German Academy Research Articles

Der Bahá’í-Glaube als Weltreligion

For a century the Bahá’í Faith has been classified, within the German academy, as a world religion. This article highlights the major historical milestones in this process of recognition. The process was initiated on the eve of the First World War by the two Jewish Germanophone orientalists Goldziher and Vambery. In the inter-war period, the categorization of this faith as a world religion – rather than a sect of Islam, as it had once been viewed – was further propelled by academics outside the field of theology and religious studies, such as the natural scientist Auguste Forel. It was only after the catastrophic experience of World War II, a period when the German Bahá’í community evinced a spirit of resilience in the face of Nazi oppression, that scholars in the field of Christian theology and religious studies, such as Heiler, Mensching and Benz, who represented the school of Religionswissenschaft des Verstehens, began to adopt the classification of the Bahá’ís as new world religion.

Meet the First Author.

Meet the First Author.

The Cameroon Academy of Sciences model of evidence-based science advice

The evidence-based science advice (ESA) effort of the Cameroon Academy of Sciences (CAS) since 23 years has been reviewed. The objective throughout has been to enable science influence policy/decision making at all levels – national, regional and global. The key partners of CAS included the United States National Academy of Sciences (USNAS), the German Academy of Sciences (Leopoldina), the Royal Society of United Kingdom, as well as the Network of African Science Academies (NASAC), the InterAcademy Partnership (Science, Health, Research), the Commonwealth Science Academies and the International Science Council. The mechanisms used included consensus studies, workshops, public lectures, participation in sectoral committees, summaries of key scientific publications and joint statements. Priorities handled through convening activities were triggered by policy/decision making sector requests or Academy foresights. The response/impact of the effort varied from media coverage through policy/programme change/orientation. The major challenges faced included insufficient financial/human resources, inadequate office space, and weak links with government. These challenges must be addressed to enable effective evidence-based science advice which is increasingly unavoidable for sustainable development.Keywords: Evidence-based science, advice, policy, decision-maker

The History of the German Association for Crystal Growth

The History of the German Association for Crystal Growth

Walter Thiel (1949-2019).

On August 23, 2019 Walter Thiel passed away suddenly and unexpectedly. Thiel was a giant in the field of Theoretical Chemistry and has left deep marks as an outstanding scientist and as a wonderful human being. With Walter Thiel, the scientific community has lost a visionary scientific leader and an important voice of reason.

Who Can Speak and Who is Heard/Hurt? Facing Problems of Race, Racism, and Ethnic Diversity in the Humanities in Germany ed. by Mahmoud Arghavan et al.

Reviewed by: Who Can Speak and Who is Heard/Hurt? Facing Problems of Race, Racism, and Ethnic Diversity in the Humanities in Germany ed. by Mahmoud Arghavan et al. Ervin Malakaj Who Can Speak and Who is Heard/Hurt? Facing Problems of Race, Racism, and Ethnic Diversity in the Humanities in Germany. Edited by Mahmoud Arghavan, Nicole Hirschfelder, Luvena Kopp, and Katharina Motyl. Bielefeld: transcript, 2019. Pp. 300. Paper $40.00. ISBN 978-3837641035. The last five years have seen the rise of publications examining the history of and conditions for racism at German universities. This work has appeared in various contexts, including German-language newspapers, reports by public foundations, as well as academic periodicals and scholarly presses. Of note is the advocacy and scholarship of Kien Nghi Ha, Daniela Heitzmann, Kathrin Houda, and Natascha A. Kelly, among others. These scholars and scholar activists have sought to uncover the systemic features in the German education system that complicate or obstruct access to higher education for migrants and People of Color. In effect, their work sought to stimulate additional inquiry about systemic racism in German higher education, hoping to mobilize a wave of critical scholarship in the service of transformative social justice. Who Can Speak and Who is Heard/Hurt? Facing Problems of Race, Racism, and Ethnic Diversity in the Humanities in Germany is firmly positioned in this scholarly and activist landscape. Drawing on critical discourse on diversity work as well as insights from postcolonial, critical race, and decolonial theory, the volume is a comprehensive assessment of structural racism underpinning the teaching and research in the German academy's humanities disciplines. It features a comprehensive introduction and fifteen contributions by scholars and scholar activists working in the German higher education system as well as those with ties to the international academy. In the discussions and debates about systemic racism at German universities, scholarship has productively reflected a paradox also at the heart of Who Can Speak and Who is Heard/Hurt? The volume's editors and contributors make a compelling case for stronger representation of migrant scholars and scholars of color at German universities while recognizing that the racist structure itself is a toxic place for them. For the contributors to the volume, this conundrum requires multiple strategies to advance its call for social justice. On the one hand, it requires dedicated support structures for the migrant scholars and scholars of color currently employed by or enrolled in university programs. By strengthening their success rates and providing representation including at the professoriate rank, universities would strengthen a support structure for future migrant scholars and scholars of color. On the other hand—and this emerges clearly in the introduction of the volume and in select chapters—German universities are not the only place to address an issue part and parcel of the total education system leading to university studies. Of note here is that Germany's three-tiered secondary education system provides multiple structural [End Page 448] hurdles for migrant students and students of color to enter academia. As such, approaches to diversify the academy will have marginal success rates unless they entail strategies to build a secondary education system more attentive to the statuses and lived experiences of migrant students and students of color. Among the merits of the volume is its sharp critique of American studies in Germany. In particular, the editors and contributors deftly demonstrate how even though impulses from US-based American studies form a point of orientation for its German counterpart, the process falls short of embracing some of the US academy's features more conducive to transformative antiracist work: when it comes to scholar activism, the import of US-based models falls short. That is, instead of embracing critical tendencies of postcolonial, decolonial, and critical race theory and directing these to examine the epistemological and pragmatic frameworks of the university itself—as has been done in the US academy through, for example, the #BlackLivesMatter movement—American studies in Germany on the whole subscribes to a purported detached objectivism in the German idealist tradition. The volume rejects scholarly praxes claiming epistemic distance such as those enacted through an insistence on objective truth, arguing that the commitment to...

Slavistics at St. Petersburg and Greifswald Universities (results of cooperation)

The article offers a review on the history of Slavic studies at St. Petersburg and Greifswald universities from the era of Peter the Great to present day. The role of Professor Lyudmila Verbitskaya is highlighted who always actively supported the activities of the Department of Slavic Philology (for example, she approved the initiative to create a department of Ukrainian studies in the early 2000s). Thanks Verbitskaya, St. Petersburg University was historically recognized as the first university in Russia founded by Peter the Great in 1724, which was proven by archival materials stored in Greifswald. Peter the Great, in the assembly hall of the University of Greifswald in September 1712, at a meeting of the Academic Council received a proposal from the President of the German Academy of Sciences Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz on the establishment of a university in St. Petersburg with a European status. The status of the first university was officially recognized by a decree of the Government of the Russian Fed- eration in 1999 when the 275th anniversary of the founding of St. Petersburg State University was celebrated. As the Rector of St. Petersburg University, Verbitskaya in 2006 concluded an inter-university agreement with the Rector of the University of Greifswald Professor Jürgen Kohler. Slavic scholars and professors from St. Petersburg and Greifswald Universities collaborate closely. One of the active pedagogical and scientific areas of such cooperation is Slavic studies, which have long combined the efforts of Russian and German philologists.

«Forgotten name... Yakov A. Rosenstein»

«Forgotten name... Yakov A. Rosenstein»

Implementation of International Land Use Objectives - Discussions in Germany -

ABSTRACTInternational sustainability objectives for land use, designated in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Habitat III are formulated in general ways. The objectives need specification and regionalisation to raise impact. How far the general spirit of the objectives is reflected in regional and local practiceswill be discussed using the example of the annual scientific meeting of the German Academy of Spatial Research and Planning (ARL). This article shows that discussions about implementation comprise a richness of ideas in good practice and concepts for inner city development in some locations, whereas other disputes, for example, urban-rural interconnections, are missing.

Model for personalized diagnostics and treatment in neurology-German Academy for Rare Neurological Diseases

The German Academy for Rare Neurological Diseases (DASNE) founded in 2017 on the Wartburg in Eisenach, aims to pave the way for an optimized personalized management of patients in all age groups with rare neurological diseases. By bringing rare neurological disease experts together and through forming adynamic national network the DASNE, initiated by the Centers for Rare Diseases in Lübeck and Tübingen, will continuously foster mutual exchange. Members of the DASNE are renowned experts covering the whole spectrum of rare neurological disorders including pediatric neurology. Through case presentations and multidisciplinary discussion both at yearly meetings and on an internet platform, the main aims of DASNE are to establish aGerman expertise and reference network for rare neurological disorders. Further main aims are to provide continuous medical education for younger academics in the field of rare neurological disorders and facilitate translation.

Editorial introductions

Editorial introductions

Knowledge and Environment in the "Participatory Dictatorship" : Scientific Environmental Concepts and the Environmental Policy Change in the GDR

The GDR was an ecological failed state in 1989/90. But while public input and critical environmental groups protested more openly against environmental problems during the 1980s, the established sciences remained strangely mute and appeared unable to develop appropriate approaches to solving the environmental crisis. Almost 20years earlier, however, an environmental policy departure that was largely supported by scientific reform initiatives had begun in the GDR. The inclusion of the concept of conserving nature and the environment in the 1968 constitution and the adoption of the land improvement law two years later were the expression of asocio-political consensus on the environmental issue.How can this sharp discrepancy be explained? The article investigates the influence of scientific environmental concepts on the departure in environmental policy in the GDR. The example of scientific nature conservation, which had been institutionally anchored in the German Academy of Agricultural Sciences since 1951, shows that conservationists underwent aperiod of "normalization" in the 1950s, which was an essential prerequisite for giving their concerns political legitimacy. This forced adaptation process not only influenced the concepts and goals of East German nature conservation, rather also opened up participatory opportunities for its protagonists.The essay argues for areassessment of East German environmental history, which so far has only been considered from the perspective of how it ended. Furthermore, it is argued that the conceptual concept of the "participatory dictatorship" (Fulbrook) should be applied to the history of science in the GDR in order to expand existing approaches.

Leibniz‐Institute for Catalysis (LIKAT): From Basic Research to Practical Applications

Leibniz‐Institute for Catalysis (LIKAT): From Basic Research to Practical Applications

History of a book: Hildegard of Bingen's ‘Riesencodex’ and World War II

ABSTRACTOnly two large collections of Hildegard of Bingen's music are extant, today housed in the Katholieke Universiteit in Leuven (B-LVu, no shelf number) and in the Hochschul-und Landesbibliothek RheinMain in Wiesbaden (D-WI1 2, the so-called ‘Riesencodex’). The Riesencodex, though, was almost lost during World War II. It survived both bombing and plundering in Dresden in February 1945, only to be appropriated by the Soviet Administration in 1947. Using archival records from the Hessisches Hauptstaatsarchiv in Wiesbaden from the 1940s and 1950s, I detail the efforts of a number of people to retrieve the manuscript after the war and bring it back to Wiesbaden. Franz Götting, the director of the Wiesbaden library, spent several years trying to recover the manuscript through official channels. Its eventual return to Wiesbaden in 1948, however, came about surreptitiously, largely through the efforts of Margarete Kühn at the German Academy in East Berlin and an American woman, Caroline Walsh, in Berlin as a military spouse.

Editorial introductions

Editorial introductions

1. L’historiographie de la Shoah en Italie, 1995-2015

This article describes Italian research on the Shoah from the last 20 years. The author explains that Italian research was delayed by a “shared oblivion” regarding the responsibility of Italian society and institutions. This oblivion was caused by the persistent myth of “Italiani brava gente” (“Italians are good people”), which was still deeply entrenched in the minds of the Italian public and oftentimes, Italian researchers. Though Italian historiography has produced good books and research over the last 20 years, the Italian academy is still very limited in comparison with the German academy. The limitations of Italian research on the Shoah are primarily due to the lack of comparative work and more generally, the lack of studies on the perpetrators and collaboration with the Nazi police.

Editorial introductions

Current Opinion in Anesthesiology was launched in 1988. It is one of a successful series of review journals whose unique format is designed to provide a systematic and critical assessment of the literature as presented in the many primary journals. The field of anesthesiology is divided into 15 sections that are reviewed once a year. Each section is assigned a Section Editor, a leading authority in the area, who identifies the most important topics at that time. Here we are pleased to introduce the Section Editors for this issue. SECTION EDITORS Jürgen SchüttlerJürgen SchüttlerProf. Jürgen Schüttler has been Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany, since 2008 and Professor of Anesthesiology and Head of the Department of Anesthesiology, University Hospital Erlangen, Germany, since 1995. He studied medicine at the University of Bonn, Germany, from 1974 to 1980 and earned his MD degree (s.c.l.) in 1982 on the pharmacokinetics/-dynamics (PK/PD) of fentanyl with special emphasis on a respiratory rebound phenomenon. He was trained in anesthesiology and clinical pharmacology at the University of Bonn, University Hospital, and Stanford University Medical School from 1981–1985. He finalized his Habilitation in 1986 with several clinical studies on PK/PD of intravenous anesthetics like Propofol, Ketamine, and Etomidate. He pioneered together with Prof. Helmut Schwilden the concept of computer controlled application of intravenous anesthetics, nowadays in clinical use worldwide as TCI (Target Controlled Infusion) for intravenous anesthesia as well as EEG controlled closed loop anesthesia. Dr Schüttler's research focus today is in pain research: determinants and modulators of postoperative pain, and in medical technology of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Dr Schüttler is a member of the German Academy of Natural Sciences Leopoldina. He was awarded several prizes, among those the Karl-Thomas-Prize and the Sertürner-Prize as well as the Paul-Martini-Prize. Dr Schüttler was President of the German Society for Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine (DGAI) from 2009 to 2010. Natalie F. HoltNatalie F. HoltNatalie F. Holt is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, CT, USA. She is also a staff anesthesiologist and Medical Director of the Ambulatory Procedures Unit and Anesthesia Prescreen Clinic at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in West Haven, CT. She is on the editorial staff of Clinical Anesthesia (Barash et al.) and an anesthesiology section editor for UpToDate, an internet-based, clinical decision support tool for physicians. In addition, Dr Holt is a writer and editor of continuing medical education content published by the American Society of Anesthesiologists. Dr Holt completed her medical degree at Yale School of Medicine, USA in 2001 and an anesthesiology residency at Yale-New Haven Hospital in 2007. She also holds a Masters degree in Public Health from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, MD, USA. She is dual-board certified in Anesthesiology and General Preventive Medicine. Her interests include preoperative risk assessment, operating room management, medical education, and medical writing.

ヴァイマル期ドイツにおけるアリス・ザロモンの女性社会福祉職教育 : 「女性社会福祉職・教育職のためのドイツ・アカデミー」に注目して

ヴァイマル期ドイツにおけるアリス・ザロモンの女性社会福祉職教育 : 「女性社会福祉職・教育職のためのドイツ・アカデミー」に注目して

Personalized Medicine in Europe.

Personalised medicine is a promising new concept for dealing with challenges of health and health systems. With the launch of the International Consortium of Personalised Medicine, which brings together health research funders and policy making organisations, European countries aim to coordinate research and health policy to advance the implementation of personalised medicine. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Editorial introductions

Editorial introductions