Members of Die Junge Akademie are organising the workshop ”Sehnsuchtsorte‟ (Places of Longing). It will take place at the Villa La Collina on Lake Como, a conference centre of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. The thematisation and staging of places of longing in various fields, such as literature, music, art, politics, philosophy, science and society, will be examined and discussed. The participants - active and former members of Die Junge Akademie and external representatives from the fields of science and art - come from a wide range of disciplines. The workshop is thus intended not only to achieve insights into content but also to promote interdisciplinary exchange and stimulate cross-disciplinary research.

In the workshop context, the term 'places of longing' describes future-oriented utopias and backwards-looking nostalgic constructs. In the case of the latter, one might think of the thesis of Paul Taggart. He observes in modern populists the idea of an idealised heartland, which is in danger due to modern developments and must be restored to its full splendour. In the case of utopias, on the other hand - starting with Thomas More - one can think of the hopes and the potential activated by them as a driving force for change and the risks and side effects that arise in attempts to implement them.

Accordingly, it is about the scientific analysis of the places of longing themselves, their concrete design in image or text, and their role as a motor or brake for change and innovation. In addition, the workshop aims at a semantic concretisation of the central term 'place of longing', for example, in distinction to utopia. The workshop will focus on various discussions and changes of perspective, which the lectures and the venue will hopefully stimulate.