Invectivity. Constellations and Dynamics of disparagement

Phenomena of vituperation, insults and disparagement, of humiliation and derision not only occur astonishingly frequently in contemporary politics and society – from a cross-cultural, epoch-spanning perspective, they present themselves as fundamental components of societal communication. As moments of social disruption, stabilization, and mobilization, they harbor the potential to build communities and shape societies; their effect is simultaneously destructive and productive.

TheCollaborative Research Center (CRC) 1285 introduced the concept “invectivity” to denote such phenomena. Read more about this in our research program.

The CRC 1285 “Invectivity” was funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and commenced work at TU Dresden on July 1, 2017. Departments from the Faculty of Linguistics, Literature and Cultural Studies and the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Science were involved. It was structured into 13 projects, spanning in time from Ancient Rome to the present.