Block Seminar WiSe 2026/27
Saba Barani, Prof. Dr. Philipp Misselwitz, Prof. Dr. Anke Hagemann

Spaces of Encounter

In this co-learning research group, we will encounter spaces of encounter, where differences meet. Encounters are vital to democratic urban development: they create opportunities for diverse groups to meet beyond their social bubbles, challenge prejudices, build civic trust, and participate in shaping communities and the city. Yet encounters are not always equal or inclusive. Whose presence becomes visible, whose voice is heard, and who can claim space are shaped by underlying systems, spatial conditions and social relations.

This co-learning research group approaches encounter not simply as something that happens in space, but as a process that is spatially formed, negotiated, and reshaped. We explore the relationship between space and social encounters. We ask how spaces produce, reproduce, reinforce, enable, or prevent encounters, and how citizens, through their everyday practices of encounter, in turn, reappropriate and reshape spaces to negotiate differences and needs, make their voices heard, and build their communities.

Together, we will develop a theoretical framework through collective readings and design and conduct our co-research. We will visit spaces, conduct interviews and observations, and create mappings to investigate key spaces of encounter in Marzahn, paying attention to the socio-spatial practices, relations, and negotiations that take place within them. Finally, we will collectively analyze our findings and translate them into a booklet.

This research group works in cooperation with the BENN project in Marzahn-Süd.

Image: © Saba Barani

Download poster here.