How can resistance be conceived and enacted in times of cultural strife? What scope for action remains for artists, civil society, and academia? What can one do in the face of resurging global fascisms? 

Since September 2024, the heimaten project at Haus der Kulturen der Welt has been exploring how processes in German society forge a sense of belonging. It has become clear that the diversity of forms of resistance against exclusion, political heteronomy, and violence play a crucial role—whether through artistic strategies and humor, political action, or protest. A key concern has also been what society can learn from past struggles and tried-and-tested approaches in order to maintain a position of solidarity, resistance, occasional vulnerability, and above all: agency.

The final event within the Heimatization series of 2025 unites various approaches and spheres of work for a grand finale. In two panel discussions, actors from civil society, culture, politics, and academia contemplate what a ‘thinking practice’ in the sense of a robust democracy might look like—and, in turn, what ‘practical thinking’ might look like. 

For one thing is evident: democracy is not a given. It must constantly be fought for and defended anew. This process often encounters setbacks. Some have paid for their commitment with their lives. But in their struggles and the voices that remain lies the strength from which, now and in the future, a pluralist society can draw.

The event will be accompanied by musical performances by Djelifily Sako.