News

Invitation to a public lecture held by Prof. Michael Bernhard “Traces of the Past: Regime Histories and Anti-Foreigner Violence in Post-Unification Germany”

The European Humanities University is pleased to invite you to an open lecture, “Traces of the Past: Regime Histories and Anti-Foreigner Violence in Post-Unification Germany,” delivered by a renowned political scientist Professor Michael Bernhard.

When:  6 November, 2024 at 5 PM (Vilnius time).

Where: Savičiaus str. 17 (the main European Humanities University building), Auditorium 303 (the third floo) of and via Zoom (registered remote participants will receive an email with a link to the livestream). The lecture will cover the following insights:

• States vary in their public confrontation of historical violence toward foreigners, ranging from denial of the past to acceptance of responsibility. The impact of these differences on current anti-foreigner violence remains understudied.
• Using novel data on anti-foreigner violence in Germany from 1992 to 2021, the lecture will address how memory policies aim at reconciling with past historical violence influence present-day anti-foreigner violence.
• Research findings reveal contexts in which violence toward foreigners is higher.

• The findings of the research highlight the importance of memory policies in mitigating future violence, necessitating state acknowledgment of historical violence to prevent a perpetual cycle of violence.

Professor Michael H. Bernhard is specializing in democratization and development. Bernhard’s academic work centers on questions of democratization and development both globally and in the context of Europe. Among the issues that have figured prominently in his research agenda are the role of civil society in democratization, institutional choice in new democracies, the political economy of democratic survival, and the legacy of extreme forms of dictatorship. Currently, he holds the Raymond and Miriam Ehrlich Eminent Scholar Chair at the University of Florida. Prior to this, he was a faculty member at Penn State University and a visiting scholar at prestigious institutions like Harvard University and Warsaw University. Bernhard has authored numerous publications and has been actively involved in academic leadership roles, including serving as editor-in-chief of Perspectives on Politics.

The lecture will be held in English.

For the participation please fill the REGISTRATION FORM.