Liliana Gómez brings Käte Hamburger Kolleg “Rohstoffwelten: Kulturen im Umbruch” to Kassel

Starting in 2026, the University of Kassel will be the location of one of Germany's most prestigious research programs in the humanities and social sciences: The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMFTR) has approved the Käte Hamburger Kolleg “Rohstoffwelten: Kulturen im Umbruch.” The funding line is one of the ministry's most important programs and usually has a duration of twelve years and a budget of over 20 million euros.

The program is headed by Prof. Dr. Hans-Jürgen Burchardt (Department of Social Sciences) and Prof. Dr. Liliana Gómez. Prof. Gómez works in the Department of Humanities and Cultural Studies at the University of Kassel and is also affiliated with the documenta Institut. This connection strengthens the collaboration between university research and the scientific orientation of the documenta Institut and significantly expands the institute's international network. The director of the documenta Institut, Prof. Dr. Heinz Bude, emphasizes: “The Käte Hamburger Kolleg 'Rohstoffwelten: Kulturen im Umbruch' is a milestone for our institute—it combines cutting-edge research with global networking and strengthens Kassel as a research location in the long term.”

The documenta Institut is a central research center for global contemporary art and its social significance. It examines the artistic, curatorial, and cultural practices of documenta and other forms of contemporary art, as well as their international interconnections.

The Käte Hamburger Kolleg focuses on one of the central questions of the 21st century: How can social and cultural transformations toward a post-fossil fuel world be achieved? The research initiative examines how societies and their cultures are changing in the face of the energy transition, technological developments, and changing raw material requirements. It looks at how people around the world produce and use raw materials and inscribe them into horizons of meaning—and what new social and cultural orders emerge from this.

Every year, the center brings international fellows from the humanities, cultural studies, and social sciences to Kassel to conduct research and teach together with the center's team. The first funding phase focuses on the field of energy.

With “Rohstoffwelten: Kulturen im Umbruch,” the University of Kassel is creating a scientific hub that examines the social and cultural dimensions of raw materials from a global perspective. Cooperation within Kassel—including the documenta Institut, the Kassel Institute for Sustainability, and the Centro de Estudios Latinoamericanos (CELA)—creates a unique environment that enables cutting-edge international research and strengthens Kassel's visibility worldwide.