National Socialism continues to impact our society in many ways today. Many wonder about the roles their family members, acquaintances, colleagues, or club members played back then. How do you find out? And how do you deal with the results? What current consequences and family or social hurdles arise from this?

It is well known that both concealed guilt and silence about suffering are unconsciously passed on to descendants. The workshop by Johannes Spohr and Peter Pogany-Wnendt is open to descendants of perpetrators, followers, bystanders, victims, and survivors of National Socialism. It offers practical research work as well as insights into the transmission of emotional inheritances and how to deal with them.

Workshop leaders Johannes Spohr, a historian and grandson of a Wehrmacht officer, runs the research service present past in Berlin on National Socialism in families and society. Peter Pogany-Wnendt, a specialist in psychotherapeutic medicine and son of Jewish Holocaust survivors from Hungary, is the first chairman of the Working Group on Intergenerational Consequences of the Holocaust.

Fig.: Workshop by Johannes Spohr and Peter Pogany-Wnendt in the Library at the Weserburg, Photo: Patrick Drescher

Authoritarian ideologies and right-wing politics are on the rise—with their narratives seemingly resonating with many. In this lecture, we explore the so-called rightward shift through the language of right-wing politicians. What communication strategies do they use, and how do they influence public debates and discourses? And what can we actively do to counter this normalization from the right?

Hagen Steinhauer is a research associate at the University of Bremen, focusing on authoritarianism and democracy. In his doctoral thesis, he analyzes anti-democratic discourses in France, prevalent not only on the right fringe but also in the mainstream.

As a public institution for contemporary art, the Weserburg is committed to engaging with important social issues. How we interact with each other and the language(s) we use daily play a central role. This lecture is conducted in cooperation between Attac Bremen and the Weserburg Museum für moderne Kunst.

Fig.: Shift to the Right, Normalization, Mainstreaming?, Photo: Hagen Steinhauer

Rituals are culturally bound acts that regulate interpersonal relationships in everyday life. They function as the lubricant of society. Symbolically charged, they provide orientation and security, especially in political or religious contexts. Meaning-laden processes can take on ceremonial characteristics but can also degenerate into seemingly meaningless actions when their context fades. In contrast, beloved personal habits can become joyously celebrated rituals.

The film evening “Rituals” at City 46 is part of the accompanying program to the exhibition Yael Bartana. Utopia Now! and features video works by Yael Bartana and other artists dealing with rituals in various cultural and political contexts.

For more information on the exhibition: https://weserburg.de/en/ausstellung/yael-bartana-utopia-now/

For more information about the venue CITY 46: https://www.city46.de/

The program is part of the ongoing curatorial series film:art showcasing films between art and cinema.

Fig.: John Smith, Twice, 2020 (Film still)