Dear colleagues,
We hereby announce the second bi-annual conference of the German STS
association stsing e.V. to be held
on March 25-27th 2026 at the Ruhr-University Bochum.
The theme is Before Ruins.
This message includes a Call for Cases:
Reacting to current discussions of how to do conferences, we propose a
case-based format as a way of conferencing that is local, small, and
oriented towards the concrete rather than the general. In addition to
standard paper presentations, substantial parts of the conference are
dedicated to working collaboratively with local stakeholders and issue
experts on CASES in the Ruhr Valley. It will also be possible to use the
CASES to convene to collaborate on broader topics not specific to the area.
CASES allow us to engage with the concrete rather than the abstract; CASES
are examples for something, sites where complexity unfolds in the mundane
and specific.
More detailed thoughts on the case format can be found here:
https://stsing.org/before-ruins/call-for-cases
We look forward to welcoming you to Bochum. Questions and concerns can be
directed at: stsing2026@ruhr-uni-bochum.de
The Before Ruins Team
___
Before Ruins - stsing e.V. 2026
Call for Cases
Deadline October 15th, Anywhere on Earth Time.
The upcoming stsing e.V. conference Before Ruins aims to engage STS scholars
and other academics as well as non-academics in current issues and concerns
in, around and beyond the Ruhr Valley. In the format of cases (excursions,
workshops or field visits), scholars will collaborate on, test and advance
current STS concepts and methods through noticing and attending to matters
of concern and care that reach beyond the boundaries of academic STS. We
advocate doing together, not just presentations and discussions, actively
confronting the the hardship and difficulties that such doing entails. Being
held in the Ruhr Valley - Germany's largest urban area and subject to
environmental, political and social transformations - Before Ruins generates
opportunities to discuss situated controversies and issues.
Select carefully: With this call for cases, we invite you to
(option 1) arrange a case with collaborators in the Ruhr Valley, or
(option 2) bring your own case from elsewhere to the conference for
collective work (optionally with local collaborators), or
(option 3) come together to work on a specific topic or issue as a group of
STS scholars during the conference. stsing e.V. working groups are
especially invited, but other interest groups are welcome.
(more details on how to formulate a case can be found at
https://stsing.org/before-ruins/call-for-cases)
In the conference program, we have reserved time for field visits, invite
collaborators to the venue, or work together in groups on case material.
With this format, we attempt to make STS work accountable to concrete
matters of concern outside of our community and situate this work in the
setting of the exciting Ruhr Valley.
The organizers of Before Ruins will provide the required digital
infrastructure to share case materials before and after.
Please fill out the form at
https://survey.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/index.php/321829 to suggest a case.
Contents will be published on the Before Ruins website to allow conference
participants to join the case. The deadline for case submissions is October
15th.
Note: A call for case participation (invitation to participate in a case)
will follow soon after cases have been accepted. Be advised that there will
be no call for panels for Before Ruins. However, a call for conventional
paper presentations will follow in the autumn. The timeline can be found on
the homepage: https://stsing.org/before-ruins.
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