Dr. Manuel Reinhard

Research focus:

• Sociology of the future (“Politics of the future” in 21st century Western societies, i.e., interrelations between future imaginaries, anticipatory governance, and future-making practices in the present)

Theoretical background:

• Social theory (cultural studies)
• Political theory (governance studies)
• Theory of science and technology (science and technology studies)

• since 2020: Research Associate, Helmut Schmidt University / University of the Federal Armed Forces Hamburg (Professorship Transformation of Governance in Education and Society)
• 2019: Strategy Consultant, McKinsey & Company (Orphoz GmbH & Co. KG)
• 2017-2018: Trainee Consulting, Schweers, Kemps & Schuhmann Unternehmensberatung (business unit Risk Advisory)
• 2016: Visiting Scholar, Harvard University (Department of Romance Languages & Literatures)
• 2013-2016: PhD-Student in Philosophy, Technical University of Darmstadt (DFG Research Training Group “Topology of Technology”)
• 2007-2012: Studies of Philosophy, Psychology and Pedagogy, University of Trier (Magister Artium)

“Strategic Foresight by Federal Agencies of the Federal Republic of Germany. Cultural-Sociologial Studies on Politics of the Future in 21st Century Western Societies” (working title)

• Research objectives: Epistemologies, ontologies, and ethics of the future in 21st century Western societies
• Research fields: Defence, climate, and financial policy in the Federal republic of Germany
• Research methods: Ethnographic field studies in specialist foresight units within federal agencies (case study 1: Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht [Federal Financial Supervisory Authority], case study 2: Umweltbundesamt [Federal Environment Agency], case study 3: Planungsamt der Bundeswehr [Bundeswehr Office for Defence Planning])

Monographies:

Reinhard, M. (2017) Philosophie des Scheiterns. Jacques Derridas aporetische Schriften. Weilerswist: Velbrück Wissenschaft.

Journal articles:

• Reinhard, M. (2021) Speculative Societies. Towards a new Research Agenda. Review of Economic Philosophy 21 (2): 51-81.
• Reinhard, M. (2015) Krise der Wissenschaft? Krisen der Wissenschaften!. Philokles – Zeitschrift für populäre Philosophie 21: 76-93.
• Reinhard, M. (2013) Zeitgenössische Philosophien der Grenze. Critica. Zeitschrift für Philosophie und Kunsttheorie 3(1): 11-16.

Papers in edited volumes:

• Hartong, S., Allert, H., Amos, K., Bleckmann, P., Czarnojan, I., Förschler, A., Jornitz, S., Reinhard, M. and Sander, I. (2021) Unblack the Box. Anregungen für eine (selbst)bewusste Auseinandersetzung mit digitaler Bildung. In: Lankau, R. (ed.) Autonom und mündig am Touchscreen. Für eine konstruktive Medienarbeit in der Schule. Weinheim und Basel: Beltz Verlag, pp. 201-212.
• Reinhard, M. (2018) Der Topos der Grenze. Zur Suggestibilität von Jacques Derridas Dekonstruktion. In: Brenneis, A.; Honer, O.; Keesser, S.; Ripper, A. und Vetter-Schultheiß, S. (eds.) Technik – Macht – Raum. Wiesbaden: Springer VS, pp. 335-344.
• Reinhard, M., Brenneis, A., Honer, O., Keesser, S. und Hubig, C. (2018) The Topological Manifesto. In: Brenneis, A., Honer, O., Keesser, S., Ripper, A. und Vetter-Schultheiß, S. (eds.) Technik – Macht – Raum. Wiesbaden: Springer VS, pp. 31-36.

Reviews:

• Reinhard, M. (2013) Höltershinken, Dieter: Die Nichtplanbarkeit in Erziehung und Bildung. Ein Essay über vergessene Erfahrungen und Erkenntnisse in der Pädagogik. Vierteljahrsschrift für wissenschaftliche Pädagogik 89 (4): 664-668.

Newspaper articles:

• Reinhard, M. (2017) Irreführende Suggestionen. Kommentar zur polizeilichen Kriminalitätsstatistik 2016. Rhein-Zeitung 14.03.2017: 12. 

Other publications:

• UNBLACK THE BOX (2020) How Transparent is the Modelling?. Link.
• UNBLACK THE BOX (2020) To what Extent is Artificial Intelligence Involved?. Link.
• UNBLACK THE BOX (2020) Where does the Data Go?. Link.
• UNBLACK THE BOX (2020) Who Consults / Trains – and with what Rationale?. Link.
• UNBLACK THE BOX (2020) Who is behind the Tool?. Link.
• UNBLACK THE BOX (2020) What are Education Policy Backgrounds?. Link.
• UNBLACK THE BOX (2020) What are the possible Health Effects (Physical)?. Link.
• UNBLACK THE BOX (2020) What are the possible Health Effects (Psychosocial)?. Link.
• UNBLACK THE BOX (2020) Which Types of Learning / Education does the Software (not) Enable?. Link.
• UNBLACK THE BOX (2020) To what Extent does the Software provide Opportunities for (Pedagogical) Design Adaptability?. Link.
• UNBLACK THE BOX (2020) Which Types of Nudging, such as Gamification or Visualisation, are used?. Link.
• UNBLACK THE BOX (2020) (How much) is Education being surveilled?. Link.

• Reinhard, M. (2025) Making ‘Plausible’ Futures: Scenario Analysis of the Future of Defense in the Federal Armed Forces of Germany – An Ethnographic Study. STS Hub 2025, Humboldt University of Berlin, March 11-14, 2025.
• Reinhard, M. (2025) Introduction to Scenario Analysis: Objectives, Subject Areas, Work Steps. Colloquium NavigatorsFirst. February 7, 2025.
• Reinhard, M. (2024) Möglichkeit, Wahrscheinlichkeit, Plausibilität: Zur Wissenskultur von Zukunftsforschung im 21. Jahrhundert. 9th Annual Conference of the Cultural Studies Association (KWG), Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, October 10-12, 2024.
• Reinhard, M. (2024) Sociology of the Future: Theoretical Foundations, Approaches, and Prospects. 16th European Sociological Association Conference 2024 (ESA 24). University of Porto, August 27-30, 2024.
• Reinhard, M. (2023) Die Deutsche Anpassungsstrategie an den Klimawandel: Klimawirkungs- und Risikoanalysen, Politische Maßnahmen und Zielentwicklung in der deutschen Klimapolitik. Zwischenfazit zur Fallstudie. Colloquium of the competence center “Climate Impacts and Adaptation in Germany” of the German Environment Agency (UBA), Dessau, July 11, 2023.
• Reinhard, M. (2023) Die Nationale Sicherheitsstrategie: Zukunftsanalyse, Fähigkeitsentwicklung und Strategische Planung in der deutschen Verteidigungspolitik. Ein Werkstattbericht aus der Forschungspraxis. Conference “Politische Soziologie des Krieges” of the section “Political Sociology” of the German Sociological Association (DGS) and the Bundeswehr Centre of Military History and Social Sciences, Potsdam, July 6-7, 2023.
• Reinhard, M. (2023) Politics of the Future in 21st-Century Western Societies: Outline of a Research Project. Research day, Helmut Schmidt University Hamburg, March 28, 2023.
• Reinhard, M. (2022) “Mehr Fortschritt wagen”? Politische Zukunftssemantiken im Kontext der Krisendiskurse westlicher Gesellschaften des 21. Jahrhunderts (Globale Anti-Terrororismus Strategie, Basel III, Agenda 2030 für nachhaltige Entwicklung). Congress of the German Sociological Association, University of Bielefeld Bielefeld, September 26-30, 2022.
• Reinhard, M. (2021) Predictive Governance: A few Thoughts on a Research Agenda. Workshop Predictive Governance – Towards Transdisciplinary Perspectives on Algorithmic Prediction & Decision Making, Workshop Predictive Governance, Helmut Schmidt University Hamburg, September 17-18, 2021.
• Reinhard, M. (2021) Early Warning Systems in U.S. Schooling: A Critical Review. European Conference on Educational Research Conference 2021, University of Geneva (online), September 6-10, 2021. 
• Reinhard, M. (2021) Speculative Societies: Towards a Cultural Sociology of the Future. European Sociological Association Conference 2021, University of Barcelona (online), August 31-September 03, 2021.
• Reinhard, M. (2018) Financial Ethics: Risk Management, Regulation, and Norms in the Light of Basel III. 4th International Conference Economics and Philosophy, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, June 27-29, 2018.
• Reinhard, M. (2016) Philosophie des Scheiterns: Jacques Derridas aporetische Schriften. PhD thesis defense, Technical University of Darmstadt, March 24, 2016.
• Reinhard, M. und Enrong, P. (2015) New Issues and Approaches in Philosophy of Technology. 19th Biennial Meeting of the Society for Philosophy of Technology, Northeastern University Shenyang, June 2-6, 2015.
• Reinhard, M. (2015) Paradoxies of Contemporary Philosophy of Technology. 19th Biennial Meeting of the Society for Philosophy of Technology, Northeastern University Shenyang, June 2-6, 2015.
• Reinhard, M. und Friedrich, A. (2015) Das topologische Manifest. Conference TechnoSpaces. Persistence – Practices – Procedures – Power, Technical University of Darmstadt, March 18-20, 2015.
• Reinhard, M. (2015) Der Topos der Grenze in der zeitgenössischen Philosophie. Conference TechnoSpaces. Persistence – Practices – Procedures – Power, Technical University of Darmstadt, March 18-20, 2015.
• Reinhard, M. (2014) Jacques Derrida’s Project: Aporetology. IV. Derrida Today Conference, Fordham University New York City, May 28-31, 2014.
• Reinhard, M. (2014) Aporias. Spring School Visualizing the World – Making Sense of Our Environments, Royal Academy of Science Sweden, Abisko, June 2-6, 2014.
• Reinhard, M. (2012) Philosophie und ihre Möglichkeiten: Anmerkungen zur Geschichte der Modalität. Joint Research Colloquium of the Department of Education at University of Trier and the Department of Education at Helmut Schmidt University Hamburg, Hamburg, November 3-4, 2012.

• German Cultural Studies Association (member of the board of the “Knowledge Cultures” section)
• German Sociological Association
• World Future Studies Federation

FT 2025 Seminar The end of illusions? Cultural sociology of the present

HT 2024 Seminar Michel Foucault’s “The Birth of Biopolitics” – Reading the sociological classics

HT 2023 Seminar Sociology of the future – Theories, methods, and empirical research, part 2

FT 2023 Seminar Sociology of the future – Theories, methods, and empirical research, part 1

HT 2022 Seminar Making sense of sense-making – Introduction to qualitative social research, part 2

FT 2022 Making sense of sense-making – Introduction to qualitative social research, part 1

HT 2021 Michel Foucault’s “Security, Territory, Population” – Reading the sociological classics

WT 2021 Introduction to the philosophy of education – Concepts of “Bildung” from antiquity to the present day

• 2013-2016: PhD Scholarship (German Research Foundation)
• 2014-2015: Visiting Scholarship (Harvard University)
• 2014-2015: Visiting Fellowship (University of Cambridge – rejected due to the above invitation)
• 2011-2012: Undergraduate Scholarship (German Academic Scholarship Foundation)