Arch-enemies and best friends. Historically, Denmark and Germany have had a turbulent and volatile relationship. The conference MatchPoints Seminar 2020 at Aarhus University will focus on the Danish-German relationship – historically, culturally, economically and politically:

“The Danish-German relationship is very relevant to discuss in 2020. As neighbours, Denmark and Germany both have an interest in developing a close relationship to serve as a foundation for tackling the large, complex challenges facing the EU and Europe in the near future: Brexit, new protectionism, the flow of refugees and migrants and urgent climate challenges. These themes will all be addressed at the conference,” says professor of history Thorsten Borring Olesen, who is the academic director of the MatchPoints Seminar 2020.

2020 is an important year for the Danish-German relationship. The year marks the centenary of the reunion of Southern Jutland with the rest of Denmark as well as other anniversaries, and the governments of Denmark and Germany have named 2020 Danish-German Year of Cultural Friendship. The MatchPoints Seminar 2020 is relevant in this context.

Academic spearheads, culture and beer tasting
The conference will be attended by a wide variety of researchers and debaters, including the American historian and debater Anne Applebaum, professor Astrid Erll from the Goethe University Frankfurt, professor Harold Marcuse from the University of Santa Barbara, professor Ole Wæver from the University of Copenhagen, the secretary general of the European Council Jeppe Tranholm-Mikkelsen and ambassadors from Denmark and Germany.

The MatchPoints Seminar entitled “Denmark and Germany in Europe – Cooperation, Conflict and Future Challenges” will be held in English and is aimed at researchers, business and industry, government officials, upper secondary school teachers, students – and anyone with an interest in the Danish-German relationship.

The academic sessions of the conference will be divided into four themes, and you can choose to focus on one or more themes that you find interesting:

·        History: Nation, nationalism, borders and cooperation in the Danish-German relationship over 150 years.

·        Culture: Danish-German culture and media exchange, ‘1968’ as history and memory culture and transnational migration narratives.

·        Economy/green growth: Green growth and reorganisation in Denmark, Germany and Europe; the German economic model and the EMU collaboration and border patterns for trade and economic exchange.

·        Politics: Denmark, Germany and the EU with a focus on Euroscepticism and populism, migration, European security and European cohesion.

In addition to the academic sessions, keynote speeches and panel debates, the MatchPoints Seminar 2020 also offers cultural experiences in the Concert Hall Aarhus. You can also register for a public event on Saturday where the MatchPoints Seminar, in collaboration with the Danish University Extension, offers a number of short presentations in Danish on Danish-German history.

The MatchPoints Seminar 2020 is organised in collaboration between Aarhus University, the City of Aarhus and the Danish University Extension with support from the Goethe-Institut, the embassies in Denmark and Germany, the Carlsberg Foundation and Jyllandsposten’s Foundation.

Registration for the MatchPoints Seminar 2020 will open in early January 2020.

Read more about the MatchPoints Seminar 2020 (the website will be updated regularly)

[Facts]
2020: Danish-German Year of Cultural Friendship
2020 is an important year of remembrance and celebration in the Danish-German relationship. It is the centenary of what Danish people call the Reunion, where Southern Jutland voted to become part of the Danish Kingdom again after the loss in 1864. It is the 75th anniversary of the Liberation, where Denmark became a free country once again after five years of German occupation. It is the 65th anniversary of the so-called Copenhagen-Bonn-agreement which created a forward-looking and liberal framework for handling the question of minorities on both sides of the Danish and West German border. It is also the 30th anniversary of the dissolution of the Cold War borders internally in Germany with the reunion of East Germany and West Germany, which helped transform and create the EU as we know it today and contemporary Europe. The governments of the two countries have also named 2020 Danish-German Year of Cultural Friendship. 

[Facts]
The MatchPoints Seminar
Since 2007, Aarhus University has held its internationally recognised MatchPoints Seminar, which brings together researchers, debaters, government officials and politicians for discussions of research and debates on big and important topics with relevance to society. The conference has an open profile and anyone with an interest is welcome to join. In recent years, themes such as Trust, Management, the Arctic and the Reformation have been in focus.