New ways to travel – New media

How do people currently travel, what experiences do they have, what representations can be found in the media, and how do travel practices and media influence one another? A new project at the University of Freiburg seeks to answer these questions: The Volkswagen Foundation is providing a total of more than 1.4 million euros in funding in the coming four years for the graduate research program “New ways to travel – New media. Circulations of contemporary travel experience between practice and representation“. The goal is to promote six doctoral degrees and a post-doctoral degree. With its funding line “Humanities, Cultural Studies, Social Sciences and Professional Practice in Graduate Education“, the Volkswagen Foundation is supporting small graduate programs intended to pave the way for careers outside academia for doctoral students in the Humanities and Cultural Studies by integrating practice-based modules.

The new program in Freiburg brings together various fields in the study of travel and travel writing, and is supported by the following scholars: Prof. Dr. Barbara Korte (English Literature), Prof. Dr. Michaela Holdenried (German Literature), Prof. Dr. Markus Tauschek (Cultural Anthropology and European Ethnology) and Prof. Dr. Tim Freytag (Human Geography). The interdisciplinary approach of the program enables a particular emphasis on the intertwining of current travel experiences – from new forms of pilgrimage to urban tourism to so-called ‘dark tourism’ – and medialized forms ranging from books to blogs.

The multiple relationships between travel and media provide a connection to many professional fields outside the university. Practice-related partners include Freiburg Wirtschaft Touristik und Messe GmbH, the travel literature research center at the State Library in Eutin, Schleswig-Holstein, the Media Center at the University Library Freiburg as well as eight other external institutions. The program will start work on October 1, 2018.