Servicenavigation

Project Details

Back

Projekt Print View

EXC 16:  Cultural Foundations of Social Integration

Subject Area History
Social Sciences
Term from 2006 to 2019
Project identifier Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 24060127
 
Final Report Year 2019

Final Report Abstract

The Konstanz Excellence Cluster Cultural Foundations of Social Integration (EXC 16), which was established in 2006, focused on an issue of great topical relevance that it approached through a set of theoretical premises. With its core concepts of ‘culture’ and ‘integration’, the cluster connected questions stemming from cultural studies and the social sciences, framed by a broader group of disciplines ranging from philology to history, philosophy, sociology, political science and legal studies. In the initial proposal for the first humanities and social science cluster in Germany, two decisions were made that proved to be fundamental for the orientation of the cluster throughout its funding period, up to 2019. First, ‘culture’ was understood as a relational, heterogeneous field of forces with diffuse borders, rather than as a spatial-holistic phenomenon. Second, ‘disintegration’ was placed alongside ‘integration’ as a concept of equal foundational significance. This explains a characteristic resemblance in the results of cluster research. As a dense network that was able to establish an environment of mutual inspiration and collegial critique, the cluster functioned as an interdisciplinary enabling ground for disciplinary research. Hence, from the beginning, there was no attempt at centralized pre-defined conceptual terms or integrating such terms into a synthesis in the sense of a grand theory. Within the scope of EXC 16, the University of Konstanz established five new permanent professorships: four full professorships (W3) with the official designations ‘Cultural Theory and Methodology’, ‘Social and Cultural Anthropology’, ‘History of Religions’ and ‘History of Knowledge of the Humanities and the Social Sciences’ as well as one junior professorship (W1) with tenure option in Social and Political Anthropology. In keeping with the provisions of the Excellence Initiative, the cluster was set up in such a way that a significant portion of its segments could exist beyond 2017. It was designed neither as a large-scale collaborative research centre nor as a loose association of projects, but rather as a complex institutional framework of professorships, (international) fellowships at the Kulturwissenschaftliches Kolleg, research projects as well as support for doctoral and master’s students. The cluster had outstanding successes especially with regard to the careers of individual female colleagues. Its culture of quality drew upon the established procedures at the University of Konstanz that included internal and, where necessary, external evaluations and developed these procedures even further. Cluster structures blended organically into the university so that several of them have, as planned, been maintained seamlessly and continue to support the university’s research priority in cultural studies. State sustainability funding will be used primarily for the Cultural Studies Research Centre (Zentrum für kulturwissenschaftliche Forschung, ZKF).

Link to the final report

https://dx.doi.org/10.2314/GBV:1696302722

Publications

 
 

Additional Information

© 2024 DFG Disclaimer / Copyright / Privacy Policy

Textvergrößerung und Kontrastanpassung