Ferdinand-Tönnies-Letters: A digital edition

• Applicants: Dr. Thomas Burch; Dr. Uwe Dörk; Oliver Kohl-Frey; Dr. Martin Lätzel; Professor Dr. Hans-Georg Soeffner
• Subject Area: Sociological Theory
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 452317405

The electronic edition of the Ferdinand Tönnies’ letters is the first completely digital online edition of letters from a classical sociologist (https://www.ftbe.de/home). It will assemble nearly 1.900 extant letters written by Ferdinand Tönnies (1855–1936), which are housed in over 50 institutions worldwide. As one of the pioneers and organizers in the field of sociology, Tönnies’ correspondence provides a unique insight into the emergence and development of sociology as a discipline and its transnational and transdisciplinary origins. It also illustrates the significance of letters for scientific communication and knowledge formation well into the 20th century.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Co-Investigator: Dr. Jochen Dreher