The Centre

Welcome to the "Futures of Sustainability"!

After the approval by the German Research Foundation (DFG) in July 2018, the new Humanities Centre for Advanced Studies "Futures of Sustainability: Modernization, Transformation, Control" opened in September 2019.

In the Centre we deal with the question of how modern societies change when they are guided by different notions of sustainability. Three development paths of sustainability receive our special sociological attention: Modernisation, transformation, control. These development paths do not only indicate what ideas of the future are disputed today. They also mark new lines of conflict, patterns of inequality and power hierarchies that are linked to the various objectives of sustainability.

The Centre primarily services to develop theories and analytical syntheses in the diagnosis of society. It works discursively and invites international fellows, especially from the social sciences and humanities, to participate in research. Lectures, seminars, workshops and conferences take place regularly. At the same time, the Centre addresses the general public and seeks exchange with social actors who integrate sustainability criteria into their practice.

Frank Adloff and Sighard Neckel