Global Spaces for Radical Solidarity – First Willi-Muenzenberg-Congress

Congress, 17-20 September 2015, Berlin, Germany

[...] The congress aims to present and analyse actors, forms and practices of global solidarity networks in the context of social, cultural and humanitarian movements of the 20th Century. Among others, the congress will look at collective biographies and the imagining of a ’cultural international’, the role of media and aesthetic mediums; questions that already during the interwar period were expressed in the Solidarity Song (Solidaritätslied) by Brecht and Eisler: ”Whose tomorrow is tomorrow, whose world is the world?” („Wessen Morgen ist der Morgen, wessen Welt ist die Welt?“). Through a number of case studies the congress probes into the ideological and conceptual shifts between revolutionary internationalism, anti-fascism and anti-stalinism during the 1930s. Further focus is set on the history of anti-colonial movements in Asia, Africa and Latin America, as well as the network around Münzenberg’s last publishing venture, Die Zukunft (the Future). Between 1938 and 1940 he stood for a new liberal-socialist Germany and for a united Europe based on a new ”German-French Union”. Like so many others ideas, these were often barely taken into consideration after 1945. However, there were a number of effects, turning points and continuities in transnational solidarity networks that found a continuation throughout the 20th century: in the cultural history of the Federal Republic of Germany, in Third World solidarity movements, but also in Latin American liberation struggles and in the actions of NGOs until the 21st Century.

The Congress languages are German and English. A simultaneous translation will be offered to all participants and guests. The congress is open for the public and attendance is free of charge: Please register at: info@muenzenbergforum.de

The congress organising committee is formed by Bernhard H. Bayerlein, Uwe Sonnenberg and Kasper Braskén. We thank for the kind support of MediaService GmbH Druck und Kommunikation, Åbo Akademi University, Åbo (Turku); Arbejdermuseet, Kopenhagen; Institut for Social Movements, Ruhr-Universität Bochum; Maison des Sciences de l’homme, Université de Bourgogne, Dijon; Schweizerisches Sozialarchiv, Zürich; Zentrum für Zeithistorische Forschung, Potsdam.

https://www.muenzenbergforum.de/veranstaltung/global-spaces-radical-sol…

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