The present of the past. The 35 years of German Reunification.
The present of the past. The 35 years of German Reunification.
On the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the reunification of Germany on Oct. 3, 2025, which will see the visit to Naples of H.E. Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany Thomas Bagger, at 9.30, at the "Pietro Piovani" lecture hall of the Department of Humanities of the University of Naples Federico II, historian Ulrich Mählert, of the German Federal Foundation for the Study of the Communist Dictatorship in Germany, will give a lecture on the topic The Present of the Past. The 35 Years of German Reunification.
A recent poll revealed that only 35 percent of Germans believe that East and West have "largely merged," a similar figure to twenty years ago. At the same time, however, there is a broad consensus that confronting and reflecting on the GDR, the division of Germany and developments since 1990 continues to be of paramount importance.
Mählert's lecture will illustrate the significance that the "white spots" in the history of the GDR of 1989/90 played for the peaceful revolution and how the discourse on the past has been articulated in the more than three decades since reunification.
The event is jointly organized by the Department of Humanities of the University of Naples Federico II, the Honorary Consulate of the Federal Republic of Germany in Naples, the Goethe-Institut of Naples and the German Federal Foundation for the Study of Communist Dictatorship in Germany, on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of German Unification.
Greetings are scheduled from Andrea Mazzucchi, Director of the Department of Humanities; Maria Carmen Morese, Director of the Goethe-Institut of Naples; and Stefano Ducceschi, Honorary Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany in Naples.
Andrea D'Onofrio, Coordinator of the Course of Study in History at the University of Naples Federico II, will moderate.
Ulrich Mählert, born in 1968 in Neckarsulm, is a historian and heads the department: "Annual Exhibitions and History of Communism" at the German Federal Foundation for the Study of the Communist Dictatorship in Germany, Berlin. He studied and received his doctorate from the University of Mannheim and created the Foundation's scientific department, which he headed until 2020. He is the author of numerous works on the history of the GDR and communism, including: The GDR. A Short History 1949-1989 (Mimesis, 2009) and has curated several exhibitions on contemporary history.
Written by Redazione c/o COINOR: redazionenews@unina.it | redazionesocial@unina.it