Uncertain States - DISKURSE Gesine Schwan: Ist Europas Aufklärung am Ende?

Gesine Schwan, political scientist and president of the Viadrina European University, examines in her speech the European Age of Reason representing the ideals of liberty, progress and tolerance. How can a „european“ Europe progress? An analysis how a „european“ can live up to its ideals and inner diversity.

Professor Dr. Gesine Schwan, born in Berlin in 1943, is a political scientist. She studied Romance languages, history, philosophy and politics in Berlin and Freiburg, with extended study visits to Warsaw and Krakow. In 1972, she joined the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and, since 2014, has chaired the party’s Commission for Fundamental Values. In December 2015, she became co-chair of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) Germany. From 1977 to 1999, Gesine Schwan was a professor of political science at Free University Berlin, where she was also Dean of the Faculty of Political Science from 1992 to 1994. In 1999, she was appointed as the president of the Europe University Viadrina in Frankfurt (Oder), and played a key role in the university’s development. From 2005 to 2009, Gesine Schwan assumed the office of Coordinator of the Federal Government for Civil Cooperation with the Republic of Poland. She stood as a candidate for the office of the Federal President of Germany in 2004, nominated by the SPD and Bündnis 90/Die Grünen. In 2009, the SPD again nominated her as a candidate for the office of Federal President.

DISKURSE, a series of lectures and discussions, addresses today's key issues. Europe is facing challenges such as xenophobia, Islamophobia and anti-Semitism. What are the causes of this new fundamentalism? How can the growth of right-wing populism and racism be curbed and overcome? How can immigration policies be improved? And what role does art have to play in coping with the crisis?

The 12 lectures by prominent representatives of migration studies, political science, sociology, philosophy, and art scholarship will be accompanied and commented on by the young team from Polis180, the grassroots think tank for foreign and European policy. The series will be available online at www.adk.de/uncertain-states.

In cooperation with the German Federal Agency for Civic Education (bpb) and Polis180. All dates of the series can be found here.