Fourth Hamburg Symposium on Philosophy and Anthropology
In recent years, negative climate emotions such as anxiety, fear and despair have attracted the attention of scholars and the public alike. According to a 2023 survey, climate change is a significant source of fear for 74% of Germans. These negative emotions may inspire climate action. However, they are also increasingly leading to mental health issues, social strain and political paralysis.
Against this backdrop, there have been calls for more hope in the face of the climate crisis. The argument is that a society cannot remain in a state of panic without considerable psychological and social costs, and that hope is necessary in order to develop positive visions of the future. Anthropological research has revealed that emotional responses to the climate crisis vary significantly across different regions of the world. In some countries particularly affected by climate change in the Global South, a more hopeful approach to the issue can be observed than in the Global North.
The workshop aims to advance the current discussion on climate hope by addressing two questions. Firstly, we want to explore the conditions under which climate hope arises. Why do some people react to climate change with hope, while others despair? Secondly, the workshop will investigate the effects of climate hope. While some forms of climate hope may be helpful in addressing the challenges we face, others may be counterproductive. What are helpful forms of climate hope?
To address these questions, we invite philosophical explorations of the sources and effects of hope, as well as anthropological explorations of climate hope in diverse socio-cultural settings. By combining conceptual and ethnographic approaches, our goal is to develop an empirically grounded theory of climate hope. The results of the workshop will be published as an edited volume with a major publisher.
Our discussion of Climate Hope will be the Fourth Hamburg Symposium on Philosophy and Anthropology. Established byThiemo Breyer and Michael Schnegg in 2023, the symposium provides a platform for the two disciplines to engage in close dialogue. Previous themes include ‘Normalised Consciousness’ (2023), ‘What is Experience?‘ (2024), and ‘What atmospheres do‘ (2025). The format evolved from a fellowship at HIAS, which continues to support the symposium alongside the Universities of Hamburg and Cologne and the DFG.
Organizers
Michael Schnegg, University of Hamburg
Julian Sommerschuh, University of Hamburg
Presenters/Discussants
- Claudia Blöser, Philosophy, University of Cologne
- Thiemo Breyer, Philosophy, University of Cologne, HIAS Alumnus 2022-2023
- Ghassan Hage, Anthropology and Social Theory
- Arne Harms, Anthropology, Max Plank Institute for Social and Cultural Anthropology, Halle
- Cheryl Mattingly, Anthropology, University of Southern California
- Michaela Haug, Anthropology, University of Freiburg
- Juliane Rebentisch, Philosophy, HFBK Hamburg
- Michael Schnegg, Anthropology, University of Hamburg
- Nikita Simpson,Anthropology, SOAS University of London
- Jan Slaby, Philosophy, FU Berlin
- Julian Sommerschuh, Anthropology, University of Hamburg
- Jason Throop, Anthropology, UCLA
- China Scherz, Anthropology, University of Notre Dame
- Thomas Schwarz Wentzer, Philosophy, Aarhus University
- Asa Wettergren, Sociology, University of Gothenburg
- Jarrett Zigon, Anthropology, University of Virginia
Participants
- Can Akin, Anthropology, University of Hamburg
- Aman, Anthropology, University of Hamburg
- Robert Desjarlais, Anthropology, Sarah Lawrence College
- Rasmus Dyring, Philosophy, Aarhus University
- Barbara Muraca, Universität Greiswald, HIAS Alumna
- Julia Pauli, Anthropology, University of Hamburg
- Soumhya Venkatesan, University of Manchester
- Julia Vorhölter, Anthropology, University of Hamburg, Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology, Halle
Funded by
