Lecture series Widerständige Demokratie

We would like to draw attention to the lecture series “Resistant Democracy”, which emerged from a network of university actors and cultural institutions in Göttingen within the framework of the Stadtlabor Göttingen.

Information from the organizers:

Democracy is not a given – it must be defended. At a time when cultural spaces are under attack and sites of remembrance are threatened, mere silent hope is not enough. This series brings together voices that stand up against right-wing extremism and anti-democratic assaults on our plural society. The first two lectures ask how right-wing extremism manifests today, what characterizes it, and how its linguistic strategies work. The final two lectures turn to concrete examples: How does the extreme right target theaters, (queer) archives, and memorial sites? From subtle codes that spread right-wing extremist messages to open attacks on cultural institutions – this series makes visible what often works in the shadows. Let us take our seat together in defense of democracy.

September 10, 7 pm, Literarisches Zentrum: Patrick Wielowiejski (Gesellschaft für Freiheitsrechte): “Rechtsextremismus heute: Ideologien, Narrative und Kulturkämpfe”

Right-wing extremism shapes our present – in parliaments, online, and on the streets. It becomes visible in cultural forms of expression as well as in acts of terror and violence. While public perception often focuses on extreme events or clear symbols, research defines it more broadly: as a web of ideologies of inequality, authoritarian notions of rule, and the rejection of democratic principles. This lecture introduces key scholarly concepts and, through symbols, codes, and rhetoric, shows how right-wing extremist messages – often in culturally resonant forms – are disseminated. From a cultural studies perspective, not only ideology and strategy but also the role of affects and imagination as driving forces of right-wing mobilization will be discussed. Examples will include findings from ethnographic research on homosexuality in the AfD. The aim is a nuanced understanding that captures both ideological foundations and cultural manifestations.

October 2, 7 pm, Literarisches Zentrum: Volker Weiß (historian and journalist): “Das Deutsche Demokratische Reich” – further information here.

November 3, 7 pm, WERKRAUM: Daniel Ris (Neue Bühne Senftenberg): “Als Theater Haltung zeigen - Erfahrungen aus Brandenburg” – further information here.

December 2, 7 pm, Museum Friedland: Albert Knoll (historian): “Die Erinnerung an den NS-Terror im Visier der Rechten: Beispiele aus der KZ-Gedenkstätte Dachau und der queeren Community München” – further information here.

The program was conceived by BoatPeopleProjekt, Deutsches Theater Göttingen, Institut für Diversitätsforschung, Kulturzentrum KAZ, Literarisches Zentrum Göttingen, Museum Friedland and Stadtlabor Göttingen. They open their doors and create a space in which voices from academia, culture, and civil society make current developments visible, highlight courses of action and help sustain them.

The series is funded by the federal program “Demokratie leben!”.