The Research Unit on Voluntariness is more than just our team. We are part of a growing international community of scholars who share an interest in the concept of voluntariness. We invite fellow researchers to join the discussion, not just in writing but also in person. Over the next few years we are planning workshops and lecture series, and we will let you know what’s happening around voluntariness and our research unit.
Stay tuned and we’ll keep you posted about news, events, and guests as well as all sorts of sidelines! Connect with us via our social media sites on Facebook and Instagram so you don’t miss anything!
New conference report online!
On July 4 and 5, 2024, Maria Framke, working on the research project “Hidden Histories: Women in Rural Development Programs in India, c. 1920-1966” and affiliated with our group, organized the workshop “Voluntariness, Women and Development in Late Colonial and Postcolonial Societies.” Read more here…
On October 24 & 25, 2024, we are happy to present an international workshop in co-operation with colleagues and research projects from Erfurt and Jena. Diverse topics, lectures and a panel discussion by guests from Africa and Europe will share interdisciplinary perspectives on the postcolonial fight for restitution and repatriation.
On June 3, 2024, we invite fellow researchers to discuss voluntariness as focus of their research and compare goals and challenges of their projects. The research day will start at 10 am with a casual welcome into a full-day program, completed by an evening lecture by philosopher Jule Govrin.
April 2024 has been the official kick-off for another three years of voluntariness research, funded by the German Research Foundation. Seven new or continuing projects will shape the new focus of the research unit’s second funding phase.
A position as research assistant within the Research Unit on “Voluntariness” is available at the University of Erfurt. Historians specializing in the field of North American History may apply by May 4, 2024, at the latest.
Florian Wagner co-edited several contributions to the histories of migration, removals and expulsions in Germany and beyond for a special issue with Zeithistorische Forschungen / Studies in Contemporary History in 2023.
On October 10, 2023, Jürgen Martschukat and Florian Wagner, PIs in our subprojects on “Voluntariness as Political Practice” and “Voluntariness and Repatriation”, are going to participate in a workshop on “Freiheit – Unfreiheit – Freiwilligkeit” at the Freie Universität Berlin.
On September 12 and 13, 2023, two co-investigators from the research unit will be speaking at the conference “Solidarity and Voluntarism in State-Socialist Societies” at the University of Graz, Austria. For a panel on Friday Carolyn Taratko and Elena M. E. Kiesel will be presenting aspects of their research projects on voluntariness in Ghana and the GDR.
On July 13 and 14, 2023, the workshop titled “Reflect yourself!?” will take place at the University of Erfurt. Exploring the research field of public history and its potential for (self)reflection in historical scholarship, both established scholars, junior researchers and students come together to discuss the topic in regard to their daily work and historical research.
In summer 2023, we welcome Professor Mitchell Dean as Mercator Fellow of the Research Unit on Voluntariness. The political sociologist will support the projects of the research unit from April to July 2023 as a renowned expert in the field of governmentality studies.
In order to explore how voluntariness functions as a resource for political participation and civic recognition in the US, our subproject in North American History provides a critical reexamination of the yellow fever outbreaks between 1793 and 1820 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and highlights first results.
The current work in progress of our historical subprojects explores voluntariness in local historical contexts, in negotiations surrounding migration, in postcolonial settings as well as in different time periods or world regions. In the upcoming summer term, team members will discuss their crucial questions with experts from the respective fields of research.
On April 20, 2023, our subproject in Medieval History, „Martyrdom and Voluntariness,” welcomes historians Sara M. Butler (Ohio State University) and Steffen Hope (University of Oslo) to Erfurt for a workshop entitled “Dying voluntarily in the Middle Ages”. Together, we will explore various forms of voluntary death and their medieval discour
Since December 2022, Mara Albrecht is holding our “Initialization Sholarship Voluntariness”. For at least one year Mara will be part of our team and will be developing a new project on the global history of voluntariness.
On Tuesday, December 6, 2022 from 6 – 8 pm, we will address the topic of voluntariness in the context of participation in National Socialist crimes. Join our panel discussion at “Topf & Sons” in Erfurt!
On Saturday, November 19, 2022, Markus from the subproject “Martyrdom and Voluntariness” presents aspects of his PhD-project at the conference “Verzicht. Mediävistische Perspektiven” in Berlin and will reflect on dying voluntarily and renunciation.
On Thursday, November 10, 2022, Elena will share aspects of her research for her dissertation project with us. You are invited to her talk on “Neuerertum als Machtausübung? Freiwilligkeit und politische Partizipation in der DDR-Neuererbewegung” on campus in Erfurt!
On Friday, September 30, 2022, Elena and Christiane from the subproject “Voluntariness and Dictatorship” invite former “Neuerer” in the GDR to talk about their personal experiences. We are hosting an event called “Bürgerforum” and looking forward meeting you in Eisenach!
On Wednesday, July 6, 2022, Elena from the subproject “Voluntariness and Dictatorship” is invited to give a talk at the Historical Institute at Jena University. We are looking forward to her presentation and to hear about some new aspects of her fascinating research!
In June 2022, the subproject “Voluntariness as Political Practice” welcomes distinguished American scholars in Erfurt and beyond. Deirdre Cooper Owens (University of Nebraska-Lincoln) and Van Gosse (Franklin & Marshall College), guests of next week’s workshop, will visit also Freiburg, Heidelberg and Bonn.
On June 20, 2022, our teams of the subprojects “Voluntariness and Decolonization” and “Voluntariness and Dictatorship” – Carolyn, Iris, Elena and Christiane – welcome Swiss historian Sandrine Kott (University of Geneva) for a workshop and evening lecture at the Forschungskolleg Transkulturelle Studien in Gotha.
On Wednesday, May 18 2022, we invite you to our fourth talk of the lecture series “The Politics of Voluntariness”. The talk by Maud Simonet from the University of Paris Nanterre, however, will take place digitally only!
In June 2022, our team of the subproject “Voluntariness as Political Practice” will discuss key issues of their research field at the workshop „Dis-Cover Fellow Citizens: Voluntary Civic Engagement in the Early Republic and Antebellum America“. Find more info here…
Our interdisciplinary lecture series, which we organize together with the Department of History at the University of Erfurt, is dedicated to the broad research field of voluntariness. We have put together an exciting program for the 2022 summer term, themed “The Politics of Voluntariness.”
For spring 2022, we welcome Professor Alexandra Oeser as Mercator-Fellow to the Research Unit on Voluntariness! As a sociologist trained in Germany and France, Alexandra currently works and teaches at the University of Paris Nanterre and will visit Erfurt from March to August 2022.
On February 17, 2022, the German radio station Deutschlandfunk will focus on the topic of voluntariness. Members of our group have the opportunity to talk about our project in the program “Aus Kultur- und Sozialwissenschaften”. Tune in on Thursday at 8:10 pm!
On January 18, 2022, Elena M. E. Kiesel and Christiane Kuller, project investigators of our sub-project on voluntariness and dictatorship, will be participating at the “Fuldaer Abende” and explore voluntary participation within the ‘Neuererwesen’ of the GDR.
Time has come – our Research Unit is entering phase 2 and the upcoming year is themed “transdisciplinarity”! In workshops and guest lectures we will broaden our perspectives on voluntariness.
On January 17, 2022, members of our group will participate at a digital workshop in Jena. A discussion of current challenges in volunteering will bring together a diverse range of experts – from the fields of practice and theory.
