„Adaption – Autonomy – Continuity: Academia in Times of Crises (20th Century
The conference «Adaption – Autonomy – Continuity. Academia in Times of
Crises», organized by the SNSF project «Science Transnational. Switzerland and
Forced Academic Migrants 1933 to 1950» will take place from 26th to 28th of
October 2020.
Academia is a historically grown and interwoven social and cultural system, and is
closely linked to social and political developments. This relationship becomes
particularly visible in times of political upheaval or accelerated social change such
as during the First World War and in the years of state building after 1918, in
fascist and national socialist dictatorships and the Second World War, throughout
the turmoil of «68», after the collapse of communism in Europe as well as during
and after various revolutions throughout the century and major (academic)
migration movements. Academia and its core institution, the universities, have a
longer tradition than almost any other institution, and has therefore shown
particular coping strategies in times of crises.
It is the goal of this conference to focus on what happened to academia, its
institutions and actors in «times of crisis» and to ask about its specific strategies to
overcome rupture. The broadly defined concept of crisis will provide the
opportunity to bring different research projects and perspectives into contact with
each other. This allows us to discuss the many developments and ruptures of the
20th century in a comparative way.
When and why did universities react either … READ MORE