Christopher Degelmann: Fake news and meat consumption in antiquity

Was fake news an issue in ancient Athens? Were the ancient Greeks better at dealing with unconfirmed information? Despite being at home in a rather traditional discipline, Christopher Degelmann’s research in ancient history leans towards the unconventional, integrating contemporary debates and drawing on methodological approaches from other disciplines.

For a long time, knowledge about antiquity has been a mark of distinction worn by the educated bourgeoisie. Today, however, interest in the era is fading. With his research, Degelmann is dusting off the cabinets of Greco-Roman history, enabling a fresh look at our antique heritage. His most recent project takes contemporary debates on flight shaming, car bans, and meat consumption as a starting point to explore the notion of austerity in antiquity.

To him, irritation is one of his most important sources of inspiration, which he defines as the ability to be amazed. This ability does not necessarily raise new questions for research. Rather, it inspires Christopher Degelmann to question irreconcilable structures in academia, which will be one of the topics in his conversation with Peter-André Alt. 

In cooperation with Die Junge Akademie