.
Once the positionality of apocalyptic experience—whether in the past, present, or anticipated futures—is connected to a critique of the “Western” linear, apocalyptic temporality, the political dimension of apocalypticism emerges. We are thus able to question concepts such as progress and futurity, which are grounded in instrumental, technology-based rationality. Apocalyptic Studies must therefore conceive of the future as a potentiality that presupposes ruptures rather than as a mere extrapolation of present technological possibilities, which cloud the persistence of the past in the present. Apocalyptic Studies focus on (perceived) existential threats and their entanglement with a past that has not yet been resolved and with futures that were never realized.
This perspective acknowledges the central role of science and technology in addressing existential problems while avoiding simplistic notions of technological solutions such as geoengineering or social engineering. Likewise, it counters the widespread "anti-utopian" stance, which views the preservation of the status quo as the only goal. In this sense, the study of apocalyptic world endings becomes an essential step toward new forms of world-making.

SPACE

Another key step in CAPAS' methodological and theoretical development arose from the question of the spatiality of the apocalypse. This inquiry extends beyond the scaling of world-ending scenarios from the global to the local; it also encompasses the specific spatial configurations of the apocalyptic—such as bunkers, borders, or wastelands—that shape particular practices (mobility, perception, distancing, as well as coping and care) and inform or implement political agendas and ideologies.

AFFECT

Observing both the resurgence of apocalyptic discourse and the emotional intensity of debates surrounding systemic crises and threats—marked by an "apocalyptic tone"—CAPAS placed the affective dimension of apocalypticism at the center of its research. This focus enabled critical reflection on the mobilization, channeling, and management of emotions in relation to apocalyptic scenarios or fantasies. The affective aspect constitutes a crucial starting point for transdisciplinary research and a pivotal element in crisis response. Addressing crises cannot be limited to rational enlightenment or technocratic solutions; instead, it requires the openness of the humanities to explore alternative futures beyond existing structures.