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 project of this Research Training Group is to understand the complexity of imperial temporalities and their representation, reflection, resonance, and manipulation in periods of accelerated imperial change and in post-imperial contexts. Innovation will be expected from the perspective of imperial temporalities, as empires have so far been characterised mainly in terms of political and spatial phenomena. Moreover, instead of aiming at imperial syntheses or selected microanalyses, this RTG will focus on an intermediary analytical level along three main lines of research: temporalities involved in a) the transformation of imperial space, b) imperial economies, and c) imperial institutions and normative structures. The interdisciplinary collaboration of historians with scholars from literary studies, sociology and political science encourages historical research linked through their joint perspective on the politics of imperial time structures and their representation in literature and other media. The research of the RTG will demonstrate how empires, in regard to their spatial, economic, institutional, and normative aspects, create their own temporalities and temporal horizons, and will establish that imperial pasts are important resources in periods of accelerated transformationand in post-imperial constellations. The RTG will provide graduates with interests in imperial, transnational and global history, politics, sociology, and literature the opportunity to pursue innovative research of high contemporary relevance in an interdisciplinary environment. It will offer guidance in effective interdisciplinary research of international visibility and impact. Research trainees will pursue their topics in a structured programme of guided research as well as receive training in disciplinary methods, interdisciplinary communication, and theoretical reflection. There will be thematic seminars, classes in research skills and methodologies, while special courses will familiarise the research trainees with the principles of good scientific practice, sensitivity to social diversity, as well as employment opportunities outside the university. The PIs represent a broad spectrum of the humanities, covering a wide range of historical periods and global spaces, as well as cultural sociology, political science, and literature. They will participate actively in the research programme and will focus especially on imperial temporalities in the longue durée.

• DFG Programme: Research Training Groups
• Applicant Institution: Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg
• Participating Researchers: Professor Dr. Ronald G. Asch; Professorin Dr. Manuela Boatca; Professorin Dr. Sabine Dabringhaus; Professor Dr. Jürgen Dendorfer; Professor Dr. Peter Eich; Professorin Dr. Judith Frömmer; Professorin Dr. Barbara Korte; Professor Dr. Jörn Leonhard; Professor Dr. Andreas Mehler; Professor Dr. Dietmar Neutatz; Professorin Dr. Elisabeth Marie Piller, since 11/2021
• Spokesperson: Professorin Dr. Sitta von Reden, since 11/2024