Together with Kathrin Fischer, author of Achtsam geht die Welt zugrunde (The World Ends Mindfully), Claas Oberstadt and Jandra Böttger devote an evening to a feeling that prevents us from feeling – and steadily erodes political resistance. What really helps against stress? Or rather: who actually benefits from it?

Kathrin Fischer, born in 1967, worked as a journalist and radio presenter at Hessischer Rundfunk for fifteen years. Since 2022, she has hosted the podcast Erschöpfung statt Gelassenheit – warum Achtsamkeit die falsche Antwort auf ziemlich jede Frage ist (Exhaustion Instead of Serenity – Why Mindfulness Is the Wrong Answer to Pretty Much Every Question). Our CRC colleagues Sighard Neckel and Elgen Sauerborn have appeared on the podcast in two fascinating conversations (episodes 26 and 39).

In April 2026, Hanser published Fischer’s book Achtsam geht die Welt zugrunde. Wie die Ideologie der Achtsamkeit gesellschaftlichen Wandel blockiert (The World Ends Mindfully: How the Ideology of Mindfulness Blocks Social Change). In it, she describes how meditation, journaling, and breathing exercises have evolved into an ideology that reframes social problems as private matters: companies offer resilience training instead of addressing the causes of workplace stress.

Jandra Böttger is a philosopher and research associate at our CRC. Her research explores throries of absent emotions in post-war West German society. 

Claas Oberstadt is a cultural studies scholar and freelance writer for outlets including DIE ZEIT, FAZ, and Deutschlandfunk Kultur. 

Event lanuguage: German