Semester Kick-Off and Lunch Lecture

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C.IAS Lecture Series

During the summer semester 2025 as part of our C.IAS lecture series, we welcomed a number of speakers in Graz and online, primarily focusing on the current US-political climate but also including reflections on the foreign relations between the US and Europe.

April 2

Lonnie Johnson: "Getting to know the United States after 1945 - Exemplary U.S. 'exchange of persons' programmes in postwar Austria: Fulbright and Smith-Mundt"

The lecture focused on the history and evolution of U.S. exchange programmes, specifically the Fulbright and the lesser-known Smith-Mundt programmes, and their impact on postwar Austria. It traced how these initiatives emerged in the aftermath of World War II, during the U.S. occupation of Austria (1945-1955), as tools of soft power intended to foster mutual understanding and counter lingering anti-American sentiment rooted in Austria's historical, cultural, and ideological biases. The lecture highlighted how these "exchanges of persons"-from students and scholars to journalists and jazz musicians-not only introduced Austrian elites to American society but also had lasting influence on Austrian-American relations.

April 7

Elizabeth Dillenburg: "Empire's Daughters: Girls and Britain's Colonial Past"

The lecture elabortate on the interconnected histories of girlhood, whiteness, and British colonialism in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It highlighted how, although girls are often overlooked in studies of colonialism, they nevertheless played a vital role in the empire as migrants, settlers, labourers, and creators of colonial knowledge and were heralded as "empire builders." To examine the complexities of girls' engagement and experiences in the empire, this presentation specifically discussed the Girls' Friendly Society and explored how the Society's multifaceted emigration and imperial education programmes constructed ideas of girlhood, race, and empire that then circulated globally. This presentation used the Girls' Friendly Society as a lens to explore the micropolitics of colonialism and argued that understandings of colonialism remain incomplete without considerations of girls and girlhood.

May 7

James Forsher: "Democracy in Times of Change: Has Donald Trump Changed the Furture of American Society?"

The lecture considered the century-long history of right-wing political movements in the United States and in how far these movements foreshadowed the political events of today.

May 28

Benjamin Nienass: "Grief and Political Transformation"

The lecture reflected on the connections of grief and politics, specifically on the role of public mourning in sustaining and confronting ideologies. Drawing on different conceptualisations of public grief, the talk considered temporal registers, melancholic attachments to the past as well as narratives of "overcoming" and progress.

June 5

Manfred Berg: "Donald Trump and the Crisis of American Democracy"

The lecture provided an analysis of Trump's rise to power and his successful re-election. It discussed the potential consequences for US-American democracy and the recent governing of Trump and his administration. Berg argued that Trump's second term will be a stress test for the checks and balances of the US-American constitutional order.

In Memoriam Marjorie Agosín

Celebrating Marjorie Agosín, who left us too early, we want to commemorate the traces she left, acknowledge the lives she touched, and find solace in the memory that is a blessing for all of us who loved and cherished her. Marjorie was reconciled with Austria through the work she did at the Center for Inter-American Studies, her enthusiastic involvement in the Graz International Summer School Seggau, her creative writing workshops in Graz and Seggau, her mentorship to all of us, and especially her constant love and support, always in awareness of the challenges we all face. Now, it is our task to feel this love in our loss, find consolation in the fact that we had the privilege of knowing such a wonderful person, and to come together and in appreciation celebrate a life well lived by asking the question "Where is love born that does not end in sorrow?" Together, in acknowledgement that "the sun changed colours," we will find our own poetic voices and "perhaps" feel joy and connection: "But sometimes I see her appear in my dreams, / A visionary filled with love / Who kissed my forehead / And asks me not to forget her". Those of you who would like to share testimonials and pictures, we will set up a platform for you to contribute, which we will post on the website of the Center for Inter-American Studies of the University of Graz, Austria.

Zoom recording and photos:

Please note that due to technical difficulties, the speeches by Mireille van Poppel (University of Graz), Alex Weitzig (Ambassador of the Republic of Chile to Austria), Ulrike Taberhofer (City of Graz), and Mitch Sims (Fullbright Austria) are not included in this recording. In addition, the music was not registered by the microphones we used.

Contributions in order of appearance: John Wiggins, Heinz Anderwald (Jewish Community Graz), Roberta Maierhofer, Kurt Hahn, Erna Pfeiffer, Nina Reibenschuh, and Mirko Petric.
Music by Amaru Sunqu (Grupo Andino Latinoamericano, Perú, Chile, and Mexico)
We thank every contributor and attandee for making this event possible.

To watch the recording of the event, please follow this link and enter the passcode: x9nC+0+7
The photos of the event can be found here.