Excellent talks, dialogue with Ulm's citizens, a poetry slam and much more with free admission: this is what the 18th Ulmer Denkanstöße at Stadthaus Ulm offer from Thursday, 13 to Saturday, 15 March. This year's theme is all about "Law and Justice" - and it will be explored from many angles. For example, the question of how law can prevent politics from slipping into totalitarian structures, when non-violent civil protest is legally reinterpreted as violence and how the inequality between rich and poor in Germany affects society.
Time and again, court judgements cause a stir: Sometimes they seem too lenient, then again far too harsh. What does law have to do with justice? Does law create justice? And is that even a goal of our legal system? These and many other facets of the topic of "Law and Justice" will not only be addressed in talks at Ulmer Denkanstöße 2025: The audience will be involved in an interactive session, and at the poetry slam on Friday evening, sharp-witted and provocative texts on law, morality and justice will inspire guests to reflect. The multi-day programme is organised by the Humboldt Centre of Ulm University, the Cultural Department of the City of Ulm and the Education and Social Foundation of Sparda-Bank Baden-Württemberg.
"The debate as to whether applicable law adequately safeguards the interests and needs of all social groups is often controversial, especially at a local level - in the municipalities - and this is where the complexity of striking a fair balance becomes immediately apparent," says Iris Mann, Ulm's Mayor for Culture. On the one hand, law is an instrument of power that safeguards interests and sanctions breaches of the rules. However, it is also a means of controlling rule, securing equal rights and protecting minorities. "The relationship between law and justice is therefore also one that is constantly changing," says Professor Rebekka Hufendiek, Head of the Humboldt Centre at Ulm University. "The growing popularity of right-wing and authoritarian parties raises the question of how stable the democratic legal system is and whether it can be made more resilient in the event of an emergency."
On the programme: legal scholars, poets and journalists
The event kicks off on Thursday, 13 March at 19:30 at Stadthaus Ulm with the opening lecture by Professor Christoph Möllers from Humboldt University zu Berlin. The legal scholar asks: "Can the law save us from politics?" Afterwards, the audience is cordially invited to drinks and snacks. The evening before, Wednesday 12 March, the Xinedome Ulm (Lederhof 5) will be showing the film "The Appointment - Her Fight for Justice" at 18:00 (admission: 5 euros). It tells the true story of Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her career, which led her all the way to the US Supreme Court. On Friday, 14 March at 15:30, Frankfurt researcher Dr Samira Akbarian will be a guest at the Stadthaus. She will be talking about civil disobedience and inviting students from Ulm University and the audience to join the discussion. At 5.00 pm, the event will continue with Ulm journalist Meşale Tolu, who was imprisoned as a political prisoner in Turkey. The interactive event begins with a staged performance by the Ulüm theatre. From 19:00, poets will then compete against each other in a poetry slam. On Saturday, 15 March, the journalist and author Julia Friedrichs will speak from 15:00 onwards about whether we need to set limits to wealth. The closing lecture "From NSU to remigration: Where do we stand?" will be given by lawyer and columnist Mehmet Daimagüler at 4.30 pm. The detailed programme and - after the end of the event - the recording of the contributions can be found online at www.ulmer-denkanstoesse.de.
Admission to all events in the Stadthaus is free of charge. This is made possible by the long-standing support of the Education and Social Foundation of Sparda-Bank Baden-Württemberg. "Year after year, the Ulmer Denkanstöße impress with their highly topical and explosive themes. Anyone who has been to the Ulmer Denkanstöße once wants to go every year. Supporting the talks is a matter close to our hearts," says Martin Buch, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Education and Social Foundation of Sparda-Bank Baden-Württemberg. The donations collected at the event will once again be doubled by the foundation. This year, they will be donated to the WEISSER RING organisation, which helps victims of crime.
Further information:
Bettina Meyer-Quintus, Ulm University, Humboldt Centre for Philosophy and Humanities, email: bettina.meyer-quintus(at)uni-ulm.de, phone (0731) 50-23461
Text and media contact: Christine Liebhardt