How to decolonize knowledge production? Thoughts on the recently launched Affect and Colonialism Web Lab

As researchers at a Western university, we are working in an environment that is deeply structured by hierarchies, by neoliberal economic logics and an unequal distribution of possibilities. This situation is also a direct result of colonialism and its legacies – a fact that is often overlooked and therefore remains a blind spot in much … weiterlesen

Looking Local: Affective Benefits and Burdens in the Academy

In the current moment we are bearing witness to a rising tide of negative affect among academics. #Ichbinhanna comprises just one example of a wider global movement that has been swept to the fore by increasingly competitive, exploitative, and precarious working conditions; conditions which are encouraged under the corporate university model, and which university administrators … weiterlesen

The Trouble with Institutions: Un_Doing Diversity?

Diversity, as a concept, as a keyword, and as a buzzword, has gained momentum in the last decades. Rooted in civil rights and resistance movements of the 1960s in the US, the concept started off as a means to fight racism, exclusion and discrimination, and as a demand for equal rights. It bears strong connections … weiterlesen

Viet-deutsche(s) Leben – erzählt / Truyện kể hiện thực đời sống Việt-Đức / Viet-German Life – narrated

Neuerschienener Sammelband „Ist Zuhause da, wo die Sternfrüchte süß sind?“ („Quê hương có là chùm khế ngọt?“ / „Is home where the star fruits are sweet?„) Dieser Text liegt in deutscher, vietnamesischer und englischer Fassung vor. Für die vietnamesische und englische Übersetzung bitte je nach unten scrollen. The text is available in German, Vietnamese and … weiterlesen

(Non-)Sexual AI: (Un-)Doing Sex:bots (&& their User(s)) – Part I: Getting in Touch

“But you are a machine!” a classmate yelled at me during our final year in school, when I said that doing homework was not that difficult. At the time, I was working mostly night shifts, so I was awake on Fridays from 6.00 a.m. to 4.00 a.m. the next day, followed by another night shift … weiterlesen

Von Lagerfeuergefühl über Lästern bis Scham: Emotionsgemeinschaften des Reality TV-Publikums

Das abgeschlossene Teilprojekt B02 „ Transkulturelle emotionale Repertoires im und durch Reality TV“ befasste sich mit den affektiven Dynamiken des Reality TV, bzw. mit der Frage, wieso Reality TV Formate wie Germany’s Next Topmodel weltweit so beliebt sind. Neben begeisterter Zustimmung sorgt die Sendung gleichzeitig auch für Shitstorms und kritische Diskussionen (z.B. #notheidisgirl, pinkstinks). Offenbar bietet die Sendung starkes Affizierungspotential: Gefühle … weiterlesen

Affective Politics and Political Transformation in Turkey and Egypt

What are the emotional and affective dynamics during and beyond the mass protests on Cairo’s Tahrir square and Taksim square in Istanbul? How do emotion and affect matter for political participation? What does this entail for more long-term transformations in both countries? These and other questions were tackled during the international workshop “Affective Politics and … weiterlesen

Vietdeutsche(s) Leben – Soziale Arbeit in Zeiten sozialer Distanz

Neben Fachkräften im Gesundheitssystem und in der Grundversorgung arbeiten derzeit auch Sozialpädagog*innen und Sozialarbeiter*innen im Bereich der Kinder- und Jugendhilfe weiter. Ich bin eine von denjenigen, die unmittelbar in die Alltagswelten der Familien eintauchen und hautnah miterleben, wie Familien, die sowieso schon stark belastet sind – denn sonst würden sie uns nicht brauchen – mit … weiterlesen

Injuring the brick wall – Freundliche Auseinandersetzungen an den Münchner Kammerspielen

I’ve done something new for this fight. I’ve wrestled with an alligator, I’ve tussled with a whale, I did handcuff lightning, and threw thunder in jail. I’m bad. Last week I’ve murdered a rock, injured a stone and hospitalized a brick. – Muhammad Ali, 1974 Der Kampfring wurde beim Festival FRIENDLY CONFRONTATIONS – Globale Kunst und … weiterlesen