Caroline Y. Robertson-von Trotha

Caroline Y. Robertson-von Trotha

Robertson-von Trotha (born 22 February 1951 in Glasgow, Scotland) is a Scottish sociologist and cultural scientist, working in Germany.

Robertson-von Trotha completed her training in hotel management and was awarded with the gold medal of the Oban Hotel Association in 1967. Two years later, she came to Germany and studied sociology, philosophy, and history at the Universities of Heidelberg and Karlsruhe (TH). With the support of a grant from the Peter Fuld Foundation, she received her PhD in 1990 after completing a dissertation on the topic 'Ethnic Identity and Political Mobilisation'.

In 2004 she habilitated on 'The Dialectics of Globalisation' at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Karlsruhe.[1] In 2007 she was appointed as an adjunct professor by the rector of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), formerly University of Karlsruhe (TH).

She was a founding member of the Interfacultative Institute for Cultural Studies (IAK) at the University of Karlsruhe (TH), and from 1990 to 2002 served as its director. Since 2002, she has been founding member and director of the successor institution, the ZAK | Centre for Cultural and General Studies at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT).[2] In 2011, she was significantly involved in drafting the strategy paper 'Alliance for Integration' of the Stuttgart City Council.

Robertson-von Trotha's research focuses on globalisation and cultural change, multiculturalism and integration policy, cultural heritage, and the theory and practice of public science.

Her memberships in numerous committees, commissions, and facilities include the 'Netzwerk Integrationsforschung' (Network Integration Research) of the Baden-Württemberg Ministry for Integration,[3] the 'impromptu EU Focus Working Group on Science and Culture', as well as the Culture Committee of the German UNESCO Commission.[4]

As the director of the ZAK, Robertson-von Trotha's primary concern is to communicate science to the public and to promote the exchange of ideas among civil society. The ZAK offers research and teaching, interdisciplinary General Studies, and public science. At its annual Karlsruhe Dialogues, the ZAK has presented speakers such as Alice Schwarzer, Andrew Keen, and Daniel Domscheit-Berg.[5] A further focus of the ZAK is internationalisation and intercultural understanding.

Robertson-von Trotha is currently responsible for the co-ordination of the German Network of the Anna Lindh Foundation.[6] Additionally, she is spokeswoman of the KIT competence area 'Technology, Culture, and Society', as well as spokeswoman of the KIT competence field 'Cultural Heritage and Dynamics of Change'.[7]

She has been head of various research projects, including the DFG project 'Public Science in Collaborative Research Centres',[8] and the Interdisciplinary Center of Digital Tradition (CODIGT).[9]

Robertson-von Trotha is the editor of three scientific series: ‘Kulturwissenschaft interdisziplinär/Interdisciplinary Studies on Culture and Society’ (published by Nomos in Baden-Baden), ‘Problemkreise der Angewandten Kulturwissenschaft’, and ‘Kulturelle Überlieferung – digital’ (published by KIT Scientific Publishing in Karlsruhe).

List of works

Books

Scientific articles

Editor

External links

Notes

References


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