Budget-Financed Bodies

The research group bundles interdisciplinary research interests in the field of case studies in the professionalisation of educators. In addition to bringing together theoretical knowledge and joint research activities, the aim is also to convey and reflect on methods in teaching.

Contact: Prof. Dr. Sarah Gaubitz, Prof. Dr. Agnes Pfrang, Prof. Dr. Andrea Schmid and  Prof. Dr. Ulrike Stutz

The political debates surrounding ‘derisking', secondary sanctions, economic resilience and trade wars are placing geoeconomics prominently onto the political and academic agenda. This research group uses applies the lenses of ‘capitalism’ and ‘security’ to address the increasing overlap between the politics of security and wealth creation, to link the fields of security (Prof. Hoffmann), political economy (Prof. Kessler), law (Prof. Riegner) and public policy (Prof. Goldthau). Among other things, the aim is to better understand the close interaction between private sector and state actors in areas such as security apparatuses, the energy industry, global supply chains and financial markets, and to analyze their political motivations and effects.

Contact Person: Prof. Dr. Sophia Hoffmann

The research unit for Contemporary Church History Erfurt (FKZE) focus on the history of the Catholic Church in the Soviet occupation zone, in the GDR and the communicating of the research results in public.

Website Research Unit for Contemporary Church History Erfurt (FKZE)

The Research Unit for Early Modern Natural Law was founded in 2016 and is a joint institution composed of the Max-Weber-Kolleg and the Gotha Research Centre since 2019. It aims to coordinate ongoing research projects about the Natural Law in Early Modern Age and shall be an inspiration for upcoming projects in this field.

Website Research Unit for Early Modern Natural Law

Interculturality and multilingualism represents particularly relevant paradigms today, likewise in either science, education or society. In this context, the research unit FIM aims for research, promotion of young academics and the support of young researchers by coordinating and supervising different projects within the fields of research of teaching, transfer and mediation.

Website Research Unit for Interculturality and Multilingualism (FIM)

Established in 2016, the Research Unit for The History of the Older University of Erfurt does focus on the history of its university and makes its research results accessible to a broader public. It is headed by Prof. Dr. Ulman Weiß at the Department of History (Historisches Seminar) at the University of Erfurt.

Website Research Unit for The History of the Older University of Erfurt

The research initiative Political Epistemologies of Central and Eastern Europe (PECEE) investigates modes of (self-)reflexivity in the history of the sciences and the humanities.

Website Research Unit PECEE

The Research Unit for Language. Communication. Religious Education., established on 1 April 2016, is part of the Martin Luther Institute of the University of Erfurtand is located at the professorship of Religious Education. This research unit deals with current challenges of religious language education and communication about religion in religious education.

Website Language. Communication. Religious Education.

Language art and religion characterise cultural dynamics in post-secular society. In our research center we analyse practices and contexts of its conjuncture.

Website Research Center Language Art and Religion

The Research Unit for the History of Publishing is based on the Centre for Transcultural Studies / Perthes Collection. It extends the research on the Perthes Collection with a special focus on the three publishing companies whose traditions the collection unites. In regular meetings, the Centre brings together scholars of image, art, and books, as well as scholars from the fields of geography, history, and the history of science.

Website Research Unit History of Publishing

The Research Unit is dedicated to the digital collection and documentation of the evidence of the oldest Latin translations of the biblical scriptures (Vetus Latina) preserved in ancient and medieval biblical manuscripts, in quotations from church writers of the 1st millennium, and in liturgical tradition. From the preserved fragments, the various forms of the Latin biblical text in the period before the Vulgate are reconstructed with the help of digital tools and electronic processes, and classified chronologically and geographically. In the process, the history of the impact of these texts in their significance for the Christian religion as a whole and for the cultural and intellectual history of Europe will be inquired into.

Website Research Unit Vetus Latina

The Fröbel Research Unit will serve as a central point of contact for questions about Friedrich Fröbel and promote historical and evidence-based research, have an impact on the training of educators and have an impact on society as a worldwide intangible cultural heritage.

Website Fröbel Research Unit (available in German only)

Established in 2018 at the Gotha Research Centre,the Research Unit Studies on Illuminati set itself to do researches on the Illuminati Order, existing from 1776/78 to 1787/88. The most important goal is to render the written estates of the Order and its members accessible to the public. This way source material can be used by other researchers and all those interested in the history of the Order for their own researches.

Website Studies on Illuminati

In 2016, the interdisciplinary Research Unit for Historical Media (IFhM) was founded at the University of Erfurt. It is part of the Faculty of Philosophy and is headed by the historian Prof. Dr. Christiane Kuller and the communication studies scientist Prof. Dr. Patrick Rössler.

The Johann Gottfried Herder Research Centre at the Max-Weber-Kollegwas established in 2015. It sees itself as an interdisciplinary platform for research and scientific exchange on Herder's work. It is particularly interested in providing an overview of the various facets of Herder's thinking. In addition to Herder's preaching activities, it focuses on his philosophy of history and his role as a mediator of knowledge about non-Christian religions.

Website Johann Gottfried Herder Research Centre

The Kierkegaard Research Centre at the Max-Weber-Kolleg(supported by the Carl Friedrich von Siemens Foundation) coordinates the work on the „Deutsche Søren Kierkegaard Edition“, which has been published by De Gruyter since 2005 and has now published six volumes of Kierkegaard's journals and available lecture notes. This translating, editing, and publishing of Kierkegaard's research is being conducted in the fields of theology, philosophy, and literature, and is reflected in conferences and publications.

Website Kierkegaard Research Centre

The Meister-Eckhart-Research Centre at the Max-Weber-Kolleg focuses upon the work of Meister Eckhart, especially those related to Thuringia (his Thuringian writings, the Dominican Convent and writings about Begiunes and Beghards), the pre-university connection of Erfurt around 1300 with the University of Paris, and the contemporary and modern reception of Eckhart with its inherent interreligious dimension.

Website Meister-Eckhart-Research Centre

The Network Studies for SpatioTemporality Erfurt is intensively engaged in the development of theoretical foundations for the conceptualization of an interdisciplinary, transregional and transepochal research of spatiotemporalities. The theoretical examination is one of the trademarks of the ERZ.

Ansprechpartner: Prof. Dr. Holt Meyer

Website Studies for SpatioTemporality Erfurt

The Interdisciplinary Forum on Religion (IFR) is an informal, interfaculty association of scientists at the University of Erfurt who conduct research on religion-related issues. Catholic theologians from the Faculty of Catholic Theology,Protestant theologians from the Martin Luther Institute in the Faculty of Education,religious studies scholars in the Faculty of Philosophy,fellows at the Max-Weber-Kollegand representatives of various other disciplines share their research interests, develop cooperative research projects and are committed to promoting young scholars.

Contact person: Prof. Dr. Christoph Bultmann 

The research network "Cultural Techniques of Collecting" sees itself as a forum that is intended to facilitate a dialogue between the various activities and research relating to collecting and the various collections at the University of Erfurt, from which a theoretical perspective on collecting as a cultural technique should be developed.

Contact person: Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Struck

Website Cultural Techniques of Collecting

The collection and research cluster Friedenstein-Gotha emerged from the collection and research network Gotha, which was funded by the State of Thuringia from 2016 to 2020. The Faculty of Philosophy and the three Gotha-based research institutions of the University of Erfurt are involved: the Gotha Research Library, the Gotha Research Center and the Center for Transcultural Studies / Perthes Collection. They work closely with the “Stiftung Schloss Friedenstein Gotha” and cooperate with the “Stiftung Thüringer Schlösser und Gärten” and the City of Gotha. The cluster aims to make the extraordinary collections in Gotha as well as the research and the promotion of young talents at the institutions more internationally visible. By intensifying the cooperation, the university and the partners have, in the long-term, an institutional integration of the Gotha-Based institutions in mind.

To the blog of the Collection and Research Institutions of Gotha 

Information will follow soon.

The trans | discipline Simone Weil denʞkollektiv was founded in 2019 by Thomas Sojer (Max-Weber-Kolleg Erfurt), Max Walther (Bauhaus Universität Weimar) and Martina Bengert (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin). As an egalitarian, international platform, it networks - in close cooperation with the American Weil Societyand the Association pour l‘Étude de la Pensée de Simone Weil - actors from science, art and culture who work with the French philosopher Simone Weil (1909-1943). The network focuses on the transdisciplinary exploration of Simone Weil's oeuvre and the realization of a wide variety of event concepts and research projects. Therefor the network has founded its own webpage with different contributions (in form of videos/podcasts/papers), organizes discussion boards, reading groups to establish a collaborative research practice. The digital website helps to overcome boundaries of space and time and supports the dialogue based joint venture of the network.

Contact person: Thomas Sojer

Website trans | disziplin Simone Weil denʞkollektiv

We founded the Junior Research Network „Uni Erfurt Podcasters“ to facilitate an exchange of experience and knowledge about podcasting across faculties and disciplines and to bring into contact present and future stakeholders. This network aims to make podcasting more accessible in teaching and to provide an innovative framework for public and transparent science communication. Furthermore, we plan to empirically investigate the effectiveness of podcasting in education and thus initiate evidence-based research on podcasting in digital learning processes. The members meet regularly on the second Friday of each month at 10 a. m. and are always open to other interested researchers.

Contact person: Marcus Berger