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ABOUT

ME

Photograph: Olivier Pol Michel

How does a more empowered democracy might look like?  I explore this question through the lenses of political philosophy, social theory, and social psychology.

Driven by a passion for understanding how desirable democratic and digital futures are created, I embarked on an extensive journey. Growing up in Germany's Ruhr area (Ruhrgebiet), I later spent almost two years in Bucharest after graduating from high school, where I lived and worked in a social center with homeless children and adolescents. From there, I became involved in various political struggles and organizations. This journey eventually led me to found the journal engagée, drawing inspiration from Jean-Paul Sartre's concept of "littérature engagée."

 

Throughout my journey, I’ve embraced various creative roles, including writer, speaker, political organizer, lecturer, commentator, editor, installation artist, magazine designer, and event curator. I also contributed as one of six experts to the award-winning ARD documentary Der Autokraten-Code (2024), exploring AI and it's implication for democracy. 

As a political scientist and philosopher, I have explored my questions through various formats and platforms, including keynotes, interviews, workshops, books, book chapters, articles, and essays, with contributions to Deutschlandfunk, openDemocracy, Logic Magazine, re:publica, Jung & Naiv, Utopiekonferenz, transmediale, and the Berliner Ensemble, among others.

I pursued my studies in political science with a specialization in political theory, earning bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees with distinction. I also obtained a bachelor's degree in philosophy, awarded with distinction from the University of Vienna. Between 2015 and 2021, I worked as a lecturer (teaching) at the University of Vienna. I also completed the psychotherapeutic propaedeutics program in Vienna. 

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My passion for democratic and digital futures has taken me to many places. I spent six years in London, where I held visiting positions at the London School of Economics and Political Science, the Department of Digital Humanities at King’s College London, and the Queen Mary University of London, among others. The Literature Program at Duke University in the USA, the Humboldt University in Berlin, The New Institute in Hamburg and the Charles University in Prague were also important places of inspiration.

My work has been supported by various scholarships, fellowships, and residencies. I am currently a research resident at the Urban Democracy Project, Cultures of Assembly: From Urban Commons to Civic Assemblies and Collective Political Action, a joint project of the University of Luxembourg and the City of Esch.

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