Events

At the College for Social Sciences and Humanities, academic events in various formats take place on a regular basis. You will find lectures, conferences, workshops, or panel discussions linked to different fields of research within the social sciences and humanities. Open science formats addressing the general public are also part of the portfolio.

Most events are planned by resident researchers and Senior Fellows, organised with support from the College’s event coordinator. Moreover, the College hosts select events offered by other members of the University Alliance Ruhr working in the social sciences and humanities.

The following list provides an overview of upcoming and past events at the College.

Next Event

Workshop
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collage; background: a lightbulb filled with a handful of soil from which a small plant is growing

Global Sustainability Governance Workshop 2026: Towards Transnational Planning in the Age of Ecological Crisis

02/11/2026 - 03/11/2026, Essen

This two-day workshop explores the potential of different forms of transnational planning for leveraging transformative change. It fosters interdisciplinary dialogue on aspects such as transnational dynamics, the interaction of states, or the role of international organisations.

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Conference
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East Asian Statecraft under Pressure: Resilience and Adaptation

11/11/2026 - 12/11/2026, Essen

Organiser: Institute of East Asian Studies IN-EAST, University of Duisburg-Essen

This conference seeks to shed light on the rapidly evolving dynamics of destabilisation, strategic adjustments, and resilience in China, Japan, Korea, and beyond by bringing together diverse perspectives and disciplines.

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Workshop
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Economic Growth and Planetary Boundaries: The State, Democratic Economic Planning and Security

23/11/2026 - 24/11/2026, Essen

Organisers: Matthias Kranke (College for Social Sciences and Humanities) & Halliki Kreinin (University of Tallinn, Estonia), DKN Working Group 'Rethinking Sustainable Development through Post-Growth'

This interdisciplinary workshop brings together scholars to reflect on the future possibilities of post-growth transformations, focusing thematically on the state, democratic economic planning and…

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Workshop
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Sweat as Method. Explorations of the 'Lower Senses'

26/11/2026 - 27/11/2026, Essen | hybrid

What forms of knowledge emerge when sweat is not only an object but an epistemic operator? What can sweat reveal about bodies, atmospheres, and relations that remains inaccessible to distanced observation? This workshop explores sweat as a paradigmatic phenomenon through which the 'lower senses', particularly smell and touch, come into focus.

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Talk
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The Impact of Mining on Vulnerable Communities

08/12/2026, Essen

The film Where We Used to Sleep documents how the few remaining inhabitants of the former Romanian village of Geamăna are struggling with environmental degradation. Following the screening of the film, director Matthäus Wörle and environmental humanities scholar Eunice Ngongkum will discuss about the inspiration for the film and the impact of mining on vulnerable communities.

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Workshop
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Digital Transformation and Wealth Dynamics in Africa: Pathways to Inclusive and Sustainable Rural Futures

11/12/2026, Essen | hybrid

Digital transformation is reshaping African economies, but inequalities in access to digital technologies remain. This interdisciplinary workshop brings together scholars, students, policymakers, and development practitioners from Africa and Europe to examine how digital transformation influences wealth accumulation, social inclusion, and sustainable rural futures.

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Newsletter

Past Events

Workshop
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collage: a photo of an open book and a historic painting of Istanbul by Matrakçı-Nasuh

Editorial Politics: Transmission and Reception of Religious and Confessional Knowledge in the Ottoman Empire

18/06/2026, Essen | hybrid

The workshop explores how religious knowledge is transmitted through texts and images as they move between manuscripts and printed forms, and how these processes shape meaning and interpretation. The focus is on authority, authorship, and inter-communal relations in the multi-confessional Ottoman Empire in the 18th century.

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Workshop
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German Jewish Thought, Critical Theory, and the Global South

17/06/2026 - 18/06/2026, Essen | hybrid

What is missing in the histories of German Jewish thought and of Critical Theory is a sustained account of their relations to European imperialism and colonialism. This workshop asks how apparently non-systematic references irritate established meanings, allowing the Global South to penetrate into European philosophical modernity.

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Conference
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collage with a photo of an underwater robot with sensors

Sensorische Re-Situierungen: Die Sinne in techno-ökologischer Veränderung

11/06/2026 - 12/06/2026, Essen | Event in German

Wie riecht und schmeckt Klimawandel? Die Tagung befasst sich damit, wie sich technologischer und ökologischer Wandel auf die Sinne auswirken und welche Neukonzeptionen von Körpern und Sozialität dies notwendig macht. Die Beiträge beleuchten aus unterschiedlichen Perspektiven auch die Frage, wie sich Sinneskonstellationen in Interaktion mit digitalen Technologien verändern.

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Workshop
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Right-Wing Radicalisation and Youth Activism as a Transnational Phenomenon

09/06/2026 - 10/06/2026, Essen | hybrid

In many democratic countries, the political climate is shifting to the right. This two-day workshop will examine right-wing radicalisation and youth activism in their transnational dimensions. It brings together specialists from different domains conducting research on right-wing extremism among young people, either in specific regional or transnational settings or in an international comparative…

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Panel Talk
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Ungleichheit als Gewalt ─ Wie Scham politisch wirksam wird

08/06/2026, Essen | Event in German

Wann wird Ungleichheit zu Gewalt? Die Autorin Daniela Dröscher und der Philosoph Christian Neuhäuser betrachten soziale Ungleichheit aus unterschiedlichen Perspektiven. Sie diskutieren unter anderem darüber, welche Rolle Erfahrungen von Abwertung und Kontrollverlust für den politischen „Rechtsruck“ spielen. Die Veranstaltung spannt einen Bogen von der philosophischen Betrachtung von Ungleichheit…

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Symposium
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Prevention and Youth Mental Health: Evidence-Based Policymaking

02/06/2026, Essen

Across many countries, youth mental health is a growing societal challenge. This symposium explores innovative community-based prevention strategies to improve youth mental health. It offers evidence and practical insights that can inform investments in community prevention programmes and guide future policy and programme development.

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Workshop
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Wissen wirkt! Good Practices für Transfer aus den Geistes-, Gesellschafts- und Bildungswissenschaften

28/05/2026, Essen

Veranstaltung des Prorektorats für Transfer, Innovation und Digitalisierung der Universität Duisburg-Essen

Unter dem Motto „Wissen wirkt!“ lädt das Prorektorat zu einem Austausch zu Transfer in den Geistes-, Gesellschafts- und Bildungswissenschaften ein. Die Veranstaltung zeigt gelungene Beispiele aus den Fakultäten und bietet Raum für Vernetzung.

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Talk
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collage of portrait photo and book cover

Gesellschaft als Roman. Steffen Martus im Gespräch über „Erzählte Welt”

29/04/2026, Essen | Event in German

Ein dickes Buch über eine kurze Epoche? Der Berliner Literaturwissenschaftler Steffen Martus versenkt sich in "Erzählte Welt" in literarische Erzählungen, die tiefgreifende Umbrüche der Bundesrepublik Deutschland seit 1989 erfahrbar machen. Im Gespräch erforscht er gemeinsam mit Friedrich Balke und Julika Griem, wie sich eine gegenwartsbezogene Literaturgeschichte heute schreiben lässt, wo ihre…

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Workshop
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symbolic graphic: conference hall with rows of chairs

One Health – Public Health – Environment: Regionale Forschungslandschaft Ruhrgebiet

16/04/2026 - 17/04/2026, Essen

Organisers: Universitätsklinikum Essen, Research Center One Health Ruhr (UA Ruhr), Zentrum für Wasser- und Umweltforschung (ZWU)

The workshop brings together selected experts from medicine, public health, environmental sciences and related disciplines to explore current challenges and future opportunities at the interface of environment and health.

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Symposium PostdocLab
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AI-generated image showing three persons looking a their mobile devices and one robot reading a book

AI in Science Communication: Impacts on Perception and Learning

26/03/2026, Essen

This interdisciplinary symposium focuses on current developments, challenges, and future perspectives in science communication and science education, with a particular emphasis on the role of artificial intelligence.

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Contact us

Event Coordination

Laura Ziewitz

Event Coordinator

Phone: +49 201 183 - 6545

E-mail: