The German Thomas Mann Society invites you to the grand anniversary conference in Lübeck from June 5-8, 2025, commemorating Thomas Mann's 150th birthday. Thomas Mann's life was strongly influenced by the political events of the first half of the 20th century. International success and emigration made him a cosmopolitan and frequent traveler. In this anniversary year, the international conference of the German Thomas Mann Society focuses on both Mann's evolution from a loyal conservative of the Reich to a rational republican and finally to a convinced democrat, as well as his international identity. The conference does not omit his own stereotypical prejudices, from which Thomas Mann was not immune despite his mother's Brazilian descent and immigration experience, and his own migration experience. Together with the Thomas Mann International network and scholars from around the world, the conference also discusses the present and future of research as well as Thomas Mann's enduring influence that remains valid today.
DAY 3
10:00 AM
Introduction: Thomas Mann - A Person with International History
Thomas Mann's international identity stems from both his mother's Brazilian descent and immigration experience, and from his forced emigration. However, his own migration experience did not completely protect him from his own stereotypical prejudices.
PD Dr. Irmtraud Hnilica (FernUniversität Hagen)
10:15 AM
Thomas Mann and Zionism
Thomas Mann's diverse political engagement is reflected in the debate about Zionism as if through a magnifying glass. Already in the 1920s, he was a member of a pro-Zionist support association. After World War II, he strongly advocated for the establishment of a Jewish state that would offer a safe haven for Holocaust survivors - whose horror and extent Thomas Mann was one of the first intellectuals to name before the world. The lecture traces the individual stages of this development and places them in the context of his political thinking and actions as a whole.
Prof. Dr. Kai Sina (Münster)
10:45 AM
Thomas Mann and Colonialism
Thomas Mann's family history is closely tied to the history of colonialism and slavery. His works reflect this connection in their tension between affirmation and analysis of exoticization and racism. Can we read Thomas Mann, the German-Brazilian, anew against the background of current identity political questions?
Dr. Veronika Fuechtner (Dartmouth College, USA)
11:15 AM Coffee Break
11:45 AM
Ambivalences - Ethnic Identifications in Thomas Mann
PD Dr. Irmtraud Hnilica, Dr. Veronika Fuechtner, and Prof. Dr. Kai Sina discuss how multi-layered and partly contradictory Thomas Mann identified himself biographically and how he was perceived externally.
Moderation: Sandra Kegel (FAZ)
1:00 PM Lunch Break
2:00 PM
Members' Meeting Young Forum Thomas Mann
3:00 PM
Members' Meeting German Thomas Mann Society
4:30 PM Coffee Break
8:00 PM
Time Jumps – Standpoints
"Fables, Delusions, Figments of the Imagination" – Conspiracy Narratives and Their Danger to Democracy
This format aims to connect literary texts by the Mann family with current contemporary debates. Under the title “Fables, Delusions, Figments of the Imagination” – Conspiracy Narratives and Their Danger to Democracy, the discussion focuses on the risks conspiracy narratives pose to political and societal cohesion, inspired by Thomas Mann's Doktor Faustus.
In Doktor Faustus, the dangers of conspiracy narratives are exemplified through the Kridwiß Circle—a gentlemen's gathering named after its host Sixtus Kridwiß. The novel critiques how science and research are discredited, placing faith above reason and criticism. The rise of delusional myths and narratives culminates in a "re-barbarization," desired within the novel.
The relevance of these themes is underscored by modern examples: the term "alternative facts" during Donald Trump's presidency, conspiracy theories surrounding COVID-19 vaccines, and the Capitol attack involving QAnon supporters. These events demonstrate how irrationality has regained political influence, alongside recurring antisemitic narratives about a supposed "world Jewry" and state-controlled "lying press."
Time Jumps – Standpoints is a collaboration between the Friends of the Buddenbrook House, the Heinrich Mann Society, and the German Thomas Mann Society, in cooperation with the Buddenbrook House.
Guests: Annika Brockschmidt (Journalist) and Thomas Laschyk (Founder of Volksverpetzer Blog)
Moderation: Dr. Tim Lörke
Reading: Michael Fuchs (Theater Lübeck)
