Global crises and the development of spatial literacy (T01#)

• Subject Area: Human Geography
• Term: since 2026
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 266371360

From 2016 to 2024, the Collaborative Research Center (CRC) 1199 investigated spatialization processes and the persistence of existing spatial formats and spatial orders under the global condition. Numerous studies on various world regions have confirmed this hypothesis, thereby generating an extensive collection of empirically well-documented examples. This successful work forms the basis for a transfer strategy targeting multiple audiences. The goal of such a strategy is not meant to just present the knowledge gained and illustrate it through clear examples for the public, but also to pose a research question that can be answered by critically and reflectively observing transfer activities and its effects on target audiences. This guiding question is whether the numerous overlapping, complementary, as well as competing spatial formats in politics, business, and society are matched by an adequate level of spatial literacy. We depart from the a disconnect: while academic debates over the past two to three decades have advanced a spatial turn – emphasizing globalization and transregional and transnational interdependencies – these insights have had little influence on or use by general public and elite discourses beyond academia. We have selected 15 spatial formats that are relevant to current global crises, which will be presented in contextually relevant manner for diverse audiences. The transfer project will result in the following output (work packages): 1) Two exhibitions (in cooperation with the City of Leipzig) 2) Public event series (in cooperation with the Sächsische Landeszentrale für politische Bildung and the Forum Recht Foundation) 3) Lexicon of spatial formats (in cooperation with the Sächsische Landeszentrale für politische Bildung and the CrossArea e.V. Association) 4) Curricular recommendations and Open Educational Resources (OER) (in cooperation with the German Geographical Society) 5) Discussion film series (in cooperation with the German-French broadcaster ARTE) .

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres (Transfer Project)
• Subproject of: SFB 1199: Processes of Spatialization under the Global Condition
• Applicant Institution: Universität Leipzig
• Project Head: Professor Dr. Matthias Middell