Centre for Digital Cultures

Organisational unit: Institute

Organisation profile

Contemporary culture is characterized by the ubiquity of digital media technologies and infrastructures, which are constantly configuring our techniques for processing, storing, and transmitting data. As a result, our everyday practices of connecting, relating, reading, writing, perceiving, sharing, competing, and communicating are undergoing significant changes. At the same time, these technologies are closely tied to major societal challenges such as climate change, global conflicts, digital divides and social unjustness. In this dynamic context, the Centre for Digital Cultures (CDC) directly addresses the emergence of new and complex qualities of vernacular socio-technical life. This involves the development of advanced theory and innovative study programmes. We are concerned with the question of how we can understand and shape digital cultures today​​​​​​​.

Main research areas

The digital shift re-shapes the cultural sectors, and, indeed, everyday life, politics, law, and economics. the Centre for Digital Cultures (CDC), affiliated to Leuphana University of Lüneburg, examines this shift through a range of interdisciplinary methodologies, including media, cultural and social studies, through knowledge creation and transfer, as well as by developing experimental and interventionist media practices. Established in 2012, as one of the first research centres in Europe to research the emergence of digital cultures, the CDC continues to produce cutting-edge research on socio-technical regimes of inclusion and exclusion. Since its inception, the CDC has built an innovative network and research environment, where academic institutions, practitioners, and civil society stakeholders engage with new concepts, formats, and applications within digital cultures.

Current Research Areas

  • Climate Futures
  • (B)Orders, Identities and Belonging in the Digital Age
  • Cities, Infrastructures, Logistics, Platforms 
  1. Published

    "Technisches Leben": Simondons Denken des Lebendigen und die allgemeine Ökologie

    Hörl, E. H., 08.2017, Black Box Leben. Muhle, M. & Voss, C. (eds.). Berlin: August Verlag, p. 239-266 27 p. (Schriften des Internationalen Kollegs für Kulturtechnikforschung und Medienphilosophie; vol. 28).

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksContributions to collected editions/anthologiesResearchpeer-review

  2. Published

    Mediengenealogie: Zurück in die Gegenwart digitaler Kulturen

    Apprich, C. & Bachmann, G., 2017, Digitalisierung: Theorien und Konzepte für die empirische Kulturforschung. Koch, G. (ed.). Konstanz, München: UVK Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, p. 405-426 22 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksContributions to collected editions/anthologiesResearch

  3. Published

    Einleitung

    Pias, C. & Rieger, S., 02.2016, Vollstes Verständnis: Utopien der Kommunikation. Pias, C. & Rieger, S. (eds.). 1 ed. Berlin / Zürich: Diaphanes Verlag, p. 7-13 7 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksContributions to collected editions/anthologiesResearchpeer-review

  4. Published

    Vollstes Verständnis: Utopien der Kommunikation

    Pias, C. (Editor) & Rieger, S. (Editor), 02.2016, 1 ed. Berlin / Zürich: Diaphanes Verlag. 208 p.

    Research output: Books and anthologiesCollected editions and anthologiesResearch

  5. Published

    „Das scheint mir das Widersprüchliche in der Kybernetik zu sein: Im gleichen Atemzug mit einer De-Anthropologisierung wird ein neuer Humanismus gefeiert.“

    Pias, C., 10.07.2017, Eine Genealogie des MedienDenkens: Siegfried Zielinski im Gespräch mit: Hans Belting, Knut Ebeling, Thomas Elsaesser, Wolfgang Ernst, VALIE EXPORT, Boris Groys, Sybille Krämer, Geert Lovink, Joachim Paech, Claus Pias, Hans Ulrich Reck, Hans-Jörg Rheinberger, Nils Röller, Otto Rössler, Florian Rötzer, Elisabeth von Samsonow, Henning Schmidgen, Peter Weibel und Hartmut Winkler.. Hadler, F. & Irrgang, D. (eds.). Berlin: Kulturverlag Kadmos , p. 491-520 30 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksContributions to collected editions/anthologiesResearchpeer-review

  6. Published

    Szintetikus történelem

    Pias, C., 16.11.2015, In: Tiszataj. 4, p. 83-92 10 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  7. Published

    Friedrich Kittler und der »Mißbrauch von Heeresgerät«: Zur Situation eines Denkbildes 1964 – 1984 – 2014

    Pias, C., 04.2015, In: Merkur. 69, 791, p. 31-34 14 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  8. Published

    Friedrich Kittler und der „Mißbrauch von Heeresgerät“: Zur Situation eines Denkbilds 1964 / 1984 / 2014

    Pias, C., 2016, Zweckentfremdung: 'Unsachgemäßer' Gebrauch als kulturelle Praxis. Keller, D. & Dillschnitter, M. (eds.). 1 ed. Parderborn: Wilhelm Fink Verlag, p. 63-80 18 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksContributions to collected editions/anthologiesResearchpeer-review

  9. Published

    Collectives, Connectives, and the ‘Nonsense1 of Participation

    Pias, C., 02.2016, ReClaiming participation: technology - mediation - collectivity . Denecke, M., Ganzert, A., Stock, R. & Otto, I. (eds.). Bielefeld: transcript Verlag, p. 23-38 17 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksContributions to collected editions/anthologiesResearchpeer-review

  10. Published

    Die Zeit die aus der Kälte kam

    Pias, C., 05.12.2015, Exploring Cybernetics : Kybernetik im interdisziplinären Diskurs. Jeschke, S., Schmitt, R. & Dröge, A. (eds.). Wiesbaden: Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden, p. 227-236 10 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksContributions to collected editions/anthologiesResearchpeer-review