UOL and NMU Deepen Academic Exchange in Humanities Research

What concepts of knowledge and knowledge production exist in different academic communities from a global perspective? What idea of an “archive” is behind them (texts, objects, rituals, practices, orality, collective memories...)? How can we “irritate” our way of looking at the past, our “ways of thinking” through a critical dialogue between different research traditions? How can different ways and methods of knowledge production stimulate each other? And what impact does the use of AI have on knowledge production? 

These are just some of the questions the participants in a series of workshops with researchers from the Humanities Faculty of the Nelson Mandela University (NMU) in Gqeberha, South Africa, and researchers from the academy project Prize Papers, DiViAS, ProSaDi and the institutes of history and philosophy at Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg (UOL), grappled with. The discussions were guided by the mutual understanding to explore what we can learn from each other and how we can identify and overcome biased epistemologies. Its overall aim was to identify research areas of mutual interest and explore ways for future collaboration. To this end, two sessions with the International Office Oldenburg, and with the Department of Research and Transfer provided an overview of different funding schemes in support of research and teaching measures between the humanities and digital humanities of Nelson Mandela and Carl von Ossietzky Universities, to be continued with the respective offices at NMU. The workshop was shaped by inspiring panels and thought-provoking discussions that laid the foundation for future collaboration.