Social media, artificial intelligence and misleading or deliberately false information (‘fake news’) are playing an increasingly important role in the public debate on polarising topics such as climate change or vaccinations. In the newly founded ‘Hot Science Communication Lab’, communication scientist Prof. Dr. Julia Metag from the University of Münster will focus on the question of how controversial scientific topics are presented and disseminated online in text, images and sound, how this multimodal mix influences opinions on scientific topics and what consequences this has for the communication of science and research. The Volkswagen Foundation is funding the project for four years with 840,000 euros as part of the funding initiative ‘Momentum - Funding for Recently Tenured Professors’. Further information can be found at the following link. A project description is also attached.

In times of coalition negotiations between the CDU and SPD, the question of finding compromises in politics is once again becoming the focus of public debate.  
On this occasion, Dr. Tobias Albrecht gave a short interview on Deutschlandfunk radio about the SPD members' vote on the coalition agreement between the two mainstream parties and, in addition to the specific content, also commented on the question of the fundamental possibilities and forms of compromise in politics. The interview in German is available to view and download at the link below.

Compromises are being called for - and criticised - from various directions these days. In an interview with Südtiroler Wirtschaftszeitung, Prof. Dr. Ulrich Willems explains how they can succeed and what makes this type of conflict resolution so important: 

Compared to a maximum demand, compromise may be a bad option. But the question is what is realistically achievable. I agree with sociologist Georg Simmel's assessment that compromise is ‘one of the greatest inventions of mankind’. Compromise is often a good thing, even if it is generally unfair.

Project leader Prof. Dr. Ulrich Willems gave an interview to the German TV channel 3sat on the role of compromise in the upcoming coalition negotiations after the federal elections. He explains how the parties' demands, which were expressed very sharply during the campaign, can be negotiated together. The political scientist from the University of Münster also emphasizes with regard to the public: 

"We need a culture of conflict and we need a culture of compromise. This is essential for democracy."

From November 17 to 21, a master class for current and former research students of “Cultures of Compromise” took place at the University of Notre Dame in the USA. Following an invitation from Prof. Dr. William Donahue, Professor of German Literature and Film and the European Studies Program, Benjamin Hassenflug, Ernst Beneke Krumme, Lisa Olbering, Pavlos Leußler, Stefan Pulte, Bithleem Maria Sagiroglou and Andrew Wittenbrink travelled to the internationally renowned university in the state of Indiana. They were accompanied by postdocs Dr. Tobias Albrecht and Dr. Jan-Hendryk de Boer as well as Dr. Mark Halawa-Sarholz, Managing Director of the College for Social Sciences and Humanities in Essen. The aim of the trip was to present the College's research work in Notre Dame and at the same time to give the students their first experience of international academic life.

The group was warmly welcomed to Notre Dame by William Donahue. As their host, he had put together a program that was as challenging as it was varied. One focus was on attending courses in various disciplines. The students were able to attend seminars and lectures according to their interests and thus gain an impression of teaching at a North American university. One group actively participated in a German studies course taught by William Donahue and was thus able to pass on their native language knowledge to the students. The academic highlight of the Masterclass was the presentation of the project's research results by the students and postdocs on November 19. The group was able to provide insights into the multifaceted work of “Cultures of Compromise” and the “Agonistic Plurality” research project: First, the guiding questions and central methodological and theoretical approaches of both projects were outlined, followed by presentations of individual studies. The presentation ranged from research into the history of the term and the concept of 'compromise' in the pre-modern and modern periods, to the presentation of the international conferences and workshops that have been held to date, to the presentation of Bachelor's and Master's theses and doctoral projects that have emerged from the research projects.

The topics and questions of the research project met with great interest from academics and students alike. One reason for this is certainly the political situation in the USA: following the re-election of Donald Trump, the question of what role compromise can and should play in today's democracies is becoming increasingly urgent. Is the decreasing willingness to compromise a threat to democracy and society? How can politics function if key players are not prepared to compromise on their positions? When and under what circumstances do political and social debates reach a level of agonality, of profound dissent, that becomes threatening? What possibilities are there for regulating such dissent, if not resolving it, in order to prevent a potentially violent escalation?

Both projects have been researching all of these questions in recent years, addressing precisely those problems that are currently preoccupying people in the USA. The discussions were correspondingly intense, both in terms of content and day-to-day politics. Not least because the University of Notre Dame has responded to these challenges with its own priority program on democracy education, there were numerous points of contact to discuss further cooperation. All in all, it was an exciting and rewarding trip with many new insights for everyone involved.

A report by Jan-Hendryk de Boer

At the "Falling Walls Science Summit" in Berlin (November 7-9, 2024), Prof. Jens Martin Gurr participated in a panel on "Regulating Conflicts in Institutions: Migration, Climate Change, Identity Politics". Moderated by BMZ communication expert Sabine Lehmann, the panel included Prof. Patrick Cramer (President of Max Planck Society), Dr. Simone Schwanitz (Secretary General of Max Planck Society) and Prof. Metin Sitti (President of Koç University, Istanbul). The panel discussed ways in which institutions can handle the key present-day conflicts arising in present-day plural societies in ways compatible with democracy and so as to safeguard the continued functioning of these institutions. Prof. Gurr, who had been asked to provide the opening input, here introduced key concepts from the two collaborative projects "Cultures of Compromise" and "Agonistic Plurality".

In a lecture on November 20, 2024, the historian James N. Green, shared his knowledge of Brazil's history since the 1964 military coup and its ongoing impact on the country’s political landscape. The focus was particularly on agonal pluralities – not only within opposing political camps but also within the opposition to the dictatorship itself, which was notably shaped by the ‘Generation 77’.

After the 1964 coup, political freedoms were restricted, and opposition movements were forced to organize in secret. In the 1970s, a group of dissidents known as the ‘Generation 77’ became well-known. LGBTQI+, feminist, and Black groups sought political freedom and raised new social questions about societal plurality – opinions that, however, drew criticism from the Marxist opposition, accusing them of causing division within the resistance movement.

Although these debates took place more than 40 years ago, they remain relevant today. They have resurfaced in discussions about the Workers’ Party's electoral strategies, as the party navigates the tension between defending progressive values and attempting to win back its former traditional voter base, which has shifted to the right. The lecture and discussion therefore focused on approaches to pluralism, as well as the reasons behind the rise of Bolsonarism and the far-right, and how these threats to Brazilian and international democracy can be addressed – for example, through initiatives like the Washington Brazil Office.

Prof. Dr Constantin Goschler organizes a conference at the German Historical Institute (London) from 4-6 July 2024. The conference is organized by the German Historical Institute and the London School of Economics, as well as the Gerda Henkel Foundation.

The French newspaper Le Figaro has published a commentary concerning the current status of practicing compromise in German politics. The article is based on an interview between the journalist Pierre Avril (Le Figaro correspondent in Berlin) and Prof. Dr Ulrich Willems. The article is available here (French language).

The Joint Institute of Conflict Analysis, Conflict Regulation and Civic Education (Concrede) was established by the Universities of Duisburg-Essen and Münster in 2023. Its aim is to bring together various research projects and individual academics from both universities who are involved in researching conflicts in pluralistic societies and to provide a forum for cooperation. The “Cultures of Compromise” research network is also represented by Concrede.

The translator Ursula Gräfe (Frankfurt) held a lecture on forms of compromise in Japanese literature during the workshop “Compromise in Plural Worlds: A Comparison of Japan and Europe” on 7 March in Essen. You can find a report of her lecture on the literature blog Bücheratlas (author: Martin Oehlen).

Organisation: The conference was organised by the research project “Cultures of Compromise” and the “Agonistic Plurality” project based at the Universities of Duisburg-Essen and Münster.

Responsible for the conference: Jan-Hendryk de Boer, Julia Mariko Jacoby, Elisabeth Haefs (University of Duisburg-Essen) and Manon Westphal (University of Münster)

The workshop “Compromise in Plural Worlds. Japan and Europe in Comparison” on 7 and 8 March 2024 in Essen dealt with forms of conflict regulation in Japan's history and its present-day society. In particular, the role of compromise in Japan, a society where consensual agreements are highly valued and open conflict is not welcome, was discussed. A comparison with Europe also focused on working out specifics and commonalities. Interdisciplinary researchers from Tokyo, Hiroshima, Osaka, Leiden, Sheffield and Frankfurt am Main held lectures during this workshop.

The public lecture on 7 March 2024 was given by Prof. Dr Masaki Taguchi (Legal History, University of Tokyo).

In the context of an interdisciplinary panel discussion, political scientist Dr Manon Westphal gave a lecture on compromise in Münster. Exactly 375 years after the ratification of the Peace of Westphalia, the City of Münster and the University of Münster invited interested citizens and academics to an interdisciplinary discussion to talk about the links between peace and pluralism. The central topic of the event was how to deal with religious diversity.

From 22 to 25 January 2024, Prof. em. Daniel Bar-Tal, PhD (School of Education/Tel Aviv University) presented his new monograph at the University of Münster and held a workshop at the University of Duisburg-Essen, offering further exchange concerning his research. He also offered students the opportunity to engage with him and his research in a two-hour masterclass at the University of Münster.

Daniel Bar-Tal is distinguished for his research on the socio-psychological foundations and dynamics of intractable conflicts. Furthermore, he developed a conceptual framework for understanding children's political socialization and for peace education. He is concerned with the Israeli-Arab-Palestinian conflict and has presented comprehensive socio-political psychological analyses of its emergence, persistence and maintenance. He gave his lecture on this topic in Münster, which was well attended and also followed online via livestream. In his lecture, he not only described the core theses of his current book, but also explicitly referred to the current war in the Middle East. The lecture was followed by an intensive and lively discussion.

Daniel Bar-Tal's visit in January was hosted by the research network “Cultures of Compromise” and the “Agonistic Plurality” project at the Universities of Münster and Duisburg-Essen.

Bar-Tal, Daniel. Sinking Into the Honey Trap: The Case of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. Trans. Barbara Doron. Washington, DC: Westphalia, 2023.

26 October 2023, 6:00 p.m.,
College for Social Sciences and Humanities (Lindenallee 39/41, 45127 Essen)

In his lecture, former diplomat and ambassador Martin Kobler provided insights into dealing with compromise in the diplomatic service. He emphasised one of the most important characteristics of conflict resolution: without a shared vision, without a consensus concerning the compromise, a solution cannot be sustainable.

During his distinguished career, Kobler has served as the UN special envoy to Libya (2015-2017), as well as to Afghanistan (2010-2011), Iraq (2011-2013), and Congo (2013-2015). Most recently, he was the German Ambassador to Pakistan (2017-2019). Since 2020, Kobler has been a guest lecturer at the Bundeswehr Command and Staff College in Hamburg.

In his lecture on May 10, 2023 on “Public political philosophy in theory and practice“, Dr Jonathan Floyd (University of Bristol) presented his approach to public political philosophy. It addressed the question of what it means to do political philosophy not only for the academic sphere, but also for the general public

Mathis Knospe, a student in Comparative Public Governance and European Studies at the University of Münster and a student assistant in the research network “Cultures of Compromise“, met Jonathan Floyd for an interview.

You can find the full interview here.

International Conference of the association “Cultures of Compromise”

In three keynote lectures and twelve presentations, the phenomenon of compromise will be examined from theoretical and a historical perspektive.

Programme details and further information about registration can be found here.

The German Historical Institute London published “The Genius of Parliament: Cultures of Compromise in Britain and Germany after 1945” - Bulletin GHIL, vol. 45 (2023), no. 1, 3-38 - by Prof. Dr Constantin Goschler.

During the opening event, our team member Stefanie Segieth interviewed personal investigators and scientists for CampusFM Radio at the University of Duisburg-Essen.

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June, 2022: Opening Event

On June 2, 2022 at 6 p.m., the interdisciplinary research network “Cultures of Compromise” invites you to its festive kick-off event at the Glaspavillon.

In addition to greetings from the university administrations of the participating University of Duisburg-Essen, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster and Ruhr-Universität Bochum as well as the Ministry of Culture and Science of North Rhine-Westphalia, Veronique Zanetti will give a lecture.

Colloquium and Courses in the Summer Term 2022

The research association organizes an accompanying colloquium during the course of the project. In addition to theoretical basics, the colloquium also provides insights into current research projects. We are looking forward to interesting lectures and exciting discussions.

You can find more information about our upcoming events here.

March, 2022: Interview with Prof Dr Ulrich Willems

Prof. Dr Ulrich Willems of the Westfälische-Wilhelms-Universität-Münster, spoke with Liane Unteregger of the magazine sprich! about compromise. Under the guiding question of what makes a good compromise and where it reaches its limits, Ulrich Willems explains that compromises are perceived very differently depending on culture and era.

The interview is available free of charge.