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The Origins of Totalitarianism Today
From the Crises of Democracy to New Beginnings
University Paderborn
About the Conference
When Hannah Arendt’s The Origins of Totalitarianism was first published in 1951, it was widely hailed as the first work to offer a systematic conceptualization of the political catastrophe that had menaced European civilization in the preceding decades. In the face of growing fears that democratic institutions are eroding and authoritarian politics are resurgent worldwide, a renewed engagement with Hannah Arendt’s analysis of totalitarianism has become increasingly urgent. It is telling that in 2016, following Donald Trump’s first election as president, The Origins became an international bestseller once again. In the face of widespread fear that we are sliding into a new era of authoritarian rule, if not totalitarianism as such, understanding the origins and elements of what Arendt called ‘total domination’ remains central to the democratic project. The book continues to attract both academic and non-academic readership. 75 years after the publication of The Origins, this international and interdisciplinary conference will gather scholars from different fields of study interested in the current relevance of her reflections in Arendt’s analysis of “the totalitarian phenomenon as occurring, not on the moon, but in the midst of human society.” Empirically and politically, many different aspects of totalitarian domination that she itemizes in this book continue to threaten democratic self-governance today, sometimes in their already-known and sometimes in a novel guise. These threats include conspiracy theories, ideology, loneliness, mass superfluity, statelessness or the crisis of human rights – all the topics to be discussed at this conference in the context of the current relevance of The Origins.
When Hannah Arendt’s The Origins of Totalitarianism was first published in 1951, it was widely hailed as the first work to offer a systematic conceptualization of the political catastrophe that had menaced European civilization in the preceding decades. In the face of growing fears that democratic institutions are eroding and authoritarian politics are resurgent worldwide, a renewed engagement with Hannah Arendt’s analysis of totalitarianism has become increasingly urgent. It is telling that in 2016, following Donald Trump’s first election as president, The Origins became an international bestseller once again. In the face of widespread fear that we are sliding into a new era of authoritarian rule, if not totalitarianism as such, understanding the origins and elements of what Arendt called ‘total domination’ remains central to the democratic project. The book continues to attract both academic and non-academic readership. 75 years after the publication of The Origins, this international and interdisciplinary conference will gather scholars from different fields of study interested in the current relevance of her reflections in Arendt’s analysis of “the totalitarian phenomenon as occurring, not on the moon, but in the midst of human society.” Empirically and politically, many different aspects of totalitarian domination that she itemizes in this book continue to threaten democratic self-governance today, sometimes in their already-known and sometimes in a novel guise. These threats include conspiracy theories, ideology, loneliness, mass superfluity, statelessness or the crisis of human rights – all the topics to be discussed at this conference in the context of the current relevance of The Origins.
This Conference is associated with the publication of the edited volume Arendt’s The Origins of Totalitarianism at 75 (Cambridge University Press 2027), edited by the organizers, Ari-Elmeri Hyvönen (University of Jyväskylä) and Maria Robaszkiewicz (Paderborn University).
This Conference is associated with the publication of the edited volume Arendt’s The Origins of Totalitarianism at 75 (Cambridge University Press 2027), edited by the organizers, Ari-Elmeri Hyvönen (University of Jyväskylä) and Maria Robaszkiewicz (Paderborn University).
Program
Conference Program.pdfPage updated
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