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On March 27 and 28, Bard College Berlin held its annual conference, in cooperation with the ICI Berlin Institute for Cultural Inquiry (where the event took place), the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College New York, and the German Association for East European Research (DGO). This year's conference was devoted to the theme "What Europe? Ideals to Fight for Today" and gathered international scholars, analysts, journalists and other experts who examined the contemporary European landscape and put their diagnosis of the present and the future. The conference opened with introductory remarks from Roger Berkowitz, Director of the Hannah Arendt Centre at Bard College, New York, and Gabriele Freitag, Managing Director of the German Association for East European Research. Roger Berkowitz quoted an excerpt from Hannah Arendt's essay Tradition and the Modern Age, thus introducing the key question that lies at the core of the conference: "What should we fight for today?", or what goals and aims should political engagement in Europe set itself today? Gabriele Freitag focused on the necessity to integrate a historical view into any current analysis of the state of Europe. Historian Timothy Snyder, Professor at Yale University, then delivered the keynote lecture "Ukraine: Soviet Past, European Future?". Professor Snyder argued that an awareness of Ukraine's history can shed better light on the current outbreak of protests. After surveying the historical landmarks of Ukraine from its origins as an entity to the present and stressing the importance of the Soviet and Communist legacies, Prof. Snyder discussed how the belief in the European rule of law and in European political institutions has fuelled the democratic impulse of the Ukrainians. His central contention was that the safeguards heralded by European integration can no longer be discussed or thought of in a framework that does not take into account the current situation in Ukraine. The second day of the conference began with the panel "Where is Democracy to Be Found in Europe Today?". The speakers, who are all experts in the phenomenon of protest and resistance among the diverse populations of Europe, discussed the location of democracy in Europe (local, national or transnational level) and the possibilities for extending democratic self-determination. Ivan Krastev, Director of the Centre for Liberal Strategies in Sofia, drew attention to the importance of distinguishing between a crisis of democracy and a crisis of governance when analysing the present apparent apathy of Europeans with respect to the electoral process. At the same time, he argued that the common solution for increasing transparency at an institutional level may not have the expected effect of strengthening trust among citizens. Eirini Avramopoulou, a social anthropologist who studies popular protest movements, highlighted in her talk the importance of silent protests as a way of resisting the prejudices pervading political discourse. Drawing on the case involving present-day Turkey and Italy, she focused on the violence which is both a cause and an effect of women's exclusion from the public sphere. Ulrike Winkelmann, writer and editor for the TAZ newspaper, discussed the ways in which the relation between governance and citizens could be improved at a European level, and called on the media to play a key role in this. The second panel addressed the meaning of a European idea in the current context of Europe. Patrick Bahners, a cultural correspondent of the newspaper FAZ in New York, highlighted the role of political ideals in constituting the current geographical shape of Europe, and showed how this legacy might translate into uncertainty when dealing with current external threats. Walter Russell Mead, editor of The American Interest magazine, suggested that the vantage point is very important when discussing the meaning and significance of a European idea, and described the visions and strategies that are at stake in the different ways that Europe is perceived by the U.S., by France and Germany, by Italy, and last but not least, by Russia. Roger Berkowitz moderated the panel and drew attention to the relationship between ideals and actions that underlies the concept of a European idea. The final panel, "What Use Are Europe's Heritages in Looking to the Future?," called upon the speakers to debate the matter of the values and heritages that Europe should either overthrow or remain faithful to in its way to the future. Peter Baehr, Professor of Social Theory at Lingnan University, Hong Kong, discussed the historical underpinnings of European consciousness, and laid out the example of the phenomenon of "unmasking," which became an emblem of the Jacobins during the French Revolution. Agata Lisiak, a specialist in urban cultures teaching at Bard College Berlin and Humboldt University, presented her research on the influence of immigrant mothers on the integration of young people into the new society they become part of, and advocated for the potential of small, daily rituals to trigger great changes. The last speaker on the panel, Rob Riemen, founder of the Nexus Institute in the Netherlands, discussed the kind of values that should determine Europe's future and the interaction between its citizens, whether at the political or the social level. Coverage of the conference in the German press: http://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/debatte-zu-ukraine-krise-wessen-blut-auf-wessen-boden-1.1925562 http://www.tagesspiegel.de/kultur/rechtsextreme-zu-stark-hervorgehoben-us-historiker-timothy-snyder-kritisiert-medien-wegen-ukraine/9685394.html http://www.deutschlandradiokultur.de/aus-den-feuilletons-putins-ideologie-hat-faschistische.1059.de.html?dram:article_id=281496 http://www.taz.de/1/archiv/digitaz/artikel/?ressort=ku&dig=2014%2F04%2F01%2Fa0115&cHash=e1770e5e1d8beba813e810a0c6e882d0 http://www.deutschlandfunk.de/symposium-in-berlin-kampf-um-europas-identitaet.691.de.html?dram:article_id=281556

Meta: Type(s): General | Subject(s): Bard College Berlin | Institutes(s): Bard College Berlin |

Faculty member James Harker has recently published an article "'Laura was not thinking': Cognitive Minimalism in Sylvia Townsend Warner's Lolly Willowes" in Studies in the Novel (46:1 Spring 2014). The article examines Warner's under-appreciated and unusual depiction of the protagonist's consciousness. Although her decisions are the crux of the plot, Laura (or Aunt "Lolly") is regularly presented as having a blank mind, experiencing mere sensation, or even "not thinking" at all. Drawing from cognitive science as well as narratology, Harker maintains that Warner's "cognitive minimalism" brings her into connection with contemporaneous modernist experiments from which she would otherwise seem to stand apart. Studies in the Novel is published quarterly by the English Department at the University of North Texas. Since its inception in 1969, it has sought out excellence in criticism of the novel in all periods, from all interpretive approaches. The table of contents of Volume 46, Number 1 is available here.

Meta: Type(s): Faculty | Subject(s): Bard College Berlin | Institutes(s): Bard College Berlin |

In honor of the 75th birthday of bioinformatician and civil rights activist Prof. Dr. Jens Reich, Bard College Berlin has established a Jens Reich Scholarship. Beginning in the coming academic year, the scholarship will be awarded to students for outstanding academic and civil engagement achievements. "Professor Reich is a highly esteemed colleague here at Bard College Berlin," stated Professor Dr. Thomas Rommel, Rector and Provost of Bard College Berlin. "His lectures highlight the connections between the natural sciences and society, and our students and professors look forward to continuing to work with him here in Pankow. The Jens Reich Scholarship honors him as a key member of the Bard College Berlin community by providing financial support for gifted students. " Full press release: English / Deutsch.

Meta: Type(s): Featured,General,Faculty | Subject(s): Bard College Berlin | Institutes(s): Bard College Berlin |

Faculty member Michael Weinman has recently published the article "Metaphysics, Lam and the Echo of Homer: First Philosophy as a Way of Life" in the online edition of Philosophical Papers. The article seeks to provide an answer as to why Metaphysics, Lam ends with an aporetic account of the living and dying of everything mortal (and not with the account of the divine nous, as is expected in light of the book's subject). Professor Weinman argues that the best understanding of the aporetic conclusion asks the reader to recall that Aristotle's project of first philosophy proceeds as part of a human life lived a certain way, and not as part of an academic discipline. The article also appeared in the print edition of the journal (Volume 43, Number 1). Philosophical Papers is an international, generalist journal of philosophy edited at Rhodes University and the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, and published by Routledge. More information about the article can be found here.

Meta: Type(s): Faculty | Subject(s): Bard College Berlin | Institutes(s): Bard College Berlin |

Technical reconstruction of the surrounding nature is one of the hallmarks of human evolution. It is an old and unresolved controversy whether this reconstruction goes on under a fair contract between Man and Nature, or as a permanent act of subjugation of Nature. From most ancient times on, humans have likewise tried to re-construct their own physical constitution by repairing or mitigating natural defects and improving the body. However, this involved only the "surface" of the human constitution and its perceptible features. During the last three decades mankind has obtained the tools to re-construct, by genetic and epigenetic manipulation, the very essence of the physical constitution and also the basics of the physical, emotional and cognitive properties of human beings. These tools are being adapted experimentally and tested on "model animals." Sketching the development that the future will bring us, the lecture pondered what this development means for our conception of humanity as natural, as well as cultural kind. Jens Reich studied medicine at the Humboldt University Berlin (1956-1962) and became an expert of molecular biology. He was professor of Bioinformatics at the Medical Faculty (Charité) of the Humboldt University in Berlin from 1998 to 2004. He also worked as a molecular geneticist at the Max-Delbrück-Centre in Berlin and held a teaching appointment at Harvard University. His academic career is paralleled by an equally active political one. Dr. Reich was one of the key figures in the civil rights movement of the GDR in the 80s. In 1990, he was elected to the People's Chamber of the GDR, and in 1994 he was a candidate in the election for President of the Federal Republic of Germany. In 2001-2012, he was a member of the "German National Foundation," as well as the German Ethics Council. The lecture is part of a series in which Bard College Berlin faculty members present their research to the public. Time: Wednesday, April 9, 2014 from 19:30 Venue: Bard College Berlin Main Auditorium Platanenstr. 98a, Berlin - Pankow (map here) Admission free

Meta: Type(s): Event | Subject(s): Bard College Berlin | Institutes(s): Bard College Berlin |

The first article, „Emil Nolde and the National Socialist dictatorship," is part of the catalogue accompanying the exhibition "Degenerate Art: The Attack on Modern Art in Nazi Germany, 1937," which opened on March 13, 2014 at the Neue Galerie in New York. The article explores Nolde's relation to the prevailing National-Socialist regime and the paradox it entailed: though the painter was an open supporter of Nazism, the regime condemned his work as "degenerate art" and forbid him to paint. Still, Nolde continued to produce great artworks in the last years of the dictatorship and emerged from the Second World War as a hero. More information about the exhibition is available here (official website) or here (New York Times review). The second article accompanies a retrospective on Emil Nolde which opened on March 5, 2014, at the Städel Museum in Frankfurt am Main. In it, Aya Soika and Bernhard Fulda further examine the painter's relationship to National Socialism and the fact that he continued to paint during the Nazi ban on modern art, and thus propose a reconsideration of what this ban is generally thought to be. Read more about the exhibition in Frankfurt am Main here (official website), here (review Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung) or here (review 3sat).

Meta: Type(s): Faculty | Subject(s): Bard College Berlin | Institutes(s): Bard College Berlin |

Faculty member Bruno Maçães, currently State Secretary for European Affairs in the Portuguese Government, was one of the guest speakers of the German-Portuguese Forum, a conference organised by the German Foreign Office on March 10-11, 2014 in Berlin. The conference was meant to be a platform for deepening the dialogue between the two countries, for seeking opportunities for joint action, and for promoting mutual understanding. The participants addressed topics like the economic and financial crisis, the future of the European Union or the role of the constitutional court, from the perspective of both Germany and Portugal. The forum opened with remarks from Foreign Ministers Frank-Walter Steinmeier (Germany) and Rui Machete (Portugal). Read a transcript of Bruno Maçães's talk in the Tagesspiegel here. More information (German): http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/DE/Infoservice/Presse/Meldungen/2014/140306-Dt_PRT_Forum.html

Meta: Type(s): Faculty | Subject(s): Bard College Berlin | Institutes(s): Bard College Berlin |