Hito Steyerl and Mark Terkessidis on transatlantic aspects of migration

Illegal Migration – A Global Issue

While Germany recently implemented border checks to prevent illegal immigrants from entering the country – in contrary to the Schengen-agreements-, Mark Terkessidis argues for a radical intercultural opening. All institutions should be scrutinized to determine whether they actually give people, regardless of their origin, the same opportunities to participate. This is the only way to harness the potential of a diverse society, he says.
Terkessidis and Steyerl have met before to talk about the effects of a radical cultural opening of our society. A week before the election in the US, this topic is especially poignant. At this event,Hito Steyerl will interview Mark Terkessidis about the current political situation, the role of political decision-makers, and possible outcomes from the elections in Germany and the USA. This will shed light on how migration, illegal entry and border policy shape the political climate and what benefits a cultural opening of a society could bring.
This panel is the last in a series of events organized by the Goethe-Institut Boston that contextualizes exhibition “What is Germany? Art and Identity in a Global Nation” currently on view at the Harvard Art Museums through January 5, 2025. Three of Hito Steyerl’s films related to the exhibition topics can be seen in this exhibition.
Hito Steyerl is an internationally renowned artist, filmmaker and writer. She was born in Germany, studied filmmaking in Japan, attended the University of Television and Film, Munich and completed a doctorate in philosophy at the Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna. She currently lives and works in Berlin and teaches as a professor at the art academies in Munich and Berlin.
Mark Terkessidis is a migration researcher and author of numerous non-fiction books, including “Whose memory counts? Colonial Past and Racism Today” (2019; Hoffmann und Campe), ” Nach der Flucht. Neue Ideen für die Einwanderungsgesellschaft” (2017; Reclam) and ‘Kollaboration’ (2015; edition suhrkamp). From 2012 to 2018, he was a lecturer at the University of St. Gallen (HSG). Terkessidis studied psychology in Cologne and completed his doctorate in Mainz about racism.

Host or Publisher Goethe-Institut Boston