Prof. Dr. Bernhard Pörksen, born in 1969, studied German language and literature, journalism and biology in Hamburg. Invited by the social philosopher Ivan Illich, he spent several research periods at Pennsylvania State University, and is now – after holding positions at various universities – professor of Media Studies at the University of Tübingen. Central topics of his research are media upheavals in the digital age, crisis and reputation management, stage man­agement in politics and media, the dynamics of scandal as a reflection of contemporary value disputes and concepts of media maturity.  


Publications (Selection)

2018 | Die große Gereiztheit. Wege aus der kollektiven Erregung, München: Hanser Verlag
2015 | The Creation of Reality. A Constructivist Epistemology of Journalism and Journalism Education, Exeter: Im­print Academic
2012 | The Un­leashed Scandal. The End of Contra! in the Digital Age, together with Hanne Detel, Exeter: Imprint Academic
2005 | Die Konstruktion von Feindbildern. Zum Sprachgebrauch in neona­zistischen Medien. Mit einem Geleitwort von Johano Strasser, Wiesbaden: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften
2002 | From Being to Doing. The Origins of the Biology of Cognition, Heidelberg: Carl-Auer-Systeme Verlag

Awards (Auswahl)

2018 | The great irritation was chosen as non-fiction work of the month, March 2018
2013 | Honourable dis­tinction for the book The unleashed scandal (writen together with Hanne Detel) within the programme "Geisteswissenschafen international"
2013 | Stu­dium Profssionale Award of the University of Tübingen (together with students) for the book ''Chased politics. The new power of media and markets
2008 | "Professor of the Year" in the category Humanities, Social and Cultural Studies

Project Description

At the Thomas Mann House, Bernhard Pörksen will work on a concept of media literacy and promote his research on the conditions for successful social discourse and dialogue in times of polarization. The starting point of the project “Media Literary and the Conditions for Successful Discourses” is the assumption that the situation of media upheaval, the opening and simultaneous re-feudalization of the communicative space through platform monopolies, hides a still incomprehensible educational mission that has hardly been deciphered in its dimension.