People of Europe: Géraldine Schwarz

75 years after the end of WWII we ask prominent historians and thinkers from different European backgrounds to write an essay about post-war Europe and its people. This evening journalist and writer of Les Amnesiques presents her essay.

She shares her ideas on the role of the past in present-day problems and the way in which we deal with our history. On the basis of her essay Les Amnésiques she will address the very topical theme of the lack of memory work in Europe and the US and its consequences: racism, antisemitism and fascist mindset. She will discuss her essay with emeritus professor Abram de Swaan.

People of Europe

Where as the European Union could be called the most successful peace project in the history of mankind, it has not completely succeeded in uniting all Europeans and banning out the nationalism that stood at the root of the European catastrophe of the first part of the 20th century. Therefore we ask thinkers from different European backgrounds to reflect on Europe and its people and the rise of nationalism from their field of expertise.

Géraldine Schwarz

Géraldine Schwarz is a German-French journalist and writer based in Berlin. She is the author of Les Amnesiques (published in France by Flammarion and in Germany by Secession Verlag), which retraces the memory of fascism through her family story.

De Balie curates this programme in the run-up to Forum on European Culture in 2020 in Amsterdam.