Confronting oppositions: the Catholic church and social polarisation in Frankfurt

When?

Monday 12 October 2009, 17:00 to 18:30

Where?

Room 04AD00 (AD building, ground floor) University of Surrey

Open to:

Public, Staff, Students

Speaker:

Prof Frank Eckardt

Prof Frank Eckardt, Bauhaus University, Germany

Producing nearly 10% of Germany’s GDP, Frankfurt holds a unique position in the German economy. Hosting around 350 international and national banks and acting as the “German Global City”, the city contains the highest proportion of ethnic minorities and international guests. Although rather small in size, Frankfurt provides space for a wide range of coming and going, with the population changing in character every seven years. It is also a city of contrasts. There are those who stay and live there and commuters whose weekday arrivals and departures double the population. It is a place where some of the richest people in Germany live, but at the same time one in three children lives in conditions of poverty. Long lasting political and social institutions have tried to adapt to the challenges produced by this social polarisation. In this paper, the work of the three Catholic churches in the inner city of Frankfurt will be presented and discussed. Working within the tradition of “caritas”, the churches have devoted themselves to caring for people in need. However, this approach is contested now since the preconditions of their work have become more complex.  The paper will give an insight into this changing process and the current debate about how to adapt Frankfurt’s institutional landscape to these socio-economic changes.

Presentation (pdf)