Public Symposium in Berlin: Conversations in Apocalyptic Times

Are we living through the end of a world order? Across the globe, a growing sense of rupture is reshaping how we think about politics, philosophy, law, and technology. This public event brings together leading scholars from diverse fields to explore how today’s apocalyptic mood is transforming their disciplines – and what new promises, fears, and possibilities emerge in this moment of profound change.

Join us for a 1-day symposium – Conversations in Apocalyptic Times – at the Berlin Center for Intellectual Diaspora at the Katholische Akademie, 9:30–18:30 on 27 January, 2026. All are welcome to attend. The address is Hannoversche Str. 5; 10115 Berlin, Germany.

This event is a collaboration between the At the End of the World research program at Lund University, the Berlin Center for Intellectual Diaspora at the Katholische Akademie Berlin, and Södertörn University. We are grateful for support from Riksbankens Jubileumsfond and from Östersjö-Stiftelsen (the Foundation for Baltic and East European Studies).

Event schedule

9:30–10:15. Coffee

10:00–10:15. Opening remarks by Elad Lapidot

10:15–11:45. Session 1: Being at the End of the World, featuring
Mårten Björk (Lund University)
Cecilia Wassén (Uppsala University)
Hans Ruin (Södertörn University)
Aaron James Goldman (Lund University), moderator

11:45–12:00. Coffee

12:00–13:30. Session 2: Politics at the End of the World, featuring
Zahiye Kundos (Simon Dubnow Institute in Leipzig)
Cristian Norocel (Lund University)
Ulrika Björk (Södertörn University)
Jayne Svenungsson (Lund University), moderator

14:45–16:15. Session 3: Law at the End of the World, featuring
Gregor Noll (University of Gothenburg)
Friederike Kuntz (FU Berlin)
Przemysław Tacik (Jagiellonian University in Kraków)
Tormod Otter Johansen (Gothenburg University), moderator

16:15–16–45. Coffee

16:45–18:15. Session 4: Technology at the End of the World, featuring
Luca di Blasi (University of Bern)
Nathalie Bloch (Lund University)
Allan Burnett (Linköping University)
Blaženka Scheuer (Lund University), moderator

18:15–18:30. Closing remarks

You can download a version of this schedule, with speaker bios, as a PDF.

Image credit: William Blake. 1805–1810. The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed with the Sun. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:William_Blake_003.jpg. Copyright: Public domain.