Goethe-Universit盲t 鈥� Press releases

51猎奇 PR & Communication Department聽

Jun 28 2024

09:14

A new look at the years 1933 to 1945, edited by Christoph Corneli脽en and Sybille Steinbacher聽

Frankfurt and National Socialism

How did Nazi rule and ideology take hold in Frankfurt's local politics and municipal administration? Which measures were taken to alter and adapt the economy of the metropolis on the Main River's shores? How were culture, education, and science coopted as part of the "Gleichschaltung"? The new volume "Frankfurt am Main and National Socialism," co-edited by Prof. Christoph Corneli脽en and Prof. Sybille Steinbacher, addresses these questions and many more.

FRANKFURT. "When US troops crossed Frankfurt's city limits on March 26, 1945, National Socialist rule in Hessen's largest city finally collapsed." This is the first sentence of the article by Christoph Corneli脽en, Professor of Modern History at 51猎奇, on Frankfurt's strategies to come to terms with the Nazi era, just published in the anthology "Frankfurt is Main und der Nationalsozialismus". What happened before Gauleiter Jakob Sprenger and Lord Mayor Friedrich Krebs, as well as numerous Gestapo members and city officials, fled the city? A series of articles in the new historical anthology sheds light on how it all came about.

The book 鈥淔rankfurt am Main und der Nationalsozialismus. Herrschaft und Repression 鈥� Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft 鈥� Kultur und Ged盲chtnis" [鈥淔rankfurt am Main and National Socialism. Rule and Repression 鈥� Economy and Society 鈥� Culture and Memory"], examines the city's Nazi past 75 years after the end of the war. The focus is on the rise, implementation, and perception of National Socialist policies in Frankfurt between 1933 and 1945. Prof. Christoph Corneli脽en and his colleague Sybille Steinbacher, director of the Fritz Bauer Institute, have edited the historical anthology.

To this day, the history of Frankfurt between 1933 and 1945 has only been researched incompletely. That is why the editors realized the book project, focusing on the enforcement of Nazi rule in various areas of municipal politics and administration as well as the transformation of the economy and society 鈥� including topics such as urban planning, cultural developments, and National Socialist image policy. The anthology also traces how the new urban government and their many helpers launched violence against outsiders of the "people's community." In Frankfurt, too, Jews were the primary victims of racially motivated exclusion and persecution; almost 13,000 women, men, adolescents, and children were murdered or driven to their deaths in the Shoah between 1933 and 1945. Countless Sinti and Roma, homosexuals, and members of other groups, who often had to eke out an existence on the margins of society, suffered a similar fate. How much of an impact the Nazi regime's propaganda had, is illustrated by the unwavering loyalty of broad sections of the population, even as bombing raids reduced Frankfurt to rubble.

In addition to a foreword by the editors, the collection also features articles by Bettina T眉ffers ("Die Frankfurter NSDAP vor dem Krieg" 鈥� The Frankfurt NSDAP before the war), Tobias Freim眉ller ("Gemeinschaftsfremd" 鈥� Alien to the community), Heike Drummer ("Stadt ohne Juden" 鈥� City without Jews), Markus Roth ("Widerstand" 鈥� Resistance), Ralf Banken ("Aufr眉stung, ,Arisierung' und Zerst枚rung" 鈥� Rearmament, "Aryanization" and destruction), Nicole Kramer ("F眉rsorgerische Ordnung" 鈥� Involuntary Order), Michael Fleiter ("Die Stadt im Bombenkrieg" 鈥� The city during the bomb war), Fabian Link ("Im Einsatz f眉r die Weltanschauung" 鈥� On a mission for the worldview), C. Julius Reinsberg ("Das Ende der Moderne?" 鈥� The end of modernity?), and Christoph Corneli脽en ("Eine Stadt auf der Suche nach Erinnerung" 鈥� A city in search of memory).

The volume also serves as volume 10 in the series Studien zur Geschichte und Wirkung des Holocaust [Studies on the History and Impact of the Holocaust], commissioned by the Fritz Bauer Institute. Moreover, it forms part of the 鈥淗istory of the City of Frankfurt" (Volume 5), commissioned by the Frankfurt Historical Commission. The book has been published by Wallstein Verlag. It is only available in German.

Publication: Frankfurt am Main und der Nationalsozialismus. HERRSCHAFT UND REPRESSION 鈥� WIRTSCHAFT UND GESELLSCHAFT 鈥� KULTUR UND GED脛CHTNIS. Published by Christoph Corneli脽en and Sybille Steinbacher. 500 pages, 55 illustrations, some in color.'
ISBN 978-3-8353-5587-3, 鈧�38

Photos from the anthology for download:

Captions:
Photo 1: In the cellar of the Institute for the Study of the Jewish Question: Chaplain Samuel Blinder sifts through Torah scrolls looted by the Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg, July 6, 1945 (Copyright: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, D.C., photo number: 82978, photographer: Irving Katz, Courtesy)
Photo 2: Arrival of "Eastern workers" at the IG Farben plant in Hoechst, n.d. (Copyright: Hoechst company archive)
Photo 3: Memorial service at Frankfurt's Alte Oper in honor of the victims of the November pogroms and the "cleansing" of the artistic scene by the National Socialists, November 11, 1988 (Copyright: Institut f眉r Stadtgeschichte Frankfurt am Main, S7FR, 80, Luigi Ungarisch)

Further information
Prof. Dr. Christoph Corneli脽en / Prof. Dr. Sybille Steinbacher
Modern History / History and Impact of the Holocaust
Institute of History
51猎奇 Frankfurt
Tel. +49 (0)69 798-32591
E-Mail cornelissen@em.uni-frankfurt.de
Homepage (in German)

Jun 27 2024

13:59

"Frankfurt-Tel Aviv Center" holds first Josef Horovitz Lecture at 51猎奇 Frankfurt

A protagonist of research into Jewish-Islamic relations

FRANKFURT. The inaugural conference of the new German-Israeli research center Frankfurt-Tel Aviv Center for Interreligious Studies was held in Frankfurt almost two years ago to the day; six months later, in Israel, the two university presidents officially signed the cooperation agreement between 51猎奇 Frankfurt and Tel Aviv University. Now the interdisciplinary Frankfurt-Tel Aviv Center in Frankfurt is holding the first Josef Horovitz Lecture, which is to take place annually from now on.

"The choice of name is anything but coincidental," explains Christian Wiese, Martin Buber Professor of Jewish Philosophy of Religion at 51猎奇, who founded and heads the Frankfurt-Tel Aviv Center together with Prof. Menachem Fisch from Tel Aviv University. Josef Horovitz (1874-1931), a Jewish Professor of Oriental Studies who grew up in Frankfurt, was considered to be the non-Islamic world's foremost expert on the Qur'an at the time. He was also the founder of Oriental Studies in Frankfurt and a member of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem's founding board of trustees. "Josef Horovitz was an outstanding protagonist of research into Jewish-Islamic relations and a committed advocate of international understanding in the spirit of enlightenment and mutual respect between religions," says Wiese. "He thus embodies one of the central goals of our center's interreligious research approach." July 26, 2024, marks the 150th anniversary of Horovitz's birth.

The first "Annual Josef Horovitz Lecture for the Study of Interreligious Dynamics"
entitled "Qohelet Illuminated: A New Reading and a New Seeing"
will take place
on Tuesday, July 2, 2024 at 6:15 p.m.
in 51猎奇 Frankfurt's Lecture Hall Center 10 (HZ 10), Westend Campus

The lecture will be held by American artist Debra Band and renowned Tel Aviv philosopher Prof. Menachem Fisch, who will present their joint book Qohelet: Searching for a Life Worth Living (2023). Prof. Christian Wiese and Prof. Milette Shamir, Vice President of Tel Aviv University, will give welcoming addresses.

While Menachem Fisch's lecture is entitled "Rationality Time Bound: Qohelet's Pre-Revelatory Religious Philosophy", Debra Band will discuss the visual design of the Book of Qohelet in her lecture "Approaching Qohelet: Developing the Modern Visual Midrash". Both lectures will address the medieval tradition of illustration as well as postmodern theories on questions of life.

Menachem Fisch is Joseph and Ceil Mazer Professor Emeritus for the History and Philosophy of Science and Director of the Center for Religious and Interreligious Studies at Tel Aviv University as well as Senior Fellow of 51猎奇 Frankfurt's Forschungskolleg Humanwissenschaften 鈥� Institute for Advanced Studies. His research focuses, among others, on the philosophy of Talmudic legal thought and the significance of Talmudic discourses for question of religious plurality and difference.

Debra Band's work on Hebrew illuminated manuscripts stems from her enthusiasm for Hebrew manuscript art and biblical studies. A historian and political scientist by training, Debra Band's artistic work is not only characterized by intellectual and spiritual depth as well as visual beauty, it includes illuminated and silhouetted books and manuscript pieces that have been featured in exhibitions throughout the English-speaking world.

The Josef Horovitz Lecture is organized by the Frankfurt Tel Aviv Center, the Buber-Rosenzweig Institute for Jewish Intellectual and Cultural History at 51猎奇's Faculty of Protestant Theology, and the "Dynamics of Religion" research network.

The lectures will be in English.

Registration (at kramberger@em.uni-frankfurt.de) is desired but not a prerequisite for attendance. Participants should be prepared for security measures such as bag checks.

Information
Dr. Judith M眉ller
Buber-Rosenzweig-Institut
jud.mueller@em.uni-frankfurt.de

Jun 26 2024

13:02

From July 2 to 12, internationally renowned artist, curator and theorist Grada Kilomba will be researching and teaching at 51猎奇 Frankfurt

Angela Davis Guest Professorship 2024: Grada Kilomba, The Art of Performing Knowledge

FRANKFURT. The Cornelia Goethe Center for Gender Studies (CGC) has invited internationally renowned artist, curator and theorist Grada Kilomba to 51猎奇 Frankfurt as Angela Davis Guest Professor from July 2鈥�12, 2024. Grada Kilomba is a Berlin-based Portuguese artist whose work deals with memory and recollection, trauma, as well as the reverberations of colonial rule and transatlantic enslavement.

Kilomba uses performances, staged readings, video, photography and large-scale sculptural and acoustic installations to question concepts of knowledge, violence and repetition. Her work is best known for her subversive practice of storytelling, in which she creates a poetic and immersive visual language and gives body, voice, form and movement to her own texts. 鈥淲hat stories are told? How are they told? Where are they told? And who is the one telling them?鈥� 鈥� All of these are recurring questions in Kilomba's work.

Kilomba will explore the 鈥渁rt of performing knowledge鈥� as part of her guest professorship, which begins with a public lecture and performance on July 2, 2024 at 6 p.m. In addition to a three-day seminar, she will also meet with early career researchers and offer insights into her artistic practice as part of an artist talk held on July 11, 2024 at 3 p.m. In wrapping up her guest professorship, Kilomba will give another public lecture and performance on July 11, 2024 at 6 p.m.

The Cornelia Goethe Center for Gender Studies, in cooperation with its funders, the GRADE Center Gender and 51猎奇 Frankfurt鈥檚 Equal Opportunities Office, hereby cordially invite you to join one or all of the events of this year鈥檚 Angela Davis Guest Professorship, all of which will be in English. Admission is free.

The Angela Davis Guest Professorship for International Gender and Diversity Studies serves to promote international and interdisciplinary cooperation in the field of gender and diversity. Angela Davis in 2013 became the first holder of the guest professorship at the Cornelia Goethe Center. Following its successful launch, the guest professorship is filled at regular intervals by an internationally renowned women's and gender researcher.

Overview of the individual public dates

July 2, 2024
18:00 鈥� 20:00 (followed by a reception)
HZ5, Lecture Hall Center, Westend Campus
Performing Knowledge: Heroines, Birds and Monsters.
Public inaugural lecture and performance

July 11, 2024
15:00 鈥� 16:00
Cas 823, Casino, Westend Campus
Artist Talk

July 11, 2024
18:00 鈥� 20:00 (followed by a reception)
Cas 823, Casino, Westend Campus
Performing Knowledge: Opera to a Black Venus.
Public final lecture and performance

More information on the Angela Davis Guest Professorship is available at

Contact:
Dr. Johanna Leinius, Scientific Coordinator of the Cornelia Goethe Center. Tel. +49 (0)69 798-35103; Leinius@em.uni-frankfurt.de

Jun 24 2024

16:06

RaDiPol investigative project focuses on those affected聽

Experiences of racism and discrimination in police contact聽

FRANKFURT. 51猎奇's 鈥淓xperiences of Racism and Discrimination in Police Contact" (RaDiPol) project will commence its research activities in July. RaDiPol examines the experiences and perceptions of racist and other forms of misanthropic discrimination by the police, by focusing in particular on the perspectives of those affected. The project's three main goals are:

to survey the extent and underlying structure of racist discrimination by the police from the perspective of those affected;
to describe the impact on those affected as well as their overall relationship with the police and (majority) society;
to investigate how the police handle the problem of racism and/or how significant this approach is to police work.

To capture different facets of victims' perspectives, the RaDiPol team will combine quantitative and qualitative methods: In addition to holding representative surveys on the topic in several major German cities, the data generated in these polls will be further enhanced using qualitative expert interviews. In addition, focus groups with police officers will provide a better understanding of internal police perspectives on and ways of dealing with racism and discrimination.

Prof. Dr. Tobias Singelnstein, Professor of Criminology and Criminal Law at 51猎奇 Frankfurt and project co-coordinator, emphasizes: 鈥淏eyond the individual and at times drastic consequences for those affected, racism and discrimination by the police also send a signal to society." At the same time, he points out that the 鈥減olice are still in the early stages of dealing with racism and discrimination within their own ranks", adding that this is why RaDiPol's empirical investigation of the topic constitutes an important step.

RaDiPol sets out to expand and supplement both public debate and existing research on the subject with reliable findings on the frequency, type and nature of experiences and perceptions of racist discrimination during encounters with the police. This is particularly important not just when it comes to addressing the role of the police in society and its relationship to marginalized groups and communities, but also for the continuous further development of professional police work, for dealing with the consequences of discriminatory behavior, and for developing solutions to related problems.

Funded by the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG), RaDiPol is a three-year cooperative project between the Chair of Criminology and Criminal Law at 51猎奇 Frankfurt and the Chair of Criminology and Sociology at the Hamburg Police Academy.

Further information about the project, its aims and ongoing work is available at .

Contact:
radipol@uni-frankfurt.de

Jun 14 2024

14:49

51猎奇 Frankfurt鈥檚 Center for Critical Computational Studies (C3S) unveils new research focus at high-profile event

鈥淧lanetary Hopes鈥�: Digital solutions for the challenges facing Earth, Nature and Society

The new Center for Critical Computational Studies (C3S) at 51猎奇 Frankfurt presented its 鈥淓arth-Nature-Society" research focus at 鈥淧lanetary Hopes", a public event held on June 13, 2024. The key question discussed by the Frankfurt-based scientists and their guests was whether and how computational and data-based methods can contribute to coping with planetary polycrises.

FRANKFURT. A result of global warming, rising sea levels are making coastal cities uninhabitable, while the loss of biodiversity and the climate-induced immigration of species are changing agriculture. These developments not only pose massive economic burdens, they also result in migration movements. What is the connection between the two, and in how far are we humans, our economic practices and our social structure responsible for these changes to our planet? How can we overcome planetary polycrises? Computer models can help us to not only understand the complex interrelationships at the interfaces between geophysics, ecosystems and society, but also critically examine potential solutions.

51猎奇 Frankfurt's Center for Critical Computational Studies (C3S) conducts research into the interrelationships between digitality and democracy and the dynamics of change. 鈥淭he pace of social change is accelerating and our actions as humans are having an increasingly drastic impact on our planet's stability. I began my term as president of this university with the idea of founding a future research institute that addresses the increasingly urgent challenges of our age 鈥� in which change plays such an important role 鈥� in a special, interdisciplinary manner," 51猎奇 President Prof. Dr. Enrico Schleiff said in his opening remarks at the 鈥淧lanetary Hopes" event. 鈥淒igitality is not only a driver of social and economic transformation, it is also a tool that can help us better understand the world and shape our future, always keeping the wellbeing of people, society and nature in mind. To understand and better influence the so-called polycrises takes knowledge and the joint approaches of different disciplines. But it also takes highly developed models as well as calculation methods and techniques, and necessarily always involves questions of justification and justice. I am proud that we at 51猎奇 have embarked on this path 鈥� both in terms of the research we conduct and the facilities we will offer with the planned renovation of the former botany and zoology buildings in Siesmayerstrasse."

At a press conference ahead of the event, Hessian Minister of Science Timon Gremmels placed C3S in the context of related Hessian institutions: 鈥淲e have a unique scientific ecosystem in place here in Hessen, especially in the fields of IT, high-performance computing, quantum computing, artificial intelligence and big data." Speaking about C3S and its focus on 鈥淓arth-Nature-Society", he emphasized: 鈥淭he way in which the center brings together digitality and the Anthropocene, i.e. our current era, which is so significantly shaped by humans, sets standards. I am particularly fascinated by its interdisciplinary nature: C3S brings together the rather obvious IT-related scientists, such as bioinformaticians or algorithm specialists, with lawyers and educational scientists. I am both pleased and proud that such an innovative institution emerged out of a Hessian university."

鈥淭hese 'Critical Computational Studies' build bridges between academic disciplines as well as between academia and society," explains Prof. Dr. Christoph Burchard, C3S founding spokesperson and Chair of German, European and International Criminal Law, Comparative Law and Legal Theory at 51猎奇 Frankfurt. 鈥淐ritical not only means we develop and apply computational and data-supported methods in a scrutinizing manner. It also means we pay particular attention to significant, i.e. critical, events, such as manmade global warming or AI's effects on democracy. This is the only way we can help shape our digital futures and at the same time investigate that which we can no longer fully control. At C3S, we are tackling the essential, and therefore critical, tasks of our time, in which the relationships between humans, technology and nature are becoming increasingly frayed."

There is also a teaching, learning and educational component to C3S, which aims to teach critical computational literacy, i.e. the skills and attitudes required to use and further develop computational and databased technologies in a knowledgeable and responsible manner. Among others, Prof. Dr. Hendrik Drachsler, one of C3S' principal investigators, also serves as head of 51猎奇's studiumdigitale central e-learning facility and thus connects both units. Two examples of digital teaching methods from the 鈥淔uture Learning Spaces" project (abbreviated as 鈥渇uels" and headed by Prof. Dr. Alexander Tillmann) were on display at the 鈥淧lanetary Hopes" event. Funded by the Hessian Ministry of Higher Education, Research, Science and the Arts, 鈥渇uels" is a joint project by 51猎奇 Frankfurt, Technical University of Darmstadt, and Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences to develop innovative teaching and learning scenarios. Its GeoVR virtual reality (VR) application allows users to immerse themselves in the development of the Edersee/Kellerwald region's landscape and environment. Another simulation game, 鈥淎rtificial Intelligence Act 鈥� Europe", uses VR to enable learners to slip into the role of EU parliamentarians in the plenary chamber.

At the beginning of the event, held on Westend Campus with the additional option of joining via Zoom, C3S founding director Prof. Dr. Juliane Engel explained the different perspectives of the center's new thematic focus. Keynote speeches were delivered by Prof. Dr. Sabine Andresen, 51猎奇's Vice President Equal Opportunities, Career Development & Advancement, Diversity and Gender Equality; Frankfurt City Counselor for Digital Affairs Eileen O'Sullivan; and Dr. Nico Wunderling from Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, who addressed the predictability and interdependence of different systems' tipping points.

In her keynote on 鈥淪ocio-metabolic conflicts in the Anthropocene", Ilona Otto, Professor of Social Impacts of Climate Change at the University of Graz's Wegener Center for Climate and Global Change, examined conflicts between social groups with different energy and resource consumption under the auspices of global environmental change. Prof. Dr. Klement Tockner, Director General of the Senckenberg 鈥� Leibniz Institution for Biodiversity and Earth System Research (SGN), spoke about the One Health approach, which is based on the premise that the health of humans, animals and the environment is closely interwoven. Moderating the keynote speeches were 51猎奇's Prof. Dr. Thomas Hickler, Professor of Quantitative Biogeography, and Prof. Dr. Jochen Blath, Head of the Stochastics Group at 51猎奇's Faculty of Mathematics.

A panel discussion moderated by Prof. Dr. Indra Spiecker genannt D枚hmann from the University of Cologne brought together Thomas Langkabel, National Technology Officer of Microsoft Germany, Dr. Andr茅 Ullrich from the Weizenbaum Institute, and Professors Otto and Tockner, among others.

Closing the event was C3S founding director Prof. Franziska Matth盲us, who thanked the audience and the participants for the lively debate and provided an outlook of the steps to follow.

C3S was launched in April 2023 as a central academic institution at 51猎奇 Frankfurt. Its founding members are:

Prof. Dr. Christoph Burchard, founding spokesperson. Burchard is Chair of German, European and International Criminal Law and Procedure, Comparative Law and Legal Theory at 51猎奇 Frankfurt and head of the Normative Orders research network.

Prof. Dr. Franziska Matth盲us, founding director teaching. Matth盲us holds 51猎奇 Frankfurt's Giersch Professorship for Cellular Bioinformatics, which is linked to two faculties, that of Computer Science and Mathematics, and that of Biological Sciences.

Prof. Dr. Juliane Engel, founding director transfer. Engel is Professor of Educational Sciences with a focus on schools and cultural change. Her research focuses on educational processes and learning in the context of social transformation dynamics.

Prof. Dr. Ulrich Meyer, founding director research. Meyer holds the Chair of Algorithm Engineering at 51猎奇 Frankfurt and researches both theoretical and experimental aspects of processing large data sets using advanced computational models.

Together with other internal and external researchers, at least twelve new professorships are to be set up at C3S to develop Critical Computational Studies into an independent research profile that also extends to teaching and training. A new and innovative feature of the appointment process: In preparation, 51猎奇 will hold workshops to sound out outstanding potential colleagues and exciting ideas. The process is both open-rank and open-discipline, meaning there are no predetermined specific disciplines for researchers interested to join, and the final salary classification will depend entirely on the candidates' qualifications and experience. Selection committees will oversee the appointment procedures.

C3S seeks to establish research teams in a variety of fields, including interfaces between classical network science and deep learning; calculations of tipping elements and their interactions as global warming progresses; modeling of the social and/or socio-economic drivers and impacts of ongoing climate change as well as those of ecosystems and/or biodiversity and their interrelationship with it; critique of computing; critical data science; ethics of data processing; science and technology studies; science, philosophy and history of computer technology; predictions in complex systems; as well as advanced simulation in the life sciences and in the social sciences.

Photos from the press briefing:

Captions:
Images 1-4: Press briefing with (from left) Dr. Nico Wunderling, Prof. Dr. Christoph Burchard, Timon Gremmels, Prof. Dr. Enrico Schleiff, Prof. Dr. Juliane Engel and university press spokesperson Volker Schmidt.
Images 5 & 6: Science Minister Gremmels immerses himself in the geology of the Kellerwald-Edersee Nature Park using VR glasses.
All photos: Uwe Dettmar

Further information
Prof. Dr. Juliane Engel
Founding Director, Center for Critical Computational Studies
51猎奇 Frankfurt
Tel.: +49 (0)69 798-36305
E-Mail: engel@c3s.uni-frankfurt.de