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Christine Abbt

Christine Abbt

Christine Abbt

Prof. Dr.

Full Professor (Chair) for Philosophy

SHSS-HSG
Fachbereich Philosophie
Unterer Graben 21
9000 St. Gallen
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Publications

Publications on Research Platform Alexandria

Main Focuses

Political Philosophy, Democratic Theory

(Learn to) think critically, Creativity

Aesthetics and Politics

Forms of Forgetting, Memory Theory

Fields of research

Political Philosophy

Radical Democracy

Deconstruction

Critical Theory

Social Philosophy

Education

Habilitation in Philosophy at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Zurich

Research stays with third-party funding:

Excellence Cluster Normative Orders of the University of Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Info

Committee on Social Thought of the University of Chicago (CST), Chicago, USA. Info

International Research Center for Cultural Studies (IFK), Vienna, Austria. Info

Doctorate in Philosophy, University of Zurich

Diploma Higher Teaching Qualification for German and Philosophy, University of Zurich

Study visits with grants:

School of Theory and Criticism (STC), Cornell University, Ithaca, USA. Info

Center for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics (CAPPE) at the University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia. Info

Interdisciplinary Center for Ethics in the Sciences and Humanities at the University of Tübingen (IZEW), Tübingen, Germany. Info

Collegium Helveticum of the ETHZ. Info

Master of Applied Ethics, University of Zurich

Licentiate (Master) in German Studies, Philosophy and Religious Studies, University of Zurich

Professional Career

More information can be found here: www.unisg.ch/philosophy 

  • 2023 Full Professor of Philosophy/Chair at the University of St. Gallen 
  • 2020-2023 Full Professor of Political Philosophy, University of Graz, 2020-2023
  • 2015-2019 SNSF Professor of Philosophy, University of Lucerne, 2015-2019

Furthermore:

  • Senior Lecturer for didactics of philosophy, PH Lucerne
  • Research Assistant in political philosophy, University of Zurich
  • Head of continuing education program "Science and Wisdom", University of Zurich
  • Certified Teacher of Literature and Philosophy, Kantonsschule/Gymnasium Hohe Promenade, Zurich
  • Research Assistant in Applied Ethics, University of Basel
Teaching Activities

Longstanding teaching experience

current teaching

Projects

Current projects

  • Political Orders of Indeterminacy. Rethinking the Democratic Ethos
  • The political leeway. Democratic self-understanding and identity politics
  • Transformative concept of freedom. Historical developments, systematic foundations
  • Separating powers. Why Montesquieu instead of Locke
  • To become critical

Finished projects

  •   Meddlesomeness (Fremd- und Vieltun) (greek: allotrio-/polypragmosyne). About the meaning of forms of the non-identical for democracy in the antiquity, European enlightenment and the present. (promoted by the Swiss National Fund (SNF) and the research commission of the University of Lucerne, 2025-2019)
  • Thinking with texts. A philosophy of literature (with Prof. Christian Benne, University of Copenhagen, Denmark, 2019-2023)
  • I forget. Possibilities and limits of thinking from a philosophical perspective (habilitation in philosophy, promoted by the SNF and the IFK Vienna/University of Linz)
  • The Wordless Suicide. The Literary Shaping of Abandonment by Language as a Challenge for Ethics (Doctoral Thesis in Philosophy, funded by UZH and SNF)
  • Applied Ethics and Public Mandate (Master's Thesis in Applied Ethics, University of Zurich)
  • Storytelling Saves Lives. Ethical Effects of the Depicted Act of Narration (Master's Thesis in Literary Studies, University of Zurich)

 

Affiliations
Awards
  • 2012 Research Fellow, Cluster of Excellence Normative Orders, Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany
  • 2011 Visiting scholar, Committee on Social Thought, University of Chicago, USA
  • 2011 Research Fellow, International Research Center for Cultural Studies (IFK), Vienna, Austria
  • 2005 Member, School of Criticism and Theory at Cornell University, Ithaca/NY, USA
  • 2005 Research Fellow, Swiss Institute Rome for the promotion of interdisciplinary collaboration between science and art, Rome, Italy
  • 2004 SNF Scholarship, Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics (CAPPE), Melbourne, Australia
  • 2003 SNF Scholarship, International Centre for Ethics in the Sciences (IZEW), University of Tübingen, Germany
  • 2000 Member as a doctoral candidate, Collegium Helveticum, Interdisciplinary Research Center of ETH Zurich, Switzerland
Talks

Selection (all presentations)

  • What Freedom?, Security Days University SG, April 21, 2026. 
  • Teaching exchange, University SG, March 25, 2026.
  • The Significance and Future of Philosophy?, University St. Gallen, March 18, 2026.
  • Defending Democracies: On the Current Concept of Violence in Camus and Derrida, University Frankfurt am Main, February 4, 2026.
  • Who's Afraid of the People?, Philosophy Festival Zurich, January 23, 2026The Future of the Poor and the Rich, lecture at the literature festival, February 23, 2025.
  • Democratic Curiosity and the Search for Truth, DNAustria, online event of the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research/Vienna, 13.11.2024.
  • Democracies and the Claim to Universalization, conference of the ICJ-CH, Aarau, 25.10.2024.
  • Democratic Curiosity, kick-off conference of the Forum for Democracy Research at the University of Graz, 16.10.2024
  • Democratic freedom and transformation, University of St. Gallen, 1.10.2024.
  • Limiting power. A democratic imperative, University of Innsbruck, 13.6.024.
  • Transformative Freedom and Democracy, University of Innsbruck, 12.6.2024.
  • Human rights and democracy. Panel discussion with Arnd Pollmann, Daniel Binswanger, Christine Abbt, Zurich 31.5.2024.
  • Of absolute enmity. Derridas Critique of C. Schmitt, University of Vienna, 12.4.2024.
  • Open Horizons. On the Design Potential of Non-Ideal Conditions. Philosophicum Lech, Lech, 22.9.2023
  • Why Austria Should Provide Assistance to Ukraine in Demining Anti-Personnel Mines, Conference on Neutrality, University of Graz, 20.6.2023.
  • Literature and Philosophy?, Lecture Series “Kulturanalyse jetzt!”, Talk and Discussion with Prof. Klaus Müller Wille and Prof. Christian Benne, University of Zurich, 28.11.22.
  • Vulnerability in a Democratic Context, Conference “Vulnerability. Theories and Concepts in Philosophy and the Social Sciences”, University of Graz, 20.10-22.10.22.
  • How Can We Live Together Well and Justly? Democratic Questions, Lecture within the Monday Academy of the University of Graz, 17.10.22
  • Neutrality - Political-Philosophical and Theoretical Considerations on a Polarizing Concept, IX Conference on Practical Philosophy, University of Salzburg, 29./30.9.22.
  • Captivating the Gaze and Democracy. Conference “In-/Visibility in Politics”, University of Zurich, 30.6.-2.7.2022.
  • Mouffe or Derrida. Divergences in Democratic Theory. Conference “Derrida Today”, Washington D.C., 10.6.-13.6.2022.
  • Freedom as Obligation. Lecture “Banquet Républicain”, Theatre Uri, Altdorf. 30.4.2022.
  • Individual Forgetting, Social Remembering. Conference “Ethics of Remembering”, Center for Interdisciplinary Research (ZiF), University of Bielefeld. 6.-8.4.2022.
  • Wasteful Wall Building and Political Representation, Conference “Luxury? The (Mis-)Use of Our Built Environment”, University of Geneva. 20.11.2021.
  • Identity Politics? Polypragmosyne and Democracy, Series: Theatre and the Crisis of Democracy, HTA Lecture Series, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Frankfurt. 21.1.2021.
  • Separation of Powers. Montesquieu's Radical Democratic Theory in Persian Letters, IPW Lectures, Institute for Political Science, University of Vienna. 14.1.2021.
Editorial Board
Research Cooperation

Finished:

  • Political Neutrality (among others with Gregor Berger, IfS Frankfurt am Main; Prof. Katrin Meyer, University of Zurich/Basel; Prof. Astrid Séville, TU Munich; Prof. Dagmar Comtesse, University of Münster)
  • Metaphors of Membership in Philosophical Arguments about Flight and Migration (Prof. Andreas Oberprantacher, University of Innsbruck and Dr. Laurin Mackowitz, University of Graz)
  • Binding Plurality (with Prof. Peter G. Kirchschläger, Institute for Social Ethics, University of Lucerne)
  • Erasmus+ Program "Training Embodied Critical Thinking and Understanding (TECTU)" at the University of Reykjavik (Iceland), among others (financial support for the cooperation: Movetia Switzerland)
Additional Information

Memberships in Commissions, Advisory Boards, coordination and evaluation Teams:

  • Research Commission (since 2024)
  • Art Commission (since 2023)
  • Equality Commission (2023-2026)
  • Habilitation Committee (since 2023)
  • Collegium St. Gallen (since 2024)
  • Contextual Studies: Coordination Focus Area Society together with Prof. Dr. Patrik Aspers (since 2023)
  • SNSF Post-Doc Mobility Panel Member (since 2026)

Supervision of Dissertations in Philosophy

Organization of Workshops and Conferences (Selection):

  • 2026 Derrida Lecture: Lasse Thomassen "Deconstruction as Political Theory", University SG
  • 2025 Resistance, Refusal, Survival: Contesting Hostile Environments, conference, organisation: Leire Urricelqui, Michaela Bstieler, University St. Gallen.
  • 2025 Human freedoms in the age of digitalization. International conference, supported by SAGW as part of the Recto Verso annual theme “Freedom”, with Michael Räber, University of St. Gallen.
  • 2025 Democratic Projects II. Derrida, Laclau, Mouffe, workshop, supported by FOKO University of St. Gallen, with Leire Urricelqui, Matthias Flatscher and Oliver Marchart, University of St. Gallen.
  • 2024 Democratic Projects. Derrida, Laclau, Mouffe, Workshop, with Oliver Marchart, Matthias Flatscher, and Leire Urricelqui, University of Vienna.
  • 2023 Neutrality. Political-Philosophical Reflections, International Workshop with Gregor Berger, Dr. Dagmar Comtesse, Prof. Katrin Meyer, Prof. Astrid Séville, University of Graz.
  • 2022 "The World Becomes an Immense Question Mark". Questions as a Method in Literature and Philosophy, with Prof. Christine Weder, University of Geneva. Guest Edition "Figurations", Böhlau, 2024.
  • 2019 Thoughtfulness, International Conference, with Hartmut von Sass, Donata Schoeller, Collegium Helveticum ETHZ. Anthology Diaphanes/Zurich, Berlin, New York
Teaching qualifications

Public Lectures University of St. Gallen: Politics of Friendship(2025); "I'm forgetting!" (2026)

Co-directing (with Donata Schoeller and Peter Schulthess) the continuing education course in philosophy “Wissenschaft und Weisheit” (Science and Wisdom) at the Philosophical Seminar of the University of Zurich, 2005-2015. Various teaching offers in CAS programs, summer schools, executive master.

Certified secondary school teacher in German and philosophy; Extensive teaching experience

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