For students at Environmental and Resource Management

Political metaphors are widely studied empirically as parts of the broader metaphor debate and characterized inductively. Yet their essence remains undertheorized and, consequently, the methods of reading them underdeveloped.This talk builds on my on-going theoretical and methodological research on political metaphors. What, exactly, makes something a powerful political metaphor, I ask, dividing the question into three. First, relying on modern metaphor theory, I characterize metaphor’s essential features: more than superficial rhetoric but less than ubiquitous cognition, metaphors are an active interpretation process and a form of argumentation alongside others. Second, I discuss what makes some metaphors powerful, including their ability to elicit emotions, filter out other options, utilize contextual knowledge, and imply more than they say – all of which are useful functions in politics.Powerful metaphors are often tension-ridden and provocative yet rely on conventional discursive features for support; however, more subtle metaphorical assimilations, too, can be equally effective. Third, building on perspectives from contemporary political theory, I tackle the difficult question of what, exactly, makes political metaphors political – a question, perplexingly, neglected in previous research. Scholars typically push politicality backward into self-evidently “political” issues, institutions, or subjects, which begs the question.I, by contrast, argue for a use-based account: political metaphors are metaphors used in specifically political ways so that they resonate with “the political.” These uses include e.g. distributing significance, urgency, and priority; mobilizing/withholding support by accepting/ rejecting matters normatively; contesting/decontesting matters and regulating the borderline of what is political; including/excluding groups into/from the domain of legitimate political subjects; and preparing/suppressing future-oriented claims. Throughout, I exemplify the argument by discussing a powerful metaphorical utterance presented in the trial against the German Communist Party in 1955 – one that described the communists as a dangerous “center of infection” in the “body” of the Federal Republic.About Timo PankakoskiTimo Pankakoski is a Collegium Fellow at the Turku Institute for Advanced Studies, University of Turku, Finland, where he develops better methods for reading political metaphors. After his doctorate (Helsinki, 2013), he has obtained the Title of Docent (Assistant Professor) in Political Science, worked three times as a University Lecturer of Political Science or European Studies, and held visiting positions in Princeton University and Queen Mary University of London. Pankakoski works mostly on political theory, history of political thought, German intellectual history, radical conservatism, political metaphors, conceptual history, and the methodology of intellectual history. His latest publications have discussed the relationship between war and politics in Ernst Jünger’s early work (New German Critique, forthcoming), the leading concepts of post-pandemic recovery in Europe (Redescriptions, forthcoming), Dolf Sternberger’s metaphorical argumentation against proportional voting (Modern Intellectual History, 2023), the fragmentation of law (Encyclopedia of the Philosophy of Law and Social Philosophy, 2023), the conservative and revolutionary aspects of the “conservative revolution” (Frontiers in Political Science, 2022), and anti-English sentiments in WWI-era pamphlets and antidemocratic discourse in Germany (Journal of the History of Ideas, 2021).The event is open for all and takes place in the DIAS Seminar Room (V24-412a-0).Introduction: Jeppe NeversLecture: Timo PankakoskiCommentator: Aglae Pizzone

While the menopause is commonly understood as a ‘hormone deficiency’, numerous studies have shown that the menopause is not solely a biological phenomenon, but is influenced by environmental, social, and cultural factors. Given the variation in menopause experience and its complexity, how to best support women through this transition is a considerable societal challenge. It is our belief that this question can only be tackled through an interdisciplinary approach. The workshop ‘Women in Transition’ seeks to build the groundwork for such interdisciplinary collaboration, drawing insights from the fields of medicine, sociology, communication and literature. The questions driving the workshop is about the role of biological, sociological and cultural factors in the menopausal experience, and how this insight can be used to facilitate the work of medical researchers and practitioners.The workshop will be structured ‘from the macro to the micro’: from large quantitative population studies, through quantitative/qualitative data gathered in organisations, to individual experiences expressed in literary works. Through this structure, the workshop will focus on the synergies between different disciplinary approaches, identifying the ways in which medical, sociological and humanistic approaches can help overcome some of the challenges of the menopause and shed some light on its complexity.13.00 – 13.45WelcomeA short cultural history of the menopause Consultant Ella Fegitz, PhDMenopause – an unusual aging phenomenon Kaare Christensen, MD, PhD, Professor, Danish Aging Research Center, SDUIntroduction to the molecular and cellular biology of Estrogen action on target organs Moustapha Kassem, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Endocrinology, OUH13.45 - 14.00Postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy for health maintenance during aging: Is it possible? Laura K. Kaltoft, MD, Bispebjerg Hospital, CopenhagenEmma G. Christensen, MD, Bispebjerg hospital, Copenhagen14.00 - 14.15Menopause and medicine Ellen Løkkegaard, MD, PhD, Professor, Dept. of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hillerød 14.15 - 14.30Menopause in General Practice Jens Søndergaard, General Practitioner, Professor, The Research Unit for General Practice, SDU14.30 - 14.45Menopause in the Media in Denmark Sasja Krogh, PhD Candidate, Department of Culture and Language, SDU14.45 - 15.00The Uses of the Menopause Novel Anne Marie Mai, Professor, Department of Culture and Language, SDU Peter Simonsen, Professor of European Literature, Department of Culture and Language, SDU15.00 - 15.30Roundtable discussion: the limitations of monodisciplinary approaches to the menopause and how can interdisciplinarity help overcoming them? Q&AThe workshop is open for all interested participants.