GAS LECTURE IN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE EXHIBITION "WE'RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER" ON THE TOPIC: POLITICAL FRIENDSHIPS, POSTCOLONIAL THINKING, POLITICAL ACTION.

Postcolonial studies are repeatedly equated with "identity politics" and "tribalism", although Gayatri Spivak notes that "in postcolonialism we don't know our friends". Today's political landscapes are made up of countless echo chambers in which their members are mainly exposed to information or viewpoints that ultimately only repeat and confirm their own views.

It seems to be a curse of neoliberalism that politics now seems to mean pitting one vulnerable group against another. But no struggle is more important than the other, which is why the greatest hope for democratic politics lies in building bridges between different epistemic communities by forming alliances across different forms of vulnerability and agency. We must rise to the challenge of the "attention economy" in which minorities are pitted against each other in order to gain recognition for their individual concerns and problems.

As an antidote to the imperial and neoliberal strategy of "divide and conquer", there is an urgent need to actively and effectively foster alliances by recalling the intertextuality of our narratives and struggles. It is our firm belief that "political friendships" can be a bulwark against atomisation and the loss of trust between

communities. Shared experiences and affinities create collectivities in which we listen to each other and find a new powerful voice together.

Nikita Dhawan:

Holder of the Professorship of Political Science, specialising in Political Theory and History of Ideas, TU Dresden

María do Mar Castro Varela:

Holder of the Professorship of Social Work and General Pedagogy, ASH Berlin

Go to the book here: https://unrast-verlag.de/produkt/dreiklang-freundinnenschaft-als-politische-praxis/

When: Friday, 27 June 2025

Start: 7 pm

Location: GEH8 Halle

The measure is co-financed by tax funds on the basis of the budget adopted by the Saxon state parliament. GEH8 is institutionally funded by the Office for Culture and Monument Protection.