1y ago

Hannah Arendt would not qualify for the Hannah Arendt prize in Germany today | Samantha Hill

www.theguardian.com Hannah Arendt would not qualify for the Hannah Arendt prize in Germany today | Samantha Hill

The irony of Masha Gessen almost not being awarded the prize because of their writings on Gaza is almost too thick to cut

More coverage:

Die Verleihung des Hannah-Arendt-Preises an Masha Gessen in Bremen musste im Hinterhof stattfinden (German language) https://www.nachdenkseiten.de/?p=108755

You're viewing a single thread.

9 comments

No, the fact that Masha Gessen won the award and was consistently supported by the prize givers suggests otherwise.
edit: I think the reason I'm being downvoted is because the article unclearly refers to the "foundation" as pulling support. That Foundation was the venue for giving the award, not the org giving the award. The org giving the award steadfastly supported Gessen. My point is that, despite massive pressure from the venues hosting the award ceremony (which must be condemned), the good folks who give the Hannah Arendt prize would, in-fact quality Hannah Arendt for the Hannah Arendt prize in 2023 -- because they continue to stand-by her legacy and refuse to be pressured against her values.
- Maybe read the article before posting. Then you would know that the headline is quite right.
  
  Maybe watch an interview with Masha Gessen. Then you'd know the article is quite wrong.
- Reading the article in Nachdenkseiten, it is my understanding that the local council cancelled the venue and wrote an open letter, followed by the local branch of the foundation pulling support. The Berlin branch of the foundation then took it upon themselves to still host an award-ceremony for Gessen in a secretive location for a small crowd. Hence the headline referring to a back-alley.
  
  Yes, again they didn't let the venue bully them and they supported Gessen the whole time.
  So, yes, Arendt would have received this award in 2023 because of the people behind the award and their commitments.
  
  I think that's debatable. I don't get the impression that Gessen would have won the award if she had written her Gaza article before her winning it was decided by the jury. The fact that the original ceremony was cancelled from political pressure speaks to that fact. Credit to the Berlin crew to ~~throw~~ host another ~~ceremony~~ event albeit a small one.
  Masha Gessen in Berlin: Der Versuch, mich mundtot zu machen, ist misslungen https://web.archive.org/web/20231218235218/https://www.berliner-zeitung.de/kultur-vergnuegen/debatte/masha-gessen-in-berlin-der-versuch-mich-mundtot-zu-machen-ist-misslungen-li.2169713 Masha themselve said at the event that
  Dieses öffentliche Gespräch sei nicht auf Einladung der Böll-Stiftung zustande gekommen
  transl.: This public forum today is not on invitation of the Böll-Foundation.
  So I don't think it's at all obvious that Hannah Arendt would today qualify for the 'Hannah Arendt prize' in Germany, given her body of work that is critical of the creation of the State of Israel.
  
  Masha Gessen erspart der Böll-Stiftung, vertreten durch den Vorstand Imme Scholz und Jan Philipp Albrecht, an diesem Abend nichts. Dieses öffentliche Gespräch sei nicht auf Einladung der Böll-Stiftung zustande gekommen, enthüllt Gessen. Imme Scholz habe nach dem Eklat um den Preis eine private Einladung ausgesprochen. „Die habe ich abgelehnt“, so Gessen. „Ich habe ein öffentliches Gespräch vorgeschlagen, sie haben sich darauf eingelassen und das weiß ich zu schätzen.“ Doch um auch das gleich zu sagen: Ein wirkliches Gespräch kam nicht zustande. Nie fragte einer auf dem Podium: „Verstehst du, Masha …?“ Und auf die Frage der Verlegerin Katharina Raabe, die im Publikum saß, warum die Böll-Stiftung es in Kauf genommen habe, eine Autorin zu beschädigen, gab es keine Antwort. Imme Scholz und Jan Philipp Albrecht fühlten sich sichtlich unwohl, auch schon vor dem an sie gerichteten Einwurf des langjährigen Aufsichtsratsmitglieds der Böll-Stiftung Hartmut Bäumer, er habe sich noch nie so geschämt.
  https://web.archive.org/web/20231218235218/https://www.berliner-zeitung.de/kultur-vergnuegen/debatte/masha-gessen-in-berlin-der-versuch-mich-mundtot-zu-machen-ist-misslungen-li.2169713

9 comments