Event
17.09.2025 | Frankfurt am Main

Frieden retten! Friedensgutachten 2025

Book Presentation

Der Frieden ist auf dem Rückzug: Russlands Krieg in der Ukraine destabilisiert Europa, der Krieg in Gaza stürzt den Nahen Osten in Leid und Gewalt, und im Sudan hat der Konflikt die größte humanitäre Katastrophe der Welt ausgelöst. Zugleich fällt der globale Stabilitätsanker USA aus. Das Friedensgutachten 2025 zeigt, warum Europa selbst für seine Sicherheit und Verteidigung sorgen und zugleich am Ziel des Friedens festhalten muss.

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News
31.07.2025

Shaping the future – a review

As part of the exhibition “Fixing Futures. Planetary futures between speculation and control”, our four-part lecture series “Shaping the future – between climate change, technology and social responsibility” took place.

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News
30.07.2025

What remains of “1968” – event review

What can we learn from the 1968 movement for our own time and where do we perhaps need new ideas and utopias? The event “Utopia and awakening of the 1968ers – What remains of political rebellion and individual self-liberation” on July 14, 2025 at the Historisches Museum was dedicated to these questions

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News
10.07.2025

Impressions from the Crisis Talk “Europe in a multipolar world”

The Crisis Talk “Europe in a multipolar world – How can the EU meet the challenges of major powers?” held on July 1, 2025 at the Representation of the State of Hesse to the European Union was dedicated to the question of how the EU should shape its influence and assume its responsibilities in this international environment.

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News
08.07.2025

Reflections on the defense of democracy – Two crises of democracy

The challenges are global, but we still act nationally. In addition, we lack the terms to orient ourselves politically and normatively. An article by Rainer Forst in the FR about the two crises of democracy.

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News
01.07.2025

How the erosion of modern governments threatens our future – Impressions from Jeffrey Kopstein’s lecture

On June 16, Jeffrey Kopstein, Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Irvine, gave a public lecture entitled “Trump and the Assault on the State” at the Research Centre Normative Orders. The starting point of his presentation was the observation that attacks on modern statehood are increasing in many countries: Politicians are coming to power who deliberately want to weaken or even destroy central institutions.

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News
30.06.2025

Article “Ideology and Suffering: What Is Realistic about Critical Theory?” by Amadeus Ulrich published in EJPT

The article “Ideology and Suffering: What Is Realistic about Critical Theory?” by Amadeus Ulrich has just been published open access in the European Journal of Political Theory (EJPT). Ulrich brings the perspective of radical realism into a productive dialog with Adorno’s critical theory.

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Publication
25.06.2025 | Online article

Ideology and Suffering: What Is Realistic about Critical Theory?

Ulrich, Amadeus (2025): Ideology and suffering: What is realistic about critical theory? European Journal of Political Theory, 0(0).  https://doi.org/10.1177/14748851251351782

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Publication
23.06.2025 | Working Paper

Untrustworthy Authorities and Complicit Bankers: Unraveling Monetary Distrust in Argentina

Moreno, Guadalupe (2025): “Untrustworthy Authorities and Complicit Bankers: Unraveling Monetary Distrust in Argentina”. Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies Discussion Paper 25/3.

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Theodor W. Adorno Prize awarded to Prof Dr Seyla Benhabib

On Wednesday, 11 September 2024, the renowned political philosopher Prof. Dr Seyla Benhabib was awarded the Theodor W. Adorno Prize 2024 in the Paulskirche for her outstanding services to critical theory, political philosophy and democracy research.

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F.A.Z.-Foto Frank Röth

Commemorative publication published on Rainer Forst’s 60th birthday

Prof. Dr Rainer Forst, Philosopher and Director of the Research Centre Normative Orders, celebrated his 60th birthday on 15 August 2024. To mark the occasion, Suhrkamp-Verlag published the commemorative publication “Die Macht der Rechtfertigung – Perspektiven einer kritischen Theorie der Gerechtigkeit”, in which internationally renowned thinkers analyse his extensive work.

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Press

29. August 2025 | Radiobeitrag

Geflüchtete in Hessen. 10 Jahre “Wir schaffen das” – eine Herausforderung für alle

2015 kamen nach dem historischen “Wir schaffen das”-Satz von Angela Merkel hunderttausende Geflüchtete nach Deutschland. Die Hilfsbereitschaft auch in Hessen war groß, viele fanden hier ein neues Zuhause. Die Behörden waren damals überfordert. Mit Einordnung von Greta Wagner (hr INFO)

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19. August 2025 | Artikel

Ukraine-Gipfel in Washington: Deitelhoff: “Erleben einen Politikwechsel”

Beim Gipfel in Washington geht es auch um Sicherheitsgarantien für die Ukraine. Wie die zu bewerten sind, erklärt Friedens- und Konfliktforscherin Nicole Deitelhoff. (ZDF heute)

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19. August 2025 | Interview

Vor 60 Jahren endete der erste Auschwitz-Prozesses

Heute vor 60 Jahren endete der erste Auschwitz-Prozess – mit ernüchternden Urteilen: Von den 22 Angeklagten erhielten nur sechs eine lebenslange Haftstrafe. Welche Bedeutung man dem Prozess trotzdem heute noch beimessen kann, darüber sprechen wir mit Prof. Sybille Steinbacher. (radioeins.de)

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16. August 2025 | Artikel

Der gerechtfertigte Krieg

Neue Blicke auf einen Klassiker des Völkerrechts: Vor vierhundert Jahren erschien Hugo Grotius’ “Über das Recht des Krieges und des Friedens”. Von Hendrik Simon (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung)

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Research

The Research Centre Normative Orders is home to various research projects. Up-to-date information on all current and past projects can be found under Research.

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Publications

The Research Centre maintains a publication database with current publications by participating researchers. In addition, the Centre publishes a series of its own publications with Campus-Verlag. The volumes document the interdisciplinary collaboration at the Centre and are each dedicated to the examination of important topics from the Normative Orders research program.

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Events

The Research Centre Normative Orders organizes events, workshops, conferences and practical forums at Goethe University, in the city of Frankfurt and beyond. In the event calendar you will find all current and past events in the context of the work of the Research Center as well as information on how to participate.

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Media library

The Research Centre publishes video recordings of many lectures, discussions and other events, such as the well-known Römerberg Talks. You can find and watch these and other videos in our media library.

Media library

About Normative Orders

How do political, legal, religious or economic orders establish and change, how do power structures crystallize, how are power and life chances distributed – also on a transnational level? The researchers involved in the Research Centre Normative Orders  reflect on these questions. The focus is on current social conflicts, in particular the just ordering of society in times of globalization, and their long history. The normative ideas that play a role in such processes and conflicts are examined. The questions are complex. This is why the Research Centre Normative Orders at Goethe University Frankfurt works on an interdisciplinary basis: from philosophy, history, political science and law to ethnology, economics, sociology and theology.