"Myths of Disruption"

Disruption is as much a volatile as it is a versatile concept. While we fear disruption when we want a plan to work or a person to succeed, disruption often is hailed as the condition for success itself. Finding something ‘new’ is still a guiding principle of economic, social, and academic work, insinuating a necessary break with whatever is deemed ‘old’. Terms like “disruptive innovation”, “radical change” and “creative destruction” point to myths of disruption that fuel paradigms like “growth”, “progress” and “future” in ways which have been thoroughly critiqued by academics, scientists, and activists alike for their conditions as well as their consequences – privileging the few over the many, ignoring tradition and producing ever more minute ‘change’, resulting in environmental destruction, social and economic instability etc. Yet, disruption, innovation, and future seem to promise something that we want to hold on to: protest, change, and the possibility of creating spaces for a more just society that differs from a status quo – not least a “we” that is able to act, adapt, and persist.

This is an interdisciplinary event! While the concept originates in cultural studies, we want to emphasize, that we want to hear as many voices as we can. If you have questions about possible formats or topics, please do not hesitate to contact us.