Uncertain States – DISKURSE Palmyra as the Extreme of a New Iconoclasm

In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of ISIS, the ancient ruins of the oasis city Palmyra in the Syrian desert have attracted the attention of the Western media world. The terrorist organization has not only brutally murdered people, but also destroyed World Cultural Heritage. This is an all-out attack on the Western political system and its values. Human rights definitely include the preservation of cultural heritage. A discussion in the DISKURSE series with Horst Bredekamp, Stefan Weber and Johannes Odenthal.

DISKURSE, a series of lectures and discussions, addresses today's key issues. Europe is facing challenges such as xenophobia, Islamophobia and anti-Semitism. What are the causes of this new fundamentalism? How can the growth of right-wing populism and racism be curbed and overcome? How can immigration policies be improved? And what role does art have to play in coping with the crisis?

The 12 lectures by prominent representatives of migration studies, political science, sociology, philosophy, and art scholarship will be accompanied and commented on by the young team from Polis180, the grassroots think tank for foreign and European policy. The series will be available online at www.adk.de/uncertain-states.

In cooperation with the German Federal Agency for Civic Education (bpb) and Polis180. All dates of the series can be found here.