Research Program
Made possible by funds from the Dr. K. H. Eberle Foundation Prize, the research centre “European Cultures in a Multipolar World” at the University of Konstanz is an initiator and source of inspiration for a renewed kind of research on Europe in the field of Cultural Studies. A dual diagnosis provides our starting point: on the one hand, there can be no doubt today that Europe has lost the global dominance it had for centuries. On the other hand, current trends of disintegration within Europe and the EU are observed with concern all over the world, for in many regions, Europe has served as a crucial model of political, legislative, and cultural integration since the postwar period, particularly in its processing of a history marked by war and violence.
In light of this twofold situation, with the continent’s loss of global significance as well as its continued function as a role model for change, our task is to find new descriptive categories for the diversity of European cultural dynamics and to use these to develop research plans in the fields of History, Social Sciences, and Cultural Studies. With our research, we strive to move beyond a disfavored eurocentrism–or a reflexive critique of eurocentrism–and to take into account the history of Europe’s entanglement with other parts of the world. The centre approaches this fundamental issue with the help of a global structure of international partners. The centre aims to reflect geopolitical and epistemological multipolarity in the structure of the research process itself, that is, to create systematically and historically fruitful international partnerships, fellowships, and conferences for a multi-perspectival discussion of the concept of Europe.
Structure
The Dr. K. H. Eberle Research Centre is partnered with the M.A. Program “Studies in European Culture” as well as with the Cultural Studies Research Centre. It builds upon the international cooperation of these institutions at the University of Konstanz. Connected with academics and institutions all over the world, the Dr. K. H. Eberle Research Centre builds a platform for the promotion of young researchers. It supports individual research projects and encourages the recruitment of externally funded projects. The driving questions of the research centre touch on current social issues that are brought to an open and critical dialogue with the academic as well as non-academic public.
Research Projects and Funding Opportunities
The Dr. K. H. Eberle Research Centre invites as many as four international fellows to the University of Konstanz each year, supports doctoral and research projects in the developmental phase, and creates a network of young researchers via Junior Memberships. In addition, the centre hosts academic workshops and conferences and offers an infrastructure for further research projects on European culture in a global context.