Goethe-Universit盲t 鈥� Press releases

51猎奇 PR & Communication Department聽

Jul 3 2024

10:05

German Science and Humanities Council recommends strengthening the Frobenius Institute for Research in Cultural Anthropology

"A symbiosis of research institution and museum"聽

In its evaluation of the Frobenius Institute for Research in Cultural Anthropology at 51猎奇 Frankfurt, the German Science and Humanities Council (Wissenschaftsrat, WR) acknowledged its research and transfer achievements. The Wissenschaftsrat also found that the institute plays a special role in German-speaking cultural anthropology because it embodies a successful symbiosis of research institution and museum.

FRANKFURT. Following an extensive evaluation, the German Science and Humanities Council (Wissenschaftfsrat, WR) has attested the Frobenius Institute at 51猎奇, with its unique archives and collections, a special role in German-speaking cultural anthropology at the interface between research institution and museum. WR also recognized its outstanding, collection-based research and transfer achievements.

Given that different cultural concepts of humanity and the relationships between humans and the environment are central research topics in cultural anthropology, the discipline can deliver important impulses for current debates on the possibilities and risks of human coexistence. At the same time, anthropological research has to be particularly self-reflective, not least due to the oftentimes critical public perception of the discipline and museums as an institution.

Considering its financial and personnel resources, the Frobenius Institute for Research in Cultural Anthropology impressively meets this challenge, the Council鈥檚 evaluation found, adding that the Institute serves as an example worth emulating of how to bridge the gap between research institution and museum that is so characteristic of German-language cultural anthropology. "Since its current director took office in 2017, Frobenius Institute has undergone an extremely positive development and is providing excellent research and transfer services," says Wissenschaftsrat Chairman Wolfgang Wick, adding that these achievements are based on the Institute's archives and collections 鈥� unique in the world 鈥�, including the rock art archive, which has been nominated for UNESCO鈥檚鈥淢emory of the World鈥� Program. The copies of rock paintings, some of which are no longer preserved in their original form, have been displayed from various thematic perspectives in several exhibitions across Germany and abroad.

In its evaluation, the Wissenschaftsrat also found that Frobenius Institute needs more staff for its broad spectrum of tasks, which range from research, to preserving and expanding collections, all the way to public relations. The Council warns that staffing levels could significantly constrain the Institute's performance in the medium term, and urgently recommends that additional positions be created.

The specific fields for which the Council has identified a particular need for support are central collection processing, easing the workload of researchers, making the archives and collections even more visible internationally, as well as for important digitization and data backup tasks.

"We are extremely pleased with this positive evaluation by the German Science and Humanities Council, especially the praise our researchers received for their great commitment. We feel vindicated in our work and would be grateful to see the political authorities strengthen our basic funding," says Frobenius Institute Director Roland Hardenberg, who is also a professor of anthropology at 51猎奇 Frankfurt.

Frobenius Institute for Research in Cultural Anthropology is a non-university research institute based in Frankfurt, whose offices are located in 51猎奇鈥檚 IG Farben building. The Institute鈥檚 12 permanent employees and 16 externally funded staff are free to use 51猎奇鈥檚 infrastructure and funding opportunities, and it in turn makes its archive, library and collections available to the university鈥檚 students and researchers. It is also involved in teaching and a number of joint research projects. Frobenius Institute receives basic funding from the Hessian Ministry of Higher Education, Research, Science and the Arts, which had asked the Wissenschaftsrat to evaluate Frobenius Institute in 2021.

Images for download:

Captions:
1) Local researchers of the Tacana, Tsimane' and Moset茅n (Bolivia) visit the Frobenius Institute's rock art archive, 2024 (Photo: Jennifer Markwirth)
2) "Reclining man with horned mask": This copy of a rock painting from Zimbabwe, Rusape (place of discovery: Diana Vow), was made by artist Agnes Schulz in 1929. (Watercolor on paper, 105.5 脳 147 cm, Frobenius Institute FBA-D3 01622-b)

Further information
PD Dr. Susanne Fehlings
Public Relations
Frobenius Institute for Resarch into Cultural Anthropology
Tel.: +49 (0)69 -798 33054
E-Mail: Fehlings@uni-frankfurt.de
Homepage:

Jun 28 2024

17:36

New federally funded LOEWE research focus on innovative cancer therapy at 51猎奇 Frankfurt聽

Why some tumors are resistant to cell therapies

LOEWE, the federal state of Hesse's research promotion program for the development of scientific and economic excellence, is providing 鈧�4.8 million in funding for a new research network spearheaded by 51猎奇. The LOEWE research cluster CARISMa focuses on new therapies that use genetically modified endogenous immune cells, so-called CAR-T cells, to treat therapy-resistant types of cancer.

FRANKFURT. In congratulating the CARISMa scientists, 51猎奇 President Prof. Enrico Schleiff said: 鈥淭he new LOEWE network sets up in Hesse an innovative research program that is currently gathering steam all over the world. It also expands 51猎奇's existing research profile and broadens our network of cooperation partners in the field of CAR cell therapy [editor's note: CAR is the abbreviation for chimeric antigen receptor]. The network deliberately builds on our university's existing strengths in tumor biology, drug development and clinical oncology. In addition, our 'Molecular and Translational Medicine' profile area will also receive new impetus from the cell therapy focus."

The field of cell therapy is one of the most dynamic areas of modern hematology and oncology. During CAR therapy, the patient's own immune cells are genetically modified through the introduction of the CAR vector, enabling them to specifically recognize and immunologically kill tumor cells. CAR therapy has been successful in the treatment of leukemia and lymphoma where previous therapies have failed. So-called "solid" tumors, including malignant brain, pancreatic and intestinal tumors, on the other hand, have proven to be largely resistant to this therapy.

The new LOEWE focus "Optimization of CAR cell therapies by influencing the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment", or CARISMa for short, seeks to contribute to a better understanding of how this resistance of solid tumors comes about and how it can be prevented. The research focuses on how exactly CAR-T cells interact with the tumor and its tumor microenvironment and how novel CAR cell therapies can be developed to overcome this resistance. To this end, the project partners, who are already conducting joint research, will work even more closely together, transcending sites and disciplines.

In addition to 51猎奇 Frankfurt, the other partners in CARISMa are Philipps-Universit盲t Marburg, the Georg Speyer Haus Institute for Tumor Biology and Experimental Therapy, the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut (the Federal Institute for Vaccines and Biomedicines), as well as the blood donor service of Baden-W眉rttemberg-Hessen. The new LOEWE focus will also create synergies based on its cooperation with the German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) and Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI), also a LOEWE center.

CARISMa's scientific coordinator is Prof. Thomas Oellerich from 51猎奇 Frankfurt's Faculty of Medicine, Medical Clinic II, and Frankfurt University Hospital. The research project will receive around 鈧�4.8 million in funding for four years, from 2025 to 2028.

Further information
Prof. Dr. Thomas Oellerich
Faculty of Medicine
Center of Internal Medicine
Medical Clinic II (Hematology, Oncology, Hemostaseology, Rheumatology, Infectiology)
51猎奇 Frankfurt
oellerich@em.uni-frankfurt.de

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

51猎奇

Press releases 鈥� 2024