In 2017 for the first time since World War II, a right-wing populist party entered the German Bundestag. What came as a massive shock to many political observers in Germany, was merely the expression of a trend stretching across industrialised countries for a couple of decades now: the return of the illiberal right. This course tries to find explanations for the success of the AfD and other right-wing movements or parties, with a specific focus on Germany and the East-West divide that less than 35 years ago still cut Europe and Germany in two halves. In this course we look for answers to questions such as: Why do people vote for right-wing populist parties? What lesson can the history of right-wing extremism offer for contemporary politics? Can the experience of forceful and rapid change among citizens of formerly Communist states explain the prominence of Illiberalism in Eastern Germany and, potentially, beyond? The course is divided into three parts, which deal with the past, present and future of Illiberalism respectively. For each part, we will undertake an excursion within Berlin and discuss a Berlin-based movie to demonstrate how the traces of Illiberalism can be found throughout the city.
Language requirements: English B2
The detailed syllabus for this course is available on the Berlin Perspectives website: https://hic.hu-berlin.de/en/berlin-perspectives/courses
This course is offered by the Career Center as part of the elective program üWP. It is open to international exchange students, and to regular HU students.
Registration is open until 13 April 2022. Places are allocated in Agnes by a lottery procedure (not on a first come first serve basis).
