Gesellschaft ohne Zuversicht?

On hope and criticism as categories for shaping the future from an Islamic theological perspective

Prof. Dr. Asmaa El Maaroufi
Junior professorship in Islamic philosophy—focus on ethics

The climate crisis, global inequality and political polarization create the impression of a future with no prospect of improvement. Many people, especially young people, experience the present and the future as a threat rather than a space of opportunity. The lecture asks how Islamic theological perspectives can help to counteract this experience of exhaustion and powerlessness without downplaying the crises.

The focus is on two categories: hope as a constructive-realistic attitude that aims not at optimism but at justice, and criticism as an intellectual practice that reveals injustice and opens up spaces for new visions of the future. Using Qur'anic narratives and key theological concepts such as tawakkul, ḥušūʿ and ʿadl, the lecture explores how transcendence, responsibility and social transformation can be thought of together.