Is one of the questions that has been on our minds since last academic year, when Minna Salami led our Black Feminism program. Now she has written – and recently published – a book about this most paradoxical question.

In a world teetering on the brink of ecological, economic, and cultural collapse, the call for meaningful social transformation has never been more urgent. In “Can Feminism Be African? A Most Paradoxical Question," Minna challenges us to rethink the narratives that have shaped our understanding of power, identity, and the human condition through the lens of African feminism. Her inquiry is both deeply personal and culturally critical, drawing from feminist theory, postcolonial studies, historical insights, and African knowledge systems.

Want to hear more? Then join us for her public Inspiration Talk at THE NEW INSTITUTE on March 19, 6 pm, where Minna will delve into her latest book and share some of the valuable insights that make her work so compelling. You can find all the details on how to register on our website – we look forward to seeing you there!

As spring slowly awakens in Hamburg, our academic calendar reaches its midpoint at the Warburg Ensemble. It's a moment when projects start to crystallize, farewells are bid, and new faces join our community. Let us introduce you to our spring fellows, grouped by program for clarity's sake – though their innovative work delightfully resists the linear logic we often try to impose (and we couldn't be more pleased about that):

Africapitalism has been enriched by Imade Bibowei-Osubeni, who leverages her extensive experience in public policy and strategic management to bridge the gender digital divide and enhance access to finance and markets for rural women. Maria Etemore Glover brings her expertise in investment and commercial banking, philanthropy, and NGO management. Onya Idoko is interested in the emergence of novelty, particularly in constrained environments: she works at the intersection of creativity and innovation and entrepreneurship studies. Scott Walker joins as a public and private sector advisor specializing in strategy, innovation, policy, and sustainability, with a focus on systems-related projects in East Africa.

Futures of Capitalism has become even more forward-thinking with Giulia Dal Maso, who examines the impact of financial markets on social and political spheres, particularly the question of longevity and finance. Jamie Pietruska delves into the fascinating history of weather gambling and its relationship to finance capitalism. Till Wittwer, our artist fellow, crafts research-based narratives that explore how reality is constructed.

The Future of Food welcomed Jessica Duncan, who pioneers new approaches to understanding and imagining food governance processes for just and sustainable transformations. And Liz Willetts, who has worked tirelessly as a consultant for more than 20 years to bring health and nutrition issues closer together in global organizations such as the UN.

The spheres Beyond Capitalism can’t be imagined without critically examining alternative economic models such as degrowth: so we welcomed Matthias Schmelzer, an economic historian and transformation researcher working on the history of economic growth paradigms, climate crises, and neoliberalism, amongst other things.

Joanna Karolina Malinowska is our last Elkana Fellow in the house. Joanna is a multi-talented researcher with a strong background in the philosophy of science. She is currently working on conceptualizing whiteness and racism in health disparities research, particularly the health risks posed by the complex interplay of racialization, exclusion, and privilege along the Polish-Belarusian border. She is also interested in how processes of racialization impact the health outcomes of residents of Central and Eastern European countries, as well as migrants from these regions to the West.

We have announced him already: Felix Rohrbeck joined us as a media fellow. He's been distilling the essence of our fellows' work into journalistic newsletters, addressing simple yet important questions: What is the problem? What is the approach? What does this mean for capitalism? In his first issue, he interviewed José Luis Chicoma, uncovering insights into how a policy expert seeks to transform systems from within, valuing the most essential resource that sustains us: food.

Our Planetary Governance program, led by Maja Groff, is pioneering efforts to modernize and upgrade global institutions amidst converging crises. A recent expert meeting explored proposals to enhance environmental governance, including, for example, strengthening UNEP or designing a new Global Environment Agency. Building on these discussions, the program will continue to develop proposals for innovative, resilient governance systems through research and consultations, in order to address the planetary emergency effectively. Maja recently joined the Istanbul Innovation Days and gave an insightful interview on the question: Can we Revive Aging Global Institutions? Watch it here.

The future of food has been on our minds, and even more so since our program chair José Luis Chicoma convened a number of key representatives of UN agencies, such as UNDP, WFP and IFAD, and international NGOs like WWF, CARE, and the Slow Food  – all of whom are influential experts and thought leaders globally –, to a three-day conference at THE NEW INSTITUTE. Alongside the program team, this group of high-profile and structurally critical actors engaged in passionate debates on transformative ideas to create more sustainable, just, and equitable food systems. These discussions took place under the confidentiality of Chatham House Rules, but for those interested in the outcomes of these discussions: the final report that the program will publish after the academic year ends.

Oh, and since we’re reflecting on the past: our annual reports from the 2023-2024 academic year are out! The report highlights our programmatic work, events, and key developments. Last year featured 46 international scholars and practitioners tackling topics like depolarizing debates and reimagining the commons to applying Black feminist perspectives to the polycrisis. The cohort produced over 50 academic publications, hosted 86 events, and made 100 public appearances, driving towards a more just and sustainable future. Enjoy browsing!

Kohei Saito, Minna Salami, and Aris-Komporozos-Athanasiou: In our short video series, they share their thoughts on the end of progress, African feminism, and the impact of finance on our lives. In just one minute, they offer insights straight from the heart of our community, in all the colors and textures of life. If you find their perspectives inspiring, we invite you to share them with others – the short videos are available on our YouTube channel, Instagram, and LinkedIn as well as on our website.

And if you're interested in longer sessions, be sure to check out our media productions page, where we upload many full-length recordings of our events.

Lastly, you have probably already seen it – but we have to cherish these news again: Sasha Waltz and Olafur Eliasson receive the Helmut-Schmidt-Zukunftspreis 2025. For the first time, two personalities will be honored with the award: German choreographer, dancer, and director Sasha Waltz, as well as Danish visual artist, designer, and architect of public spaces Olafur Eliasson. They are honored for their cultural innovations, with which they are committed to the protection of democracy and nature as well as liberal society. Together with Bundeskanzler-Helmut-Schmidt-Stiftung and DIE ZEIT, we award the prize to honor groundbreaking impulses for our future.

We are eagerly anticipating the award ceremony on May 22, 2025, at the Thalia Theater Hamburg, and even more so, the Helmut-Schmidt-Zukunftsfestival at Leuphana University in Lüneburg from May 20–22. This festival brings together 100 young individuals who are passionate about exploring the sustainability of democracy and transforming crises into opportunities for democratic development. This year, renowned democracy activist Marina Weisband will kick off the festival, sparking a discussion with the community about the future of democratic participation. If you identify as a young advocate for democracy, learn more about the festival and how to register here.

One last thing from THE NEW INSTITUTE book front: Our colleagues from the library have started a humble yet wonderful initiative at Felix Jud Bookstore – a Reading Club! They meet the last Tuesday of each month at 6pm to discuss the book of the month: what moved, challenged, puzzled, or inspired new ideas in the last read. They’re exploring novels, short stories, and poetry – even throwing in a classic: Middlemarch by George Eliot is up on March 25. Conversations will be in English, but if German feels more comfortable, bring it along – languages are like books, the more the merrier. Check out all of our upcoming book events here.