We take samples of desirable futures and make them visible.

Understand

We encourage futures thinking and introduce people to the fundamentals of Futures Studies.

# FuturesLiteracy

Envision

We support people in formulating their own desirable futures and make the range of colourful futures visible to all.

# ImagesOfTheFuture

Change

We create thought-provoking content for alternative futures and promote the development of positive visions of society.

# FutureShaping

Futures topics and images of the future

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Futures of tourism

Post-Corona Futures

Non Voyage: Tourism infrastructure as a resource for planetary healing

‚Ey, Alter!‘ – Our exhibition on the futures of ageing

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Social Freezing – and opening up possible future

Social Freezing – and opening up possible futures?

Oocyte cryopreservation, the technical term for social freezing, describes the removal of eggs from the ovaries in order to store them for usage at a later point in time.(1) The procedure was formerly reserved for patients with medical conditions to keep the option to produce children of their own. Nowadays, fertility startups advertise the procedure in big campaigns, marketing them as the tool for a liberated woman, while still remaining strenuous on the body and quite expensive.(2)

So, is social freezing the enabler of reproductive emancipation or rather a trap of a capitalist working world where people with ovaries still have to decide between a career or parenthood? Every year, a woman postpones having children ‘adds approximately 10 per cent to her lifetime earnings’(3). Of course, big companies like the former Facebook and Google know of this value, offering egg freezing as an employee benefit since 2014.(4)

It seems as if the structure of the workplace is still not meeting the needs of women, and the role of men and their responsibilities are left out of the conversation.(3) Social freezing, in our perspective, is, therefore, a sticking plaster solution to structural inequality.

~

📚Sources:

1) Kinderwunsch Centrum München. Social Freezing. Retrieved from: https://ivf-muenchen.de/social-freezing/

2) Grant, Rebecca (2020, September 30). How egg freezing got rebranded as the ultimate act of self-care. The Guardian. Feminist economics. Retrieved from: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/sep/30/egg-freezing-self-care-pregnancy-fertility

3) Hodgson, Nichi (2020, November 16). Is egg freezing the solution to gender inequality? The Critic. Retrieved from: https://thecritic.co.uk/is-egg-freezing-the-solution-to-gender-inequality/#

4) Havertz, Rieke (2015, December 6) Is egg freezing the solution to gender inequality? taz. Retrieved from: https://taz.de/Social-Freezing-in-den-USA/!5253555/

#reimagine #desirablefutures #futuresprobes #futuresstudies #prospectiva #zukunftsforschung #reproduction #socialfreezing #futureofreproduction #fertility

✨Futures Studies … is a broad, international f

✨Futures Studies
… is a broad, international field of study that is taught in universities and is the focus of several profit and non-profit institutions. Researchers active in this field analyse images of the futures with different scientific methods and tools. Futures Studies is inter- and transdisciplinary, meaning that different scientific as well as practical knowledge is integrated when looking at issues.(1)

✨Foresight
… is often associated with the investigation of futures in companies or organisations in the context of strategy, which is why you may also have heard of Strategic Foresight, Corporate Foresight etc.(2) Methods like horizon planning, the analysis of megatrends and the development of multiple scenarios are often part of this.(3)

Futures Studies and Foresight both investigate open futures with the same methods and tools, but often in different contexts and with different intentions and goals.(2)

This post was inspired and builds on the article ‘Futures Studies, Foresight, Futurism, Futurology, Futures Thinking…What Name???’ by @alexfergnani , thank you! We absolutely encourage you to read it (link in bio!).

As always, we are fallible but provide our information to the best of our knowledge and belief. If you have any new findings, we would be happy to hear from you!

📚Sources:

(1) Zukunftsforschung. Retrieved from: https://www.ewi-psy.fu-berlin.de/v/master-zukunftsforschung/zukunftsforschung/index.html

(2) Fergnani, Alex (2020, May 1). Futures Studies, Foresight, Futurism, Futurology, Futures Thinking…What Name???. Retrieved from: ’https://medium.com/predict/futures-studies-foresight-futurism-futurology-futures-thinking-what-name-3b3863ceab8c

(3) OECD. Strategic Foresight. Retrieved from: https://www.oecd.org/strategic-foresight/whatisforesight/

(4) Sardar, Z. (2010). The Namesake: Futures; futures studies; futurology; futuristic; foresight — What’s in a name? Futures, 42(3): 177–184.

#reimagine #desirablefutures #futuresprobes #futuresstudies #prospectiva #zukunftsforschung #futurosdeseables #foresight #futureresearch

Tomorrow is International Women's Day and and a re

Tomorrow is International Women's Day and and a reminder for us to be grateful for and supportive of all the women in our lives (and in our team).

Tomorrow we'll be honouring the past successes of women's rights movements, while also thinking of the many fights (and revolutions) for gender equality, freedom and (reproductive) justice happening right now – and the ones still to come.

If you have the means, time, space and courage to join a demonstration or make your voices heard especially loud tomorrow, please do! ❤️

#womensday #feminism #feministfutures #feministfuture #reproductiverights #genderequality

🥳 For all you German-speakers living in Berlin

🥳 For all you German-speakers living in Berlin who want to see and listen to some real life women futurists – Zukunftsforscherin.de is hosting an analogue event called "Tag der Zukunftsforscherinnen" on March 9, starting at 6 PM in Berlin-Kreuzberg. If you're interested you can get yourself a free ticket on Eventbrite.

Eventbrite Ticket:
https://www.eventbrite.de/e/tag-der-zukunftsforscherinnen-tickets-556078504777?aff=ebdssbdestsearch&keep_tld=1

Some of us Futures Probies will also be in the audience, come say hi! 🙂

#zukunftsforschung #zukünfte #zukunftsforscherin

Let’s take a look at the history of scientific r

Let’s take a look at the history of scientific research related to reproduction and reproductive health. The tale of Henrietta Lacks is by no means an exception and neither the first nor the most violent case of sexist and racist oppression of women in order to advance science.

For instance, “the first known examples of unethical research practices were documented around the 1840's, when several young enslaved African American women received experimental gynaecological procedures and surgeries without anaesthesia from gynaecologist, Dr. James Marion Sims”. (5)

If you want to know more about the life of Henrietta Lacks, we recommend the book “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks”, published in 2010, researched and written by science writer Rebecca Skloot.

📚 Sources:

(1) Picture borrowed from https://dai-sachsen.de/hela

(2) “Immortal” Cells Of Henrietta Lacks Live On In Labs. (2010, December 13). NPR. Retrieved from: https://www.npr.org/2010/12/13/132030076/henrietta-lacks-immortal-cells-live-on-in-labs

(3) Lange, M. (2010, Dezember 12). Die Unsterblichkeit der Henrietta Lacks. Deutschlandfunk Rezension. Retrieved from: https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/die-unsterblichkeit-der-henrietta-lacks-100.html

(4) Henrietta Lacks: science must right a historical wrong. (2020, September 1). Nature. Retrieved from: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-02494-z

(5) Baptiste, D.-L., et al. (2022). Henrietta Lacks and America’s dark history of research involving African Americans. Nursing Open, 9(5), 2236-2238. Retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.1257

#reimagine #desirablefutures #futuresprobes #futuresstudies #prospectiva #zukunftsforschung #reproductivehealth #henriettalacks #reproductivejustice #helacells

Our every-now-and-then book recommendation: read b

Our every-now-and-then book recommendation: read by 3/4th of the Futures Probes team and highly recommended by all of us.

Get your copy of Kim Stanley Robinson's “The Ministry for the Future" and let us know what you think!

#reimagine #desirablefutures #futuresprobes #futuresstudies #prospectiva #zukunftsforschung #sustainability #sciencefiction #climatefiction #clifi #climatechange #climateaction #ministryforthefuture

When we talk about the history of reproduction, it

When we talk about the history of reproduction, it’s only fair (since we’re futurists) to also talk about the exciting (and very relevant) history of science & speculative fiction literature dealing with the theme of reproduction.

One of our favourite authors right now (and always, really) is Octavia E. Butler, who's written countless books dealing with power relations and recurring themes of reproduction, sex, gender, race and family constellations.

If you've read the Xenogenesis trilogy (aka Lilith’s Brood) or any other Butler works interesting from a point of speculative reproduction, please comment below and let us know what you think, like & recommend.

📚 Sources:

(1) Picture borrowed from an article by Lucas, J. (2021, March 8). How Octavia E. Butler reimagines sex and survival. The New Yorker. Retrieved from: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/03/15/how-octavia-e-butler-reimagines-sex-and-survival

(2) Hinton, A. (2022). “Learn and Run”: Reproductive Oppression and Resistance in the Works of Octavia E. Butler. In: Capo, B.W., Lazzari, L. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Reproductive Justice and Literature. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. Retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-99530-0_3

(3) Lucas, J. (2021, March 8). How Octavia E. Butler reimagines sex and survival. The New Yorker. Retrieved from: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/03/15/how-octavia-e-butler-reimagines-sex-and-survival

#reimagine #desirablefutures #futuresprobes #futuresstudies #prospectiva #zukunftsforschung #reproduction #sciencefiction #futureofreproduction #reproductivejustice #octaviabutler #blackhistorymonth

Today we'll be celebrating Futures Probes and the

Today we'll be celebrating Futures Probes and the kindness & respect we each bring to our collaborative projects.

Hug your friends today!

#desirablefutures #futuresprobes #friendship #collaboration #valentines #ystävänpäivä #values #team