Announcement: 05.12.-06.12.2019 Workshop »Von der Kraft der Zeugung«
26 November 2019
The concept of 'procreativity' (Zeugungskraft) and related terms such as 'formative drive' (Bildungstrieb), 'fecundity' (Fortpflanzungsvermögen) and 'fertility' (Fruchtbarkeit) are experiencing a boom in the 18th century. In many fields of knowledge, reproductive processes of organisms are being re-examined. This includes natural history, medicine, philosophy and cameral sciences, as well as aesthetics and literature. Following microscopic studies in the 17th and 18th centuries, it is primarily physiological mechanisms of reproduction that are being discussed in the field of natural history. At the same time, notions of spontaneous reproduction of 'lower' forms of life originating in Greco-Roman antiquity become the subject of criticism in the course of the 17th century.
The workshop entitled “Von der Kraft der Zeugung” explores the topic of 'procreativity' between the early 18th and the early 20th century, focusing on the various concepts of forces of procreation as well as on connections between scientific and artistic representations, imaginations and theories regarding procreative processes and forces. The workshop combines joint readings of relevant historical texts with topic-specific papers and discussions.
Workshop »Von der Kraft der Zeugung (18. – 20. Jahrhundert)« (in German)
Conception: Dominik Hünniger, Frederike Middelhoff, Adrian Renner
Time: December 5/6, 2019
Venue: Gorch-Fock-Wall 3, first floor (left handside), room 1021
>> Details and programme of the workshop