Art Against Hate: Seminar Offered as Part of Kunstfest Weimar Invites Students to an Intervention
A short TikTok clip, a provoking comment below the Instagram post – shared and liked thousands of times. This is then followed by a flood of support, outrage, and hatred: Radical anti-feminist and queerphobic voices are becoming dominant in social media discourse. Algorithms, filter bubbles, and targeted campaigns reinforce these tendencies and influence political attitudes. But how do we fight hate and hate speech on social media platforms? From 2 to 7 September, the »Künstlerisch forschende Strategien zur De-Radikalisierung auf Social Media« block seminar invites students to explore digital networks and develop creative counter-strategies to online hate. The results will be presented as part of the finissage of the Kunstfest Weimar.
The seminar, organised by Caspar Weimann (onlinetheater.live) and Jr. Prof. Dr. Jasmin Degeling (Bauhaus-Universität Weimar) together with the Museum of Forced Labor Under National Socialism, combines scientific analysis with practical interventions. During the workshop, students will explore how radicalisation occurs and how social networks act as digital stages. Based on this, workshop participants will then develop project concepts that question radical narratives and encourage emancipatory perspectives. »Artists shape social utopias and thus carry a responsibility to counteract racist, anti-queer, and anti-feminist tendencies«, says Weimann. »The aim of the seminar is not only to raise awareness, but also to empower participants and inspire them to take concrete action.«
Together with the »Medien und Gender: eine Einführung« event in the 2025/2026 winter semester, the block seminar makes up the Diversity Module offered by the Faculty of Media’s. The event includes a multifaceted supporting programme: A visit to the permanent exhibition at the Museum of Forced Labor, an examination of the video installation »Bereitschaft« (Readiness) by Jakob Ganslmeier and Ana Zibelnik on TikTok, body culture and fascist aesthetics, as well as panel discussions with experts as part of a finissage are all planned.
Students from all faculties can register via e-mail to jasmin.degeling[at]uni-weimar.de and joni.knobbe[at]uni-weimar.de.
Further information on the programme and exhibitions at the Museum of Forced Labor can be found at www.museum-zwangsarbeit.de/museum/ausstellungen/ganslmeier-zibelnik-bereitschaft.
Questions can be directed to Jasmin Degeling, Junior Professor of Media Anthropology, by e-mail jasmin.degeling[at]uni-weimar.de.