The RTG "Aesthetics of Democracy"

The DFG will fund the RTG "Aesthetics of Democracy" with around 6 million euros in the first funding period. The RTG, with its spokespersons Professor Johannes Völz, American Studies at Goethe University Frankfurt and holder of the professorship for American Studies with a focus on "Democracy and Aesthetics", and philosopher Sophie Loidoldt of Technical University of Darmstadt, wants to make democracy research a bigger focus in the humanities, among other things. Two cohorts of 12 doctoral students each will work on relevant topics over the next five years. There will also be ten additional scientists from a broad spectrum of subjects in the humanities, from general and comparative literary studies to American studies, film and media studies, German studies, art history, modern history, philosophy, Scandinavian Studies and sinology.

The RTG "Technologies of Witnessing: Media and Cultural Practices"

With around 6.3 million euros, the DFG will fund the RTG "Technologies of Witnessing: Media and Cultural Practices" of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) over the next five years. JGU will contribute an additional 550,000 euros. The interdisciplinary group will explore, for example, how techniques of witnessing that are emerging in digitally networked environments change and what consequences these developments have on contemporary cultures. From 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2031, the new research training group will offer a structured and interdisciplinary research and study program to 20 doctoral students and 1 postdoc that will also enable space for developing individual research profiles. 

Grants are a positive signal for the RMU

The granting of two RTGs at once from the humanities across the three Rhine-Main Universities is a sustainable contribution to strengthening the humanities at the Rhine-Main Universities and also shows the positive development of the RMU network.