Transformation can be understood as a mixture of revolutionary and reformist concepts of social organisation and implies a co-productive interaction between the population, politics, administration, business and academia. The understanding of democracy contained therein comprises the emancipatory claim to support as many people as possible in a community - and preferably from an early age - in being able to actively participate in the development and shaping of social transformation strategies and practices with their respective potentials, needs and interests, which at the same time always identifies democracy and democratic transformation design as a socio-educational project. However, it is also evident that ownership of land, infrastructure and entire economic sectors organised by the private sector in particular tends to be an obstacle to gaining real influence and democratic participation in the transformation of ecological and social living conditions.

The keynote offers an overview of what is currently being discussed and in some cases practised in this regard, as well as the challenges that are emerging and the central, in some cases still completely unresolved questions and problems that go hand in hand with this. It aims to encourage further thought and work.

Speaker: Marcel Schmidt (h_da)

In uncertain times, the future can be a glimmer of hope on the horizon or the site of an approaching catastrophe. Critical futurology approaches draw attention to the fact that such narratives do not simply fall from the sky and what effects they have on decision-making and organisational processes. After a brief input on the basics of critical futurology, the workshop will give participants the opportunity to explore together how the future is already being imagined in the here and now and how it is shaped by our actions and decisions. Using examples from the research impulse "Shaping Future Society", we will work out how variants of the future are addressed or neglected, enabled or excluded.

The aim of the workshop is to raise awareness of the fact that the way we think and talk about the future today influences the possibilities for shaping tomorrow. This dialogue is not only relevant for researchers, but also for everyone who is interested in actively shaping a future worth living.

Leader: Sascha Dannenberg (FU Berlin) & Filiz Aksoy (HS Fulda)

Protest actions and civil disobedience disrupt everyday life, are disruptive and the question arises reflexively: Are the protesters allowed to do this? What is protest allowed to do? What is legal and what is legitimate?

Especially in transformation processes, resistance and protest are essential and fulfil important democratic functions. But how does a society react to protest? What role do politics and social institutions such as the police and courts play? Responses from politics and institutions in turn influence the dynamics of protest movements; they can respond to the content of the protest, ignore it, delegitimise it or even prevent it. This applies both to protest groups aiming for faster transformation and to those who want to prevent or slow down transformation.

This panel will discuss social, political and legal debates on the legitimacy and function of protests.

Speakers: Julia Zilles (University of Göttingen) & Merle Michaelsen (activist)

Video clips on TikTok and Instagram are increasingly shaping political opinion, especially among young people. Algorithms reinforce filter bubbles and short video clips often present social topics in an abbreviated form. At the same time, so-called micro-learning videos are creating new opportunities for political education and democratic participation.

This workshop will analyse manipulation strategies in social media videos and look at media education approaches for dealing with them critically. Using the TikTok channel "Fulda Shalom" as an example, possibilities for education and prevention work on social media will be shown.

Leader: Felix Rudolph-von Niebelschütz (Menschen und Medien E.V.)

The multiple crises of the present are calling for a comprehensive transformation towards a more sustainable society. At the same time, political initiatives aimed at a socio-ecological transformation are generating enormous socio-political conflicts. Impulses for change provoke resistance and unintended consequences that exacerbate social inequalities or manage to increase reactance. Socio-ecological transformation is social change that is associated with different interests and goals of social actors, the direction of which is contested between them.

In this workshop, social transformation conflicts will be identified and analysed. The question of how these conflicts can be dealt with and how they can be managed without losing sight of the necessity of social transformation will be explored.

Leader: Martin Winter (HS Fulda)