GRK 2571:  Empires: Dynamic Change, Temporality and Post-Imperial Orders

• Subject Area: History
• Term: since 2020
• Website: Homepage
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 416530946

The interdisciplinary Research Training Group (RTG) aims at understanding the complexity of imperial temporalities, their longue durée, representation, reflection, resonance, and manipulation in imperial and postimperial contexts. The dissertations developing in the RTG explore how and in what ways empires create specific temporalities, temporal horizons and temporal conflicts, and that imperial pasts are important resources in periods of rapid imperial transformation as well as in postimperial constellations. The focus on imperial temporalities is innovative, since empires are commonly understood in terms of their political, social, and spatial characteristics. The research programme of the RTG, moreover, approaches empires at an intermediary analytical level. It focusses on temporal questions specifically within: a) imperial spaces, b) imperial institutions and norms as well as c) imperial economies. The collaboration between historians of a wide range of historical periods and spaces and researchers in Islamic studies, sociology, political science, and literary studies fosters effective comparative research, plural methodologies, and multispectral approaches to a wide range of historical cases and entangled global spaces. The RTG offers graduates interested in imperial, transnational and global developments the opportunity to pursue innovative research of high contemporary relevance in an interdisciplinary environment. It offers guidance in disciplinary and interdisciplinary research leading to internationally visible results. Research trainees pursue their topics in a structured programme of guided research and receive training in disciplinary methods, interdisciplinary collaboration, as well as theoretical reflection. Spaces for reflecting upon and dealing with diversity and early orientation in employment opportunities after the PhD within and outside the university are also provided. The participation of a postdoctoral scholar with prior experience in interdisciplinary research will foster interdisciplinary intellectual development of the PhD students and will conversely, increase his/her own competence in interdisciplinary communication in a vital period of his/her academic career. The PIs represent a broad spectrum of the humanities, covering a wide range of historical periods and global spaces from different disciplinary angels. They participate actively in the research programme,focussing within the RTG especially on (post)imperial temporalities in the longue durée.

• DFG Programme: Research Training Groups
• Applicant Institution: Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg
• Spokesperson: Professorin Dr. Sitta von Reden
• Participating Researchers: Professorin Dr. Manuela Boatca; Professorin Dr. Eva von Contzen; Professorin Dr. Sabine Dabringhaus; Professor Dr. Jürgen Dendorfer; Professor Dr. Peter Eich; Professor Dr. Jörn Leonhard; Professor Dr. Andreas Mehler; Professor Dr. Dietmar Neutatz; Professorin Dr. Elisabeth Marie Piller; Professorin Dr. Johanna Pink