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Research Profile

After the debate concerning the heading "Spatial Turn" has focused on space-oriented research subjects for the last 20 years, a deficiency concerning the conceptual and philosophical foundation of spatial research has often been pointed out in recent times. Although important stimuli for the development of this research trend emerged from philosophy, the subject itself has not yet taken on a leading role in the spatial discussion. It is a discussion, therefore, that philosophy is especially obliged to reflect upon.

The project aims at a philosophical contribution to a process, which reflects on the foundations of the cultural sciences under the heading of the “Spatial Turn“. This objective shall be accomplished by the engagement with “place” within the context of the planned graduate school. Place has attracted special attention in phenomenological approaches since the first half of the 20th century and it is suitable for profiling the concept of space more precisely. Thus the phenomenological critique of science opposes the primacy of the abstract scientific concept of space by emphasizing that it presupposes the experience of place instead of the reverse. Within the planned graduate school the concept of place – especially, but not exclusively as it is used in phenomenological and poststructuralist approaches – shall be submitted to a systematic analysis. The project lays the focus on place as a knowledge-constructive and action-guiding principle and its fundamental meaning as a unit of sense in our lived experience and knowledge of the world. Place is therefore regarded as a fundamental principle of the cultural sciences, not as their topic. It is not the intention of the project to explore a new topic area as a field of research, rather to grasp reflectively which covert preconditions the cultural sciences already presuppose.

By this means the research programme sets its sights not only on a contribution to the systematic and conceptual foundation of the cultural sciences, but also on a reassessment of the interdisciplinary potential of phenomenology and (post) structuralism. In view of the relevance of place for Japanese philosophy, it would also be desirable to expand the perspective on this topic beyond the Western philosophical tradition.

Scientific Relevance

The emphasis on the philosophy of the place, as within the framework of the graduate program, is to provide a reflection on the conceptual foundations of cultural studies in terms of the “Spatial Turn”.

Many difficulties of cultural space-studies are closely connected with fundamental philosophical problems, in the examination and clarification of which the philosophy of place could provide a useful lens. Four pre-existing areas of difficulty are here to be highlighted:

  1. The lack of systematization in the concepts and dichotomies used in the discussion of cultural studies (space vs. place, lieu vs. espace, site vs. non-site, etc.)
  2. The danger of a strict opposition between space and time, as it has arisen in a critical turn against the "temporocentrism" in the thinking of the 19th and early 20th century.
  3. The tension between the idea of ​​space as a social construction, as often pursued in sociology, and the idea of ​​a determination by the space resulting from the reception of an older tradition of geography.
  4. The conflicting assessment of current political and social processes, which are interpreted both as a return and as a disappearance of space/place.

Objectives of the Research Group

The Research Group on the "Philosophy of Place" specifically pursues the following objectives:

  • The fusion of especially outstanding projects in a graduate school that contribute to an interdisciplinary theory of place as well as a place-specific fundamental reflection on cultural studies, in order to promote scientific exchange between researchers and to pool the theoretical efforts in this area
  • The creation of optimal conditions for the speedy completion of the projects supported by the graduate school, in which a maximal personal research space is combined with offers of substantive and methodological training and counseling as part of the program of the Eichstätt Graduate Academy
  • The establishment of a public forum for interdisciplinary reflection on issues in cultural studies at KU Eichstätt
  • The improved utilization and connection of the research activities on the philosophy and theory of place which already exist at KU Eichstätt
  • To promote international networking of the KU through explicit inclusion of foreign applicants, cognizant that the reflection on the importance of relationships of place is a global issue
  • To create ideal conditions for both young academics of the Graduate School as well as for specialists in order to provide the opportunity to enrich the current state of research

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Research Profile
Objectives of the Graduate School