Die Wiedererfindung der Nation

For intellectuals, the concept of the nation is under general suspicion. But who says that a nation automatically means ethnic homogeneity and a community that excludes others? This is the perspective of right-wing extremists, who have now claimed the abandoned concept of the nation for themselves. Peace Prize laureate Aleida Assmann calls for a rethinking of the nation and a defense against its detractors.

The taboo surrounding the nation has led to a lack of enlightenment and discussion in Germany about the meaning and role of the nation. Aleida Assmann's new book aims to stimulate such a debate: it advocates for the reinvention of a form of nation that understands itself as democratic, civil, and diverse, and that can respond in solidarity to the immense challenges of the future. Social cohesion is not only a problem in Germany. To better understand the current crisis of the nation in other countries as well, it is essential to examine the narratives with which social groups define their past, future, and identity. These narratives prove to be key to the question of what divides nations – and what can bring them back together.