Trotzdem sprechen

Since October 7, following the Hamas massacre in Israel and the subsequent bombing of Gaza, which has led to a resulting humanitarian catastrophe, people across all parts of German society are finding themselves in a new isolation or even fear. Open letters, event cancellations, and disputes over terminology are increasing in a tone of finality. Long-held alliances are being dissolved, and conversations are coming to a halt. The dividing power of differences is based not least on the real experience of anti-Semitism and racism. Those who benefit from this are the right-wing populists, who wish to undermine the liberal, values-based culture of dialogue just as much as our democracy as a whole.

What courage, what strength, and what tolerance for ambiguity and conflict can we, or rather must we, muster to stop the logic of hardening on the side of those who want to make our world a better place? The authors gathered here are committed to dialogue, no matter how difficult it may be. Thoughtfully, with unmasked pain and an unbroken will to weigh things mutually, they still speak to one another. This volume is the most tangible utopia of our times.