Personal profile
Curriculum
I an a philosopher, working primarily on critical theory, philosophy of emotion, Black Studies, feminist philosophy and aesthetics.
I am a postdoctoral researcher at the Leuphana Transformation Lab, studying affects of Transformation, the relationship between crises and transformation and the notion of Transformation Literacy.
In my current project Respect for Reality, I seek to understand the social affective dynamics that lead to a derealization of the global ecological crisis. I initiate a dialogue between different methodologies like psychoanalysis, decolonial critique of extractivism, phenomenology and aesthetics of devastation in order to generate insights into the current experience of planetary collapse.
I was formerly employed at the CRC “Affective Societies” at Free University, Berlin (2019-2025), where I completed my doctoral degree in Philosophy with summa cum laude. The book resulting from this work was published in 2023 (Campus) and released as "Bourgeois Coldness" in English translation in 2025 (divided).
I studied philosophy and applied theatre studies in Berlin, Rome, Vienna and Gießen. My work and teaching are currently focused on critical theory, institutions, theories of affect and capitalism and psychoanalysis. In addition to my academic research, I organize and host events at Volksbühne Berlin and other venues.
Keywords: Social philosophy, Black Studies, philosophy of affect and emotion, critical theory, aesthetics, feminist philosophy
Education/Academic qualification
Philosophy, Doctorate , Bourgeois Coldness - Affect and Colonial Subjectivity, Freie Universität Berlin
Award Date: 25.04.2022
Applied Theatre Studies, Master, Loving oneself instead of power - selfcare as a practice of rehearsal, University of Giessen
01.10.2014 → 31.10.2017
Award Date: 01.03.2018
Philosophy, Master, This is where the pain comes in - critical theory of negative affect, Freie Universität Berlin
01.10.2013 → 01.11.2017
Award Date: 01.11.2017
External positions
Postdoc CRC Affective Societies, Freie Universität Berlin
01.07.2023 → 30.11.2025
Predoc CRC Affective Societies
01.08.2019 → 30.06.2023
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 5 Gender Equality
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SDG 13 Climate Action
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SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
Fingerprint
- 1 Similar Profiles
Research collaborations from the last five years
Projects
- 1 Finished
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Aesthetics of Illegibility
Kohpeiß, H. (Project manager, academic)
10.01.25 → 20.05.25
Project: Individual grant
Research output
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Bürgerliche Kälte - Affekt und koloniale Subjektivität
Kohpeiß, H., 08.03.2023, Frankfurt / New York: Campus Verlag. 407 p. (Philosophie und Kritik; vol. 2)Research output: Books and anthologies › Book
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Bourgeois coldness
Kohpeiß, H., 26.01.2026, Brussels: Divided Publishing. 280 p.Research output: Books and anthologies › Book
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Unfeeling
Kohpeiß, H., 16.12.2025, The New Key Concepts in Affective Societies. Slaby, J., Scheve, C. V., Blickstein, T. & Aronson, P. (eds.). London: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, p. 245-254 9 p.Research output: Contributions to collected editions/works › Chapter › peer-review
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Respect for Reality: Unfeeling and Ecological Catastrophe
Kohpeiß, H., 01.10.2025, In: Graduate Faculty Philosophy Journal. 46, 2, p. 539-560 22 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
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Missed Feelings: Sexual Violence and the Affective Mediation of Harm
Kohpeiß, H., 26.12.2023, In: Media Theory. 7, 2, p. 225-244 20 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
Open Access
Activities
- 3 Visiting an external academic institution
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University of Copenhagen
Kohpeiß, H. (Visiting researcher)
06.09.2025 → 03.10.2025Activity: Visiting an external institution › Visiting an external academic institution › Research
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Lund University
Kohpeiß, H. (Visiting researcher)
29.01.2024 → 08.03.2024Activity: Visiting an external institution › Visiting an external academic institution › Research
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Academy of Fine Arts Vienna
Kohpeiß, H. (Visiting researcher)
02.05.2022 → 03.06.2022Activity: Visiting an external institution › Visiting an external academic institution › Research