Berlin

The Mosse-Lectures are an interdisciplinary and international project. Founded in 1997 by George L. Mosse and Klaus R. Scherpe, more than 190 events have been organized. With their motto of “culture and science as a public commitment,” the Mosse-Lectures commemorate the history and legacy of the German-Jewish Mosse Family, successful entrepreneurs, progressive political thinkers and philanthropists. Founding patriarch Rudolf Mosse helped to shape the public perception of democracy in the Weimar Republic through his publishing empire and its flagship newspaper, Die Berliner Tageblatt. Descendants of the Mosse Family have continued to advocate these principles in their academic, professional and philanthropic achievements and associations. George L. Mosse, the historian of fascism, opened the Berlin Mosse on 14 May 1997 with his speech on “The Liberal Heritage and the National-Socialist Public.”

Choosing a new topic each semester, the Mosse-Lectures are dedicated to imparting knowledge and learning in the areas of history, art history, political sciences, economy and literature. Prominent researchers, writers, artists and politicians are invited. Special attention is devoted to the past and present of Jewish life and thought in Germany and Israel.

The Mosse-Lectures introduce speakers and their work to students of all faculties and to the broader public. Events with discussions, in English and German, are typically held in the Senatssaal or in the Auditorium Maximum of the Humboldt University, Unter den Linden on a Thursday evening. Student internships and colloquia then follow, and the lectures are frequently broadcast on radio (RBB, Deutschlandradio) and published.

The Mosse-Lectures are organized and supported by the Institute of German Literature and the President of the Humboldt University. A board of researchers and organizers is responsible for the program, including Prof. Klaus Scherpe, Prof. Joseph Vogl, Prof. Ethel Matala de Mazza, Prof. Michael Kämper-van den Boogaart, Prof. Ulrike Vedder, Prof. Stefan Willer, Dr. Hendrik Blumentrath and Dr. Elisabeth Wagner. The Mosse-Lectures have long enjoyed the support of businesses and foundations: the Mosse Foundation, Fritz Thyssen Stiftung, Gerda Henkel Stiftung, and currently the Friedrich Stiftung and again the Mosse Foundation.

Berlin Organizers

Series Topic and Description:

Thou shalt, thou shalt not. Prohibitions and Commandments between Religion, Law, and Politics

The starting point is the observation that prohibitions – as central regulatory elements of human coexistence – have been the subject of renewed discussion for some time. Although criticism of prohibitions is widespread in many areas of society, and ‘de-tabooing’ is viewed positively for good reason, prohibitions are experiencing a renaissance as instruments for crisis management. This is evident in current climate policy, for example, which must address the relationship between intergenerational justice and ensuring future freedom, and discuss the current ‘imperative’ of prohibitions. The Mosse Lectures aim to examine prohibitions from historical and systematic perspectives, shedding light on their significance in current political debates.

Lecture Topics:

1 ) Prohibitions and commandments in the process of civilization

A historical-systematic lecture discussing the culture-shaping power of prohibitions and taboos will open the series. This would be a surprising perspective, given that criticism of prohibitions is ubiquitous and ‘de-tabooing’ has positive connotations for good reasons. A lecture that focuses on the culture-shaping potential of prohibitions and taboos will be developed from an ethnological perspective, with a view to the present day: from religious dietary prohibitions to ecological criticism of meat consumption and the smoking ban as an achievement, etc. The relationship between prohibition and taboo will also be addressed here.

2 ) Prohibitions as an instrument of power: Censorship and social repression

From a social perspective, bans act as mechanisms of exclusion, creating, regulating and securing power relations. For example they have been used to discriminate against LGBTQ people, Jews and political opponents. The lecture will explore such mechanisms, combining historical perspectives with contemporary debates: from the history of censorship to the recent book bans in the USA and discussions about ‘cancel culture’.

3 ) Body politics: Prohibitions and liberalizations of sex

The human body is at the centre of a variety of regulatory efforts. According to social norms, its appearance is shaped, controlled, hidden and presented in specific ways. In Particular, gender and sexuality are subject to severe restrictions. The third lecture will explore the tension between prohibition and liberalization within the contexts of the body, gender and sexuality. It addresses the history and present of aesthetic body standardization, as well as the prohibition of homosexuality, sex work and the relationship between sexual abuse and power.

4 ) Prohibitions as instruments of disaster prevention in climate policy

In 2021, the German Federal Constitutional Court ruled that parts of the 2019 Climate Protection Act were unconstitutional as they postponed the obligation to reduce emissions, thereby burdening future generations. Under the heading of ‘intertemporal freedom protection’, young and future generations should be spared from having to bear the ecological legacy of the current liberty-preserving climate policy at the expense of their own freedom. While some advocate concrete measures such as bans on the manufacture and use of new environmentally harmful products to safeguard this freedom, others argue for responsible action that goes beyond bans. Furthermore, the actions of climate activists are also reopening the debate on the relationship between climate policy, intergenerational justice and a culture of prohibition. What does it mean when climate protection is seen as a precondition rather than a restriction of civil liberties? To what extent does the climate emergency challenge liberal social orders? Which historical and/or future prohibition scenarios influence our current approach to restrictions? How can artistic positions contribute to an exploration of these questions?

• Étienne Balibar, Friedrich A. Kittler, Martin van Creveld, Vom Krieg zum Terrorismus?: Mosse-Lectures Winter 2002/2003 (Berlin: Forschungsabteilung der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 2003).
• Klaus R. Scherpe, Elisabeth Wagner, Kontinent Kafka: Mosse-Lectures an der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (Berlin: Vorwerk 8, 2006).
• Thomas Macho, Gert Mattenklott, Klaus R. Scherpe, Künste Der Verneinung: Mosse-Lectures 2006 (Berlin: Humboldt-Universität, 2007).
• Burkhardt Wolf, ed. Odysseen: Mosse-Lectures 2007 (Berlin: Vorwerk 8, 2008).
• Elisabeth Wagner, Burkhardt Wolf, and Elena Esposito, VerWertungen von Vergangenheit: Mosse-Lectures 2008 an der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (Berlin: Vorwerk 8, 2009).
• Elisabeth Wagner and Burkhardt Wolf, Korruption: Mosse-Lectures 2010 an der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (Berlin: Vorwerk 8, 2011).
• Klaus R. Scherpe and Elisabeth Wagner, Staatsbürgerschaft: Rechtliche, Soziale, Kulturelle Und Politische Grenzwerte = Citizenship (Berlin: Vorwerk 8, 2013).
• Klaus R. Scherpe and Elisabeth Wagner, eds. Europa in Anderen Kulturen: Mosse-Lectures an Der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (Berlin: Vorwerk 8, 2015).
• Lothar Müller, Klaus R. Scherpe, Literarische Nachbarschaften: Mosse-Lectures an der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (Berlin: Vorwerk 8, 2016).
• Ulrike Vedder and Elisabeth Wagner, eds. Konversionen: Erzählungen Der Umkehr und Des Wandels: Mosse-Lectures an der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (Berlin: Vorwerk 8, 2017).
• Elisabeth Wagner, Johanna Hähner, Lisa Trekel, and Tabitha van Hauten, Mosse Almanach 2017: Zum zwanzigjährigen Jubiläum der Mosse-Lectures an der Humboldt Universität (Berlin: Vorwerk 8, 2017).
• Klaus R. Scherpe and Elisabeth Wagner, eds. Non-Finito. Un-Fertig: Fluchtlinien Des Kreativen in Kunst und Literatur (Berlin: Vorwerk 8, 2019).