02/07/2026 17:20 - 19:30

HALL: Pola - A102

Contact: Trugenberger J.

Chair: Sacher K.

Dorothee Sölle was one of the most influential voices in 20th-century liberation theology. Known for her radical political theology, she fought for a world free from economic and military oppression. Her writings continue to inspire Christians around the globe to challenge structures of injustice and to envision a life rooted in solidarity, hope, and care for the victims of capitalist markets.
Sölle herself, however, came from a privileged European background and never denied how deeply she was shaped by the liberal and bourgeois education of her childhood. Her theological work is full of references to classic authorities of modern German theology and philosophy. Not least because of this, her texts convey a strong sense of normativity based on a fixed value system that might today introduce new forms of inequality. For instance, one may ask whether Sölle's appeal to emancipatory ideals creates new boundaries—between higher and lower educated milieus, or between more idealistic and progressive versus more materialistic and conformist ways of life.
The title of our panel points to this potential tension. How can traditional ("old-European") patterns of normativity coexist intellectually with a theology for marginalized communities—both in Sölle's work and more broadly? Is Sölle the right theologian today to integrate perspectives from groups who are not used to academic reflection into theology? Where do problematic biases appear in her theology? And how tolerant is her thought?
We invite contributions that engage with, but are not limited to, the following themes:
• The theological foundations of equality in Sölle's work
• Open and hidden patterns of inequality in her thought
• Sölle's critique of capitalism, patriarchy, and authoritarianism—its scope and authenticity
• Theory and practice of Political Theology (opportunities, ambiguities, and challenges today)
• Contemporary relevance of Sölle's feminist and liberation theology