urban matters

The Open Academy for an Integrative Society

The university is increasingly cut down in its freedom of thought, research, teaching and learning, which it is granted against the background of a democratic constitution.

The development of universities proceeds structurally parallel to national policies and their state institutions as well as to public and private corporate management. The capitalization of the social, the mental and the habitual leads to incapacitation and excessive demands of the individual. It endangers the future of society, which needs visions that are compatible with humans and nature. In times of crisis like this, it is the task of the humanities to perceive their critical-reflexive role and to counteract undesirable developments. Much is at stake.

The Humanifesta in Graz not only focuses on the project review and the analysis of the present (What was?, What is?), but also on the kick-off of a think tank for Critical Humanities, which is dedicated to the development of contemporary forms of adult education (what’s coming?). The focus of the Humanifesta in Graz is the challenge of (inter) disciplinary, cognitive, methodical multilingualism, which can be the starting point for further considerations for an integrative, contemporary and reform-oriented university. The anchor point is the democratic political importance of humanities. In addition to introductory keynote lectures and a concluding “humaniFIESTA!”, The event focuses on three round tables at which international and local experts and students can debate the three areas of university, architecture and art, and society of the future.