From 6–8 May 2026, the fifth meeting of the HWK Study Group “Rejecting Futures: Practices of Resistance or Failure” took place at the Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg (HWK) in Delmenhorst, Germany. The interdisciplinary group explores cultural, ethical, and social practices that challenge dominant ideas of futurity, prevention, and progress. (hanse-ias.de)
CIRAC Fellow Annette Leibing, co-organiser of the study group, and CIRAC Advisory Board member Stephen Katz participated in this year’s meeting, which focused on the theme “Rejecting the Future: Affect and Mental Health.”
Ulla Kriebernegg, a regular member of the HWK Study Group, also took part in the discussions alongside an international group of scholars from the humanities and social sciences. The meeting continued the group’s ongoing exchange on alternative temporalities, resistance to futurist paradigms, and the cultural meanings of uncertainty, failure, and refusal. (hanse-ias.de)
Further information on the study group is available via the Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg project page.