Call For Papers Krise Engl

Centre for
Social Critique
at Humboldt-
Universität zu
Berlin
INVITATION
April 17 –19, 2024, Berlin
CALL FOR PAPERS

Experience of crisis – crisis of experience
Research conference of the PhD students

of the Hans-Böckler-Foundation
CALL FOR PAPERS
Talk of crisis is omnipresent in the media and political discourse: finan-

cial crises, climate change, migration, the Covid-19 pandemic, Russia’s
war against Ukraine and conflict in the Middle East – all of these events
are interpreted as crises or as parts of larger crises and inform the
experience of the present as a “time of crisis.”
Yet this idea of a crisis-riddled present is nothing new. Within the

contexts of radically diverging political programs, modern societies
have continually used the concept of crisis to diagnose their perceived
discontents. Karl Marx’s critique of bourgeois political economy is one
prominent example, which resulted in a shift of emphasis from indi-
vidual crises to a structural “crisis-nature” of capitalist socialization.
What before appeared as individual crises were now considered as
instances of a larger crisis-complex, an approach inherited by contem-
porary Critical Theory and expressed with such terms as “pincer crisis”
(Klaus Dörre), “multiple crisis” (Ulrich Brand) or more recently as “poly-
crisis” (Adam Tooze).
This is to say, the often quite varied and inconsistent use of the concept
of crisis in today’s media and political discourse should be scrutinized.
Keeping the Marxist critique in mind, the experience of crises as isola-
ted and contingent phenomena with vague criteria can dissimulate the
deeper crisis-nature of the societal formation and therefore ultimately
serve the interest of those in power. A crisis is not a phenomenon that
is “given,” but rather one that must be analytically divulged and situa-
ted within a larger social and historical context.
According to its original meaning, a crisis confronts us with a decision,

a turning point, upon which a transformation of the status quo is possi-
ble or even necessary. But it appears that now more than ever this mu-
tability of relations, the transformative or revolutionary potential of the
crisis is called into question. “Crisis” seems to have stopped delivering
on its promise of change.
Seite 1
One of early Critical Theory’s more enduring contributions was its sug-
gestion that a symptom of this crisis-nature was the crisis of experien-
ce itself. Over the last decades, the epistemological critiques of post-
structural, feminist, queer-theoretical, race-critical and anti-colonial
theory have brought even the legitimacy of (certain understandings of)
“experience” into question, making a confrontation with this contribu-
tion of early Critical Theory ever more urgent. For when a crisis of expe-
rience feeds back into the experience of crisis, then not only knowledge
but the very agency of subjects and collectives is problematized.
In honor of the 100-year anniversary of the founding of the Institute for

Social Research, the doctoral conference of the Hans Böckler Foundati-
on will explore this correlation of crisis and experience and its relevance
for comprehending the dynamics of contemporary global crisis.
Seite 2
Questions of particular importance:
– How should we understand the term Erfahrung and how is it

differentiated from related terms such as Erlebnis? Is “experience”
an individual or an intersubjective category?
– What is the relationship between experience and crisis? How are

crises experienced? Are there crises beyond the experienceable?
– What is the relationship between “crisis” and “critique”? What is the

epistemological significance of the concept of experience for a critical
theory of society?
– What role do utopian, theological, or metaphysical dimensions of

experience play in relation to contemporary crises?
– What is the significance of aesthetic experience for diagnosing

the crisis?
– Does crisis “block” or “open” possibilities of practice? How do these

moments relate to one another?
– What role does the concept of experience play in our understanding

of “practice”? How do “experience” and “solidarity” relate to one
another?
– How can the “loss of experience” as theorized by Critical Theory be

applied to the age of internet and social media?
Seite 3
INFORMATION FOR PARTICIPATION
We cordially invite doctoral students of Germany’s scholarship foun

dations as well as all other young researchers in Germany and inter
nationally who are working on empirical case studies or theoretical
considerations relating to the topic of the conference to submit abs-
tracts for papers. Contributions from any academic discipline are wel-
come. Twenty minutes will be allowed for presentations plus a further
ten minutes for discussion.
Proposals for contributions should be submitted by January 9, 2024

in the form of an abstract (max. 500 words) with a brief CV.
Submissions should cover the following aspects:
– The title of the paper
– Research question, knowledge interest and corresponding

academic discipline
– Relevance to the topic of the conference
– Short curriculum vitae
Seite 4
ORGANIZATIONAL INFORMATION
The conference will take place at the Humboldt University of Berlin

from April 17 to April 19, 2024 in cooperation with the Centre for
Social Critique (HU Berlin). Students will be notified by January
24, 2024 if their submissions have been accepted. No fee will be
charged for the conference. Accommodation and catering will be
provided by the Hans Böckler Foundation. In addition, travel costs
will be covered for those who are doctoral scholarship holders of the
Hans Böckler Foundation. The aim will be to publish the papers in a
conference volume.
Please send any questions or comments – in German or in

English – to:
WT2024@boeckler.de
Seite 5

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Centre for

CALL FOR PAPERS

Research conference of the PhD students

Talk of crisis is omnipresent in the media and political discourse: finan-

Yet this idea of a crisis-riddled present is nothing new. Within the

According to its original meaning, a crisis confronts us with a decision,

In honor of the 100-year anniversary of the founding of the Institute for

– How should we understand the term Erfahrung and how is it

– What is the relationship between experience and crisis? How are

– What is the relationship between “crisis” and “critique”? What is the

– What role do utopian, theological, or metaphysical dimensions of

– What is the significance of aesthetic experience for diagnosing

– Does crisis “block” or “open” possibilities of practice? How do these

– What role does the concept of experience play in our understanding

– How can the “loss of experience” as theorized by Critical Theory be

We cordially invite doctoral students of Germany’s scholarship foun­

Proposals for contributions should be submitted by January 9, 2024

Submissions should cover the following aspects:

– The title of the paper

– Research question, knowledge interest and corresponding

– Relevance to the topic of the conference

– Short curriculum vitae

The conference will take place at the Humboldt University of Berlin

Please send any questions or comments – in German or in

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We cordially invite doctoral students of Germany’s scholarship foun