Together with the CITY Institute at York, CCGES will host a talk by Tino Petzold and Sebastian Schipper (Human Geography, University of Frankfurt) considering the transformation of the University of Frankfurt on Tuesday, November 30th from 12:30 to 2:00 pm in room 626 York Research Tower.

Sit In, Uni. Frankfurt 2009

At the end of 2009, students occupied a central building at the University of Frankfurt as part of a nationwide university strike. While this form of protest enjoys a long history of legitimacy in Germany, in this case a brutal police intervention broke up the demonstrations after only three days.  To understand this new shift towards authoritarian practices, Petzold and Schipper argue that it is essential to analyze the general transformation of the University of Frankfurt in the context of the neoliberalization of the higher education system in Germany and Europe. The effects of this restructuring, they argue, are especially powerful in Frankfurt because these have taken place simultaneously with the relocation and rebuilding of the central campus, a move that has had deep symbolic and historical resonance. The presenters want to approach this issue by comparing the politics and spatialities of the old Fordist campus as home of the critical theory to the new one as a materialization of the neoliberal and “Exzellenz” (or elite) university.

All are welcome, but attendees are asked to register with ccges@yorku.ca

Date: Tuesday, November 30
Location: 626 York Research Tower
Time: 12:30-2:00 pm