We take a close look at interactions!
Through the reference to Maurice Merleau-Ponty's phenomenology of the subjective body,
video hermeneutics is expanded and the special content of visual-bodily behavior in
interactions is taken into account. The section contributes to the further development of the
interpretative paradigm by making new forms of intentionality, such as fleshly habituality,
fruitful for phenomenology. This makes it possible to go beyond the classical interaction
model of two human actors and the restriction to the contents of their consciousness. This
approach is therefore increasingly suitable for analyzing less-than-conscious habits as well as
material and bodily functional relationships between humans, technology and animals.
Habits and transformation
Habits are not only good or bad, but also convey attitudes towards the world that we are not
aware of, but which nevertheless have an effect. They stabilize society and create social order.
It is about changing the perspective on the concept of habit and showing that they are
omnipresent. Knowledge of habits is the prerequisite for transformation and overcoming
current social crises. The section is working on making habits visible. To this end, actors are
accompanied in their everyday lives and at work, observation protocols are drawn up and
selected interactions are recorded on video. A particular research focus of the section is the
study of religious communities. It analyzes how habits contribute to communitization and
identity formation in evangelical free churches.
Human-animal and human-technology relationships
Currently, animals and technology are equated with humans and their ability to act is
considered equal. The historian Barbara Duden has prominently demonstrated that
humanization always goes hand in hand with the coding of masculine and feminine. This also
applies to animals and technology when they are anthropomorphized. Numerous aspects of
human-animal and human-technology relationships are examined in the section. This includes
the computerization of the operating theatre as well as the anthropomorphization of sex dolls.
A particular focus is on the care processes in human-animal interactions. The analysis of the
bodily functional context can show how care comes about in the relationship triangle of
professional, therapy animal and patient.
