Konzeption – engl.
The 13th Federal Congress on Cultural Policy (13. Kulturpolitischer Bundeskongress)
Ulrike Blumenreich, Linda Kelch, Anna Kaitinnis, Catalina Rojas Hauser, Antonia Callenberg
The 13th Federal Congress on Cultural Policy (13. Kulturpolitischer Bundeskongress) bears the title »Again(st) the Rage. Cultural-Policy Networks Against Authoritarianism« (»Wi(e)der die Wut. Kulturpolitische Netzwerke gegen Autoritarismus«). It asks what possibilities for action culture, education, and politics have in order to restore confidence in times marked by social experiences of loss.
The aim is to create spaces for discourse and learning for the development of cultural-policy strategies together with actors from the arts and culture, cultural policy and cultural administration, cultural and political education, as well as academia and journalism, all with different experiences and diverse perspectives.
The Federal Congress on Cultural Policy (Kulturpolitischer Bundeskongress) will take place on 11 and 12 June 2026 and is organised by the German Association for Cultural Policy (Kulturpolitische Gesellschaft e.V.) and the Federal Agency for Civic Education/bpb (Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung/bpb) in cooperation with the congress partner Association of German Cities (Deutscher Städtetag). It is funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (Beauftragter der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien).
The setting
- Engaging with social trigger points — Think & Do
Starting from the premise that cultural policy is democratic policy, the Federal Congresses on Cultural Policy (Kulturpolitische Bundeskongresse) have addressed the »trigger points« of societal debates since 2001. Their goals are to communicate impulses relevant to cultural policy from academia, politics, society, and the arts, and to develop cultural-policy strategies in relation to future challenges.
In terms of content, the 13th Federal Congress on Cultural Policy (13. Kulturpolitischer Bundeskongress) builds on the previous two congresses, »The Art of Democracy. Cultural Policy as Democratic Policy« (»Kunst der Demokratie. Kulturpolitik als Demokratiepolitik«) from 2022 and »Post-Polarisation? Shaping Cultural-Policy Narratives« (»Post-Polarisierung? Kulturpolitische Narrative gestalten«) from 2024.
- Interdisciplinarity and internationality
The 13th Federal Congress on Cultural Policy (13. Kulturpolitischer Bundeskongress) is at once a knowledge platform, a space for discourse and experimentation, and a networking event. Interdisciplinarity, the transfer of knowledge from academia into practice and back again, and shared learning from one another are particularly important. Impulses from sociology, the arts, neuroscience, cultural policy, law, cultural studies, educational studies, and other fields enrich the mutual exchange. Experiences from colleagues in other European countries broaden the perspective.
- Diversity of formats and perspectives
The different functions of the congress are reflected by a wide range of actors working in varied formats. These include keynotes, dialogues, artistic interactions, workshops, panel discussions, collegial exchange formats, experimental formats, and a »Colourful Sofa« (»Buntes Sofa«), among others.
- Participation and invitation to co-create
Both the drafting of the concept and its implementation during the congress are designed as participatory processes. The concept team, consisting of the five authors from the German Association for Cultural Policy (Kulturpolitische Gesellschaft) and the Federal Agency for Civic Education/bpb (Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung/bpb), together with the congress partner Association of German Cities (Deutscher Städtetag), is accompanied throughout the entire process by Critical Friends, a circle of actors from theory and practice, the arts and academia, and from both new and long-standing circles of participants.
To help shape the 13th Federal Congress on Cultural Policy (13. Kulturpolitischer Bundeskongress), two »Calls for Participation« were published, inviting interested people to contribute ideas for forum workshops and for the closing format, in both German and English. The Critical Friends will select seven contributions, which will then be realised by those who submitted them during the congress.
Thematic outline
The title »Again(st) Again the Rage. Cultural-Policy Networks Against Authoritarianism« (»Wi(e)der die Wut. Kulturpolitische Netzwerke gegen Autoritarismus«) takes up a linguistic shift that can be observed in current literature, with terms such as rage, revenge, repair, loss, and counterattack. At the same time, it connects to the discussion about the role of cultural policy, which will stand at the centre of the evening preceding the congress as part of the 50th anniversary of the German Association for Cultural Policy (Kulturpolitische Gesellschaft).
The congress is structured into several thematic sections, each realised in different formats:
- An exploration of loss and emotions, and their role and application in current debates—from sociological, neurological, and artistic perspectives—in a keynote address, opening discussion, and artistic intervention
- A discussion of the question »Neutrality as an attitude?« – from legal, municipal, cultural practice, and international perspectives – in Panel 1 and six parallel forums
- the discussion of »Cultural funding as a gateway?« – from cultural-political, journalistic, funding policy, and international perspectives – in Panel 2 and six parallel forums
- an exploration of »Networks as a salvation?« – from various practical perspectives and with an eye toward future development – in Panel 3 and the participatory closing session.
Loss & Emotionalization
The congress opens with an engagement with the social- and cultural-theoretical reflections of Andreas Reckwitz. In his recent publication »Loss. A Fundamental Problem of Modernity« (»Verlust. Ein Grundproblem der Moderne«) from 2024, he analyses the social and cultural structures that shape the relationship to loss. He identifies a contradiction between the promise of progress associated with modernity and the experiences of loss that modernity itself constantly produces. As the keynote speaker, he sheds light on the »paradox of loss«: progress seeks to reduce losses, yet continually produces new ones and at the same time intensifies them. The narrative of uninterrupted progress has become fragile, and today experiences of loss or fear of loss shape the societies of industrialised countries, with this »of loss« becoming visible in numerous crisis phenomena. »«
Emotionalisation is playing an ever greater role in social life and in politics. It is also currently being examined intensively in sociological, political, and neurological discourse. In »Radically Emotional. How Feelings Make Politics« (»Radikal emotional. Wie Gefühle Politik machen«) from 2025, neuroscientist and Professor of Sustainable Transformation Maren Urner shows how feelings function in politics and argues that politics is a process of negotiating different emotions. »Entrepreneurs of polarisation« and »entrepreneurs of los« are already generating strong emotions such as rage worldwide out of experiences of de-privileging and are capitalising on them in politics of revenge directed against the principles of liberal democracy.
Can societies remain modern while also dealing with losses in a productive way? What might a constructive way of dealing with loss look like? What role can art play in dealing with loss? Do we need to realign the narrative of progress so that late-modern societies can become more resilient in dealing with loss? Do we need new approaches, such as love as rethought radically by Daniel Schreiber in 2025, as a political force and as an attitude for action?
Neutrality as a Stance? (Neutralität als Haltung?)
References to the democratic consensus and invocations of the normative core of the Basic Law are increasingly being countered by appeals to state duties of neutrality. While professionals in political education and memorial-site pedagogy have been pointing to the enormous dangers connected with this for many years, this discourse is now increasingly reaching the cultural field as well, both in its practical work and in cultural policy and cultural administration.
What does the »requirement of neutrality« mean from a legal perspective? How do the democratic consensus and the normative core of the Basic Law relate to references to »state neutrality«? What does »Neutrality as a Stance?« (»Neutralität als Haltung?«) mean in the field of cultural policy and cultural practice? What does »stance« mean in this context? What do employees in cultural administration and institutions, in cultural education, and in aesthetic practice need in order to be able to maintain a clear stance?
Cultural Funding as a Gateway? (Kulturfinanzierung als Einfallstor?)
What priorities and structures currently shape cultural funding? What broader social effects arise from increasingly tight financial margins, especially given that culture, as a »pre-political space,« is particularly affected by »culture wars«? Do we need alternative funding structures? Or is what is needed above all a better use of existing resources and a strengthening of the cultural sector as a whole as a central arena in which attacks on liberal, plural democracy are taking place? How can cultural institutions be recognised and supported more strongly as places of negotiation and thereby help counteract perceived polarisation?
Networks as Salvation? (Netzwerke als Rettung?)
Networks consist of a series of interconnected nodes and links. They are central systems in nature and technology as well as in social life. Can social systems learn from biological systems? What role do forms of cooperation play in nature and in society? How viable is the concept of »Survival of the Nettest« from 2025, as developed by Dirk Brockmann with reference to nature, for current challenges? Can cultural policy, cultural and political education, and aesthetic practice help test and establish mechanisms that enable people to deal with negative emotions and thereby cultivate key competencies for coping with the omnipresent experience of loss? If what matters most is no longer being naive, meaning reckoning with possible losses, building resilience, and fostering tolerance for ambiguity, is that already enough to respond successfully to authoritarian attacks? What networks need to be forged for that, and how?
