Video lectures from the lecture series “Empires, Identities and Belonging”

Throughout their history, empires have had a considerable influence on the various social, cultural and religious identities and affiliations to the empire as a whole that individual groups have formulated for themselves The lecture series “Empires, Identities and Belonging” (3 November – 15 December 2020) has used case studies from antiquity to the 20th century to see how the complexity of affiliations and religious identities influenced imperial societies, and to explore the dynamics of social formation associated with them.

All lectures can be viewed as videos here. The lecture series has launched the Cluster of Excellence’s first annual theme, “Belonging and Demarcation. Dynamics of Social Formation”, which deals with the emergence of social groups, as well as the identities and conflicts that these entail.

Reinhard
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Sensitivity of cultures

How open are population groups to other cultures? This was the question addressed by historian Wolfgang Reinhard at the start of the lecture series “Empires, Identities and Belonging”. The lecture was held in German language.

Doering Play
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Jews in the Roman Empire

To what extent did Jews in ancient Rome feel that they belonged to the empire and how were they marginalized? A lecture by the Protestant theologian and Jewish scholar Lutz Doering. The lecture was held in German language.

M _nkler Play 2 1
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Theories of imperialism and empire

Political scientist Herfried Münkler addresses the question: What is an empire? How have great empires shaped spaces? What can we learn from this phenomenon today? The lecture was held in German language.

Rolf Play Ohne 2
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Affiliations in a multi-ethnic empire

Diversity of identities or uniformity? Historian Malte Rolf on how people in the multi-ethnic empire of 19th-century Russia were able to assert themselves in the face of demands for uniformity. The lecture was held in German language.

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Belonging in Colonialism and Human Rights Activism

This lecture by historian Lora Wildenthal from Rice University traces themes of belonging, gender, and rights in two arenas of German interaction with the world: colonialism and human rights activism.