Lecture on Zionism and Science Fiction: Doreet LeVitte new Rosenzweig Professor

Doreet LeVitte-Harten studied art history and comparative religion in Jerusalem and subsequently worked as a journalist and art critic for the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz and as a lecturer at the Bezalel Art Academy, Jerusalem, and the Visual Center, Beer Sheva. She has curated exhibitions in Germany and Israel since 1980, most recently "About Stupidity, The Phenomena of Stupidity as Observed by Artists",Petach Tikva Museum of Art, Israel (2013) and "Conflicts, the Problems of Other People", Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Art, Israel (2014).

"With Ms. LeVitte-Harten, we have gained for this year's Rosenzweig Professorship a distinguished connoisseur of the German and Israeli art world, whose projects regularly generate controversial discussion and highly productive exchange between participants from both countries," said Prof. Dr. Martina Sitt, a member of the search committee and head of the Department of General Art History at the University of Kassel/Academy of Art. Her projects endeavored to achieve a kind of "reality push" in Germany as a prerequisite for a fruitful exchange, in order to perceive with a clear eye the realities in the Middle East.

The public inaugural lecture, entitled "Zionism and Science Fiction," will take place on May 6, from 6 to 7 p.m., at the university's Gießhaus, Mönchebergstraße 5. Zionism and science fiction, LeVitte-Hartens will argue, have much in common: both have their roots in the ideology of colonialism, both address "borders" as central sites of engagement, and both strive to use the ethos of the pioneer to legitimize their respective projects. The lecture will begiven in German.

In addition to this public event, Doreet LeVitte will hold two seminars. Thus she asks about the "blind spot in art? On the Impossibility of Art to Represent Horror" and discusses "The Role of Art in the Process of Nation Building. The Case of Israel."

Remembrance of a great son of the city of Kassel

The Franz Rosenzweig Visiting Professorship, unique in Germany, commemorates the work and legacy of the Jewish religious philosopher who was born in Kassel. The professorship is awarded each summer semester. To date, the visiting professorship has honored numerous scholars of philosophy, history, literature, and religious studies from Israel, Europe, and North America.

In recent years, the professorship has increasingly served to bring to mind the culture of European Jewry destroyed by National Socialism and to engage with the Jewish present. The Franz Rosenzweig Visiting Professorship has been awarded by the University of Kassel since 1987. It was established following an international congress held to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of the eminent philosopher of religion in 1986.

The University of Kassel has nearly 23,700 students (winter semester 2014/15). The Kunsthochschule Kassel is part of the university.

Image by Doreet LeVitte-Harten at
http://www.uni-kassel.de/uni/fileadmin/datas/uni/presse/anhaenge/2015/DLV.jpg

Contact:

Sebastian Mense
University of Kassel
Communications, Press and Public Relations
Tel.: +49 561 804-1961
E-mail: presse[at]uni-kassel[dot]de