Linie 4: The environmental question - a 'hot potato' at the family table?

left: Anti-nuclear demonstration 14 October 1979 in Bonn (photo: Hans Weingartz), right: Fridays For Future demonstration 15 March 2019 in Berlin (photo: Leonhard Lenz)

How much conflict does the environment actually cause in families? Paulo Isenberg Lima addresses this question in the public lecture series Linie 4, organised by the BGHS together with the vhs Bielefeld. In his presentation “Attitudes to the Environment in Families - Generational Conflict or Cultural Struggle?” he looks at generational relationships and their potential for conflict on the topic of the environment.

Since the 1970s, the image of environmental movements has been shaped by the narrative of a generational conflict. The story of the 'young savages' taking to the streets against the environmental sins of their parents' generation is widespread and has also been reinforced by ‘Fridays for Future’. At the same time, the older generations are symbolically showing their solidarity with the young people of ‘Fridays for Future’ by founding ‘Parents for Future’ and ‘Grandparents for Future’. So is there a conflict between “young and old” when it comes to the environment or does the history of conflict run elsewhere? Using data from a long-term study that has been conducted regularly since 1984, Paulo Isenberg Lima gives an insight into his social science research work and the challenges involved. At the same time, the long-term perspective allows a look at which ‘hot topics’ have led to conflicts between generations over time.

Paulo Isenberg Lima has been working as a research associate at the Institute for Interdisciplinary Research on Conflict and Violence (IKG) at Bielefeld University since 2020 and has been doing his PhD on “The intergenerational transmission of values and its impact on societal cohesion” at the BGHS since 2021. He studied sociology at the Technical University of Dresden.

The presentation will take place on Monday, 8 May 2023 at 6.15 p.m. in room 240 at the vhs Bielefeld, Ravensberger Park 1. The event will be held in German.

Here you will find information about Linie 4 and the presentations in the series.

"Linie 4" - From 'Clans' to Colonialism

In May and June 2023, the public lecture series "Linie 4 - Neues aus der sozialwissenschaftlichen und historischen Forschung" (Line 4 - News from Social Science and Historical Research) will take place for the seventh time, organised by the BGHS in cooperation with the vhs Bielefeld. Four doctoral researchers from the BGHS present their current research in a clear and understandable way and discuss it with visitors to the vhs. The presentations take place every Monday from 6.15-8 p.m. at the vhs Bielefeld in Ravensberger Park.

On 8 May, sociologist Paulo Isenberg will begin with a presentation on attitudes to environmental issues in families. He will explore the question of whether the topic of the environment causes conflicts between generations or rather between milieus. On 22 May, historian Carolin Kaiser will focus on the soldiers of the Reichswehr, the army of the Weimar Republic, and their ideas of masculinity between the claim to power and castration anxiety. On 5 June, historian Catharina Wessing poses the paradoxical question of how colonialism without colonies could come about after the First World War. Using the magazine "Der Deutsche Kulturpionier" as an example, she examines how the authors of the magazine imagined a future for colonies. Sociologist Stella Nüschen will bring the series to an end on 12 June with her contribution on what so-called clans are all about and what the meaning and purpose of the talk about the supposedly criminal families actually is.

The four presentations offer a small insight into the breadth of academic research conducted at the BGHS. As in previous years, however, the main focus will be on the exchange between the young researchers and the audience at the vhs Bielefeld. Vivid presentations, clever follow-up questions and exciting discussions are intended to bring the University and the city of Bielefeld a little closer together.

Welcome Day Summer Semester 2023

::7 new doctoral researchers at the BGHS::

On Tuesday, 4 April, the BGHS Welcome Day for the summer semester 2023 took place, this time again in person at the BGHS. The BGHS directors Klaus Weinhauer and Ruth Ayaß welcomed the new doctoral researchers, who had the opportunity to introduce themselves and get to know the doctoral representatives and the BGHS office staff. Sabine Schäfer then introduced the BGHS training and study programme. We wish all new members a wonderful start to their doctorate at the BGHS.

New BGHS doctoral researchers and their projects:

Nadine Al-Bayaa (Sociology): Der „Kulturprotestantismus“ und der „Rest“. Othering in Diskursen des Deutschen Kaiserreichs

Kristina Bolender (Sociology): Soziale Folgen der Corona-Pandemie für Jugendliche und junge Erwachsene mit Fluchthistorie

Kübra Gencal (Sociology): Racism and Space: How do Experiences of Racism Influence Socio-Spatial Practices?

Ji Hong (Sociology): Artificial Communication, Complexity, and Temporal Structure: A Sociological Analysis of the Randomness of Algorithms

Patricia John Sanchez (Sociology): Die intergenerationale Transmission gewaltsamen Erziehungsverhaltens. Eine Analyse der Mechanismen des Cycle of Violence innerhalb von Eltern-Kind-Beziehungen

Anton Meier (Sociology): Nachrichtendiskurse in der Kultur der Digitalität – Kritische Diskursanalyse des Instagram-Tagesschaukanals im Themenfeld Rassismus

Elisabeth Strietzel (Sociology): The Production of a Climate Ranking. A Case Study of the Climate Change Performance Index

You can find the Welcome Day presentation here.