Halle Lectures

Halle Lectures

Research into the 18th century plays a prominent role in Halle, both at the university's research centres and at the Francke Foundations. This research is carried out in the knowledge that we are working on the foundations of modern society and that history is always a means of critically scrutinising and thus ‘enlightening’ a part of our present. Recently, the relevance of the Enlightenment has been criticised in both academic and social debates. How much overconfidence is there in the claims of the Enlightenment? Isn't the Enlightenment, like the Christian Pietist claim to reform and the mission associated with it, a particular project that has strengthened rather than challenged Europe's supremacy, despite the universality it claims? How much use are the critical processes, anthropological models and political ideals of the 18th century in a time in which particularistic and nationalistic tendencies seem to be spreading rapidly?

To explore such questions, the Halle-based research institutions on the 18th century launched the Halle Lectures in 2018. Every year, two outstanding, internationally renowned academics are asked to present their views on research into the 18th century and its significance in the context of the current global situation. Historical foundations and contemporary problematisation are to be combined with local, national, European and global perspectives. The lectures are aimed at researchers and students as well as the wider public. In 2025, the lectures are dedicated to the big topic of the future.

A cooperation between the Interdisciplinary Centre for the Study of the European Enlightenment (IZEA), the Interdisciplinary Centre for Pietism Research (IZP), the Alexander von Humboldt Professorship for Modern Written Culture and European Knowledge Transfer, the regional research focus ‘Enlightenment - Religion - Knowledge’ and the Francke Foundations.

The previous Halle Lectures can be accessed digitally at https://openlecture.uni-halle.de.