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06.12.2022
Executive Committee Election + Presentations by new Visiting Fellows (online)

In the first part, the Assembly of Members (2-year Fellows, 5-year Fellows, Senior Fellows and other fellows) elected one new member to the Executive Committee – replacing Abena Yalley (Postdoctoral Fellow/Dept. of Literature/Politics and Public Administration) from January 2023. Re-election/a 2nd term of office for Abena were possible. The election was held in person and online.

After the election – when all Associated Fellows, Visiting Fellows, ZUKOnnect and Herz Fellows were allowed to join the Jour fixe, two of our (online) Visiting Fellows from Ukraine gave a presentation:
Nataliia Pyzhianova (History and Sociology) talked about “Transcultural migration of elements of song-ritual folklore in Eastern and Central Europe” and Anatolii Koval (Philosophy) presented his project “Study of types of intelligence. New challenges for the intellect during the war in Ukraine”.

Abstract of Anatolii Koval’s talk
This project is aimed at the study of intelligence (starting from the theory of multiple intelligences of G. Gardner) and ways of adaptation of a person in their professional and personal life, especially in stressful conditions (such as war).

In this project, Anatolii would like to delve deeper into not only Gardner’s concept but also other authors and theories of intelligence (Craig Adams, Ian J. Deary, Mark M. Lowenthal, R. Keith Sawyer, Vera John-Steiner, Seana Moran, Robert J. Sternberg, David Henry Feldman, and others) and use their research for his goals.

This research will be useful for preparing children and students for the right choice of their main activity (profession) and to reconcile this activity with their type of intelligence.

In sum, his goal is to create a seminar for teachers, which would be based on current advances in the study of intelligence and its types. He is planning to present this seminar to Ukrainian teachers and educationalists. This will help them better understand themselves and their students in order to be more effective, especially in such difficult times.

07.02.2023
Ana del Arco (former Associated Fellow/Biology)
“Evolution of microbial communities: is the enemy of my enemy my friend?”

Abstract
Microbe-host associations are a defence strategy against pathogens. They are widespread from unicellular organisms to humans. Focusing on host-virus interactions and associated microbes interfering in virus replication, we find virophages. Virophages are virus-dependent, meaning that virophage replication depends on their parasitism on virus virion factory to produce their own virions. Consequently, virus production decreases or is inhibited, which leads to a higher survival rate in host populations. Ana used a model system consisting of host-virus virophage (Cafeteria burkhardae-CroV-Mavirus). Little is known about virophage replication and reactivation. This is crucial to understanding under which conditions this protection of the natural host population by the virophage can inhibit virus infection and prevent an epidemic in the host population. Her aim was to contribute to filling in this gap of unknown conditions for virophage reactivation and its impact on virus replication and host population survival.

25.04.2023
“Welcome to the summer semester 2023 & Executive Committee election”

In the first part, the Assembly of Members (2-year Fellows, 5-year Fellows, Senior Fellows and other fellows) elected one new member to the Executive Committee – replacing Ariane Bertogg (Postdoctoral Fellow/Dept. of History and Sociology) from May 2023. Re-election/a 2nd term of office for Ariane were possible. After the election – when all Associated Fellows, Visiting Fellows, Senior Fellows, ZUKOnnect and Herz Fellows were allowed to join the Jour fixe, we welcomed our new members, heard a short report on the workshop with the Martin Buber Society in Jerusalem that took place in the week of 18-21 April as well as several announcements, and then there was time for discussions.

02.05.2023
Daniel Skibra (Postdoctoral Fellow/Philosophy)
“Reassessing Desire for Mode and Content”

Abstract
In philosophy, it is common to categorize mental states, such as beliefs, desires, doubts, intentions, etc., as “propositional attitudes”. A central motivation for this framing is that these kinds of psychological attitudes seem to relate subjects to a certain kind of representational object, like a proposition. (Why to a representational object and not to objects that figure in the attitudes themselves? Because we can have beliefs and desires about things that do not exist, like, for example, when I believe that Santa Claus visited my house at the stroke of midnight last night, or when I want to ride a unicorn.)

Clearly, the manner in which we represent something when we believe it is the case is different from the way we represent something when we want it to be the case. In the standard story about propositional attitudes, this difference is captured by the notion of the “mode” – the relation we have to the content when we have a particular attitude. The principal difference between modes is usually cashed out in terms of “direction of fit”. When I believe that Santa just landed on my roof, I aim for my representation to fit the world (and change my belief when it doesn’t), but when I want Santa to visit my house, by contrast, the goal is for the world to fit my representation and I tend to change the world (in a limited way, of course) when it doesn’t.

In his talk, Daniel discussed several ways in which we talk and reason about desires, as exhibited by our practices of ascribing them to others, and revealed several features about them which are manifestly different from belief — features which cannot simply be chalked up to a difference in direction of fit. He has two aims in presenting these data.

The first aim is to suggest that the way we represent something in desire is different from attitudes such as belief. If we want to say that my belief that P or my desire that P relates me to a proposition, such talk should be attenuated. Secondly, he also has a methodological point to press, which is to make the case that these data do actually tell us something about desire and its objects, and not simply about language.

09.05.2023
Angelo Di Bernardo (Research Fellow/Physics)
“New approaches to low-dissipation superconducting logics”

Abstract
The key element of conventional metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) electronics, which underlies the functioning of any modern computer, is a three-terminal device called a transistor. In a transistor, the current of electron charges flowing through a small constriction of the device is controlled via a voltage, which is applied with an electrode very close (i.e. within a distance of a few tens of nanometres) to the constriction. Through the gate voltage, the resistance of the transistor is varied between two states, which makes it possible to encode the two bits (‘1’ and ‘0’) on which our computer logics relies.

It has been recently discovered that the superconducting equivalent of such an effect [1-19], which had remained unknown for years, can also be realized: applying a gate voltage to a superconducting constriction, it is possible to switch its state between a null-resistance and a non-null resistance value. This effect has raised great interest because it can lead to the development of superconducting logics, which is the superconducting equivalent of CMOS logics.

In this talk, Angelo described the physics of the effect and the work that he is currently carrying out with the support of an EU-funded FET-Open programme called ‘SuperGate’, led by the University of Konstanz with the aim of developing a disruptive technology based on gate-controlled superconducting devices.

16.05.2023
Jacob Bloomfield (Postdoctoral Fellow/Literature)
“Wilde’s Heirs: Queer Icons, Queer Culture, and the Nation in the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries” in the framework of the International Day Against Homophobia on 17 May

Abstract
Wilde’s Heirs: Queer Icons, Queer Culture, and the Nation in the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries constitutes a critical historical investigation of ‘queer icons’ in the arts and popular culture; ‘queer’ meaning same-sex desiring and/or overtly gender nonconforming. Although this abstract employs the term queer as shorthand, the presentation took care to use culturally and historically specific labels concerning gender and sexual identities where appropriate.

Drawing partially from historian Geoffrey Cubitt’s (2000) definition of heroes, Jacob defined a queer icon as a cultural figure who has not only achieved fame among queer observers, but a figure whom queer observers have endowed with an extraordinary, symbolic significance marked by collective emotional investment. The presentation examined an international cohort of well-known figures who are seen as queer icons today, such as musician Little Richard, Turkish singers Zeki Müren and Bülent Ersoy, Japanese actor Akihiro Miwa, Finnish artist Tom of Finland, and Chinese dancer Jin Xing. A critical commonality among the queer icons investigated in Wilde’s Heirs is that, like Anglo-Irish writer Oscar Wilde in the British context, they have all been embraced as nationally significant figures. This process has occurred in spite of – or sometimes because of – their gender and/or sexual nonconformity. For example, Müren received a state funeral, Finnish postage stamps have honoured Tom of Finland, and Miwa has featured in a Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare anti-tobacco campaign.

Drawing from these case studies, Wilde’s Heirs addresses the following questions: What makes someone a queer icon in the first place? Have queer icons who have achieved national acclaim done so because of or in spite of their sexual and gender identities? When queer icons have achieved national acclaim, has that helped the wider queer community?

27.06.2023
Liliana Abreu (Associated Fellow/Politics and Public Administration)
“Breaking the cycle: Pioneering a Global Mental Health Approach to End Violence”

Abstract:
Violence is a complex and pervasive issue affecting individuals, families and communities worldwide. To address this multifaceted problem effectively, it is crucial to adopt a comprehensive approach that goes beyond traditional law enforcement and criminal justice measures. This presentation explored the concept of preventing violence not only through a public health lens but also through the emergent field of research and practice: global mental health. The focus of this work lies in research on violence, its negative social and psychological impact and how we may be able to counter this. Causes of violence are multi-faceted – high levels of poverty, inequality and social exclusion of a significant proportion of the population stand out as major causes and, therefore, offending and detention are also high. How to begin to cope with the mental health burden, violent victimization and continuous recidivism is an urgent question. A preliminary study conducted in Brazil in 2022 was presented.

Afterwards, Maryna Lytvyn (Visiting Fellow/doctoral researcher in economics/Dnipro University of Technology, Ukraine) spoke about “Researching the activities of German universities in achieving the SDGs”.

Abstract
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, presents a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, today and in the future. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are the core of it, which are an urgent call for action by all nations – developed and developing – in a global partnership. The results of the survey were presented. The survey was conducted for the purpose of researching the activities of German universities in achieving the SDGs. Participants of the survey are representatives of the University of Konstanz.