News

12.-13.09.2022, Darmstadt

Thinking and knowledge production do not arise in a vacuum, in a purely abstract space, but have local and quite pragmatic and practical roots. How we deal with things, persons, texts, or problems determines how we think and categorize about them. Human beings are not “brains in a vat” (Hilary Putnam), but social and psycho-physical beings who understand themselves and others through practices. In the process of negotiation with the other, practices shape our reality and are the basis of our thinking, feeling, and acting. They form an inescapable and often unreflective starting point for individual as well as collective world discovery. Our knowledge of the world and of ourselves is thus dependent on historical, regional, and disciplinary practices and their interconnectedness. Who we are is not only revealed to us through theorizing, but always also through concrete doing. In this conference, we will examine how the situatedness of thinking and knowledge production is mirrored in the practices (and history) of philosophy.

Why it is useful to study history at TU Darmstadt

Finally back: The career orientation fair Hobit took place in presence again. The Institute of History of the TU Darmstadt presented itself in Karo5 together with the Department 02. Pupils could ask why it is worthwhile to study history.

Strategies, Practices, and Ambivalences of a Key Concept since the 1980s

We will host a conference on „Flexibility“ and „Agility“: Strategies, Practices, and Ambivalences of a Key Concept since the 1980s (together with Leibniz Centre for Contemporary History Potsdam (ZZF), Helmut-Schmidt-University/University of the Federal Armed Forces Hamburg (HSU), SPP 2267 “The Digitalization of Working Worlds. Conceptualising and Capturing a Systemic Transformation.“). Keynote speaker is Richard Sennett.

Historic analysis of computer use in German savings banks, 1957-1991

How did the historical process of digitalization shape the economy in East and West Germany in the second half of the 20th Century? This huge question is adressed by Martin Schmitt in his now published dissertation through the example of savings banks. (German only)

"Co-constructions of Learning and Technology. On the transformation of "learning subjects" in the 20th century" by Dr. Kevin Liggieri

We are pleased to announce that the Emmy Noether Research Group on “Co-constructions of Learning and Technology. On the Transformation of ”Learning Subjects“ in the 20th Century” has been approved by the DFG.

The TU Historian Julia Erdogan interviewed was interviewed by the Podcast Science S*Hereos about hackers, haeksen and her way into science.

Joint teaching project by TU Darmstadt and the Museum for Communication, Frankfurt

In the summer semester of 2021, students of TU Darmstadt had the opportunity to gain insights into curatorial work. Under the guidance of Nora Thorade (TU Darmstadt) and Tina Kubot (Museum for Communication, Frankfurt), they designed a virtual exhibition on the history of digital storage media. The objects come from the collection of the Museum für Kommunikation in Frankfurt and were arranged especially for this exhibition:

French documentary about computer gaming in the GDR with Martin Schmitt

Computer games in the GDR were political. Critically observed by the Stasi, they offered young people a way to escape the grey everyday life. It was a playful form of social exchange for them. For the state, on the other hand, these games offered an opportunity to get young people excited about high technology and thus contribute to the future of socialism in the digital age. As media of everyday culture, computer games allow historians an insight into the past of the socialist state. Martin Schmitt spoke about this on the French channel gTV .