IWM

In the current conjuncture, can the spatial histories of authoritarian haunting grounds illuminate the present? Join us next week for our Monthly Lecture with Katharyne Mitchell on the spatial history of Tempelhof Field in Berlin. Register here: iwm.at/event/the-haun…

On 13 May, renowned historian and author @anneapplebaum delivered this year’s Speech to Europe, reflecting on the multiple challenges Europe faces but also reminding us of the enormous potential it possesses. Read the full transcript of her speech in English and German on our website: iwm.at/news/a-speech-… Photo Credit: ERSTE Stiftung/APA-Fotoservice/Tanzer

In today's ceremonial address at the Austrian Federal Chancellery, Ivan Krastev reflects on what it means for Europeans today to consider themselves the children of May 8th, 1945 – an appeal to remain hopeful. Read the full address: iwm.at/news/all-europ…

The IWM is now on Instagram! Follow along: instagram.com/iwm_vienna/

We are now accepting applications for the 2026 Documenting Ukraine grant cycle. Ukrainian scholars, filmmakers, journalists, archivists and librarians, writers and poets, and artists and photographers are welcome to apply for one-time grants of EUR 5,000 to support their work documenting the events of the Russo-Ukrainian War or reflecting on their own personal experiences. Application deadline: 31 May 2026 Learn more here: iwm.at/documenting-uk…

We’re delighted to welcome three new fellows to the Institute this month: Alessandra Mezzadri (@FeministOnMarx), Gábor Egry (@glegry) & Katharyne Mitchell Their projects explore how capitalism and empires shape labor and space - from debt-driven exploitation in global supply chains to the influences of Austria-Hungary on the economic space in South-Eastern Europe and the layered history of Tempelhof Field in Berlin. Learn more about their research projects on our website: iwm.at/news/new-fello…

In yesterday's Geopolitical Talk, @ThomasGomart (@IFRI_) and IWM Albert Hirschman Permanent Fellow Ivan Krastev unpacked a world increasingly shaped by systemic rivalries rather than isolated crises. From geopolitical “duels” to the growing impact of technological disruption, the discussion highlighted how power is shifting and why Europe faces mounting pressure from multiple directions. Watch the full recording: youtu.be/-3WzkEW9iKY?si… © Ben Kaulfus

Is the liberal world order unraveling, or simply being reshaped? At last week's Political Salon in cooperation with @erstefoundation, @DiePressecom, and Wien Museum, @FukuyamaFrancis, Ivan Krastev, Andreas Treichl & @c_ultsch explored rising populism, pressure on democracy & lessons from Hungary: youtu.be/fL4bD3Lv17Q?si… Photo Credit: Klaus Ranger

Heute startet Vienna meets Prague! Den Auftakt macht ein besonderes Konzert in Kooperation mit @CZinVienna: Vanda Šabaková und Luděk Šabaka (Vater und Tochter) präsentieren ein Programm für Harfe und Klavier, das Werke vom 18. Jahrhundert bis in die Gegenwart umfasst. Anmeldung noch möglich: viennameetsprague.com/duo-šabaková-š…

The liberal international order is dead—and no one should mourn its passing, for in so many ways it has revealed itself as unfit for the challenges of our time, according to intellectual historian Nils Gilman. While its present undertakers dream of recreating the old sovereigntist order of the 19th century, any functionally relevant successor must and will be a planetary order whose lodestars are ecological survival and planetary habitability, he argues. 📺 Rewatch his February lecture, one of this week's most popular videos on our YouTube channel, here: youtube.com/watch?v=k91XfX…

Ein Highlight der diesjährigen Ausgabe von Vienna meets Prague: Kurt Schwitters' Ursonate in der Fassung von Jaromír Typlt und Pavel Novotný, erstmals in Wien aufgeführt. Sie frönt ganz dem Unsinn, und ist doch alles andere als unsinnig. In den Worten von George Grosz: „Nehmen Sie Dada ernst! es lohnt sich“ 🤝 In Kooperation mit der Österreichischen Gesellschaft für Literatur. 👉 viennameetsprague.com/kurt-schwitters

Who controls whom in today’s world? Join @ThomasGomart in conversation with Ivan Krastev for a timely discussion on the shifting global balance of power. As the post-1945 international order tilts and geopolitical rivalries intensify, this talk explores how power is reshaped by conflict, competition, and technological disruption. What pressures does Europe face, and what choices lie ahead? Register here: iwm.at/event/who-cont…

On the evening of 13 May, the award-winning American-Polish historian and author @anneapplebaum will deliver the fifth Speech to Europe on Vienna's Judenplatz, exploring whether now is “the European Moment”, what that means, and what choices lie ahead for Europe. No prior registration is required. Further information: iwm.at/event/a-speech…

🗣️ Bei Pavel Novotný dreht sich alles um die Dynamik der gesprochenen Sprache. Am 23. April bringt der Lyriker und Übersetzer im Rahmen von Vienna meets Prague sinnvolle und sinnlose Prozeduren, Rituale und Sprachgewohnheiten auf die Bühne des Depots: viennameetsprague.com/pavel-novotn%C…

🔊 How do cultural spaces function as sites of political resistance? In our next Monthly Lecture, Thomas Seifert (@DiePressecom) examines the role of nightlife and subcultural networks in shaping civic identity and dissent across Eastern Europe’s 'frontline states'. Drawing on material from Kyiv, Belgrade, Chișinău, and Tbilisi, he will explore why urban creatives stay in societies marked by brain drain, instability, and political crisis, and how temporary autonomous zones foster democratic values, social cohesion, and a sense of European belonging. 👉 iwm.at/event/danceflo…

Artificial intelligence is no longer a distant possibility; it is reshaping our economy, our security, our workplaces, and our democracy in real time. In one of our most popular videos this week, leading AI researcher and IWM Digital Humanism Fellow @TobyWalsh explores both the extraordinary opportunities and the significant risks posed by increasingly powerful intelligent systems. 👉 youtube.com/watch?v=WrCA-S…

🎬 Böhmen, Ende des 17. Jahrhunderts: Ein macht- und besitzgieriger Inquisitor wird gerufen, um angebliche Hexerei zu beenden. Im Meisterstück "Hexenjagd" von Otakar Vávra aus dem Jahr 1969 dienen reale historische Ereignisse als Spiegel politischer Schauprozesse. Wir zeigen das brisante Drama im Rahmen unseres Festivals Vienna meets Prague, in Kooperation mit dem Prager Národní filmový archiv (NFA), gefolgt von einem Gespräch mit David Havas (NFA und Leiter des Kino Ponrepo in Prag). 📍25. April, 20 Uhr, top Kino, freier Eintritt: viennameetsprague.com/kladivo-na-%C4…

Poesie trifft auf Klanglandschaften: Schriftstellerin Anna Luňáková bringt am 24.4. mit „City Amalgam“ Prags urbane Echos nach Wien – eine zweisprachige Performance zwischen Sprache, Geräusch & Imagination, gemeinsam mit Übersetzerin Julia Miesenböck und Musiker Jakub Štourač, moderiert von Manfred Müller (ÖGfL). ➡️ viennameetsprague.com/anna-lu%C5%88%…

Michael Stewart's lecture on 10 March about Romany experiences under Nazism offered a profound rethinking of race and exclusion, challenging how we understand violence in relation to the idea of the National Community (Volksgemeinschaft). In case you missed it, you can rewatch it here: youtube.com/watch?v=l0dLzg…