Dr. Joshua Furnal is researcher and lecturer in systematic theology at the St. Patrick’s Pontificial University in Ireland. Dr. Furnal’s research stay from May to July 2025 at the Chair of Dogmatic Theory (Prof. Dr. Markus Weißer) centered around the eschatological perspectives of Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard and German theologian Karl Rahner. His research explores central themes in Christian theology such as mortality, hope, and ultimate destiny.
During his research period at the University of Passau, he participated in the international conference “Network Conference on Religious Memory Cultures in (Central and Eastern) Europe” organized by the Department of Catholic Theology, contributing a guest lecture on an anthropological perspective on radical hope. His lecture titled “An Anthropological Perspective on Radical Hope,” was attended by faculty and graduate students from across the theology and philosophy departments. The session generated lively discussion and follow-up meetings with several students interested in interdisciplinary research methods.
We thank Dr. Furnal for his contributions to the academic exchange at the University of Passau, especially for fostering dialogue between philosophy and theology.
Dr. José Vicente Vezzosi, Professor of Political Science at the National University of Santiago del Estero in Argentina, dedicated his research stay at the Chair of Political Theory (Prof. Dr. Oliver Hidalgo) to examining the development of modern democracies, with a particular focus on the global rise of radical neopopulism in a comparative perspective between Europe and Latin America. During his first visit earlier this year, he enriched our university with an insightful lecture entitled: “Moral Discourses and Stateness: An Approach to the Emergence of Radical Populisms in Europe and Latin America at the Beginning of the 21st Century.”
During his second stay from July to August 2025, Dr. Vezzosi co-organized, together with his host Professor Dr. Oliver Hidalgo, a two-day international workshop titled “Dynamics of Inclusion and Exclusion: Challenges to Democracy through Populism, Authoritarianism, and Neoliberalism in the Early 21st Century,” which brought together scholars from universities in Argentina and Germany.
We hope Dr. Vezzosi had an enriching stay at the University of Passau and thank him for his contributions to our academic community!
Prof. Dr. Claudia Sadowski-Smith is Professor of English and American Studies at Arizona State University in the United States.
Building on the research she conducted during her PICAIS fellowship in 2023, Prof. Sadowski-Smith spent another research stay from June to August 2025 at the Chair of American Studies/Cultural and Media Studies (Prof. Dr. Karsten Fitz). Her research during this time focused on key questions surrounding Ukrainian refugee migration to Germany and the United States, with particular attention to political measures and the role of civil society and diasporic organizations, especially in the context of the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the outbreak of war in 2022.
Her research stays included collaborative projects, participant observations, and work on a book project that offers a comparative analysis of national responses to refugee migration and explores their impact on global migration policies.
We sincerely thank Prof. Sadowski-Smith for the valuable insights and contributions she brought to academic life at the University of Passau!