In less than three weeks, the Vienna Humanities Festival will open its doors for the seventh time, inviting visitors to five days of lectures, talks, and discussions with some of the world's most brilliant minds under the overarching theme Uncharted/Neuland. We are pleased to welcome Catherine Ashton, Christopher Clark, Stephen Kotkin, and Phil Manzanera as this year's keynote speakers.
Phil Manzanera, lead guitarist of the legendary rock band Roxy Music, will officially kick off the festival. In conversation with IWM Rector Misha Glenny, Manzanera, who recently published his autobiography Revolución to Roxy, will recall his time as a young boy during the Cuban Revolution and in Bolivia as Che Guevara made his last stand. The talk will be interspersed with demonstrations of his dazzling guitar skills, emphasizing his background in Latin American musical traditions. 24 September, 20:00, Rote Bar.
As part of a Vienna City Lecture, former EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton will explore the significance of the 'super election year' 2024 for international politics. Drawing on her vast political experience, she will shine a light on the geopolitical shifts we can expect as a result of the elections, as well as their ramifications for the world's manifold political and military crises. Following the lecture, Ashton will be in conversation with IWM Rector Misha Glenny. 25 September, 19:00, Wiener Rathaus.
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What impact did the revolutions of 1848 have on the modernization of Europe? Often characterized as a failed endeavor, Christopher Clark, professor of history at Cambridge University, will demonstrate that counter to popular wisdom, the year's turbulent events have influenced the course of history in profound ways. He will be in conversation with Matti Bunzl, the director of the newly renovated Wien Museum. 27 September, 18:30, Wien Museum. In German.
In the fourth evening keynote, US star historian, Stalin biographer, and political thinker Stephen Kotkin draws on lessons from history to take stock of the current geopolitical moment. In conversation with IWM Permanent Fellow Ivan Krastev, he will set out a series of propositions to help us understand the contemporary world order, the key trends, the inflection points, and possible avenues for intervention on the part of world leaders. 28 September, 19:30, Volkstheater.
On the festival weekend, visitors can attend talks on topics ranging from climate change adaptation to artificial intelligence to the idea of the West with distinguished guests like Albena Azmanova, Isabel Behncke, Tim Crane, Virginia Dignum, Giuliano da Empoli, Yoel Gamzou, Nils Gilman, Katy Hessel, Julie Klinger, Isabel Langkabel, Tanja Maljartschuk, Barbi Marković, Eva Menasse, Ronya Othmann, Sonja Rinofner-Kreidl, Olivier Roy, Adam Shatz, Georgios Varouxakis, Gaia Vince and Jonathan White.
The festival will be held in English and German. Admission to the weekend events is free. For more information and the entire program, visit humanitiesfestival.at. For interview requests, please contact iwm-pr@iwm.at.
In 2024, the festival will be organized by the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) and Time To Talk (TTT) in cooperation with FALTER, the Open Society Foundations, the City of Vienna, ERSTE Foundation, the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, the Wien Museum, and the Volkstheater.
Photo credits: © Charlie Targett-Adams (Manzanera), CA (Ashton), DVA (Clark), Rod Searcey (Kotkin)
