Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation
Hauptbereich
The Future of the Humanities in a Multipolar World
International Conference, 15th and 16th December 2011
In recent years, a complaint about the marginalization of the Humanities has become prevalent. Indeed, science in general and the humanities in particular are more and more seen from an economical perspective which puts pressure on them to justify theirselves. But which role will the humanities play in the society of the 21st century which is more than others marked by cultural and social change? Which significance do they have in modern knowledge society? International scientists as well as representatives of politics and media are going to discuss functions and potentials of the humanities in a multipolar world.
Thursday, 15th December 2011
Pergamon Museum, Theodor Wiegand Hall
Welcome and Introductory Remarks
11.00 Hermann Parzinger
President of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation
11.15 Ulrich Rüdiger
Rector of the University of Konstanz
11.30 Wilhelm Krull
Secretary General of the Volkswagen Foundation and Chairman of the German Association of Foundations
11.45 Jürgen Mittelstraß
Professor of Philosophy and the Philosophy of Sience, University of Konstanz, Member of the board of trustees of the Konstanz Science Forum
I Cultural and Social Change - Which Role can the Humanities Play?
Chair: Wilhelm Krull
12.00 Keynote
Homi K. Bhabha
Anne F. Rothenberg Professor of the Humanities and Director of the Mahindra Humanities Center, Harvard University, Cambridge/Mass.
"The Horizons of the Humanities" (in English)
13.00 Lunch Break
II The Humanities in the spectrum of disciplines
Chair: Heike Schmoll
Head of department 'Education Policy' at the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung"
14.30 Hans J. Markowitsch
Professor of Physiological Psychology at the University of Bielefeld
"The Humanities and Psychology: Terminated Concordance?"
15.30 Hermann Parzinger
President of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation
"Archives of Knowledge and Basic Research in the Humanities"
16.00 Coffee break
17.00 Regina Ammicht Quinn
Professor of Ethics at the International Centre for Ethics in the Sciences and Humanities (IZEW), Eberhard-Karls-University Tübingen
"The Sense of the Unnecessary: Ethics as Political Ethics in the Context of Humanities"
Followed by a discussion with the audience
18.30 end of conference day
20.00 Evening Lecture
Rotunde, Altes Museum
Martha C. Nussbaum
Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Law and Ethics, Law School, Philosophy Department, and Divinity School, The University of Chicago
"Not For Profit: Why Democracy Needs the Humanities"
(in English)
Friday, 16th December 2011
Pergamon Museum, Theodor Wiegand Hall
III The Humanities in a Multipolar World
Chair: Katharina Holzinger, Vice Rector of International Affairs, Equal Opportunity and Women's Affairs of the University of Konstanz
9.00 Jürgen Osterhammel
Professor of Contemporary History, University of Konstanz
"Global Asymmetries in the Humanities: The Example of History"
10.00 David Simo
Reimar Lüst Award Winner of Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Director of the German Department at the University of Yaoundé 1 and of the German-African Science Center Yaoundé, Cameroon
"The Significance and Functions of the Humanities in Postcolonial Africa"
11.00 Coffee Break
11.30 Dyala Hamzah
Research Fellow at the Zentrum Moderner Orient (ZMO), Berlin
"Humanities with an Agenda: The Case of the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) Region" (in English)
12.30 David O. Lortkipanidze
General Director of the Georgian National Museum, Tbilisi
"Georgia, A Unique Case: Building the Future on an Amazing Past" (in English)
13.30 Lunch Break
IV The Role of the Humanities in the Modern Knowledge-Based Society
15.00 Round Table Discussion
Chair: Jürgen Kaube
Head of department 'Humanities' at the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung"
Introductory Comments
Georg Schütte, State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, Bonn
Discussants
- Peter-André Alt, President of the Freie Universität Berlin
- Jan Assmann, Professor em. of Egyptology, Heidelberg, and Honorary Professor of Cultural Studies and Religious Theory, Konstanz
- Peter Funke, Vice President of Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), Bonn
- Friederike Hassauer, Professor of Romance Studies, University of Vienna
- Wilhelm Krull, Secretary General of Volkswagen Foundation and Chairman of the German Association of Foundations
- Ulrike Landfester, Professor of German Language and Literature at the University of St. Gallen and Member of the ESF Standing Committee for the Humanities
16.30 Concluding Remarks
Ulrich Rüdiger, Rector of the University of Konstanz
Hermann Parzinger, President of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation
A translation from German to English will be provided.
Organising Institutions
The Konstanz Science Forum
The Konstanz Science Forum was founded in 2006 and serves the University of Konstanz as a platform for Knowledge Transfer and Science Communication. Located at the interface between Industry, Politics and Society, the Forum is a partner for dialogue on all kinds of topics relating to research and higher education.
Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation
The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation is one of the largest cultural organisations in the world. The National Museums in Berlin (SMB), the Berlin State Library (SBB), the Geheime Staatsarchiv Preußischer Kulturbesitz (GStA PK, a secret state archive), the Ibero-American Institute (IAI) and the Staatliche Institut für Musikforschung (SIM, an institute for scholarship in music) all have their origins in the various collections and archives of the state of Prussia and are contained under the umbrella organisation of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation to form a dense network of cultural learning. The role of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation is to preserve and research its extensive collections and open them up to the public.
VolkswagenStiftung
The Volkswagen Foundation is an independent, non-profit organization and has been funding research projects in all disciplines since 1962. Within the framework of changing funding initiatives, the foundation provides impetus for the development of research and higher education. It pays special attention to young researchers and the cooperation of researchers across disciplines and national borders.
Conference Information
Conference talks are in German or English. An interpretation from German to English will be provided.
We recommend the following hotel for conference guests. Until November 17th, please refer to the conference in order to book a room for December 15th at a special conference rate.
Maritim proArte Hotel Berlin
Friedrichstrasse 151
10117 Berlin
Tel.: +49 (0)30 / 20335
Fax: +49 (0)30 / 2033-4090
email: info.bpa@maritim.de
Internet: www.maritim.de
Conference venues
Pergamon Museum
Theodor Wiegand Hall
Visitors' entrance:
Am Kupfergraben 5
10117 Berlin
Partly wheelchair accessible.
Altes Museum
Rotunde
Visitors' entrance:
Am Lustgarten
10178 Berlin
Wheelchair accessible via staff entrance (Am Lustgarten), please ring for the doorman.
Pergamon Museum and Altes Museum may be reached via public transport at the following stops:
Friedrichstraße: U6, S1, S2, S25, Bus 147
Hackescher Markt: S5, S7, S75, M4, M5, M6
Am Kupfergraben: Tram M1, M12
Lustgarten: Bus 100, 200
Staatsoper: Bus TXL
Registration
The conference is open to the public and free of charge, but we do recommend to registrate due to limited space. Please contact
The Konstanz Science Forum
email: wissenschaftsforum@uni-konstanz.de
Tel.: +49 (0)7531 / 88-2470
Fax: +49 (0)7531 / 88-5284
or use the online registration form at www.uni-konstanz.de/wissenschaftsforum
Contact
The Konstanz Science Forum
Universitaet Konstanz
D-78457 Konstanz
Tel.: +49 (0)7531 / 88-2470
Fax: +49 (0)7531 / 88-5284
email: wissenschaftsforum@uni-konstanz.de
Internet: www.uni-konstanz.de/wissenschaftsforum
Further information:
Links