As part of the discussion series "In the heat of the moment? About emotions in work and society", Pastor Thomas Gotthilf (Evangelical Lutheran Church) will talk to Prof. Steffie Schmidt (Protestant Theology) and Prof. Björn Spiekermann (Modern German Literature) about the role of emotions in prison chaplaincy, his many years of work as a chaplain and violence counselor, as a leader of meditation groups and creative writing projects at Lingen Prison.
The event will take place on November, 19, 2025 at 7 p.m. in the Student Center, Kolpingstraße 1a.
Emotions move and set things in motion. They play a much larger and more influential role in many areas of social life than a rationalist view of the world and humanity has long wanted to admit. This is the case today, and it probably also applies to earlier times, albeit in a different way.
Research into the forms of dealing with affects in the pre-modern era is one of the focal points of the Institute of Early Modern Intercultural Studies (IKFN) at Osnabrück University. In this series of talks, we look from the past to the present. We talk to representatives of various professional fields about the significance of emotions and how they are dealt with in their daily work. In the best case scenario, this will result in a lively exchange in which we succeed in shedding light on the present from the past and the past from the present.
All interested parties, whether from inside or outside the university, are cordially invited to attend. Following the discussion with the guest, moderated by the above-mentioned members of the IKFN, the discussion will be opened up and there will be room for questions and experiences from the audience.
