Young Academy for Cultures and Societies Research (YAC)
About YAC
The Young Academy for Cultures and Societies Research (YAC) was established as part of the Freiburg Postdoctoral Academy (FPA). It aims to advance the careers of early career researchers by providing them with autonomy, creative freedom, access to international networks, peer mentoring, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Members receive personal and group research budgets, are supported in their projects, reflecting one of the key research areas of the University of Freiburg: Languages of Knowledge.
Contact
For further details please contact
karolin.viseneber@frias.uni-freiburg.de
+49 761 203 – 97321
Members of YAC
The Young Academy for Cultures and Societies Research (YAC) is composed of postdoctoral researchers from various disciplines in the Humanities and Social Sciences. This page provides an overview of the current members and their academic backgrounds.
YAC News
Ozan Altan Altinok (YAC Member 2025/28) has published an article in Science & Technology Studies. He examines the limitations of current universalist governance models in international scientific collaborations.
Marija Radoman (YAC Member 2025/28) has been selected for 2026 as a Senior Fellow at the Brussels Institute for Advanced Studies (BrIAS). She takes part in the programme: Democratic Governance: Challenges and Innovations.
Cornelia Baciu (YAC Member 2025/2028) has published an article in The Hague Journal of Diplomacy. She examines how emotions and the quest for ontological security shape the behavior and self-presentation of states in diplomatic contexts.
Katharina Stein (YAC Member 2025/2028) spricht im Podcast DOING TIME, TALKING CRIME des Max-Planck-Instituts zur Erforschung von Kriminalität, Sicherheit und Recht über das Thema “Söldner 2.0: Wenn Staaten ihr Gewaltmonopol outsourcen“
During our first digital YAC meeting on 8 January 2026 we welcomed guest speaker Ina Kühne (University of Siegen). In her talk, “Representations of the environment, violence and illness in the Latin American eco‑thriller”, she gave us fruitful insights into the particular features of eco‑fiction from the 1990s onwards, covering ecocriticism and green criminology.
Katharina Stein (YAC Member2025/2028) gave an interview about the topic: Privatizing War. The Past or Future of Armed Conflicts?
Elisabetta Ferrari (YAC Member 2025/28) talks about her 2024 published monograph “Appropriate, negotiate, challenge: Activist imaginaries and the politics of digital technologies” in the New Books Network Podcast.
FRIAS-Direktor Ralf von den Hoff spricht in der Badischen Zeitung über die wissenschaftliche Freiheit der YAC, deren Mitglieder zu der Frage forschen, was ein gutes Leben und eine gute Gesellschaft ausmacht.
Ina Kuhn (YAC Member 2025/28) erforscht die kulturellen Hintergründe der Abstinenz von Alkohol. In der Badischen Zeitung gibt sie sieben Ratschläge, wie ein Leben ohne Alkohol gelingen kann.
Anna-Lena Oldehus (YAC Member 2025/28) lädt zur Konferenz “Emanzipative Erotik – Begehren, Körperlichkeit und soziale Transformation in Texten und Künsten seit dem 19. Jahrhundert” am FRIAS ein.
The new members of the Young Academy for Cultures and Societies Research (YAC) share insights on their research and motivations in a series of mini-interviews on Instagram.
At the opening of the Young Academy for Cultures and Societies Research (YAC) and the academic year 2025/26, Racha Kirakosian delivered an inspiring keynote speech entitled “Money, Morals, and Merit: A Medieval Take on the (Im)Possibilities of Integrity.”
Opening of the new Young Academy for Cultures and Societies Research (YAC), which will explore the topic “The Good Life – What Makes a Good Society” over the next three years.