Application deadline:
July 20, 2025
Specializations:
Humanities, social sciences, theatre and cultural studies; natural and technical sciences
Participant profile:
Young researchers in relevant disciplines as well as young theatre professionals, museum, archive and library professionals are invited to apply.
Description:
Freedom is a central prerequisite for democracy – and at the same time one of its most vulnerable pillars. In a time of profound social, political, and technological upheaval, this freedom is being put to the test: authoritarian tendencies are gaining influence, democratic institutions are losing trust, and social debates are becoming increasingly polarized. The cultural sphere is also not unaffected by this. The question of how freedom can be secured, communicated, and defended in democratic societies is posed with renewed urgency today.
In this context, the Henry Arnhold Dresden Summer School 2025 is dedicated to the interplay of freedom and democracy. It examines the role of art, science, and cultural institutions in addressing contemporary social challenges. How free are cultural institutions today? What does freedom mean in the digital age, in which artificial intelligence, data policy, and surveillance create new conditions for participation and autonomy? How can democracy be conceived—and experienced—as a living practice? And what responsibility do museums, theaters, archives, and other cultural institutions bear in this process?
Cultural institutions are not just repositories of collective memory, but places of debate, reflection, and vision. As contributors to political education, they convey complex content, provide access to historical and current perspectives, and encourage social participation. But their autonomy cannot be taken for granted. Political influence, economic pressure, and cultural instrumentalization threaten their independence. Precisely for this reason, it is essential to strengthen their role as free and critical spaces—as places where dissent is possible and ambiguity is permitted.
In close cooperation with leading Dresden cultural institutions, the Henry Arnhold Dresden Summer School offers a multifaceted, practice-oriented program for young cultural professionals and researchers from Germany and abroad who work at the interfaces of art, politics, and education. Participants can expect a ten-day, multifaceted program of intensive exchange – with lectures, discussions, workshops, and a supporting program that offers a glimpse behind the scenes: This includes visits to current exhibitions, attending theater rehearsals, and personal discussions with curators, artists, and leaders of important cultural institutions. The focus is not only on theoretical reflection, but above all on concrete dialogue about challenges and scope for action in the cultural field. The Summer School offers the opportunity to intensively engage with questions of freedom and democracy in a cultural context. It sees itself not only as an academic format, but also as a place for encounters and collaborative work on ideas for an open and democratic cultural practice.
Conditions of participation:
The participation fee is €350 per person. Travel, accommodation, and meals are covered.
The working language is predominantly German. International applicants are expressly invited to apply. They should be able to follow presentations in German.
Please submit your application, consisting of a letter of motivation and a current CV, electronically to hasummerschool@mailbox.tu-dresden.de by July 20, 2025. The letter of motivation should not exceed one page and should clearly relate to the topic of the Henry Arnhold Dresden Summer School 2025. Notification of participation will be sent by the end of August 2025 at the latest.
