Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics ITWM
Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics ITWM
Blick über den Tellerrand Januar 2026
© freepik / Fraunhofer ITWM
Blick über den Tellerrand Januar 2026

Blick über den Tellerrand (Thinking Outside the Box) January 2026

Our »Thinking Outside the Box« on January 12, 2026 is under the heading »Not Yet Arrived« in Democracy? East and West 35 Years After Reunification«. The speaker is Dr. Thorsten Holzhauser. He is a contemporary historian and, since January 2025, managing director of the Federal President Theodor Heuss House Foundation in Stuttgart.

© freepik / Fraunhofer ITWM

Series of Talks »Blick über den Tellerrand«

Our series of lectures is held in German.

Once every month, the Fraunhofer ITWM opens its doors and invites everyone who is interested to broaden their horizon. The interdisciplinary lecture series »Blick über den Tellerrand« of the Felix Klein Center for Mathematics presents different perspectives on a wide spectrum of topics in the area of science and technology.

Exciting experts from a wide range of fields will speak and discuss with the guests. Everyone is cordially invited and admission is free. The event will take place on site at the Fraunhofer Center and will also be broadcast virtually.

»Blick über den Tellerrand« (Thinking Outside the Box) in January 2026 »»Not Yet Arrived« in Democracy? East and West 35 Years After Reunification««

 

Tuesday, January 15, 2026
6pm – 7:30pm

The lecture will be held in German.

Even 35 years after reunification, are parts of eastern Germany still »not fully integrated into democracy« – as is often claimed? Right-wing extremist election results and differences in political culture seem to confirm this finding. And yet this picture is problematic in many respects. A historical comparison shows that what we are quick to dismiss as a peculiarity of eastern Germany is in fact part of a longer development in western democracies.

About the Speaker

Dr. Thorsten Holzhauser (born in Kaiserslautern in 1985) is a contemporary historian and, since January 2025, managing director of the Federal President Theodor Heuss House Foundation in Stuttgart.

He previously taught at the universities of Mainz and Glasgow. His research and publications focus on the history of democracy and political parties. His publications include Die Nachfolgepartei (2019), a history of the PDS/Left Party in reunified Germany, and Parteien in der Krise. Wandel der Parteiendemokratie in den 1980er- und 1990er-Jahren (ed. 2021).

The event will be moderated by Prof. Dr. Karl-Heinz Küfer. He is the speaker for the Felix Klein Center for Mathematics and head of the »Optimization« division and »Optimization in the Life Sciences« department at the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics ITWM.

Participation Options:       

  1. On site in the lecture hall of the Fraunhofer ITWM,
    Fraunhofer-Platz 1, 67663 Kaiserslautern, Germany  
  2. By video conference via Microsoft Teams: https://s.fhg.de/tellerrand-2026-01


Technical Hints

After you have clicked on the Microsoft Teams link, a browser window will open – if you are not yet using Microsoft Teams – and you will be asked How would you like to join your Microsoft Teams meeting? You can use Microsoft Teams via a browser (e.g. Chrome) or you can download the Windows app to your desktop or install the Microsoft Teams app on your smartphone or tablet.

»Blick über den Tellerrand« (Thinking Outside the Box) is an interdisciplinary lecture series of the Felix Klein Center for Mathematics with changing topics.

If you have any questions, please contact Sylvia Gerwalin, e-mail: sylvia.gerwalin[at]itwm.fraunhofer.de, telephone: 0631-31600-4424.