Panel Discussions
Past Events
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Grau, kalt und rechts? Wie reden wir über „Ostdeutschland“?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.
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Film screening: “Black faces in white? space” followed by a discussion with the filmmaker thabo thindi (Berlin / Huhudi Township)“Black faces in white? space” is a documentary by …thabo thindi that explores the complexities of Black people living in Germany. Through personal stories and interviews, it highlights issues of racial exclusion, identity, and resilience. The film questions how Black presence reshapes or is constrained within spaces not designed for them.
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Antifeminismus im digitalen Raum. Der Einsatz von Invektiven und Widersprechen als Mittel der Delegitimierung feministischer ProtesteThe lecture is part of the conference “Das geht zu weit!” organized by the research group Diskursmonitor. Linguistic-communicative strategies of legitimizing and delegitimizing protest in public, media and political discourses will be discussed.
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Leiden an Unwahrheiten? Warum wir Wahrheit brauchen. Eine Diskussion zwischen Michael Hampe, Olivia Erna Maegaard Nielsen, Tammo Lossau und Jonas TrochemowitzPeople suffer from contradictions and untruths. Against the background of this observation, Michael Hampe has developed a pragmatist concept of truth, which he believes can explain our striving for truth better than traditional theories of truth. But what does it mean, in this understanding, to […]
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35 Jahre Friedliche Revolution – Quo Vadis DDR-Erinnerungskultur in HamburgWith reference to the traveling exhibition Demokratie vor Ort – Persönliche Erinnerungen von Hamburger:innen aus der DDR, a discussion among experts will take place on the significance and development of the memory of the GDR and its effects on our society today. More information about […]
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Was ist „Osteuropa“? Geschichte und Gegenwart eines widersprüchlichen KonzeptsSince 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
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Wine from South Africa: colonial origins and transnational strugglesWine 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.
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Orality in PhilosophyThe role of orality in philosophy is an old and intriguing topic. Some have claimed that philosophy cannot exist as an oral tradition because sophisticated thought presupposes a written form. Others (including Plato) have claimed that writing destroys memory. Still others have formulated central statements in catchy aphorisms and proverbs that are easy to memorise and immediately invite you to unfold their meaning: „You cannot enter the same river twice.“ Fortunately, however, we can enter into discussion with Souleymane Bachir Diagne, Anke Graneß & Lindokuhle Shabane, to unfold the role of orality in philosophy, especially in an African context where oral traditions have always played a crucial role.
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Widersprechen gegen das Vergessen. Tschechoslowakische Zwangsarbeiter*innen in der Region BremenForced laborers from the occupied territories of what was then Czechoslovakia (“Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia”) are among the most invisible victims of National Socialist crimes in and around Bremen.
It is very difficult to find traces of this group of prisoners, but we still want to bring the Czech forced laborers more into the focus of public perception in Bremen and counteract oblivion. To this end, activists from various institutions and initiatives will come together at a public event for a workshop discussion to discuss the current state of knowledge and to try to find possible approaches to continue working together on this issue.
Following the discussion, we would like to invite you to a concert with the Czech band Monika Načeva and Zdivočelí koně in memory of the Czech and Slovak victims of National Socialist crimes in Bremen and the surrounding area.
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Wie weiter nach den Parlamentswahlen in Spanien?The panel discussion will be held in German and English with simultaneous translation.
After the recent elections in Spain, a stalemate emerged in which neither the PP- nor PSOE-led coalition of choice could unite a majority behind them. The Catalan nationalists from the left and right suddenly emerged as the kingmakers in the talks to form a government, ultimately enabling the re-election of Pedro Sánchez as Prime Minister in return for a controversial amnesty for Catalan independence advocates.