New cohort in ExStra funding program for postdoctoral fellowshipsHow Do People Experience Political Conflicts in the Digital World?

16 January 2024, by Christina Krätzig

Photo: Universität Hamburg / Esfandiari

The philosopher Dr. Niclas Rautenberg works on the Ethics in IT research team and in the University’s emerging field Grounds, Norms, Decision.

The Postdoctoral Fellowships program aims to support researchers who are conducting research in emerging fields at Universität Hamburg. Dr. Niclas Rautenberg is one of our 4 new fellows. His research project is rooted in the philosophical tradition of phenomenology.

Mr. Rautenberg, you will receive funding for 3 years. What is the central question of your study during this period?

I would like to know, what experiences we gain when we are disputing politics on digital platforms such as Facebook, X, a Zoom or Teams video call. How do these discussions differ from analog conversations at the dinner table or in the conference room? And how do these platforms differ from each other? Those are my central questions.

This could also be a sociology or peace research topic. Why do you find it important to illuminate these issues from a philosopher’s perspective?

In the past, philosophy rarely focused on concrete conflicts. Philosophers would typically rather examine the meaning of justice or how to define the good—for instance, what makes for a good peace. Often, the do not ask, however, how this can be achieved. But in today’s conflict-ridden world I find this important, and I believe a philosophical approach could bring fresh ideas.

My starting point are known appearances, so-called phenomena. Phenomenology as a philosophical discipline was established at the beginning of the twentieth century by Edmund Husserl. He started out asking what must be given so that people can actually have the experiences they have. Temporality, spatiality, corporeality—these factors all play a role and I want to analyze how these roles shape our conflict experience.

How will you proceed?

After establishing the current state of research, I will primarily conduct interviews with political actors. They will report on their experiences in the digital and analog space. My task will be to look for congruity and differences in oder to reveal individual experiences and underlying patterns.

All fellows receive a budget for materials of €20,000 annually for a 3-year period. What are you planning to do with this money?

I aim for open access publication, which is relatively expensive. Also, I plan to attend conferences and visit other research institutions working on related topics. In order to build a productive network I would also like to offer workshops or conferences myself. Funding from the Excellence Strategy enables me to tackle one thing at a time.