The ideas of Concordia/Discordia are as relevant as ever: In times of
Populism and polarisation, it is more necessary than ever for liberal democracies to reflect on the conditions of concord and conflict. The Concordia/Discordia seminar, which brings together perspectives from political science, fundamental philosophical issues in theology and the history of political thought, aims to:
1) To understand why the ideas of concordia/discordia were so important to political life in the past
2) Examine the use of the terms, their misuse and controversy in different contexts
3) Examine whether the concept of concordia can serve as a benchmark for polarised democracies.
Prof Peter Schroeder, funded by the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts, will be an international visiting professor at Prof Odzuck's Chair of Political Philosophy and teach at our institute in the summer semester of 2026. Prof. Schröder, who teaches at the renowned University College London (external link, opens in a new window) and has an excellent international and interdisciplinary network as Chairman of the European Society for the History of Political Thought (external link, opens in a new window), will contribute his extensive international experience and his great expertise in teaching at renowned universities (including l' École (external link, opens in a new window) des Arts (external link, opens in a new window) ).l'École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, Paris; Università di Roma "La Sapienza", Facoltà Scienze Politiche) with his English-language course taught in co-teaching with Prof Odzuck will enrich the focus on democracy studies in teaching and the international profile of the faculty. The English-language, interdisciplinary and research-oriented block seminar on the topic of "Concordia" gives students the opportunity to participate in the international conference organised by Prof. Schroeder and Prof. Odzuck in September and to discuss the seminar topic with international researchers.
The link to the seminar description in SPUR can be found here (external link, opens in a new window)
Further information on the international conference (23-25 September 2026, funded by the Vielberth Foundation) will follow.
