Research profile

We assume that socio-cultural, political, economic and organizational realities are constructed and staged or performed by actors and agencies as part of their interpretations and meaning-making. For us, these dimensions of meaning emerge co-creatively through different actions, actors and stakeholders that can be changed and steered towards more equitable and sustainable practices.

With this orientation, Karlshochschule sees itself as an educational institution that is characterized by critical-reflexive research approaches tosocio-cultural, economic, organizational and management-related phenomena and thereby claims to complement or overcome traditional reductionist orientations.

A particular focus is on ethics, diversity, inclusion, equality, feminism and social justice as well as on change and innovation in business and society and integral approaches to the ‘commons’/’communing’ movement and sustainability development and practice.

In order to pursue all these research orientations, we pursue inter- and transdisciplinary and holistic research, inspired by and in connection with e.g. anthropology, sociology, communication and media studies as well as the humanities, especially philosophy, art and aesthetics.

Based on this orientation, great importance is attached to qualitative research methods. Methodologically, Karlshochschule primarily pursues an interpretative and integrative approach with regard to the phenomena under investigation. This approach makes it possible to systematically and critically examine ambiguous and dynamic phenomena, problems and questions. At the same time, our research aims to contribute to a constructive transformation towards a more sustainable future.

TransFormative research is understood both as research into questions, problems and challenges relating to issues of change and transition, and as research that is itself transformative. The latter is a committed science that contributes to solving problems (action research) and has an impact on the social and economic forms of living and working together.

The Karls aims to conduct basic research and applied action research that is rigorous, but also relevant, engaging and transdisciplinary. Together with other academic and non-academic practitioners, the researchers here jointly create knowledge that could be called“slow research“. Research that is not primarily in competition for prestigious journals. Research that instead strives to make a trans-formative difference !

Accordingly, the Karls is a place of research that

• Answers to complex problems and urgent challenges are provided by
• picks up on and stimulates new forms of thinking and research
• rethinks the status quo and reimagines the possible, while at the same time redesigning and thus having a transformative effect
• It pursues tasks and issues with academic freedom, building interdisciplinary bridges between the various levels and thus developing a holistic understanding and thus also a holistic application.