Comparative Terms: Historical Semantics of Comparison (16th–21st Century) (E01 [C03])

• Subject Area: Modern and Contemporary History ; Early Modern History
• Term: from 2017 to 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 317664947

This subproject explores the semantics and pragmatic functions of vocabularies denoting comparison and of comparison-performing sentences in important European languages from early modernity to the contemporary age. Our main target for the second phase is in depth-studies on (1) claims of incomparability in discourses about God, love, and presumably unique historical events (e.g. the Shoah), (2) practices of comparing in the genre of utopias and dystopias (16th–21st century), and (3) practices of comparing in British and German parliamentary debates (20th century).

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1288: Practices of comparisons: Ordering and changing the world
• Applicant Institution: Universität Bielefeld
• Project Head: Professor Dr. Willibald Steinmetz