Karin Harrasser (IFK Wien): Wie Gegenentkommen? Nachdenken über Kolumbiens Friedensprozess

Venue: Leibniz-Zentrum für Literatur- und Kulturforschung, Eberhard-Lämmert-Saal, entrance Meierottostr. 8, 10719 Berlin

Research project(s): Indigenous Epistemology*

In her lecture, Karin Harrasser will refer to her own records of the Colombian peace process to reflect the role that those who are not existentially affected by such conflicts play in engaging with them. The Colombian situation is special in that its phase known as post-conflict was perceived by many as a continuation of the civil war under new auspices. The pursuit of historical truth, judicial processing, and cultural work have been and continue to be governed by a “violent peace.” The cooperation with the Colombian Truth Commission, but also with creative artists and NGOs has heightened awareness for the chasms of unequally distributed vulnerability. At the same time, however, it also demonstrated how not writing is not an option once someone has already been recruited. So, how do we write counter-elusively?

Karin Harrasser is Professor of Cultural Theory and Vice Rector for Research at the University of Arts Linz. She is also the interim director of the International Research Center for Cultural Studies/University of Art and Design Linz in Vienna. She was a research associate at the University of Vienna and at the Academy of Media Arts Cologne. She qualified as a professor at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and occupied different guest professorships in Germany and Colombia. Next to her academic career, she is also involved in artistic-curatorial projects. Among other fields, she conducts research into asymmetric cultural transfers between Europe and South America as well as into the relationship between globalization and contemporary history.

Publications (selection):

Gegenentkommen. Beobachtungen zur kolumbianischen langen Gegenwart. Berlin: Matthes & Seitz 2023
Surazo. Monika und Hans Ertl: Eine deutsche Geschichte in Bolivien. Berlin: Matthes & Seitz 2022
Prothesen. Figuren einer lädierten Moderne. Berlin: Vorwerk 8 2016
Körper 2.0. Über die technische Erweiterbarkeit des Menschen. Bielefeld: transcript 2013