FRIDAY, 5 DECEMBER 2025
ETH Hauptgebäude
18.30: WELCOME BY THE ORGANISERS
18.40: BRUCHSTELLEN UND BAUSTELLEN: DIE WECHSELHAFTEN BEZIEHUNGEN ZWISCHEN DER SCHWEIZ UND DEUTSCHLAND IM 20. JAHRHUNDERT
Input by Jakob Tanner
18.55: WENN ICH AUF DIE BRD ZURÜCKBLICKE, DANN MUSS ICH LEIDER SAGEN
By Behzad Karim Khani
19.15: BILLIARD UM HALB ZEHN, ODER: THE „GERMAN ISSUE“, ARCHÄOLOGIE DER NACHKRIEGSZEIT
At least in a symbolic sense, the Federal Republic emerged as a centerpiece of a world order that arose from the ruins of German claims to global hegemony: where two world wars were unleashed and industrial genocide perpetrated, history should not be allowed to repeat itself. In this sense, the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) was a cornerstone of the post-war order, whose architecture has now crumbled. This panel addresses tipping points in the history of the BRD and its democratic culture. Where does the "big canton" fit into the new world order? What can be done about the emerging chasms between Germany’s self-perception and its global reputation?
With Sima Luipert, Eva Menasse, Adam Tooze, Eyal Weizman
Moderated by Tsafrir Cohen
SATURDAY, 6 DECEMBER 2025
Kunsthaus Zürich, Vortragssaal Moserbau
10.00: (KEIN) DENKEN OHNE GELÄNDER OR: THE MEDIA AND THE DISINTEGRATION OF THE POLITICAL PUBLIC SPHERE
Political public discourse was a central concept in the West German understanding of democracy. Above all, the media was meant to be a forum for debate and a place for forging new agreements. Today, a large part of the population no longer trusts the media. Since the Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing reporting on Gaza, they are seen as carriers of a state ideology that operates without public consent. At the sticking points of contention, the debate shifts instead to social media or smaller platforms. What role do mainstream media play in normalizing right-wing resentment and in fueling public mistrust in democratic norms? And why have they apparently failed to preserve and expand democratic and pluralistic spaces?
With Patrick Bahners, Yossi Bartal, Diedrich Diederichsen, Emily Dische-Becker, Behzad Karim Khani
Moderated by Eva Menasse
12.00: ALI: FEAR EATS THE SOUL OR: DANGEROUS KNOWLEDGE, STATE DISCOURSE AND DISAVOWAL OF REALITY
What happens when government policy and official guidelines for public and academic discourse openly contradict empirical evidence, scientific codes, and legislation?
With Schirin Amir-Moazami, Teresa Koloma-Beck, Daniel Marwecki, Nahed Samour, Simon Strick
Moderated by Sami Khatib
15.00: 7000 OAKS OR PROVINCIALISM AND GLOBAL HORIZONS – DER GROSSE KANTON
It wasn't just the return of economic and military wars that brought down the post-war order. The broken promises of "soft power" also played a role. This panel examines the place of German cultural institutions—such as documenta in Kassel—within a global context.
With Yassin Elhaj-Saleh, Anselm Franke, Dirk Moses, Ana Teixeira Pinto, Kerstin Stakemeier
Moderated by Ben Ratskoff
This panel will be held in English.
17.30: PATTERNS OF CHILDHOOD OR: THE UNEASE SURROUNDING THE CULTURE OF REMEMBRANCE: NEW APPROACHES IN RESEARCH
This last panel examines the tipping points and fault lines of German and Western memory culture and its institutions on the one hand, and the international state of research on the history of modern violence on the other. Which structures of a “political theology” dominate the present?
With Sultan Doughan, Yves Kugelmann, Stefanie Schüler-Springorum, Erhard Schüttpelz*, Hannah Tzuberi
Moderated by Katja Maurer
19.30 WENN IN EINER WESTDEUTSCHEN FERNSEH-TALKSHOW DAS LICHT AUSGEHT. FRAG MAX/ WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT IN A WEST GERMAN TALKSHOW. ASK MAX
A lecture performance by Eran Schaerf