Claus Leggewie: Diversity is not a good in itself. The challenges of Europe.

The Literaturhaus Heilbronn and the Kreissparkasse Heilbronn present four evenings centered around the theme "Turning Points – European Perspectives in Light of New Global Challenges," featuring prominent guests from academia and literature. The first guest in the series is political scientist Claus Leggewie. Europe's much-touted cultural diversity is a valuable asset, but it is not something the European Union can rely on in geopolitically turbulent times. The spore of nationalism is stirring, and "My Country First" movements are calling into question the unity achieved after 1945 and 1989. Leggewie's lecture draws a connection from the federalist ideas of the European resistance to today's resistance against simplistic autocracies. The evening will be moderated by Erich Pelzer. Claus Leggewie, born in 1950, studied social sciences and history in Cologne and Paris. He earned his doctorate and habilitation in Göttingen. He holds the Ludwig Börne Professorship and leads the "Panel on Planetary Thinking" at Justus Liebig University Giessen. He has been a guest professor at the University of Paris-Nanterre and New York University, a fellow at the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna, the Remarque Institute at New York University, and the Wissenschaftskolleg in Berlin. From 2007 to 2015, he was the director of the Cultural Studies Institute in Essen, and from 2008 to 2016, he served as a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the German Government on Global Environmental Change. In 2023, social researcher Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Leggewie received the Federal Cross of Merit 1st Class from the Federal Republic of Germany. The event is part of the series "Turning Points – European Perspectives in Light of New Global Challenges," in cooperation with the Cultural Foundation of the Kreissparkasse Heilbronn. Further lectures will follow in February and March 2026. Admission is free! Registration is requested.