Cultures of Imagination

Studying the emergence, transformation and impacts of social imagination

Social imagining als a network of people and media

Image: AI-generated
Social imagining als a network of people and media

This research focus explores the emergence, transformation and impact of social imagining as a central cultural technique. Bringing together the humanities and social sciences at the FSU, it was awarded the EXC Imaginamics: Practices and Dynamics of Social Imagining in 2025. This trans-epochal research focus centres on the power and dynamics of ideas in social negotiation processes and cultural transformations, with emphasis o practives that enable imagining.

Quick links

  • Theory and cultural history

    Researchers develop new approaches to (social) imagining while examining relations between self and world, material and sensory dimensions of imagination and practices
    of image and text. Topics include Romanticism as an epoch of imagination, cultures of memory, colonial narratives, and crisis discourses in the Anthropocene.

    Cultures of imagination

  • Global perspectives

    Discourses on identity and crisis are studied with partners in Latin America, such as the Universidad Nacional de
    San Martín (Buenos Aires) and the Maria Sibylla Merian Centre CALAS, highlighting how social imagination shapes global developments.

    Cultures of imagination

Meet Our Researchers

  • Prof. Dr. Diana Forker

    "What I appreciate about Jena is the vibrant interdisciplinary collaboration and the rich academic tradition, which provide an inspiring environment for my own research."

    Prof. Dr. Diana Forker
    Image: Nicole Nerger (University of Jena)
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Projects Shaping the Research Focal Area

Programmes to Support Early Career Researchers

Campus Partners

Further Research Focal Areas at FSU