We are a group of historians, sociologists, and philosophers at the Universities of Erfurt, Jena, and Oldenburg, plus a number of associated scholars around the globe. Together, we form the interdisciplinary Research Unit on Voluntariness, funded by the German Research Foundation (FOR 2983) since 2020. The variety of our individual research projects underscores the power, significance, and transformations of voluntariness from the Middle Ages to the present.

Our Projects
Philosophy  |  History  |  Sociology
Our Team
Erfurt  |  Jena  |  Oldenburg
Mercator Fellow 2022
Anne Greule
Affiliated Member
Carolyn Taratko
Member Research Unit
Christiane Kuller
Member Research Unit
Elena M. E. Kiesel
Member Research Unit
Florian Wagner
Member Research Unit
Iris Schröder
Member Research Unit
JĂĽrgen Martschukat
Member Research Unit
Mara Albrecht
Affiliated Member
Maria Framke
Affiliated Member
Markus Dolinsky
Member Research Unit
Meike Katzek
Student Assistant
Mitchell Dean
Mercator Fellow 2023
Petra Meersteiner
Administrative Staff
Philipp Lorig
Member Research Unit
Philipp Schink
Member Research Unit
Pia Herzan
Member Research Unit
Sabine Schmolinsky
Member Research Unit
Silke van Dyk
Member Research Unit
Stefanie BĂĽttner
Academic Coordinator
Stefanie Graefe
Member Research Unit
Tilo Wesche
Member Research Unit
Timon Ahlborn
Student Assistant