Book launch and outlook for the Thomas Mann project
Thomas Mann – In the Burning Landscape of Democracy
Event location
Enrollment hall, Munich city campus
Public event
Target audience
students,
employees,
public,
specialist audience
Presenter
TUM Center for Culture and Arts
Join us in celebrating the launch of the publication “Thomas Mann – In the Scorched Landscape of Democracy” (published by TUM.University Press). This publication marks the conclusion of the interdisciplinary project of the same name by the TUM Center for Culture and Arts and the Thomas Mann Forum Munich, organized to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Thomas Mann’s birth.
At the book presentation, the editors Prof. Felix Mayer (Director of TUM CCA) and Dr. Dirk Heißerer, along with Eckhard Zimmermann and Matthias Stuber (Thomas-Mann-Forum München e.V.), will look back on the overall project. Dr. Katharina Markgraf (TUM.University Press) offers insights into the book publication. But the focus turns to the future: Prof. Winfried Nerdinger will outline perspectives for the future of memory culture at TUM.
This volume brings together the papers presented at the symposium “’Militant Humanism'. Thomas Mann's fight for democracy” and the documents from the exhibition.
A reconstruction of a programmatic lecture by Thomas Mann on the “German Book” (1925) leads into the contributions by Frido Mann, Dirk Heißerer, Ursula Münch, Winfried Nerdinger, Hans R. Vaget, and Sebastian Hansen. The volume concludes with the images and texts from the multimedia exhibition, curated by Matthias Stuber and Eckhard Zimmermann.
About the project
On the occasion of Thomas Mann's 150th birthday, the TUM Center for Culture and Arts and Thomas Mann Forum Munich e.V. are realizing a unique, interdisciplinary project focusing on Thomas Mann's commitment to democracy and his courageous resistance against the Nazi Regime – and what we can learn from this in the ‘burning landscape’ of our present day.
The project is held under the patronage of Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
The overall project comprises four interlinked components:
- an exhibition at the TUM-Immatrikulationshalle (December 8 - January 15),
- an academic symposium (November 3),
- an accompanying publication
- the guest performance "Zauberberg :: Expedition in die Gegenwart", an immersive VR theater production (early 2026, date tba).
- an accompanying programme
The overall project is supported by the TUM University Foundation and the Bavarian State Parliament. We would like to thank the Carl Friedrich von Siemens Foundation for hosting the symposium.
Additional information
How to find us
- Enrollment hall, Munich city campus