We live in an age in which trust is in short supply. In survey findings published in August 2023, the Gesellschaft für Sozialforschung und statistische Analysen reported that “just 27% of people in Germany have the sense that the nation-state is able to fulfill its responsibilities.” In the January 10, 2024 edition of The Atlantic, Jedediah Britto-Purdy describes the lack of trust in the U.S. with Americans neither trusting government, nor each other. However, he cautions us against misinterpreting this pervasive mistrust which “can feel natural, but it isn’t.”
Is this lack of trust new? How did this happen? Who is responsible? What is to be done?
We are in an age in which the idea of “trust” seems to be losing its meaning, losing its efficacy, making us fear the future. But this is not the first time, nor will it be the last. And requires us to examine how “trust” itself is generated and maintained: trust in government, in society, in institutions, and even among neighbors.
The 2024 Berlin Program Workshop addresses the idea of “mistrust” and its positive corollary, “trust,” from contemporary, historical, and future-oriented vantage points.
Presentations are encouraged that address the topic(s) of trust and distrust in a variety of disciplines and media forms:
- debates about media (old and new) and their influences on perception and credibility
- insights about art, film, and literature as reflections on trust dynamics
- examples of language, discourse, and narratives in the construction of dis/trust
- views on historical transformations of trust in Germany and beyond
- case studies of trust or mistrust in specific historical or contemporary contexts
- examples of successful or unsuccessful coalition and/or community building
- studies of trust in political/legal systems, institutions, and procedures
- examinations of the increasingly contested territory of science and/or the fight against “pseudo science”
- explorations of alternative knowledge(s) and institutionalized forms of spirituality
- discussions of trust in economic systems, businesses, corporations
The Berlin Program Summer Workshop welcomes proposals that offer case studies, cautionary tales, engaging examples, and provocative pairings from disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives that illuminate a potentially perilous path, a path that seeks to, once again, “trust” trust.
APPLICATION & DEADLINE: Submit one PDF file containing a 250-word abstract including five key words, a two-page c.v., and a 150-word bio by April 1, 2024 to bprogram[at]zedat.fu-berlin.de
FORMAT: Pre-circulated papers to be read prior to the workshop, 12-15 minute presentations
The workshop is focused on creating dialogue and knowledge across and among disciplines. A substantial period of time will be reserved at the end of the panels for discussion of the papers.
REQUIREMENTS: Presenters are required to submit papers of 15 to 20 pages or an existing publication of similar length for circulation by June 10, 2024. Presenters who do not submit their paper on time will not be allowed to present.
WORKSHOP TIMELINE
April 1: Application deadline
April 30: Notification of acceptance/rejection
May 15: Circulation of preliminary program and general readings
June 10: Final deadline for essays (15- 20 pages). There will be no extensions.
June 26-27: Berlin Program Workshop Sessions
June 28: Berlin Program Cultural Excursion (optional)
LOGISTICS
- WORKSHOP VENUE is the Freie Universität Berlin, Ehrenbergstr. 26/28, 14195 Berlin-Dahlem.
- WORKSHOP LANGUAGE is English.
- FEES: Participation in the workshop is free of charge.
- COFFEE BREAKS & LUNCH will be provided and served at the venue.
- TRAVEL & ACCOMMODATION: Participants are responsible for organizing and paying for their travel and accommodation. We encourage participants to seek funding from their home institutions or alternative sources to cover these costs.
- The annual GSA Distinguished Lecture may delivered in combination with our workshop.
PROGRAM COMMITTEE
- Dr. Deborah Barton, Université de Montréal
- Dr. Jeremy DeWaal, University of Exeter
- Karin Goihl, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin Program
- Dr. Thomas O. Haakenson, California College of the Arts
- Dr. Carol Hager, Bryn Mawr College