Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook

Mon, 28 September 2026, Rheingoldhalle Mainz
Keynote Lecture

Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook (Bertelsmann Stiftung) is an expert on transatlantic relations and U.S. politics. Following positions at CNN, Roland Berger, and the Harvard Kennedy School, she served as Director of the German Council on Foreign Relations. She currently works as a Senior Advisor for the "Sustainable Social Market Economy" programme at the Bertelsmann Stiftung. Her book The American Wake-Up Call was published in January 2026.

Alexander Bogner

Tue, 29 September 2026, Venue: Congress Tent
KEY01: Crisis, War, and Contingency: Politically Mobilising Imaginations during the Pandemic

Alexander Bogner (Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna) conducts research on the relationship between democracy, expertise, and the future. This also includes exploring the role that sociology can play in this context.

Elena Esposito

Wed, 30 September 2026, Venue: Congress Tent
KEY02: The Future of Prediction

Elena Esposito (Modena & Bielefeld) has made a significant contribution to the sociological study of the future through her work on prediction, technology, and uncertainty.

Apolline Taillandier

Thu, 1 October 2026, Venue: Congress Tent
KEY03: The Future of the Classroom

Apolline Taillandier (Cambridge) is an interdisciplinary researcher specialising in contemporary liberal thought and the intersections of technology and political ideology. Her work combines intellectual history with an interest in the emergence and influence of visions of the future.