Generator of New Ideas
Reading between the lines: Since 2009 the Dahlem Humanities Center has been one of the Focus Areas of Freie Universität Berlin.
Image Credit: Bernd Wannenmacher
Humanities research at Freie Universität has a breadth and diversity unparalleled in Germany. Founded in 2007 with a mission to create interdisciplinary networks, the Dahlem Humanities Center is the central hub of the many departments and activities.
News from Mar 23, 2015
The Dahlem Humanities Center (DHC) is the first and only humanities center of its kind in Germany thus far. The members of DHC are 24 internationally acclaimed professors based at Freie Universität’s Department of Philosophy and Humanities and the Department of History and Cultural Studies.
Research in the Humanities
Ranging from forms of society in the ancient world to the linguistic diversity of modern Europe, the fields of research in the humanities are numerous, multi-faceted, and characterized by an investigative approach that seeks to understand what people thought about, what “spirit” prevailed in a particular period, and how this was reflected in their daily lives, art, and culture.
The humanities help keep memories of past centuries alive and available for continued reflection. Equally concerned with the present, the humanities also explore and reflect on changes in culture and society and current global issues, making a vital contribution to modern society and societies of the future.
Researchers at DHC analyze the trends, tendencies, and theories that determine the directions taken by research, presenting their findings at a variety of events. DHC makes current topics and research findings in the humanities a subject of public debate.
Platform for Dialogue
The Dahlem Humanities Center, founded in 2007, is one of five Focus Areas at Freie Universität. It offers a platform for dialogue for the over 600 researchers working in the different fields and institutes of the humanities at Freie Universität as well as for researchers at the other humanities institutions in the Berlin-Brandenburg region.
Cooperation with non-university research organizations, cultural institutions, and the humanities centers at leading universities around the world promise to generate important new impulses for humanities research in Berlin. With idea competitions and fellowships the Dahlem Humanities Center provides incentives to develop new individual and collaborative research projects as well as advice and seed money for promising new projects.
Since 2010 the DHC has been co-funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research as a pilot project.