Kiel Conference 2025: Scientists discuss change and challenges

Kiel Conference 2025: Scientists discuss change and challenges

From Monday, March 24th, the international “Kiel Conference 2025” will take place at the Christian Albrechts University of Kiel (CAU). More than 350 researchers and students from different scientific areas will take part in this important conference. The conference is dedicated to the topic “Sizes of social, ecological and cultural change in past societies” and aims to discuss and present current research results on social change and environmental adaptations. Conference president is Prof. Dr. Johannes Müller from the Institute for Prehistory and Protohistory at the CAU.

The conference program covers a variety of topic areas such as climate change, social change, identities, migration, archaeological methods, digital innovations and maritime and landscape archaeology. A special highlight is the round table on the topic of “Sexism in Archaeology”, which is supported by an accompanying exhibition by the Archéo-Éthique organization. In addition, a second exhibition entitled “Everything remains different” will present the results of eight years of research work in the Collaborative Research Center 1266. The conference will also include a special session for students to promote young scientists.

Awarding of the Johanna Mestorf Prize

Another important aspect of the Kiel Conference is the awarding of the Johanna Mestorf Prize. This prize is awarded for outstanding dissertations in the field of socio-ecological research and is endowed with 3,000 euros. Johanna Mestorf was a pioneer in her field and the first female museum director and one of the first female professors in Germany. This award helps to recognize innovative research approaches and scientific excellence.

The Kiel Conference is one of the largest scientific events in the German-speaking area that deals with environmental and social connections in the past. The conference is organized by the Collaborative Research Center 1266 and the Cluster of Excellence ROOTS as part of the Johanna Mestorf Academy at the CAU.

Scientific discourse culture and trust

In a broader context, the scientific discourse culture in Germany is characterized by considerable social trust. According to current surveys, 62% of Germans “completely” trust the significance and validity of scientific findings. In addition, 69% of respondents believe that political decisions should be based on scientific knowledge. University professors enjoy a high level of trust, while politicians and journalists receive significantly less trust.

Science in Germany remains comparatively independent, which leads to this high level of trust. The country holds a top spot in the Academic Freedom Index (AFI), which compares academic freedom in around 180 countries. Nevertheless, there is a public debate about possible threats to academic freedom, which is visible in calls for bans, calls for boycotts and threats against scientists. Political correctness and trigger warnings are aspects that are perceived as potential threats to the autonomy of scientists.

Scientific freedom is anchored in Article 5 Paragraph 3 of the Basic Law and is viewed as essential for finding the truth in science. Scientific discourses are characterized by principles such as universalism, disinterestedness and organized skepticism. Scientists are required to put personal preferences and political passions aside in their discourse in order to ensure constructive debate.

In view of the upcoming Kiel Conference, it is clear that both scientific dialogue and social acceptance of scientific findings are of central importance in order to effectively face the challenges of social and ecological change. For further information about the conference and the culture of scientific discourse, please refer to the reporting by uni-kiel.de, tu-darmstadt.de and bpb.de referred.