Across the globe, liberal and constitutional democracies are facing mounting pressure from authoritarian, anti-democratic, and constitutionally hostile movements. The project “Resilient Universities” develops proposals, in four empirical steps, for how the higher education system in Germany can respond to these challenges. An internationally and historically comparative analysis of authoritarian “playbooks” provides the basis for an interview-based assessment of structural vulnerabilities, from which recommendations for strengthening resilience are derived. The results will be presented for broad public discussion, and their implementation will be accompanied at selected locations.

Contact: resiliente.universitaeten.ast@sot.tum.de

Period: 01.07.2025 – 30.06.2028

Project type: Third party funding

Funding Institution: VolkswagenStiftung

Throughout human history, people have imagined the relationship between cities and nature in different, sometimes contradictory ways. Cities have often been regarded as the opposite of nature: completely artificial constructs engineered according to human needs, powers, and ideas. At the same time, authors from Aristotle to the present day have argued that cities resemble living organisms or bodies that can be dissected into organs such as the “heart” for the city center, the “lungs” for public parks, the “arteries” for streets and highways, and the “intestines” for pipes and sewers.

Through a series of “walkshops,” students will critically reflect on the relationship between cities and nature with the help of selected readings from the fields of science and technology studies (STS) and urban environmental history. Each week, the class will discuss specific case studies and analyze the relevant theoretical and methodological approaches to the topic, paying particular attention to the key role of technology in this debate.

Students will gain historical and theoretical insights into major contemporary challenges such as the global environmental crisis. They will also learn to think critically and constructively about important concepts such as sustainability, ecology, and the Anthropocene. Finally, they will learn how to combine theoretical approaches and methods from history, geography, and STS.

Dr. Felix Mauch
E-Mail: felix.mauch@tum.de

Project Leader: Dr. Felix Mauch

Period: 01.01.2022 – 31.12.2026

Project Type: Post-Doc Project

Funding Institution: TUM