Intro

Prof. Dr. Ute Schneider was acting head of KWI in winter term 2017/18 after the departure of Prof. Dr. Claus Leggewie. On April 1, 2018, the English scholar Prof. Dr. Julika Griem took over the management of KWI. Ute Schneider remains a member of the board of directors of KWI.

The Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities (KWI) is an interdisciplinary research centre for the humanities, social and cultural sciences in the tradition of international advanced study institutes. The KWI sees itself as a hub for interdisciplinary inquiry into issues relating to modern culture, which it conducts with an emphasis on and relevance to practice. The Institute encourages ambitious research in the humanities, international exchange and intercultural dialogue, with a particular focus on early career researchers and scholars.

As an inter-university institution of the Ruhr University Bochum (RUB), TU Dortmund University and the University of Duisburg-Essen, the Institute develops its research agenda with the scholars at its sponsoring universities and with other national and international partners.

The work of the Institute over the past two years has focused on the following thematic fields: European cultures (Europe), cultural diversity in the global community (Interculturality), communicative practices (Culture of Communication), cultural aspects of climate change (Climate and Culture) and citizen participation (Culture of Participation). Other projects explore topics such as the relationship between culture and the economy, and the status of animals in the Ruhr region.