To distinguish cultures by nations is a habit – a bad habit – brought up in the 19th century and transformed into war in the 20th. In the 21st century it seems urgent to reflect on this tradition – without ignoring the interest in understanding expressions and experiences in their richness and diversity. That is what the study of texts and artifacts from the German historical context can be good for.

In this sense, the present program starts by a return, a return to words. The course will be a kind of pendulum: from present to past, from past to future. Six words will open the space for a movement between history and imagination: to read, to believe, to think, to feel, to fight and to remember. The readings (in German with support in translations) will be accompanied by images and selected sounds.