In the Ukraine war, not only borders are being contested, but social orders are also shifting. To better understand these rearrangements, a panel discussion with live-streaming will be held at the Institute of Architecture at Technische Universität Berlin on March 29, 2022, at 6pm.

The 21st century is considered a globally networked age. “But in the Ukraine war, imperial military occupation of space is now colliding with economic network spaces,” says Prof. Dr. Martina Löw, spokesperson of the Collaborative Research Center 1265 and the Grand Challenge Initiative on Social Cohesion of the Berlin University Alliance. Not only are there more fortified borders around the world than ever before, but in the Ukraine war, new borderlines are also being contested. “Culturally significant Ukrainian cities are being destroyed. With urban space, Ukrainian nodes of connectivity are under attack,” Martina Löw continued. This destruction does not stop at the digital space, either. Russia, for example, is sealing off its network spaces against foreign influences, and in Ukraine digital infrastructures are undergoing lasting destruction.

The panel with other renowned co-discussants such as Prof. Dr. Katharina Bluhm, Dr. Ievgen S. Donskyi and Prof. Dr. Steffen Mau will discuss whether the struggle for space can be understood as a consequence of globalization. However, the focus is not only on the causes, but also on the consequences of the war. Is social cohesion eroding locally and globally, or is it not being reinforced in many cases? Does Russian invasion policy take its cue from the pre-modern empire, or are we not witnessing the emergence of classically conservative-modern arguments? What future is still conceivable in the face of destruction? Interpretations of the causes of war, consequences of war, and observations on the reordering of the world will be negotiated in the conversation. Event language is German.

Time and Venue:

• Tuesday, March 29, 2022, 6 p.m.
• Institute of Architecture at Technische Universität Berlin,
  Strasse des 17. Juni 152, 10623 Berlin 

Livestream under: 

• https://www.youtube.com/c/institutfurarchitekturtuberlin

The panel:

• Technische Universität Berlin: Prof. Dr. Hubert Knoblauch and Prof. Dr. Martina Löw 
• Freie Universität Berlin: Prof. Dr. Katharina Bluhm and Dr. Ievgen S. Donskyi
• Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin: Prof. Dr. Steffen Mau

The Berlin University Alliance

The Berlin University Alliance is a consortium consisting of the three major Berlin universities – Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Technische Universität Berlin – and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, established to jointly shape research and education in Berlin. The four partners joined forces to further develop Berlin as a research hub with international drawing power. Together the partners explore major societal challenges, increase public outreach, promote the training of junior researchers, address issues of quality and standards in research, and share resources in the areas of research infrastructure, teaching, diversity, equal opportunities, and internationalization. The Berlin University Alliance is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the state of Berlin within the framework of the Excellence Strategy of the Federal Government and State Governments.

Joint press release by Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Technische Universität Berlin, and Charité –Universitätsmedizin Berlin

Press contact
Suhana Reddy
Head of Communication of the Berlin University Alliance 
Email: suhana.reddy@berlin-university-alliance.de

Research Contact

• Collaborative Research Center 1265: Dr. Nina Elsemann, Managing Director and Scientific Coordinator
  Tel.: +49 30 / 314-73787
  Email: nina.elsemann@tu-berlin.de
• Berlin University Alliance: Christian Richter, Scientific Coordinator Social Cohesion
  Tel.: +49 30 / 838-697 46
  Email: christian.richter@berlin-university-alliance.de