Eighty years after the end of the Second World War, there is an urgent need to remember the horrors of war once again. In the immediate present, it is deeply disturbing to see Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine still in full swing. Witnessing a devastating act of terror and the almost complete destruction of Gaza is a harrowing confrontation with the present. Must we now counter the illusion of a peaceful world, in which war took place mainly outside the so-called West, with a new realism? Should we intensify our research into war, which confronts us, at least on a cognitive level, with the return of terror? The Émile Durkheim Research Centre, which is dedicated to the analysis of crises, is focusing this year on the history, present and structures of war. It aims to address not only the new modalities of war (cyberwars, drone warfare, defence systems, biological weapons, etc.) – i.e. the technology of war – but also to include the “culture of war”. Symbolic representations in images and films, in literary texts, war diaries, letters and even email communication from the “field” are of particular importance for the cultural studies approach to the phenomenon of war. What is striking here are similar processes of social transformation, when both the functional differentiation of the spheres of politics, economy, culture and community merge and the stratum- and class-related vertical differentiation seems to dissolve in a sense of unity in the experience of war – for a certain moment of war enthusiasm. How war profiteers and war invalids are integrated into post-war society or remain marginalised as traumatised individuals provides material for literature and visualisations in images and film formats. At the same time, in the process of civilisation, as Norbert Elias called it, we observe how bellicose sentiments are also integrated into normative orders, such as jus ad bellum and jus in bello. But here, too, new weightings are taking place in relation to international humanitarian law, changing the “face of war” (Ernst Jünger). On the first day, we will look at the legal, sociological and art-historical dynamics of war, as well as its cultural expressions and perceptions. The second day will focus on (art) historical processes and artistic forms of expression that accompany wars or emerge from them, and will examine the normative foundations and anomic conditions that they unleash. The aim of the conference is to understand war not only as a political or military event, but also as a profoundly social and cultural one. The conference will take place at the Kunstmuseum Bonn (Helmut-Kohl-Allee 2).

The Interdisciplinary Summer School on Crisis Analysis brought together a diverse group of students, early-career researchers, and tutors to explore the meaning, structure, and analysis of crises in contemporary society. Organized at the University of Bonn and held from May 14 to 16, 2025, the Summer School provided a unique platform for collaborative learning, critical inquiry, and methodological training across disciplinary boundaries. The overarching goal of the Summer School was to develop a clearer, more operational understanding of what constitutes a “crisis.” Participants were encouraged to critically reflect on semantic, intellectual, political, and economic dimensions of crises, comparing German and French perspectives without resorting to simplistic culturalist or constructivist explanations. The organizers are convinced that especially the French sociological tradition provides analytical tools today that go beyond our personal experience as everyday actors affected by multiple crises. In particular, the theories of Émile Durkheim and Pierre Bourdieu will be introduced. These theories not only offer valuable historical insights into crises, but also allow us to analyze current societal challenges and develop potential solutions. Led by: Werner Gephart (Bonn) / Gisèle Sapiro (Paris) / Paul Lagneau-Ymonet (Paris) / Jörg Blasius (Bonn) / Daria Vystavkina (Bonn-Cologne-Odessa) Organized by: Jure Leko (Bonn)

With regard to Homi Bhaba the workshop led to an intensive exchange with all those who have contributed to a postcolonial view of “law” at the former Käte Hamburger Center for Advanced Study in the Humanities and the questions of justice for the location for law and normativities.

The Émile Durkheim Research Center: Crisis Analysis addresses the central question of justice in the post-global era and focuses on the comparative-historical analysis of poly- and meta-crises. The aim is to analyze both the inherent logic/rationality of the individual crisis spheres and their interconnectedness - with the aim of making the knowledge generated available to other social actors and entering into a dialogue with them.