Lecture by Teresa Koloma Beck: The University and Militarization

Moderators: Johanna Schaffer and Abetare Prenici (faculty and students in visual communication at the Kassel University of Arts)

A live stream of the lecture is planned; the Zoom link will be posted here shortly before the event begins. Thanks to Janis Schmidt for handling the technical aspects and making the stream possible.

Militarization means aligning the state and society with the needs of the military. Universities and research institutions do more than just observe and comment on such developments. In the face of multiple crises, the global rise of neo-imperial and illiberal policies, and the proliferation and intensification of perceived threats, they are currently being swept up in these dynamics themselves. As public institutions—and in Germany, for the most part, state institutions as well—they are confronted with the expectation that they will support government efforts to improve national defense capabilities. The notion of the university as a critical observer and reflector of social developments is coming under increasing pressure. This situation highlights the ambivalence of the university: it is both a place where power interests are articulated and a place where power is criticized and subverted.

This lecture aims to shed light on this constellation from the perspective of the sociology of conflict. It will explain why academic work on pacifism and antimilitarism is particularly important in democratic societies in times of rearmament and militarization. It will also analyze how changing forms of warfare pose new challenges to this work. These changes include the growing significance of datafication and digital technologies, which are turning everyday life into a primary arena for interstate wars, as well as the increasing intertwining of foreign and domestic political conflicts, which is also blurring the boundaries between military and police functions. These developments are altering key structural features that have shaped large parts of antimilitarist and pacifist thought. How can these traditions respond to the changes in the nature of warfare described above?

Teresa Koloma Beck conducts research on everyday life and globalization in contexts of war and crisis, with a particular interest in the contemporary dimensions of colonial and imperial history. She is a Professor of sociology at Helmut Schmidt University/University of the Federal Armed Forces in Hamburg.

english

Lecture | Teresa Koloma Beck: Universities and Militarization

Facilitators: Johanna Schaffer + Abetare Prenici (Faculty and Student in Visual Communication / Kassel Art Academy)

We plan to livestream the lecture; for the Zoom link, please check back on this website shortly before the event. Thanks to Janis Schmidt for the technical setup and making the stream possible.

Militarization means aligning the state and society with the needs of the military. Universities and research institutions do more than simply observe and comment on such developments. In light of multiple crises, the global rise of neo-imperial and illiberal policies, and the proliferation and intensification of perceived threats, they are currently being swept up in these dynamics themselves. As public institutions—and, in Germany, as mostly state institutions—they are confronted with expectations that they support government efforts to improve national defense capabilities. The notion of the university as a critical observer and reflector of societal developments is coming under increasing pressure. This situation highlights the ambivalence of the university as both a place where power interests are articulated and a place where power is criticized and subverted.

This presentation aims to shed light on this constellation from the perspective of the sociology of conflict. It will explain why academic research on pacifism and antimilitarism is particularly important in democratic societies during times of rearmament and militarization. It will also analyze how changing forms of warfare present new challenges for this research. These changes include the growing importance of datafication and digital technologies, which are transforming everyday life into a primary arena for interstate wars, as well as the increasing intertwining of foreign and domestic political conflicts, which is also blurring the boundaries between military and police functions. These developments are altering key structural features that have shaped large parts of antimilitarist and pacifist thought. How can these traditions respond to the changes in the nature of warfare described above?

Teresa Koloma Beck’s research focuses on everyday life and globalization in contexts of war and crisis, with a particular emphasis on the contemporary dimensions of colonial and imperial history. She is a Professor of sociology at Helmut Schmidt University/University of the German Armed Forces in Hamburg.