Focus Groups

Belonging is an increasingly questionable concept in the 21st century, in which society is becoming more and more global. Societies are becoming more diverse, national allegiances are being challenged by labor, flight and poverty migration, and traditional ties seem to be generally dissolving. At the same time, a new need for belonging is emerging. Do the phenomena of globalization and belonging contradict each other? Or are we challenged today to rethink belonging?

“Making peace with Nature is the defining task of the 21st century”, said UN General Secretary António Guterres in his State of the Planet speech in 2020. This mission statement has informed UN agenda Setting and has become the motto for the 2024 UN Biodiversity Conference of the Parties (COP16) in Colombia. The focus group addresses questions such as how we can understand ‘peace’ between humans and nature, what the implications of not living “at peace” with nature are, and what role ontological, epistemological, religious, and political conceptions of humans and Nature play in making peace with Nature. 

The Focus Group takes as its starting point the diversity of intellectual-historical traditions and human understandings of the world and of the self. The research projects aim to raise awareness of the richness of non-Western ideas, and to develop a fundamental understanding of interculturality and a critical reflection on the European-Western tradition. The focus is on the coexistence of different cultures in the global world: How can the coexistence of worlds be thought? How can power structures and identity ascriptions be uncovered? What can belonging mean today and what influence does globalization have on the cultural belonging? Do we need to re-evaluate the history of ideas? How does intercultural encounter change our relationship to nature? And what does it mean for the sciences?

The Kantian question "What is man?" can no longer be asked today without grasping man in his situatedness and belonging to the world. It therefore concerns human existence as a whole and brings various disciplines into conversation. Above all, however, the question of what it means to be human always concerns the questioner as well, so that answers to it are, in turn, historically and culturally situated. the question of what it means to be human takes on global sociopolitical and even non-human relevance. We address these topics in various events and seek to build bridges between disciplines.

The Focus Group investigates issues at the interface between neuroscience and the humanities. It explores the relevance of neuroscientific research for the humanities and social sciences and vice versa, and aims to promote exchange between neurosciences and cognitive sciences, psychiatry and the humanities and social sciences such as philosophy and literary studies. It intends to provide a place for interdisciplinary dialogue and cross-disciplinary collaboration at the University of Tübingen, where internationally renowned neuroscience meets strong humanities and social sciences. 

As part of its Excellence Strategy, the university wants to open up new, pioneering horizons for research. The New Horizons program aims to attract personalities to Tübingen who have the potential to provide innovative impetus. 

The Focus Group ‘Proximity in the Future Humanities’ is organizing its activities in autumn 2026 (September and October) around the research work of Prof. Stephen Muecke.

People and Events

The rise of far-right parties, which can be observed in parallel with the global advance of autocratic and authoritarian currents and of the 'New Right' in Europe, is symptomatic of social division processes that threaten democracy and human rights, social cohesion and coexistence. The College of Fellows, as an institution that promotes academic exchange across borders and is committed to the principles of human rights, the recognition and support for diversity and respectful treatment of one another, a Focus Group addresses to this topic.