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Humanism in the Era of Globalization

The project entitled “Humanism in the Era of Globalization. An Intercultural Dialogue on Culture, Humanity, and Values” furthers the debate about the diversity of values and concepts of humanity. The reciprocal relations between Western and non-Western cultures and their diverse perceptions of identity, particularity and diversity are of utmost urgency in view of an increasing potential for cultural conflicts in the globalized world.

The main objective is to create an understanding of humankind in the era of globalization. Moreover to defuse cultural confrontation by setting up an active dialogue in order to gain, affirm and demonstrate new common insights and their potential for the mutual recognition among cultures.

Themes and central questions: Criticism of Humanism, Humankind in intercultural cooperation, Humanism and Religion, Humanism and Economy, Education via Cultural Studies, Humanism and the Human Nature, Humanism and the European Identity. These are presented elaborately in the conception of the project.


The humanism project is funded by the Mercator Foundation GmbH, Essen and consists of three levels of research, which are closely interrelated:
• A school of graduate studies provides doctoral grants for graduates.
• An exchange program offers research and teaching residencies to visiting scholars and experts from within the country and abroad.
• A program of seminars and high-profile lectures encourages interdisciplinary cooperation and the presentation of its results to the general public.


The Humanism Project will serve as a cooperative platform and central network in order to facilitate the cooperations among regional institutions of research.

Thus a number of workgroups have been set up to focus on various central issues concerning the project. They cooperate with individual partners and partner institutions in non-Western countries, specifically in China, Japan, India, Africa and the Islamic world.

Download: A short description of the Humanism Project.