Experimentalism is old and is subject to perpetual reinvention. It is emblematic of a range of key contemporary phenomena – scientific curiosity and the pursuit of objectivity, the cultural fascination for unconventional ways of life and the political rhetoric of crisis. Philosopher John Dewey coined the term ‘democratic experimentalism’ as early as 1927. For him, knowledge was rooted in experiences arising from moments of crisis. In my book on Experimentalism and Sociology I asked: what conclusions might we draw about the present era in light of Dewey’s social philosophy? My current research is situated in the framework of nature-society-relations, drawing on “Ecologies of Social Cohesion”. I use experimentalism as practised exploration for the development of an interdisciplinary “Fieldwork in the Anthropocene“, and engage inter- and transdisciplinary collaborations together with natural scientists.

“Biodiversität und Gesellschaft. Zur Transformation von Natur/Kultur-Beziehungen im Anthropozän“: Find my senior-fellow-talk (in German) at the Centre for Advanced Studies “Futures of Sustainability” at Hamburg University here. The talk discusses the experimentalist approach based on my long-term inquiry at the Muséum national d’histoire naturelle Paris (MNHN).

Experimentalism and “Doing Biodiversity”: Find the night session of the digital Workshop Doing Biodiversity. Experimental Knowledge Transformations for Sustainable Futures with inputs from Helmut Hillebrand (HIMBF Oldenburg, Germany) and Claire Waterton (Lancaster University, UK) I organised as a senior fellow at the Centre for Advanced Studies “Futures of Sustainability” at Hamburg University on 23 and 24 June 2021

Experimentalism and Climate Change: Find my 3-minute DIY-Video (in German) produced for “Klimagespräche – Unser Kassel 2030”, screened on 10 December 2020 at Kassel State Theatre. As a member of Scientists for Future I was asked to give a speedy input on how to solve the discrepancy between climate consciousness and every-day harm practices:

Experimentalism and the Pandemic: Find my post on Sociological Experimentalism within the Corona-Crisis (in German) on Campus.de

Find our post on Somatosophere: Bogusz, Tanja and Frédéric Keck (2020): “Silent Spring in Europe calls for a New Social Ecology”, in: Somatosphere, 29 April 2020.