The Perfect Storm: Perspectives on a World in Flux
Geopolitical tensions, wars, the rise of illiberal politics, climate change, technological changes, energy insecurity – the world is facing several crises at the moment. Crises that are not isolated developments, but which interact with one another, producing new forms of instability and political tensions. This situation is described by the British historian Adam Tooze as polycrisis. Climate change affects migration and geopolitics; digital technologies accelerate disinformation and polarisation; economic uncertainty fuels authoritarian tendencies, and existing institutions seem inadequate to manage this dynamic.
In this lecture series, we explore a number of these crises from perspectives within the humanities and social sciences.
The individual lectures
1. Why we Live in a Burnout Economy, and Why Self-help isn't Helping (Meissner / 5 Nov)
2. How Cities Address(ed) Geopolitical and Climatic Disasters through Public Shelters and Bunkers (Hommels / 12 nov)
3. Why AI is Costing the Earth: The Environmental Price of Artificial Intelligence (Richterich / 19 Nov)|
4. Energy: Its Role in Geopolitical Tensions and the Pursuit of Independence (Herranz-Surrallés / 26 Nov)
5. Shifting Fault Lines: How the War in Ukraine is Redefining European Security (Noutcheva / 3 Dec)
Speakers
Miriam Meissner, PhD, Assistant Professor of Culture and Political Ecology
Prof. Anique Hommels, Professor of Sociohistorical Technology Studies
Annika Richterich, PhD, Associate Professor in Digital Culture
Anna Herranz-Surrallés, PhD, Associate Professor in International Relations
Gergana Noutcheva, PhD, Associate Professor in International Relations and European Foreign Policy
All Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, UM
"The Perfect Storm" is a programme coordinated by the Platform for Outreach and Co-Creation (POCC), an initiative of FASoS in which various partners collaborate around a central societal theme. Through this programme, FASoS aims to strengthen its connection with the region and make scientific knowledge and insights accessible to a wide audience. More information on the website of the POCC.