On September 23, 2021 an online discussion forum for graduates of German educational programs «Russia and Germany: Discourse of Identities — Variations and Transformations» was launched. To participate in the discussion forum organized by the University of Würzburg and the German-Russian Forum have invited more than 300 Russian alumni of German educational programs, in addition, more than 150 invited experts and speakers participated in the event.
The international conference is held within the framework of the Year of Germany in Russia 2020/2021 and is organized in cooperation with the Moscow Pedagogical State University (MPGU) with the support of the German Academic Exchange Service.
Participants and guests were greeted by Guido Kemmerling, Head of the Culture Department of the German Embassy in Moscow, Andreas Höschen, Head of the Moscow office of DAAD, Martin Hoffmann, Managing Director of the German-Russian Forum, Alexey Lubkov, Rector of Moscow Pedagogical State University, Paul Pauli, President of the University of Würzburg.
In his address to the conference participants Alexei Lubkov noted the importance of a topic that is very important for all teachers, for everyone who is related to the formation of generations, because national, cultural and civic identity is what we should consider as one from the purposes of education.
The rector drew attention, first of all, to the basis of identity, to the historical and cultural context in connection in the dialogue between Russia and Germany through a quote from the film «Solaris» by our outstanding director Andrei Tarkovsky, who said that even when solving the problem of contact with extraterrestrial intelligence, a person needs a person. a person needs a mirror to look into it. The Forum is also an attempt to once again look into each other’s eyes and understand each other, because this understanding can lead to the further fruitful development of relations that have historically been established in our peoples.
Read the article in Russian here
