Spell on you! Intermingled Authoritarianism(s) and the Anti-Gender Narratives

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Seeds of Regression: Theses on the Relation of Liberalism and Fascism May 8-9 2025, Hochschule für Gestaltung Offenbach am Main Fascism is typically understood as the political opposite of liberalism. Against this backdrop, however, it becomes increasingly difficult to explain why liberal democracies around the world are undergoing a con- tinuing shift toward authoritarianism. This conference engages with the thesis articulated by Theodor W. Adorno, Gretel Adorno and Max Horkheimer in Dialectic of Enlightenment that, despite its democratic self- understanding, “seeds of regression” are inscribed in the very structure of political liberalism. Accordingly, the relation between liberalism and fascism must be conceived in more complex terms. We seek not only to interrogate this relation through the lens of various societal structures—such as gender, capital, race, technology, and aesthetics—but also to examine its relevance and manifestations in the contemporary political moment. By analyzing both historical continuities and ruptures, the conference aims to foster an interdisciplinary dialogue within the broader field of critical theory and the arts. Thursday, May, 8 Linke Kapelle 10.00-10.15 Opening Remarks Leonie Hunter Panel ‘Labor Relations’, Moderator: Anna Schlote, HfG Offenbach 10.15-10.45 Pavlos Roufos, University of Potsdam ‘Liberalism and Fascism: When Hypocrisy Turns into Cruelty’ 10.45-11.15 Jeronimo Voss and Lain Iwakura, Artist Talk ‘ATC Against the Clock’ 11.15-11.30 Coffee Break 11.30-12.00 Mithra Lehn, New School for Social Research New York ‘From Capitalism in Crisis to Fascism: The Politicization of Surplus Populations’ 12.00-12.30 Q&A Lunch Break Panel ‘Gender Politics’, Moderator: Nina Wood, HfG Offenbach 14.00-14.30 14.30-15.00 15.00-15.30 Robyn Marasco, City University of New York ‘The New Right-Wing Women: Beyond the Backlash’ Sofia Bempeza, University of Applied Arts Vienna ‘Spell on you! Intermingled Authoritarianism(s) and the Anti-Gender Narratives’ Johanna Maj Schmidt, University of Leipzig and University of Cologne ‘He Will Not Divide Us (HWNDU): The Appeal of an Impish Collective Geek-Heroism’ 15.30-16.00 Q&A Keynote Lecture, Moderator: Leonie Hunter, Princeton University 18.00-20.00 Henrike Naumann ‘Orcs from the East’ 20.00 Get Together @ Echte Kapelle Friday, May, 9 Linke Kapelle Panel ‘Racial Fascism and Global Perspectives’, Moderator: Laura Laabs, HfG Offenbach 10.00-10.30 Alan Diaz, Leuphana University Lüneburg ‘The Mexican Exception? Institutionalized Populism and Post-Sovereign Decontainment’ 10.30-11.00 Rime Abd Al Majeed, Academy of Fine Arts Munich ‘Between Remembrance and Erasure: The National Self-Image and the Persistence of Racism’ 11.00-11.30 James Gregory Atkinson, Artist Talk ‘6-Friedberg Chicago’ 11.30-12.00 Q&A Lunch Break Panel ‘Libertarian Aesthetics’, Moderator: Franca Schaad, University of the Arts Berne 14.00-14.30 Nikolaus Kockel, HfG Offenbach ‘Libertarian Arts: Fascist Narratives of Underdogs and Avantgarde’ 14.30-15.00 Friederike Sigler and Kathrin Rottmann, University of Bochum and University of Vienna ‘Art as a neo-liberal Fascism Machine’ 15.00-15.30 Vanessa Amoah Opoku, Artist Talk ‘The Future is Fragmented: On Diaspora, Digital Landscapes, and the Refusal of Resolution’ 15.30-16.00 Q&A 16.00 Closing Remarks

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Seeds of Regression: Theses on the Relation of Liberalism and Fascism

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