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Futures of Sustainability
Humanities Centre for
Advanced Studies
Futures of Sustainability

Photo: Macario Lacbawan

All events and conferences

The Centre organises a wide range of events – from public lectures, seminars and workshops to more interactive artistic formats with our fellows, writers and artists-in-residence, the Centre's postdoctoral and doctoral researchers, and our colleagues at University of Hamburg.

The Kolleg-Forum is our regular discussion format during the semester, usually taking place on Wednesdays at 10.30 at Gorch Fock Wall 3, door bell sign "Nachhaltigkeit", room 1021. No registration needed. 

  • Kolleg-Forum: 16 July 2025, 10:30 – 12:00

    Frank Adloff, Christine Hentschel, Stefan Aykut (Futures of Sustainability)

  • Kolleg-Forum: 09 July 2025, 10:30 – 12:00

    Juneseo Hwang (Futures of Sustainability): “No good deed goes unpunished? Uneasy questions in the politics of rights of nature”

  • Kolleg-Forum: 02 July 2025, 10:30 – 12:00

    Anita Engels (University of Hamburg): "What to do about climate change: From realistic assessments to non-dystopian suggestions?”

  • Kolleg-Forum: 25 June 2025, 10:30 – 12:00

    Philipp Jacobi (Futures of Sustainability): title tbd

  • Kolleg-Forum: 18 June 2025, 10:30 – 12:00

    Svjetlana Nedimović (Organizer and Activist, Sarajevo):
    "Green Future, Grey Present? United Balkans Resistance and Work against Energy Transition"

  • Kolleg-Forum: 11 June 2025, 10:30 – 12:00

    Carl Cassegard (University of Gothenburg): "Critical Theory in Catastrophic Times"

  • Kolleg-Forum: 04 June 2025, 16:00 – 18:00

    Ulrich Brand (University of Vienna): Book Presentation (German) “Kapitalismus am Limit”
    Comment: Sarah Lenz (University of Hamburg), Kohei Saito (University of Tokyo)
    Chair: Frank Adloff (University of Hamburg)

  • Kolleg-Forum: 21 May 2025, 10:30 – 12:00

    Frank Adloff (Futures of Sustainability) and Frédéric Vandenberghe (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (IFCS-UFRJ)): "Prospects of Convivialism and Commensalism"

  • Kolleg-Forum: 14 May 2025, 10:30 – 12:00

    Zack Exley (Author and Activist, New Consensus, USA): "We need radical change. We want democracy. Can we have both?"

  • Kolleg-Forum: 07 May 2025, 10:30 – 12:00

    Benno Fladvad (University of Hamburg): title tbd

  • Kolleg-Forum: 30 April 2025, 10:30 – 12:00

    Mihaela Mihai (University of Edinburgh): "The Ethics and Politics of (Not) Too Late: A Critical Theory of Ecological Emotions"
    Comment: Michael Schnegg (University of Hamburg)

  • Kolleg-Forum: 23 April 2025, 10:30 – 12:00

    Ulrich Brand (University of Vienna): "International competitiveness as major obstacle for social-ecological transformations"

  • Kolleg-Forum: 16 April 2025, 10:30 – 12:00

    tbd

  • Kolleg-Forum: 09 April 2025, 10:30 – 12:00

    Eva von Redecker (Philosopher, Brandenburg countryside): "Isolated Liberty. On the ecological indifference of liberal freedom"

  • Closed Workshop: 17 -18 March 2025

    "Degrowth, Planung, Transformation"
    Workshop in cooperation with The New Institute, Hamburg
    Organizers: Alex Demirović, Kohei Saito, and Ulich Brand
    More information here

  • Book presentation: 29 January, 18:00 - 20:00 (in German)

    With Apéro at 17:30h
    Book presentation “Triggerpunkte. Konsens und Konflikt in der Gegenwartsgesellschaft” 
    With author Linus Westheuser (Humboldt-Universität Berlin)
    Comments: Katharina Zimmermann (University of Hamburg), Anna Fünfgeld (University of Hamburg)
    Chair: Stefan C. Aykut (“Futures of Sustainability”, University of Hamburg)
    Registration at zukuenfte.der.nachhaltigkeit"AT"uni-hamburg.de  is desired (if possible with details of the institution), but spontaneous participation without prior registration is also possible.
    Venue: Humanities Centre for Advanced Studies "Futures of Sustainability"/ DFG Kolleg-Forschungsgruppe "Zukünfte der Nachhaltigkeit", Gorch-Fock-Wall 3 (door bell sign "Nachhaltigkeit"), 20354 Hamburg, room 1021

  • CANCELED: Kolleg-Forum: 22 January 2025, 10:30 – 12:00

    Eva von Redecker (Philosopher, Brandenburg countryside): "Isolated Liberty. On the ecological indifference of liberal freedom"

  • Kolleg-Forum: 15 January 2025, 10:30 – 12:00

    Chris Müller (Macquarie University, Sydney): "Anaesthetic Violence: Technology, Affect and the Politics of Ease"

  • Kolleg-Forum: 8 January 2025, 10:30 – 12:00

    Caglar Yigitogullari (actor/performance artist/dancer, Hamburg):"Critical Zone": Performance, Work-in-Progress & Conversation [Performancewerkstatt & Gespräch]
    With a comment by Sophie Witt (University of Hamburg)

  • Kolleg-Forum: 18 December 2024, 10:30 – 12:00

    Presentation by Frédéric Vandenberghe (University of Rio de Janeiro): "The Agrarian Transition in India: Suicide in the Countryside"
    Comment by Metehan Cömert (Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University)

  • Kolleg-Forum: 11 December 2024, 10:30 – 12:00

    Aurea Mota (Universitat Abat Oliba CEU, Barcelona): "Towards a Deeper Critical History of Gaia: displacements and climate transformation beyond modern myths"

  • Kolleg-Forum: 4 December 2024, 10:30 – 12:00

    Katharina Zimmermann (University of Hamburg): “Class, status, and moral economies in times of climate change”

  • Book discussion: 27 November, 18:00-20:00

    "Zeitdiagnostik ohne Zentralschlüssel: Das Glossar der Gegenwart 2.0". All info here
    Location: Felix Jud Bookstore, Warburgstr. 8

  • Kolleg-Forum: 20 November 2024, 10:30 – 12:00

    Renata Motta (Heidelberg University): "Alleviate hunger while transforming the city through agroecology: the conflictual politics over a sustainable and just urban future"

  • Workshop: 15 November 2024, 9:00 - 12:00, room 1021 

    Workshop-Session with Davina Cooper (King's College London), Mathias Thaler (University of Edinburgh): “Tools for Utopianism (and Failure)”

  • Panel Discussion: 14 November 2024, 18:00 - 20:00, room 1021

    Panel Discussion with Graphic Recording: “Utopias are dead. Long live Utopias!”
    with Mathias Thaler (University of Edinburgh), Davina Cooper (King's College London) and Nina Perkowski (University of Hamburg)
    Informal reception afterwards; free entry, More information here

  • Kolleg-Forum: 30 October 2024, 10:30– 12:00

    Nobuo Yamamura (Takushoku University in Tokyo): “Possibilities and Problems of Sustainabile Finance“
    Metehan Cömert (Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University): “Transcending Capitalism with Small Yet Radical Steps: Towards a Liberation in the Imaginary”

  • Workshop: 24 - 25 October 2024

    "Perceiving and Reflecting Organized Valuation"
    Workshop with Christian Bessy, organized by the working group “Organization and Valuation” of the DGS (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Soziologie), Call for Participation, Programme

  • Book presentation: 16 October 2024, 10:30 a.m.-12:00 noon

    "Senses of the Future: Conflicting Ideas of the Future in the World Today"
    Book presentation with Gerard Delanty (Professor Emeritus of Sociology, Sussex University)
    More here

  • Talk: 13 June, 4:00-6:00 p.m.

    “Structural problems in climate reporting” (more here)
    Talk by Sara Schurmann (journalist and co-founder of the Network Climate Journalism Germany)
    Comment by Michael Brüggemann (University of Hamburg / The New Institute)
    Chair: Stefan C. Aykut (Futures of Sustainability)
    No registration needed.

  • Book presentation: 24 April 2024, 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.

    "Back to the roots: Wer entscheidet über Grund & Boden?" (in German)
    Buchvorstellung "Der Grund. Die neuen Konflikte um unsere Böden und wie sie gelöst werden können." Alle Infos zu Programm und Registrierung hier.

  • Joint Workshop: 27 - 28 February 2024

    "Imagining the International Seabed Authority as a Planetary Institution for the Seabed as a Commons"
    Joint workshop, organized by THE NEW INSTITUTE, in cooperation with University of Würzburg and Panel on Planetary Thinking

  • Evening event: 17 January 2024, 6:15 p.m. - 7:45 p.m.

    "Freiheit in dunklen Zeiten"
    An evening with Eva von Redecker and Oliver Nachtwey to launch the Liberal Arts & Sciences programme at UHH.
    UHH Main Building, Edmund-Siemers-Allee 1, Lecture hall C, more here
    Concept: Sophie Witt & Christine Hentschel
    Contact:  liberalarts"AT"uni-hamburg.de