The temporal dimension of leisure

Our contemporary culture is marked by restlessness, demands toward achievement and acceleration. At the same time, the notion of leisure have been revived, which seem to make a good life possible, but can also be viewed as a provocation. In his lecture “Unruhe als Passion: Zur Lage der Muße” (“Restleness as Passion: The Case of Leisure”) the Kiel philosopher Prof. Dr. Ralf Konersmann addresses the basic features of our restlessness culture, classical notions of leisure and the question: What does leisure mean nowadays? The event will be held on October 24, 2019 starting at 6:15 p.m. in the event hall of the University Library, Platz der Universität 2. It will kick off the public lecture series by the Collaborative Research Centre 1015 (SFB 1015) “Otium. Boundaries, Chronotopes, Practices” in cooperation with the Studium Generale at the University of Freiburg for the 2019/2020 winter semester. All interested parties are cordially invited. Admission is free and no registration is required.

The series entitled “The Temporal Dimension of Leisure” approaches the topic from different disciplines: researchers from philosophy, sociology, psychology, English and Islamic studies will examine the phenomenon from their respective perspectives.

The Munich sociologist Prof. Dr. Stephan Lessenich will speak on November 21 about the topic “Gut Ding braucht (W)Eile: Die Politik mit dem Potenzial und ihre Widersprüche." (“Good Things Take Time: The Policy of Potential and its Contradictions”). The lecture “Spiel und Tod am Strand” (“Play and Death on the Beach”) by Anglicist Prof. Dr. Virginia Richter on December 5 will examine the beach as a refuge from everyday life and as a destination for mass tourism. The psychologist Prof. Dr. Sabine Sonnentag will give a lecture on “Alltägliche Erholung von der Arbeit. Ein erster Schritt zur Muße?” (“Everyday Recovery from Work. A First Step Toward Leisure?”). On January 23, 2020 philosopher Prof. Dr. Andreas Arndt will talk about the topic “’Brüder, zur Sonne, zur Freiheit’. Das Reich der Freiheit als freie Zeit” (“’Brothers, to the Sun, to Freedom’. The Realm of Freedom as Free Time"). Finally, Islamic theologian Prof. Dr. Milad Karimi will speak on January 30, 2020 with her lecture “In der Zeit nicht in der Zeit sein. Zur Zeitlichkeit und Muße aus dem Geiste des Islam” (“To Not Be in Time. On Temporality and Leisure in the Spirit of Islam”) on the meaning of leisure in Islam. The events are also free of charge, are aimed at the general public and take place in the following weeks each Thursday starting at 6:15 p.m. in the event hall of the University Library. Exception: Milad Karimi’s lecture on January 30, 2020 will take place in lecture hall 1098 of the Collegiate Building I, Platz der Universität 3.

The SFB 1015 examines cultures of leisure and focuses on the social and socio-political aspects of the topic. While the first funding phase from 2013 to 2016 focused on historical objects such as leisure and gender in 19th-century Russia or Roman letter literature, the current 15 scientific subprojects in the second funding phase have been increasingly devoted to contemporary phenomena. Research on leisure courses in the face of self-optimization or psychological investigations on leisure spaces contribute to today’s debate on the provision and use of temporal resources.

Lecture series program

Details about the Collaborative Research Centre