![[Logo Auswärtiges Amt]](/images/logo.gif){kind=logo}
At Columbia University, a Symposium to Discuss German Reunification
With the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989, history took a decisive turn not only for Germany, but also for the whole world. In his address, the Consul General Horst Freitag said, “20 years ago, when the Wall came down and with it, the Iron Curtain collapsed, the world was changed. Nothing has been the same ever since.”
The Consul General thanked all organizers of the symposium for their work, especially Professor Henry C. Pinkham, Professor Dorothea von Mücke, and Professor Andreas Huyssen of Columbia University; and Dr. Kathrin Di Paola of Deutsches Haus NYU.
-
- Enlarge image
- Professor Gesine Schwan at the symposium
- (© GKNY)
After being introduced to the audience by the President of the Transatlantic Council, Frederick Kempe, Prof. Dr. Gesine Schwan took the stage. Mrs. Schwan, a two-time candidate for Germany’s federal presideny, dedicated a good part of her academic career to questions of understanding between East and West, especially between Poland and Germany.
In her keynote address, Prof. Schwan argued that the term “re-united nation” refers to an anachronism that does not exist anymore. She said that in times of globalization it is much more important to keep nations capable of acting by continously creating a sense of shared beliefs and values. According to Mrs. Schwan, this is something that does not only apply to Germany, but to every nation.
Mrs. Schwan’s speech was followed by a Q&A session, where the panel consisted of Mrs. Schwan, Mr. Kempe and Mr. Huyssen.
-
- Enlarge image
- Mr. Huyssen, Mrs. Schwan and Mr. Kempe at the panel
- (© GKNY)
On Friday, October 23, the symposium concluded with a number of panel sessions at Columbia University. The participants ranged from authors to film makers, researchers and politicians. Oscar-winning director Jochen Freydank, professors Hauke Brunkhorst (Flensburg University, Germany), Andrew Arato and Willi Semmler (New School), Jean Cohen (Columbia University), and author Clemens Meyer, among others, contributed to the success of the event.
