Lectures / 04/11/2009 7:30 pm

Re: God’s Warriors. On the perils of xenophobia and false appropriation

It would be difficult to name a writer who brings more authority to a discussion of the complex mesh of relations that connects Orient and Cccident, the Middle East and the West, than Barbara Frischmuth. Fascination with the rich culture of Islam and reflections on her own and on other cultures are pervasive features of her work on many different levels. Islam in its fundamentalist variety as a distinctive characteristic of oriental societies has increasingly been perceived as a threat in the West over the last years. Fear of what is foreign to us has assumed previously unimaginable forms and has given rise to sharp demarcations and exacerbated identity politics; it has also revealed a lack of interest on our part and in many cases simply crass ignorance. This complex situation is the subject of Frischmuth’s book “Vom Fremdeln und vom Eigentümeln”, which will form the basis of the discussion. The book is a plea to reflect on how we perceive ourselves and the “others” both in the context of our own culture and in other cultures and on the role that religion in a broad sense can play in processes of understanding and communication. The discussion is therefore also an opportunity to get attuned to Festival 4020 scheduled to open on the same day, which will attempt to explore some of the readings of the “God” theme in musical and other terms.

In collaboration with Festival 4020