Empathising with literary characters – and thus learning about one’s own emotional world

Anes Osmić, literary scholar and author, has a pragmatic approach to using literature: reading should teach us specific, practical lessons. In his doctoral thesis, which the Senior Scientist at the University of Sarajevo is writing at the Department of Slavic Studies at the University of Klagenfurt, he addresses the issue of emotional literacy, and how it can be developed with the help of literature. He is currently the recipient of the Lejla Hairlahović-Hušić Scholarship from the War Childhood Museum and the Lejla Hairlahović-Hušić Foundation.

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On “here” and “elsewhere” in literature in Senegal and Austria

The Senegalese literary scholar Mbagnick Sene discovered the works of Franz Innerhofer, Thomas Mann, Peter Handke, Arthur Schnitzler, Franz Kafka, Josef Winkler and Thomas Bernhard in his home country. Today, he is fascinated by identity, politics and the relationship between Africa and Europe in his research on transcultural literary studies.

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The brown scent of coffee: Doctoral student investigates the language of smells

Can you smell it too, the brown scent of coffee or the black odour of smoke? Julia Salzinger is a doctoral student at the Department of English and American Studies at the University of Klagenfurt and is investigating the expressions we use to describe smells in English.

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UNESCO Chair “Global Citizenship Education – Culture of Diversity and Peace“ at the University of Klagenfurt: “The world is bigger than the familiar unit that is the nation state.”

The Mediterranean Sea is significantly warmer than it was just a few years ago, and at the same time heavy storms are also becoming more frequent in Austria. The example of climate change provides compelling evidence that national unilateral action and outdated recipes are no match for current global challenges. Hans Karl Peterlini has held the UNESCO Chair “Global Citizenship Education – Culture of Diversity and Peace” since 2020 and he emphasises: “We are increasingly dealing with existential issues that cannot be tackled by national governments alone.”

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