Project description
Studying cultural conflicts and academic freedom in Germany
Current cultural conflicts in Europe revolve around issues such as social justice and cancel culture, or ‘woke’ culture, as framed by opposing sides. Supported by Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA), the GJL-AF-DE project will study gender-inclusive language and academic freedom in Germany to better understand these cultural conflicts and contribute to democratic theory. These debates are complex and do not neatly align with the traditional progressive/conservative divide. Even within the culturally progressive side, there are divisions. Academics play a significant role in shaping public discourse and policies, contributing to the ongoing culture war struggles. By studying these issues, the project will provide insights into significant developments in the politics of recognition, culture, and language over the past decade.
Objective
The research project focuses on one specific field of the current culture wars in Europe: what is framed as social justice by one side and cancel culture or woke by the other. The phenomenon will be studied in Germany, where these debates are particularly salient in politics and public discourse, and through two issues that occupy a central role in the controversies: 1. gender inclusive or (as termed in Germany) gender-just language and 2. academic freedom. The project’s main goal is to provide an account of the progressive side in the culture wars, and by that, to significantly contribute to better understanding a key conflict within contemporary politics and develop a democratic theory thereof. These debates have three specificities: First, they do not neatly map onto the culturally progressive/conservative cleavage: not only the conservative, but the culturally progressive side is divided too: postmodern, identity politics or intersectional Left (finding a suitable name is already part of the controversy), marxist Left, universalist or classical Liberals, various feminist strands are in fierce debates about the related issues among themselves, not with the right. Second, the two debates are emblematic of on-going culture war-struggles, hence studying them affords a better understanding of major developments in the politics of recognition, culture and language in the past decade. Third, academics play a major role in shaping public discourse and policies, not only through providing arguments for social movements and institutionalized politics, but also by intervening in the debates themselves, and with academia itself being a central site of conflict: through publicly discussing language use and invitation policies academia is carrying out a discussion of public relevance about what is socially acceptable and desirable.
Programme(s)
- HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Main Programme
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European FellowshipsCoordinator
1010 Wien
Austria