Crises of identity and the philosophy of hospitality

Discuss the question of identity from a philosophical point of view and search for the cultural roots of the concept of "identity" itself.

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CIVIS focus area
Society, culture, heritage
Open to
  • Phd
Field of studies
  • Art, Design and Media
  • Social Science and humanities
Type
  • Blended Intensive Programmes (BIP)
Course dates
19 March - 3 July 2026
Apply by
30 October 2025 Apply now

During the class, we will critically discuss the question of identity from a philosophical point of view and why identity undergoes several crisis from modernity to our current times.

We will search for the cultural roots of the concept of "identity" itself and its entanglement with the notion of the stranger and the one of hospitality, which, far from being the opposite of one's "own", represents an integral part of what we may call "identity" or "belonging".

The international exchange is also an experience from which students will benefit with regard to their research.

Main topics addressed

  • The notion of "identity" and its cultural field.
  • The notion of "belonging" as a counterpart to "identity".
  • Why identity finds itself in crisis in contemporary times.
  • The entanglement between identity and the foreign.
  • The importance of hospitality as a relation to the stranger and as a way for finding one's own.
  • The relationship between translation and hospitality.
  • Questions of hospitality within contemporary issues like migration and national policies related to it.

Learning outcomes

The main assets of the programme are: 

  1. developing a PhD-network amongst PhD-students working in Intercultural Studies and
  2. helping PhD-students answer research questions on the topic of the course. 

They will receive feedback on their own research and activity, and they will learn how to engage with a philosophical topic in a critical way on the basis of academic texts.

The students can be awarded up to 6 ECTS for their participation in the class.

Dates: 19 March - 3 July 2026 Total workload: 166 hours
Format: Blended ECTS: 6*
Location: Aix-en-Provence, France Language: English (C1)
Contact: niels.weidtmann@uni-tuebingen.de  

*recognition of ECTS depends on your home university

Physical mobility

The physical component consists in a 5 days workshop taking place at Aix-Marseille University between 29 June - 3 July 2026. During the workshop, all the lecturers and students will meet and each of them will present a paper in which they will discuss their research, related to the theme of the class.

Virtual part

The online classes will be held once a week, via Zoom, between 19 March - 25 June 2026, on Thursdays, from 4-6 PM CET (excepting legal holidays). 

Each session will have a different topic, being based on a text which will be handed over to the students in advance. 

During the session, the lecturer will either present the theme of the text or discuss it with the students in the form of a seminar. 

All the topics will be announced at the beginning of the virtual part of the class, with their respective calendar.

Assessment

Lecturers will assess the student's commitment to the class by:

  • noting their attendance,
  • checking whether they have prepared for the respective session,
  • considering the willingness to contribute to discussion, as well as the quality of their contributions.

The main assessment, however, will be during the in-person workshop. Participants present part of their PhD-projects and all the lecturers will comment on the presentations and provide feedback.

Feedback may even be provided all year long in case PhD-students ask for it.

The methods of assessment are aligned with the interdisciplinary nature of the program insofar as students are evaluated according to their capability of doing research and to engage in discussions on a scientific text after having read it in a critical way - thus, it is rather the way of doing research that is evaluated rather then the mere content of each contribution of the students.

The programme is open to PhD students at CIVIS member universities, with background in cultural theory, philosophy, arts, anthropology and political science. 

Classes will be held in English, therefore a very good command of English is required (C1 level).

Critical thinking, philosophical assessment of a specific subject, and interpreting philosophical texts are also appreciated. 

This CIVIS course is a Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) - a new format of Erasmus+ mobility which combines online teaching with a short trip to another campus to learn alongside students and professors across Europe.

NB: Visiting Students - Erasmus Funding Eligibility

To be eligible for your selected CIVIS programme, you must be a fully enrolled student at your CIVIS home university at the time you will be undertaking the programme.

This course is also open to students with the same academic profile, who are enrolled at a CIVIS strategic partner university in Africa. Please check here, if you can apply and this particular course is open to applications from your university. Successful applicants will receive an Erasmus+ grant covering travel and subsistence costs during their stay. Applicants should be willing to extend their stay at the host university for 1-3 weeks for additional research and/or training purposes.

Partner universities:

  • Aix-Marseille Université (France)
  • Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen (Germany)
  • National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (Greece)
  • University of Bucharest (Romania)
  • Université Hassan II de Casablanca (Morocco)

Professors:

  • Sebastian Hüsch, Professeur des Universités at Aix-Marseille University, Faculty of Arts, Languages, Letters, Human Sciences, areas of specialization: German and European philosophy of the 19th–21st centuries, Philosophy of existence, Philosophy of religion Intercultural philosophy and Philosophical anthropology.
  • Bogdan Mincă, Associated Professor at the University of Bucharest, Faculty of Philosophy, areas of specialization: Ancient Greek philosophy, Hermeneutics, Phenomenology, Martin Heidegger.
  • Niels Weidtmann, Director of the College of Fellows of the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, areas of specialization: Phenomenology, Philosophical Anthropology, African Philosophy, Intercultural Philosophy.  
  • Gerasimos Kakoliris, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Department of Philosophy, areas of specialization: Contemporary Continental Philosophy, Jacques Derrida, The question of hospitality.
  • Mohammed ech-Cheikh, University Hassan II of Casablanca, Department of Philosophy, areas of specialization: Contemporary Philosophy, Arabic Philosophy.
  • Mădălina Masoud, Post-Doctoral Associate Researcher at the College of Fellows, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, areas of specialization: Phenomenology, Intercultural Philosophy, Contemporary French and German Philosophy.

Send your application by filling in the online application form by 30 October 2025, and also including:

  • CV
  • Motivation letter
  • Research projects oulines

Aplications will be evaluated based on:

  • student's field of study
  • reasons for taking the class stated in the motivation letter
  • presentation of the research project

Apply now

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