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Carolin Zieringer

Caring for Contradiction

In my doctoral project, I develop a feminist theory of radical democratic contradiction. I argue for reading radical democratic theories as centrally organized around practices of political contradiction. From this point of view, freedom from contradiction is not desirable in a democracy because it is an expression of a lack of plurality and heterogeneity. The democratic subject thus faces a double challenge: it must endure contradiction (tolerance of ambiguity), and it must contradict others for the sake of democracy ((self-)representation). Understanding the relationship between democracy and contradiction in this way means asserting a strong subject, as is visible in the recently frequently repeated formula (at least in the German context) “A democracy must be able to endure that.” Such a democratic subject can endure conflict in various forms, and it can contradict for itself where tolerance of ambiguity reaches its limits. Accordingly, such an understanding of contradiction holds considerable potential for subjective emancipation while rejecting any kind of paternalism.

By exposing these often implicit genres of contradiction in conceptions of political action and dis-/order, I show that radical democratic theories tend to neglect the differential dependence of all people on others, i.e., on care, while narrowing the horizon of political action to particular forms of contradictory subjectivities. Contradictory forms of relations, of advocacy and complicity as forms of caring relations remain under-theorized, while the ethics of care and actual care work are excluded from the realm of the political. Moreover, the impositions and contradictions of resistance as well as collective exhaustion under contemporary conditions of racial capitalism, ecological desaster, and “the slow cancellation of our future” (Fisher) are not addressed. Drawing primarily on feminist and queer crip theories as well as activist objections around the complex issue of care, I problematize an understanding of political contradiction that insufficiently reflects the differential conditions and challenges of contradiction. Rather than asserting a binary either/or, I argue that radical democratic contradiction must be cared for, and that care must be radically democratic.

Contact
Research Interests
  • Political Philosophy, especially regarding subject formations and power
  • (Queer-)Feminist Theories
  • Radical Democratic Theory, especially Jacques Rancière and Judith Butler
  • Disability Studies and Crip Theories
  • Body Politics, relationality and Care
  • Post/De-Colonial Studies
Vita
  • 2022 – 2025
    Doctoral Fellow Research Training Group Contradiction Studies, University of Bremen
  • 2021 – 2022
    Research Associate WoC University of Bremen
  • 2022 – 2024
    Speaker in the 15th Speakers’ Council of the section Politics and Gender in the German Association of Political Science (DVPW)
  • 2018 – 2022
    M. A. Political Theory Goethe-Universität Frankfurt/M. und TU Darmstadt
    M. A. Thesis Haltungsfragen. Versuch einer feministischen körpertheoretischen Perspektive auf die kritische Haltung [Questions of Attitude. Attempting a Feminist Body-Theoretical Perspective on the Critical Attitude]
  • 2019 – 2021
    Project Coordinator and Collective Curator Nocturnal Unrest. A feminist festival for theory, performance and radical flâneuserie, nOu Kollektiv and Künstlerhaus Mousonturm Frankfurt
  • 2017 – 2018
    M. A. Anthropology and Cultural Politics, Goldsmiths College London
    M. A. Thesis En-Gendering Space. Female Recreational Boxing in South-East London (awarded with the Pat-Caplan-Award)
  • 2013 – 2017
    B. A. Political Science and Social/Cultural Anthropology, University of Bremen and Universidad de Salamanca (Erasmus Semester)
    B. A. Thesis Die Grenzen der Menschenrechte. Zur Politik des Menschlichen [The borders of human rights. On the politics of the human]
Publications
  • Zieringer, Carolin. 2024. Radical Democratic Care. Eine sorgetheoretische Perspektive auf Praxen des Widersprechens. In Femina Politica, 02/2024, 76-84.
  • Poppinga, Almut & Streinzer, Andreas & Zieringer, Carolin & Wanka, Anna & Marx, Georg. 2021. Moralische Überforderung und die Ambivalenz des Helfens in der Coronakrise. In Beuerbach et al. (eds.) Sinn in der Krise. Kulturwissenschaftliche Analysen der Corona-Pandemie, 75-90. Berlin, Boston: DeGruyter.
  • Streinzer, Andreas & Poppinga, Almut & Zieringer, Carolin &Wanka, Anna & Marx, Georg. 2020. Familial Intimacy and the ‘Thing’ between Us. Cuddle Curtains and Desires for Detached Relationality In Anthropology in Action 27(2), 68-72.
  • Streinzer, Andreas & Wanka, Anna & Poppinga, Almut & Zieringer, Carolin & Marx, Georg. 2021. Near Co-Laborations. The VERSUS Project as Relational Epistemic Practice to Analyse the COVID-19 Pandemic In Eitel et al. (eds.) Interventions with/in Ethnography. Kulturanthropologie Notizen 83, 73-84.
  • Zieringer, Carolin & Leonhardt, Christian. 2020. Die Ironie der Politik. Rancière mit queer-feministischen Perspektiven weiterdenken. In Gebhardt (ed.) Staatskritik und Radikaldemokratie. Das Denken Jacques Rancières, 173-190. Baden-Baden: Nomos.
  • Zieringer, Carolin. 2017. ‚Was wäre, wenn ich wüsste, wer ich sein könnte?‘ Ein Essay zum Zusammenhang von Wissen und Identität am Beispiel der Identitätsposition ‚Frau‘. In ZKFF Bremen (ed.) Geschlechterverhältnisse in Wissenschaft & Gesellschaft, 157-171. Hamburg: Dr.-Kovac. 
  • Zieringer, Carolin. 2017. Review Kritische Kollektivität im Netz von C. Wiedemann In Surveillance Studies Blog.
Conferences, Workshops and Events
  • 05.12.2024
    Organization of the Book Launch Szene des Politischen by Christian Leonhardt, University of Bremen and online
  • 10.07.2024
    Panel Discussion Democratic Impertinence? Feminist and Crip Perspectives on Democracy in Times of Crisis at the ECPG (European Consortium on Politics and Gender), University of Gent Belgien
  • 10.07.2024
    Chair of the Panel Un/certain Times for the ‘Natural Order’? Queer-Feminist Critiques of Authoritarian Phantasms and Emancipatory Rebuttals at the ECPG (European Consortium on Politics and Gender), University of Gent Belgien
  • 27.06.2024
    Moderation of the Panel Geschichte&Gegenwart intersektional-feministischer Bündnispolitiken at the Conference Living Archives, Haus der Wissenschaft Bremen
  • 25.06.2024
    Talk Politisches Widersprechen aus Care-Perspektive: Ethik, Körper, Arbeit at the Kolloquium für Politische Theorie, University of Bremen
  • 19.06.2024
    Keynote and Discussion Das Begehren nach Sorge. Eine kritische Bestandsaufnahme feministischer Care-Diskurse with Dr. Rosine Kelz at the Sie*Krit Teaching/Learning Festival 2024, “Who Cares?! …and for what?”, University of Siegen
  • 09.06.2024
    Talk and Discussion Für Demokratie sorgen? Radikale Demokratietheorie und feministische Care Politics zusammendenken at the Sommerakademie Feminstische Rechtswissenschaft, University of Marburg
  • 14.03.2024
    Talk and Discussion Für Widerspruch sorgen. Gedanken zu Jala Wahids Videoinstallation “I Love Ancient Baby”, Gesellschaft für aktuelle Kunst (GAK) Bremen
  • 29.09.2023
    Talk Das muss eine Demokratie aushalten. Eine feministische Problematisierung des Aushalten-Könnens von ‚Ungewissheit und Widerspruch‘ at the Conference Political Theory in Times of Uncertainty, University of Bremen
  • 11. – 13.09.2023
    Talk Das muss eine Demokratin aushalten können. Eine Problematisierung des Aushalten-Könnens im Dialog mit feministischen Perspektiven auf Sorge/Care at the Conference Zeitenwende – Politik(Wissenschaft) in unsicheren Zeiten, Johannes Kepler University Linz
  • 12.12.2023
    Talk How to Keep Theory Open to Contradiction with Dr. Christian Leonhardt and Samia Mohammed, University of Bremen
  • 06.07.2023
    Talk Performing and Withstanding Contradictions or: an Uneasy Hunch with comments from Dr. Rosine Kelz and Dr. Brigitte Bargetz, University of Bremen
  • 2022
    Talk Sperrige Partizipation [bulky participation]. Political Practice between (Self-)Government and Freedom with Martin Nonhoff at the interdisciplinary workshop Voluntariness and Political Participation in the framework of the DFG Research Group “Voluntariness/Volutariness”
  • 25.09. – 02.10.2022
    Workshop Leader Queering Knowledge(s): Queer feminist perspectives on science and knowledge at Queer Akademie der Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes e.V.
  • 04.07.2022
    Organisation and Moderation, Filmscreening and Discussion Concerning Violence. Thinkin de-coloniality past and present with Frantz Fanon with Matti Traußneck and Miriam Yosef as guests, University of Bremen
  • 25.02.2022
    Panel Discussion Festivals kuratieren – ein Erfahrungsaustausch mit Helene Röhnsch (nOu Kollektiv) at the Symposium Undoing Mastery of the SFB Affective Societies/Institut f. Theaterwissenschaft, Refugio Berlin
  • 2019/ 2020
    Co-Conceptualisation and co-leading organizer, Autonomous Seminar at Technical University Darmstadt Frauen* in der Nacht. Von nächtlicher Emanzipation, Flanieren in der Dunkelheit & un(-vorher-)gesehener Performance“ [Women* at Night. Of nocturnal emancipation, strolling in the dark & un(fore)seen performance].
  • 10.05.2019
    Talk Embodied knowledge and space. Female recreational boxing in South-East London at the LOVA (Association for Feminist Anthropology) Study Day Gender Moves, University of Leiden
  • 2019
    Talk Serious Fun. Experimental ethnographic methods for research on humour and joy in feminist activism at the Conference at the Institute for Advanced Studies, University College London
  • 2018
    Workshop Ecstatic Bodies. Agency and Responsibility in the work of Judith Butler at the Queer Network of the Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes e.V.
  • 2015
    Conference Conceptualisation and Organization Critiques of Humanitarianism from the perspective of political sciene and cultural anthropology with Pauline Anton, University of Bremen / Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes e.V.
Teaching
  • WiSe 23/24 U Bremen
    Co-Teaching Seminar ‘Abolition requires that we change one thing, which is everything’ – Abolitionistische Perspektiven auf Freiheit und Sorge [Abolitionist perspectives on freedom and care]
  • SoSe 22 & SoSe 23 U Bremen
    Übung Introduction to political theory
  • WiSe 20/21 Goethe Universität Frankfurt/M.
    Autonomous Seminar Der ‚Lesbische Blick‘ und feministische Politiken der (Un-)Sichtbarkeit [The ‘Lesbian Gaze’ and Feminist Politics of (In)Visibility] incl. a Workshop with Dr. E. v. Redecker and Dr. L. Duggan
  • WiSe 19/20 TU Darmstadt
    Co-Teaching Autonomous Seminar Frauen* in der Nacht. Von nächtlicher Emanzipation, Flanieren in der Dunkelheit & un(-vorher-)gesehener Performance [Women* at Night. Of nocturnal emancipation, strolling in the dark & un(-pre)seen performance]
  • WiSe 19/20 Goethe Universität Frankfurt/M.
    Seminar Introduction to the Philosophy of Law

Supervised/Assessed Theses

  • 2024 U Bremen
    Kaya Weingart Arbeit zu feministischen Kritiken der Dialektik der Aufklärung, unter besonderer Berücksichtigung von Reproduktionsarbeit
  • 2024 U Bremen
    Mara Finger Arbeit zu Staat, Geschlecht und Gewalt
  • 2024 U Bremen
    Paula Nicnerski Was sind die Probleme einer herrschaftskritischen Anwendung des intersektionalen Ansatzes in der sozialwissenschaftlichen Forschung?
  • 2024 U Bremen
    Mathilda Süßmilch Zwischen hegemonialem Sicherheitsverständnis und queeren Perspektiven: Eine Analyse der Gewalt in der Sicherheitsbranche
  • 2024 U Bremen
    Christina Claussen Intersektionale Monster – Queere und Rassifizierte Stereotype im Vergleich
  • 2023 U Bremen
    Jendrik Greiwe The Border Protection Policy of the European Union – Post-Colonial Violence in the Mediterranean
Back to overview
sustained engagement

“The history of Western philosophy can be understood as a sustained engagement with contradiction.”

Norman Sieroka
Afterlife of colonialism

“Contradiction comes in many different forms. None is so debilitating than when the coloniser transitions, textually not politically, to decoloniality without taking the responsibility for the afterlife of colonialism, which they continue to benefit from. Self-examination and self-interrogation of the relations of coloniality, a necessity, seem nearly impossible for the coloniser who continues to act as beneficiary, masked in the new-found language of White fragility, devoid of an ethical responsibility of the very system of White domination they claim to be against.” (Black Consciousness and the Politics of the Flesh)

Rozena Maart
interstice

“The contradiction of law in Derrida lies in the interstice that separates the impossibility of deconstructing justice from the possibility of deconstructing law.”

Andreas Fischer-Lescano
paradox

“The basis of law is not an idea as a systematic unified principle but a paradox.”

Andreas Fischer-Lescano
decolonial scholarship

“Creating decentralizing and decolonizing scholarship on contradiction, contradictory phenomena, and contradicting processes is a challenging task.”

Kerstin Knopf