The Politics of Memory in Post-War Europe

The University Archives has determined that this item is of continuing value to OSU's history.Richard Ned Lebow is the James O. Freedman Presidential Professor of Government at Dartmouth College and fellow of the Centre of International Studies at the University of Cambridge. He will lecture on "The Politics of Memory in Post-War Europe."Ohio State University. Mershon Center for International Security StudiesEvent webpage, photo

Counterfactuals, history and fiction

'Kontrafaktische Überlegungen helfen uns, die Zufälligkeit vieler Ergebnisse in der Politik zu erkennen, die Ursachen und Kontingenz dieser Resultate zu testen und sie durch einen Kontrast mit anderen möglichen Ergebnissen und Konsequenzen auf die Probe zu stellen. Noch wichtiger aber ist, dass kontrafaktisches Denken uns bewusst machen kann, in welchem Grad unser Welt- und Geschichtsbild selbst ein Ergebnis von Rückschlüssen sind, die aufgrund kontingenter Annahmen gezogen wurden. Diese Erkenntnis kann uns helfen, einen Moment unsere eigene Welt zu verlassen und sie aus einer anderen Perspektive zu betrachten.' (Autorenreferat)'Counterfactuals help us recognize the contingent nature of many political outcomes, probe the causes and contingency of these outcomes and evaluate them by imagining other outcomes and their consequences. Most importantly, counterfactuals have the potential to make us aware of the extent to which our deepest held assumptions about how the world works are themselves the result of inferences drawn from contingent outcomes. This recognition can help us step outside of our world and view it from perspectives.' (author's abstract

Symposium and Tribute

Streaming video requires Windows Media Player to view.The University Archives has determined that this item is of continuing value to OSU's history.Alexander Stephan came to The Ohio State University in 2000 as the first Ohio Eminent Scholar in the Humanities. He was professor of German in the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures and senior fellow at the Mershon Center. Stephan's research on the Weimar Republic, anti-fascist exile, and the postwar period did much to establish German Studies as it exists today both here and abroad. During his years at Ohio State, Stephan's attention to transatlantic studies, European-American relations, and international responses to American culture and politics greatly enriched the interdisciplinary conversations of the Mershon Center and the College of Humanities. We remember Alex with talks by two of his friends and colleagues whose interdisciplinary breadth mirrors his own. There will be an opportunity during the tribute for those who wish to speak briefly about Alex. A reception will follow.The Ohio State University. Department of Germanic Languages and LiteraturesOhio State University. Mershon Center for International Security StudiesEvent Web page, streaming video, event photo