University of Vienna: Lecture series on Palestine canceled due to conflict!

University of Vienna: Lecture series on Palestine canceled due to conflict!

In the midst of the escalating conflict in the Middle East, cultural policy decisions in Austria have serious consequences. A planned exhibition at the Belvedere Museum was surprisingly canceled by director Stella Rollig. The reason: The artist Naseer wanted to address the Palestinian resistance through the traditional dance Dabke in her retrospective. The director emphasized that they do not want to offer a one-sided representation in this emotionally charged situation and explained: “In this disparate, painful situation, we do not want to present an exhibition that only expresses one side of the conflicting parties,” such as kleinezeitung.at reported.

Rejection at the University of Vienna

Another direct impact of the conflict can be seen at the University of Vienna, where a series of lectures on Palestine planned for next Friday was canceled. This was announced via the university's official account on the X platform, formerly Twitter. The series of events entitled “Teach-in: Against the Present: Past and Future Perspectives on Palestine” was organized by the Institute of Cultural and Social Anthropology. The university management spoke of a short-term cancellation without giving detailed reasons. Nevertheless, it is clear that the current geopolitical tensions are also causing uncertainty in academic circles derStandard.at reported.