The 'foreigner' and me: migration and integration as an opportunity. An event in the Year of Science 2013 - The demographic opportunity
Press release from 05/22/2013
"Das 'Fremde' und ich - Migration und Integration als Chance" - this is the title of a panel of experts discussing demographic change from different perspectives on 30 May 2013 from 12 noon at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities at Gendarmenmarkt. The joint event organised by the Akademienunion and the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation is being held as part of the Year of Science 2013 - The Demographic Opportunity.
Globalisation and the resulting mixing of cultures is not just a phenomenon of our time. However, new technologies in traffic, communication and transport are accelerating the worldwide transfer of people, goods and ideas to an unprecedented extent.
In Germany, one fifth of the total population now has a so-called "migration background". The changing composition of the population, especially since the time of the "economic miracle", presents Germany with major challenges. One of the core tasks of the eight science academies that make up the Akademienunion, which focus on basic research in the humanities, is to address current issues such as migration and integration, discuss them on an interdisciplinary basis and thereby promote dialogue between science and the public. Inclusion in social structures also means participation in and shared responsibility for culture. The museums, libraries and archives of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation have set themselves the goal of recognising the reality of an immigrant society with their collections, exhibitions, research and communication.
The event will therefore discuss economic, social and cultural aspects of an immigrant society and scrutinise models and ideas of intercultural coexistence. Following an introductory lecture by Prof. Dr Jochen Oltmer (University of Osnabrück) entitled "Migration in Europe", the programme includes three discussion rounds on the topics of "How we see and represent ourselves - art and cultural mediation in the immigration society" (Dr Peter Junge, Ethnological Museum Berlin / Dr Bonaventure Soh Bejjure). Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung, curator, Berlin), "What we need from each other" - Immigration and labour shortages in Germany (Prof. Dr Axel Plünnecke, IW Cologne / Prof. Dr Dietrich Thränhardt, University of Münster) and "How we can live together" - The search for a new "we" (Prof. Dr Paul Mecheril, University of Oldenburg / Dr Valentin Rauer, Goethe University Frankfurt a.M.).
In the concluding panel discussion, moderated by Harald Asel (Inforadio, rbb), the lawyer and author Seyran Ateş, Konstantinos Dimitriou (Association of Greek Communities in the Federal Republic of Germany), the sociologist Prof. Dr Ruud Koopmans (Social Science Research Centre Berlin) with the Commissioner for Integration of the State of Berlin, Dr Monika Lüke and Mehmet Tanriverdi (Federal Association of Immigrant Associations in Germany) will discuss the question: "What integration and immigration policy does Germany need?".
The discussions will be accompanied by the improvisation theatre group "Die Gorillas". After the programme, there will be an opportunity to visit the Museum of Islamic Art at the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin Preußischer Kulturbesitz. The director of the Museum of Islamic Art, Dr Stefan Weber, will give conference participants an introduction (limited number of participants).
Further information and the detailed programme of the event can be found on the website of the Akademienunion.
Time and place:
Thursday, 30 May 2013, 12 noon
Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Leibniz Hall
Markgrafenstraße 38
10117 Berlin
Media representatives are cordially invited to the event. Please register by e-mail.
The event is being organised as part of the Science Year 2013 - The Demographic Opportunity and is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The media partner is Inforadio (rbb).
Press contact:
Union of the German Academies of Sciences and Humanities
Head of Press and Public Relations
Dr Annette Schaefgen
Tel.: 030 / 325 98 73 70
Email
Website of the Academies' Union
Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation
Head of Press and Public Relations
Dr Stefanie Heinlein
Phone: 030 / 266 41 1440
Email
The Union of the German Academies of Sciences and Humanities is the umbrella organisation of eight science academies. More than 1900 scientists from various disciplines, who are among the nationally and internationally outstanding representatives of their disciplines, are united under the umbrella of the Union of Academies. The Union coordinates the "Academies' Programme", currently the largest research programme in the humanities in the Federal Republic of Germany. The Union promotes communication between the academies, carries out press and public relations work and organises events on current problems in science. The Academies' Union communicates with academic organisations in Germany and abroad and sends representatives to national and international academic organisations.
With its internationally outstanding museums, libraries, archives and research institutes,the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (SPK) is one of the largest cultural institutions in the world. It combines art and culture with science and research in a special way. Its collections document the cultural development of mankind in all parts of the world from its beginnings to the present day. The tasks of the SPK are the preservation and expansion of its holdings, their research and cataloguing as well as their presentation and communication to the public. Established in 1957, the foundation emerged from the collections of the Prussian state. It is supported by the federal government and all 16 federal states. The five SPK institutions are Staatliche Museen zu Berlin(website of the SMB), Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin(website of the SBB), Geheimes Staatsarchiv PK(website of the GStA), Ibero-Amerikanisches Institut(website of the IAI), Staatliches Institut für Musikforschung(website of the SIM).
Year of Science 2013 - The demographic opportunity
The Science Years are an initiative of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) together with Wissenschaft im Dialog (WiD). They have been promoting dialogue between the public and research since 2000. In the Science Year 2013 - The Demographic Opportunity, three fields of action take centre stage: We are living longer. We are becoming fewer. We are becoming more diverse. The Year of Science 2013 thus promotes social debate on fields of action, challenges and opportunities arising from demographic change. Further information on the Year of Science 2013 can be found on the website of the Year of Science 2013.
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