Events

What is “East Germany”? We want to talk about a region often perceived as gray, cold, and politically right-leaning. We aim to discuss how East German lifeworlds are constructed in media representations, political debates, and cultural and literary narratives, navigating between self-description and external attribution, between memory and the present.

In fall 2025, Worlds of Contradiction (WOC) will be 10 years old. An overview of the planned program is available on the WOC website.

Early Career Networking Workshop as part of the 10th anniversary of the WOC Contradictions Festival with members of the WOC Graduate Network (WOC GradNet), the DFG Research Training Group 2686 Contradiction Studies, the Bremen International Graduate School of Social Sciences (BIGSSS), the Institute for Social Research (IfS) and the GRK 2638 Normativity, Critique, Change

Since the total invasion of Ukraine by the Russian army, the term “Eastern Europe” has been omnipresent – whether in social media posts or feature articles: Everyone is talking about “Eastern Europe”. But what does “Eastern Europe” actually mean? Who belongs to it and who doesn’t? How useful is it to lump Russia, Poland, the Czech Republic and Ukraine into one category? Are there “good” Eastern Europeans who are allowed to be in the EU and NATO, and “bad” ones who (have to) stay out?

We want to discuss these and other questions together with our guests. The focus will be on the contradictions that characterize the concept of “Eastern Europe” – a concept whose meaning is negotiated daily between Western ideas and a multitude of complex identities

“Amapolas al viento” is a photographic project comprising 17 pieces that consciously explores the masculinity of Black men through its lens. It endeavours to capture the essence of individuals who, at first glance, are subject to prejudicial interpretations that categorise them from the subjectivity of a dehumanising or hypersexualized gaze. The metaphor that connects Laurent Leger Adame with the poppy flower and its symbolism refers to a flower known for its delicacy and ephemeral beauty as well as its vibrant red colour that stands out in fields and meadows. Despite its apparent fragility, poppy is a resilient flower that can flourish in adverse conditions and a variety of terrains, symbolising resilience and the capacity to thrive despite challenges.

“Afromayores” is an audiovisual project coordinated by Lucía Asué Mbomío Rubio, Laurent Leger Adame, and José Oyono Ngalo that aims to increase the visibility of African and Afro-descendant individuals over 65 years of age in Spain. The project’s objective is to acknowledge their existence, elucidate their history, and valorise their experiences, celebrating their legacy, knowledge, contributions, and struggles. It is one of the numerous artistic initiatives associated with the Conciencia Afro association and its Afro-centric cultural centre, Espacio Afro, in Madrid.
From 15 October to 15 December 2024 the photographic exhibition “Afromayores” will be displayed at the premises of RTG Contradiction Studies (Grazer Str. 2, Bremen). The exhibition comprises portraits captured by photographer Laurent Leger Adame, and images from the personal archives of the persons represented. The exhibition is supplemented by a series of video interviews accessible via YouTube through QR codes.
The exhibition will commence with a vernissage on 15 October 2024, at 6:00 PM, featuring Laurent Leger Adame, who will discuss the project’s conception, motivation and aim (in English).

Conference: “Territory, Tension, and Taboo: Canada in Crisis” – Emerging Scholars Forum, Association for Canadian Studies in German-Speaking Countries (GKS)

Wine has been grown in South Africa since 1658. This viticulture was linked to European colonialism from the very beginning: European sailors drank the wine that enslaved people had to grow on plantations. Colonial continuities of racism, capitalism and patriarchy run through apartheid to the present day and still have an impact on working conditions on the plantations: For workers, this means low wages, poor occupational safety and the violation of basic labor rights. Migrant workers and women are particularly affected. Large German retailers and wine importers benefit from the low prices.
For centuries, workers on the plantations – initially enslaved, now wage laborers – have been fighting for better living and working conditions. In 2020, the South African agricultural workers of the CSAAWU union joined forces with their retail colleagues from the major retailers in Germany and are now fighting together along the global wine supply chain for a better life. This has resulted in a negotiation model that is unique in the world, in which the employees jointly exert pressure on the buyers and suppliers in negotiations with the companies. Two farm workers and a trade unionist from South Africa, as well as a trade unionist and a scientist from Germany will report on this new form of organizing along the supply chain and provide an insight into wine growing in South Africa and the state of labor disputes along supply chains.

Panel lecture as part of the international workshop Bioethics Controversies in the event series Zur Debatte at the University of Marburg.

Junior Fellow Workshop of the Kolleg Forschungsgruppe Universalism and Particularism in European History