Identity politics jeopardises democracy - this is the core message, repeated in ever new variations, of debates about the style of politics that opposes discrimination but allegedly ends up in the dead end of tribal thinking. Against this critical chorus, Karsten Schubert has presented the first fundamental defence of identity politics in book form. With objective composure and without any polemics, he addresses the most important objections in terms of political theory and develops a new perspective on the political struggle for identities. His central insight is clear: identity politics is indispensable for the ongoing improvement of our democracy.
Why do we need to praise identity politics? Because it uncovers real discrimination and makes it possible to articulate related demands. It provides the democratic process with knowledge about its deficits that would otherwise remain hidden. Does this threaten our freedom? Does it reduce people to a rigid core identity? Will universalist values be destroyed? No, argues Schubert. The real purpose of identity politics is to concretise and better realise the universalist promise of democracy of equality and freedom for all. Of course, this does not mean that everything that comes across as identity politics is also good for democracy. Schubert is not concerned with denying exaggerations and dead ends. But it is about categorising them better and placing them in an appropriate relationship to the benefits of identity politics. In this way, he leads the debate out of the culture war, which is lacking in knowledge, and puts it on a new, democratic-theoretical footing.

This will be followed (15.00 - 16.30) by a workshop will take place. Both events can be attended independently of each other; please register for the workshop.

Information about the speaker
Dr Karsten Schubert is a philosopher and associated researcher at the Department of Political Theory at the Humboldt University of Berlin. His research areas are critical political theory, contemporary social-critical ethics, queer, gay and feminist theory and radical democratic theory.
New book: In Praise of Identity Politics, C.H.Beck
Find news at www.karstenschubert.net/news/ and follow him on twitter.com/ka_schubert!

Information on the organising team
Paul Blattner (Philosophy) and Sarah Volknant (Special Education) research and teach at the University of Oldenburg and are members of the Intersectional Sensitivity Research Cluster. They are currently researching the democracy-promoting potential of intersectionality for teacher training, drawing on identity politics perspectives, among other things.

The guest lecture is part of the institute colloquium "Philosophical Colloquium" of the FK IV. Many thanks also to Prof Dr Ulla Licandro for supporting the events.

Beforehand (12.00 - 14.00) the speaker will give a public lecture. lecture. Both events can be attended independently of each other.

The workshop will allow participants to contribute critical questions and comments as well as perspectives from their own research and discuss them with Dr Karsten Schubert. There will also be space for a more in-depth discussion of the lecture, so that spontaneous participation is also welcome.

Information about the speaker
Dr Karsten Schubert is a philosopher and associated researcher at the Department of Political Theory at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. His research areas are critical political theory, contemporary social-critical ethics, queer, gay and feminist theory and radical democratic theory.
New book: In Praise of Identity Politics, C.H.Beck
Find news at www.karstenschubert.net/news/ and follow him on twitter.com/ka_schubert!

Information on the organising team
Paul Blattner (philosophy) and Sarah Volknant (special education) research and teach at the University of Oldenburg and are members of the Intersectional Sensitivity Research Cluster. They are currently researching the democracy-promoting potential of intersectionality for teacher training, drawing on identity politics perspectives, among other things.

Many thanks to Prof Dr Gesa Wellmann and Prof Dr Ulla Licandro for supporting the events.

The (devastating) human impact on the climate and environment is widely undisputed. After all, the methods of the natural sciences make it possible to assess the consequences of actions and predict future events. With regard to social science issues, however, it is much more difficult to correctly interpret causal relationships, even when longitudinal studies are involved. We discuss the problem using the example of studies on connections between musical activities in the family and the relationship qualities of family members in the context of secondary analyses. It is shown that even the theoretically based confirmation of a direction of effect within the framework of statistical models does not allow a conclusive interpretation of actual causal relationships. A further aim of the lecture is to point out the importance of secondary analyses and their potential for a wide range of questions in the health, social and educational sciences.

For doctoral candidates from School I to IV

Programme

11⁰⁰ a.m.
Welcome by Prof Dr Gunter Kreutz (Director 3GO) and Rea Kodalle (Managing Director 3GO)

11⁰⁰-12³⁰ h
Public lecture with discussion | Prof. Dr Gunter Kreutz | Causality - Holy Grail or fallacy?(see above for announcement)

Lunch break

13⁰⁰-14³⁰ h
Poster presentation and short talks by doctoral candidates in the humanities and social sciences(see call below)

Coffee break

15⁰⁰-17⁰⁰⁰ h
Room 1: On-boarding for new doctoral candidates
Room 2: Inputs for advanced doctoral candidates on key career development topics

The event is only aimed at doctoral candidates. The number of places is limited.

Procedure of the writing day

9⁰⁰ am: Check-in (allocation of places)

9¹⁵-10¹⁵ am: Semester planning with input on writing organisation and writing process design by Dr Stefanie Sievers-Glotzbach*
(optional; there is another room available for writing without input); individual discussions with the writing consultant are possible afterwards

10¹⁵-10⁴⁵: Organisation of the writing day or writing time planning for the winter semester

10⁴⁵-11⁰⁰ Clock: Short break

11⁰⁰⁰-12³⁰ h: Writing phase 1

12³⁰-13³⁰ o'clock: Lunch break

13³⁰-15⁰⁰⁰ o'clock: Writing phase 2

15⁰⁰-15¹⁵ hrs: Short break

15³⁰-17⁰⁰⁰: Writing phase 3

* Dr Stefanie Sievers-Glotzbach holds a doctorate in sustainability economics and works as a freelance writing trainer and science editor. During her training as a writing consultant, she learned how to reflect on and optimise the academic writing process. She now passes on these didactic writing approaches and methods to students, doctoral candidates and lecturers in workshops and individual counselling sessions. She previously worked as a junior professor in sustainability research and teaching at the University of Oldenburg.

Zines are small, self-designed magazines that have long played a central role in social movements, as they enable alternative forms of communication (Radway 2011). Since the 1990s in particular, queer and feminist authors have increasingly used this medium to share personal thoughts, experiences and ideas (Lawson 2022). They are seen as an expression of resistance to social norms and focus on the voices and perspectives of ordinary people (Chidgey 2006).

More recently, zines have also attracted increasing attention in academic contexts. They are used in research and teaching to open up new perspectives on academic topics and to promote creative, reflective and collaborative ways of working (Küttel/Peterson 2024). Zine production - the selection, cutting, arranging and assembling of materials - ties in with feminist debates on visual and creative methods that emphasise sensitive and transparent research practice (Bagelman/Bagelman 2016). Zines also offer a space to express one's own experiences in images and language, thus connecting the personal with the political.

The workshop is divided into three steps: Firstly, there will be a brief input on the history, form and creation of zines. Participants will then use various materials to design their own zine, for example on their own research or another topic that is currently on their minds. In the concluding discussion, we will explore together the potential of zines for academic reflection and communication.

Literature:

Bagelman, Jen/Bagelman, Carly (2016): ZINES: Crafting change and repurposing the neoliberal university, in: ACME 15 (2), pp. 365-392.

Chidgey, Red (2006): The resisting subject: Per-zines as life story data, in: University of Sussex Journal of Contemporary History 10, pp. 1-13.

Küttel, Nora/Peterson, Melike (2023): Cutting, Gluing, Reflecting: Zines and the creation of reflexive (research) spaces, in: Singer, Katrin/Schmidt, Katharina/Neuburger, Martina (eds.): Artographies - Kreativ-künstlerische Zugänge zu einer machtkritischen Raumforschung, pp. 91-103. transcript.

Lawson, Vee (2022): Re-storying trans*zines, in: Rhodes, Jaqueline / Alexander, Jonathan (eds.): Routledge Handbook of Queer Rhetoric, pp. 51-59, Routledge.

Radway, Janice (2011): Zines, half-lives, and afterlives: On the temporalities of social and political change, in: PMLA - Publications of the Modern Language Association of America 126, pp. 140-150.

In the period 2021-2025, eight doctoral students from the SPARK doctoral programme investigated the development, education and participation of children and young people with special educational needs and multiple risk factors. Questions relating to children and young people with a high risk of negative educational and psychosocial development were addressed across all specialisms.

At this final event, doctoral students from the SPARK doctoral programme will present their theoretical and methodological approaches as well as the initial results of their research work. The scientific studies deal, for example, with the topics of school absenteeism, language development disorders and psychosocial impairments. In their research, the doctoral students also always ask about the possibilities for specific promotion, support and counselling of children and young people with regard to their personal learning and developmental prerequisites in (special) educational practice.