This is a special edition in which we look back on our joint achievements over the last seven years and, with the second funding phase now secured, we also look ahead with great excitement and ambition. In the second part of this issue, we offer insights into how we plan to expand the Cluster’s collaborative scope and use interdisciplinary dialogue to drive new research questions and methodologies.
In his introduction, the Cluster’s spokesperson, Stephan Conermann, reflects on the path from a small group of doctoral and postdoctoral researchers to the experience of “seven years of excellence” under the German Excellence Initiative. This issue revisits the first funding phase (2019-2025) through the voices of early career researchers whose work and careers have been shaped by the Cluster, alongside reflections from international partners, fellows, and guest researchers on how the concept of Strong Asymmetrical Dependencies has informed their research.
Looking ahead, we introduce the 25 Principal Investigators of the second funding phase (2026-2032) and offer a preview of the projects and directions to come, including a close-up on "Dialogues from Bolivia" by Carla Jaimes Betancourt, Stephan Conermann, and Roberto Hofmeister-Pich. Their approach to exploring Strong Asymmetrical Dependencies through mutually co-produced knowledge developed with partners in the Global South exemplifies a collaborative approach with those whose experiences and expertise are central, one of the Cluster's key goals for the years ahead.
In this edition, we often look back at earlier articles. You can find all of the previous issues on the DEPENDENT magazine website.
Please note the print version of this issue will be available later this month.
CONTENT:
- Introduction: Seven Years of Excellence - by Stephan Conermann
PART 1: TAKING STOCK of the first funding phase (2019-2025)
- Impressions from the First Phase
- BCDSS Publications at a Glance
- BCDSS Biographies:
Viola Müller, Jennifer Leetsch, Josef Köstlbauer, David Smith, Alex Rothenberg, Anas Ansar, Dita Auziņa, Ankit Chowdhury, Nataliia Voitko - Field Research Impressions
- International Cooperations
- The Impact of Strong Asymmetrical Dependency on My Research:
Damian Pargas, Vitali Byl, Chioma Daisy Onyige, Emmanuel Saboro, Roberto, Hofmeister Pich, Olga Isabel Sosa Amorós, Alfonso Múnera, Evelyn Hu-De Hart, Sarah J. Zimmerman, Emma Christopher, Deirdre Coleman, Nitin Varma
PART 2: LOOKING AHEAD to the second funding phase (2026-2032)
- The New Research Program
- Principal Investigators
- New Dialogues from Bolivia
- Academic Programs
- News
Enjoy the read!