“Heimat is where the heart is.” The notion of “Heimat” – a German term that roughly translates as “home” or “homeland,” but with deeper cultural and emotional connotations – has changed several times over the past decades for many people living in Saxony. In the German Democratic Republic, Heimat meant local and regional ties as well as state control and travel restrictions.

After the fall of the Berlin Wall, Heimat took on greater significance as a place of retreat. The new East German identity began to emerge in 2000, although differences between East and West continue to exist and create tensions. On the one hand, there is a movement advocating an open and pluralistic definition of Heimat; on the other, the concepts of home and identity are increasingly being reinterpreted and appropriated by right-wing nationalist parties and groups.

Is society drawing closer together or drifting further apart? What does Heimat mean for us in Saxony and Germany today? Academics will discuss these questions and the challenges of providing an inclusive Heimat for all at the TUD Lecture+ on August 15.

• August 15, 2024, 6:00 pm, Biobahnhof Klotzsche
• Speakers: Dr. Johannes Schütz, of the Chair of Modern and Contemporary History
  Prof. Anna-Lena Zietlow, Chair of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology
  Dr. Lucas von Ramin, Institute of Philosophy
• Musik: Banda Comunale

Contact:

Unit 9.1 Campus Life, Team TUD Lectures
TUD Dresden University of Technology Directorate 9
Tel. +49 351 463-33865
Email: