Christoph Bartmann: Attacke von rechts - Der neue Kampf um die Kultur.

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Registration required via this link: Christoph Bartmann: Attack from the right. The new battle for culture | Beteiligung NRW Landeshauptstadt Düsseldorf

In his new book "Attacke von rechts. The new battle for culture", Christoph Bartmann analyzes how culture has increasingly become an area of political conflict. He describes the strategies used by right-wing parties and movements to influence cultural institutions, the media and the politics of remembrance, and compares developments in Germany with international examples.

Museums, theaters and libraries are apparently not the places from which society can be shaped. Those who want to make a name for themselves in politics try their hand in other fields. Right-wing populist parties recognize their opportunity in this indifference. For them, culture is the battleground on which they can push through their anti-modern, nationalist and homophobic ideas. In Poland, Austria and the USA, this is already a frightening part of everyday life. Using international examples, Christoph Bartmann shows how right-wing populists use cultural policy as a battleground for their ideology.

He sounds the alarm: if the liberal center does not take this danger seriously, the right will have an easy game. It is still not too late to develop strategies against their culture war.

Speaker:
Christoph Bartmann, born in 1955, studied German language and literature and history. He worked at the Goethe-Institut until 2021, including as head of the institutes in Copenhagen, New York and Warsaw. Since then, he has lived in Hamburg as a freelance author and critic. His books published by Hanser include "Leben im Büro" (2012) and "Die Rückkehr der Diener" (2016). Together with Berthold Franke, he has been running the cultural podcast "Die2plus" since 2025.

Moderation: Christine Brinkmann

Participation free of charge
Registration required

In his new book "Attack from the right. The new battle for culture", Christoph Bartmann analyzes how culture has increasingly become a field of political conflict. He describes the strategies used by right-wing parties and movements to influence cultural institutions, the media and the politics of remembrance, and compares developments in Germany with international examples.

Museums, theaters and libraries are apparently not the places from which society can be shaped. Those who want to make a name for themselves in politics try their hand in other fields. Right-wing populist parties recognize their opportunity in this indifference. For them, culture is the battleground on which they can push through their anti-modern, nationalist and homophobic ideas. In Poland, Austria and the USA, this is already a frightening part of everyday life. Using international examples, Christoph Bartmann shows how right-wing populists use cultural policy as a battleground for their ideology.

He sounds the alarm: if the liberal center does not take this danger seriously, the right will have an easy game. It is still not too late to develop strategies against their culture war.

Speaker:
Christoph Bartmann, born in 1955, studied German language and literature and history. He worked at the Goethe-Institut until 2021, including as head of the institutes in Copenhagen, New York and Warsaw. Since then, he has lived in Hamburg as a freelance author and critic. His books published by Hanser include "Leben im Büro" (2012) and "Die Rückkehr der Diener" (2016). Together with Berthold Franke, he has been running the cultural podcast "Die2plus" since 2025.

Moderation: Christine Brinkmann