Niklas Luhmanns Gesellschaft der Erziehung: Podiumsgespräch zur Buchveröffentlichung

Researchers from the “Niklas Luhmann” Academy Project of the North Rhine-Westphalian Academy of Sciences and Arts cordially invite you to a panel discussion: Niklas Luhmann’s Society of Education—On the Systemic Relevance of Education.

When we talk about the society in which we live, we still tend to speak as if it consisted primarily of the economy and politics. As sociologist Niklas Luhmann has shown, however, there are also a number of other social subsystems that are no less indispensable and “systemically relevant” than the market economy and electoral democracy. It has long been known that the social theorist had in mind the system of scientific research, communication within churches and religions, and the politically neutral judiciary. Now, a recently published book from his estate reveals that he also included the educational system in this list. The arguments he puts forward regarding the social function of schools and universities will be discussed. Invited are, on the one hand, academic students of the Bielefeld-based systems theorist who are particularly familiar with his sociological work, and, on the other hand, educators with whom he had sought dialogue since the 1970s about the realities—rather than just the ideals—of education.

The event takes place as part of the project “Niklas Luhmann – Theory as Passion: Scholarly Analysis and Edition of the Estate,” which is funded by the Academies Program of the AWK NRW.

Panelists

Jürgen Kaube, bornon June 19, 1962, in Worms on the Rhine. Since 1992, he has been a regular contributor to the arts and culture section of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung; in 1999, he joined the editorial staff, initially as a Berlin correspondent, and has been based in Frankfurt since September 2000. Responsible for science and education policy, he became section chief for the “Humanities” in August 2008 and for “New Nonfiction” in 2012, as well as deputy editor-in-chief of the arts and culture section. He has been editor-in-chief of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung since January 1, 2015. Winner of the 2015 Ludwig Börne Prize. Winner of the 2021 German Nonfiction Prize for the biography “Hegel’s World” (2020).

André Kieserling (b. 1962) graduated with a degree in philosophy from Frankfurt am Main in 1988 and studied sociology in Bielefeld from 1988 to 1990. From 1990 to 1993, research assistant to Prof. Dr. Niklas Luhmann. In 1997, he earned his doctorate with a dissertation on the sociology of interaction; in 2000, he completed his habilitation on the sociology of sociology. 2001–2006: Professor of Political Sociology and Sociological Theory at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz; since 2006: Professor of General Sociology and Sociological Theory at the University of Bielefeld. Director of the estate and edition project “Niklas Luhmann – Theory as Passion,” funded by the North Rhine-Westphalian Academy of Sciences and Arts since 2015.
Main areas of research: Sociological systems theory, sociology of interaction, organization, and social stratification.

Rudolf Stichweh (*1951) studied sociology and philosophy in Bielefeld from 1973 to 1983 and earned his doctorate in sociology. He completed his master’s thesis and doctoral dissertation under Niklas Luhmann. After completing his doctorate, he spent ten years at the Max Planck Society (MPI for the Study of Societies and the MPI for the History of Law); in 1990, he completed his habilitation under Luhmann. From 1994 to 2003, he served as professor of sociology in Bielefeld, succeeding Niklas Luhmann. He is currently a permanent visiting professor at the University of Lucerne, where he served as rector from 2006 to 2010; founding director and professor emeritus at the Forum Internationale Wissenschaft at the University of Bonn; and a researcher in the “China in the Global System of Science” research group at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin.
Areas of research: Theory of global society; history of science and universities; democratic and authoritarian political systems; systems theory.

Heinz-Elmar Tenorth(b. 1944) studied German language and literature, history, social studies, philosophy, and education. He received his teaching certification in 1970 and earned his Ph.D. in education from Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg in 1975. From 1978 to 1991, he was a professor of philosophy of science and methodology of education at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main, and from 1991 to 2011, a professor of historical education at Humboldt University in Berlin. In addition to his academic research, he served in an advisory capacity on commissions of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (KMK) and individual federal states between 1995 and 2014, and participated in various evaluations of educational research as well as of universities and degree programs.
Main areas of focus: Theory and history of pedagogical knowledge, history of universities.

Please let us know atanmeldung@awk.nrw.debyAugust 20, 2026, whether you will be attending. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.

For more information about our institution and other events, please visit our website at www.awk.nrw.de

You can now also find our “Class of the Arts” on Instagram: @awk_nrw_klasse_k