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"Resisting Populism"- Catholic Church Facing the Challenge of Right-Wing Populism
Exposé for the lecture series: Recht extrem? Dynamics in Civil Society Spaces
In memory of the racist murder of Halit Yozgat, which the right-wing extremist NSU committed in 2006 not far from the Holländischer Platz campus, the lecture series against right-wing extremism has been held annually at the University of Kassel since 2012 with changing topics. After the lecture in the last winter semester was dedicated to right-wing populist currents in Europe, in the upcoming winter semester 2019/20 we want to focus on civil society spaces and actors and discuss what role they play in relation to right-wing extremism, what dynamics are effective there and what positioning they take, respectively what strategies they open up in dealing with right-wing extremism and radicalization.
In recent years in particular, (right-wing) populist activities and groups in civil society arenas have attracted media attention: for example, the mobilizations of PEGIDA, the courting of "alternative trade unions" for works council seats, or the accusation that welfare associations are profiting as "asylum industry associations" from the so-called refugee crisis. These examples show that the current political lines of conflict - which are linked to the strengthening of the new right-wing populism - run right through civil society and represent a challenge for open societies and democracy, which critical scholarship must address just as much as pedagogical practice. The lecture series aims to contribute to the reflection on this challenge.
The concept of the lecture series is to invite representatives from various disciplines (including sociology, political science, history, education, psychology, literature, cultural studies, linguistics, philosophy, social work) who will present the current state of their respective research and offer insights into recent social developments. As in previous years, the lectures are aimed at members of the university as well as other residents of Kassel; again, students should be able to take course and exam credits in various modules, especially in the core curriculum and key competencies.
Speaker: Prof. Dr. Andreas Lob-Hüdepohl, Catholic University of Applied Sciences Berlin
Supported by:
University management, departments 01, 02 and 05, and by the AstA.