The collaborative project KAPAZ – “Kapazitäten und Kompetenzen im Umgang mit Hassrede und Wissenschaftsfeindlichkeit”, in English: “Capacities and Competencies in Dealing with Hate Speech and Hostility towards Science”) deals with the increasing hostility towards science that threatens researchers and scientific institutions in Germany. The aim is to gather empirical data on hostility and derogatory behavior towards scientists and to develop institutional support to protect those affected both online and offline. The challenge is that hostility towards science not only threatens research, but also the social and democratic fabric of our society. The project therefore aims to increase awareness of the extent of the problem and establish effective counterstrategies.
As part of this project, a co-creation workshop titled “Dealing with hostility in science communication” will take place at the Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society (HIIG) on June 13, 2025. Dr. Josephine B. Schmitt, scientific coordinator at CAIS, has been invited and is going to give a talk about the “Role of institutional support in countering hostility against scientists as a crucial research gap” based on a study (Reich & Schmitt, in press).
More information about the KAPAZ project can be found at:
https://www.hiig.de/project/wissenschaftsfeindlichkeit-kapaz/