Panel discussions

“Let’s talk about Europe! – Many Notions of Europe. History, Belonging, and the European Project in Crisis”

A book discussion with Gregor Feindt, research associate at the IEG and one of the authors of the volume ›Shades of Blue‹, Dr Constanze Itzel, Director of the House of European History in Brussels, and Dr Matthias Beermann, spokesperson of the European Court of Auditors.

The panel discussion is part of the joint event series “Let’s talk about Europe!”, in which the Leibniz Institute of European History (IEG) and the State Agency for Civic Education Rhineland-Palatinate (LpB) address current issues and crises in Europe and discuss them with an emphasis on their historical dimensions.

Constanze Itzel and Matthias Beermann explored the many notions of Europe together with Gregor Feindt in this dynamic panel discussion. The basis was the newly published book ›Shades of Blue‹ by Gregor Feindt and other authors. The discussion was moderated by Prof. Dr Johannes Paulmann, Director of the IEG.

On the discussion:

Gregor Feindt vividly explained how he and his co-authors conceived the book project, how many and which voices from Europe they used as a basis in order to present the “many notions of Europe” that deal with history, belonging, and crises. Constanze Itzel and Matthias Beermann described their experiences from their practical work, beginning quite pragmatically with dealing with more than 20 languages. Over the course of the book discussion, they emphasised again and again how important knowledge of history and its perception in different countries is for understanding current notions of Europe.

About the book “Shades of Blue”:

The political project of Europe is currently confronted with contradictory experiences: ever-deeper integration meets the fear of disintegration, even division. But what does Europe mean in public debate? Which concepts are associated with Europe, and how do these notions of Europe relate to national, regional, and political dividing lines? And what significance do historical narratives and memory have for our idea of Europe? These are the questions explored in the book ›Shades of Blue: Claiming Europe in the Age of Disintegration‹. It shows how, in six European countries, belonging to Europe and to the EU has been conceived, and how these notions affect our present.

Panel discussion with Karl Kardinal Lehmann, Wolfgang Huber and Heike Schmoll on "Prägekraft der Moderne. Die Reformation in Geschichte und Gegenwart" (23.10.2016).