Three decades after the fall of the Berlin Wall, we are yet to come to terms with 1989’s historical significance, let alone the challenges of the present. What is the actual meaning of the ‘annus mirabilis’ and everything that followed? If this question is still unanswered, perhaps our approach is flawed, suggests Karl Schlögel.
1989 and its aftermath gave life to a liberating yet frightening era of ‘wild thinking’, whose manifold meanings and consequences refuse to be caged in a historical sermon. ‘All we can do is to tell our stories and listen to those of others’, setting aside teleological interpretations of history and taking up the radical challenges of our troubled times. Watch the video or listen to the address in Gagarin, the Eurozine podcast onSpotify, Apple podcasts, Castbox, Stitcher or Soundcloud.
Historian and professor Karl Schlögel’s speech kick-started the second day of the 30th European Meeting of Cultural Journals ‘Europe ‘89: The promise recalled’ held in Berlin between 1 and 3 November 2019.
Discussing ‘The Legacy of division: Europe after 1989’ with the curators
Was it foolish to expect Europe to unite after the Iron Curtain fell? What kept the wounds from healing? Talking the post-Communist heritage in Gagarin, the Eurozine podcast.
Are you concerned about press freedom and integrity in central eastern Europe? The 31st European Meeting of Cultural Journals, livestreamed from Budapest on Saturday 14 November, gives you the chance to hear journalists from the region speak about their current predicament and responses.