Goethe Institut: The Future of Our Past

THE FUTURE OF OUR PAST: A MANAGEMENT APPROACH TO DEALING WITH COLONIALISM AND DIFFICULT HISTORIES

I
 

Revolution is on my generation’s lips, at least, so it seems. In Germany, the UK, and beyond, people toss statues into water, torch buildings, and chant “I can’t breathe.” Bystanders look on with a sense of apprehension at our institutions and democracy, casting a shadow on the future of our past. 

In this post-traumatised world with little moral authority and ignorance of our past, people are asking, if, and how, can we recover?

II
 

“Vernunft wird Unsinn
Wohltat, Plage.”

Goethe expressed each generation's need for revolution. The words of the German poet who voiced his disappointment with the French Revolution, could reflect my own generation’s disenchantment with the West’s handling of colonial legacy. 

Often violent and uncontrollable, revolutions are not the solution. In most cases they topple existing authorities and usher in cruel and unsuitable systems, as history proves by the French and Russian Revolution. 

We need wisdom. 

My generation needs to create an honest society, spearheaded by cool-headed concepts that draw from different disciplines. Economics, psychology, philosophy, history and a liberal art like management will help us repair institutional decay and generate self-renewal. We can avoid the follies of the past, by making the humanities acquire relevance and impact in the future. 

Access the full article here: https://www.goethe.de/ins/gb/en/kul/kdg/british-german-democracy-forum/artikel-von-sebastian-woller.html