Former Fellow

Sally J. Scholz

Professor of Philosophy at Villanova University

Research project title:
Inclusive Trust

Research abstract:
Political societies facing a so-called crisis often turn to security measures to exert state dominance, police borders, and defend the parameters of citizenship in an effort to maintain the trust of citizens. In doing so, they frame the crisis using the terms of conflict and appeal to an exclusive form of solidarity with identity-based membership criteria for citizenship status. My research examines the appeal to exclusive solidarities and contrasts itwith a model of inclusive solidarity that privileges equity, inclusivity, and diversity. Using the history and practice of sanctuary – an idea with roots in the history of war and tied to the principle of civilian immunity in conflict situations – I demonstrate the potential of practices of belonging that extend beyond the narrow confines of political citizenship to develop new models of epistemic trust. These practices create a space for engagement that fosters democratic trust both within and across borders. Replacing security-focused citizenship political discourse with sanctuary-based civilian discourse expands the sources of knowledge for participatioh in civil society and reveals how the social conflict issuing from a so-called crisis can instead issue or foster positive social ties in solidarity.

Events:

19 November 2021
Workshop

The Meaning(s) of Solidarity

4 November 2021
Roundtable at the First Annual Conference of the Research Initiative “ConTrust: Trust in Conflict – Political Life under Conditions of Uncertainty
With: Prof. Dr. Jan Delhey (Magdeburg), Prof. Dr. Sally J. Scholz (Villanova), Dr. Clara Weinhardt (Maastricht), Prof. Dr. Thomas Biebricher (PI ConTrust)
Moderation: Dr. Tobias Wille (Research Coordinator ConTrust)

  • Biografische Angaben

    Sally J. Scholz is Professor of Philosophy at Villanova University: Her research is in social and political philosophy and feminist theory. She has published extensively on solidarity, violence, oppression, just war theory, and related topics. She won the prestigious Lindback award.for Teaching Excellence in 2006, the Gallen Award for Faculty Service in 2011, and the Outstanding Faculty Research Award in 2014. Her books include On de Beauvoir, On Rousseau, Political Solidarity, and Feminism: A Beginner's Guide. She co-edited Peacemaking: Lessons from the Past, Vision for the Future (with Judith Presler); The Contradictions of Freedom: Philosophical Essays on Simone de Beauvoir's 'Les Mandarins' (with Shannon Mussett); and Philosophica/ Perspectives on Democracy in the 21st Century (with Anh Cudd). Scholz is a former editor of the APA Newsletter on Feminism and Philosophy, former co-editor of the Journal for Peace and Justice Studies, and former editor of Hypatia. She is also a leader in the profession, serving as chair of the American Philosophical Association Committee on Lectures, Publications, and Research (2011-2014), as well as the APA Committee on the Status and Future of the Profession (2015-2018). She was President of the North American Society for Social Philosophy (2015-2019).
  • Publikationen

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News from the research center

Event
02.06.2026 | Frankfurt

Forensic Truth Regimes

Movie, Panel Discussion

The event explores how documentary film and aesthetic investigations can reopen unresolved questions of justice and accountability by revisiting the 1992 killing of two Romanian Roma men at the German-Polish border and examining the counter-forensic potential of visual media to critique legal violence and truth regimes. It is part of the series “Visual Truth Regimes,” organized by Laliv Melamed (Goethe University Frankfurt, TFM), Felix Trautmann (HBK Braunschweig / Institute for Social Research), and Franziska Wildt (Institute for Social Research).

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Event
02.06.2026 | Brussels

Zusammenhalt, Vertrauen und Demokratie in Europa

Panel Discussion, Lecture

Vertrauen, Zusammenhalt, Demokratie – drei große Begriff, die in Europa derzeit allgegenwärtig sind. Doch wie belastbar sind sie eigentlich und was beschreiben sie? Was genau meinen wir eigentlich, wenn wir von politischem Vertrauen und gesellschaftlichem Zusammenhalt sprechen? Und braucht es – wie häufig behauptet – ein gewisses Maß an sozialer oder kultureller Homogenität, damit Vertrauen wachsen und Zusammenhalt entstehen kann? Diesen Fragen widmen wir uns in der aktuellen Ausgabe der Crisis Talks – auf dem Podium und im Gespräch mit unseren Gästen.

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Event
22.06.2026 | Frankfurt am Main

Rechtsextremismus und Polizei - Erscheinungsformen, Umgangsweisen, Perspektiven

Panel Discussion

Die Diskussion knüpft an den Sammelband „Rechtsextremismus als Herausforderung für Polizei und Gesellschaft“ an, der aktuelle Perspektiven aus Wissenschaft, Praxis und Zivilgesellschaft zusammenführt.

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News
18.05.2026

Videopodcast-Reihe „Our Planet, Our Health“ gestartet

Mit „Our Planet, Our Health“ startet eine neue Videopodcast-Reihe zu Fragen globaler Gesundheitsgerechtigkeit. Die Reihe, gehostet von Dr. Romina Rekers, ist eine Initiative des Global Health Justice Postdoctoral Programme (GHJ), gefördert von der Höppschen Stiftung.

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Publication
12.05.2026 | Online article

Disinhibited Informalization: Talk Radio, Bro Podcasts and the Aesthetics of Populism

This essay by Johannes Völz is a revised and updated translation of “Enthemmte Informalisierung: Talk Radio, Bro-Podcasts und die Ästhetik des Populismus,” WestEnd: Neue Zeitschrift für Sozialforschung 22.2 (2025): 3–24. It is published here as part of the b2o Review’s “Stop the Right” dossier.

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Event
25./26.06.2026 | Frankfurt

Shifting Regimes, Changing Orders

Conference

Conference as part of WDC2026 in collaboration with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Designtheorie und -forschung (DGTF), Kunstgewerbemuseum/Design Campus SKD and Design and Democracy

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Publication
22.04.2026 | Chapter

Körpergeschlecht und Selbstbestimmung

Britz, Gabriele (2026): "Körpergeschlecht und Selbstbestimmung". In. Mangold, Anna Katharina; Völzmann, Berit (Hrsg.): Gerechtigkeit als Thema der Rechtswissenschaft, Nomos, S. 41-48.

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Publication
22.04.2026 | Chapter

Festrede zu Ehren von Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Ute Sacksofsky, M.P.A. (Harvard), 4. April 2025

Schmidt, Rebecca Caroline; Forst, Rainer; Günther, Klaus (2026): "Festrede zu Ehren von Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Ute Sacksofsky, M.P.A. (Harvard), 4. April 2025". In: Mangold, Anna Katharina; Völzmann, Berit (Hrsg.): Gerechtigkeit als Thema der Rechtswissenschaft, Nomos, S. 13-18.

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