An editorial by Johannes Ebert
The Interplay of Politics and Culture
Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues, as does war in the Middle East and in Sudan. The policies of the American government call the stability of transatlantic relations into question. The largest opposition party in Germany is categorised as a “suspected rightwing extremist organisation”. The world has changed to an extent that would have been inconceivable only three years ago.
An editorial by Johannes Ebert
Germany is facing serious challenges. The federal government has now presented its coalition agreement, which — bearing the title “Responsibility for Germany” — will also have an impact on foreign cultural and educational policy. What significance does this important document assign to this policy area? What understanding of culture does it convey? And in which of its six sections does it call upon the Goethe-Institut?
For over 70 years, the Goethe-Institut has been Germany’s largest international cultural and societal network. Its mission is to strengthen the German language, to promote cultural exchange and to provide information about our country. 150 Goethe-Instituts worldwide, around 1,100 points of contact with language centres and cultural associations, an extensive network of partners from the spheres of culture, education, economy and society around the whole world, around 270,000 in-person or digital language course participants, over a million exams taken, almost seven million followers on social media — all these figures attest to the Goethe-Institut’s global reach. We are a powerful, internationally recognised brand for Germany, standing for dialogue and cooperation, for credibility and respect. Especially in these turbulent times, the Goethe-Institut’s motto — “For diversity, understanding and trust”— could not be more relevant.
If we consult the coalition agreement as to the role of culture and international culture exchange, two dimensions are evident. “Foreign cultural and educational policy is a central component of German foreign policy, an important element of Germany’s soft power and thus a strategic instrument in the global competition for reputation, influence, narratives, ideas and values. We will [. . .] utilise it as a geopolitical instrument even more effectively aligned with our values and interests,” reads the section “Responsible Foreign Policy, United Europe, Secure Germany”. “Our culture is the foundation of our freedom. Art inspires, perplexes and opens up new perspectives. Without free and powerful art, there is a withering away of what forms the basis of all progress: the capacity to reflect on our lives and imagine a better one [. . .] We therefore want to deepen international cooperation, cultural exchange, cultural diplomacy and cultural tourism,” the coalition partners state in the section “Stronger Cohesion, Steadfast Democracy".
Foreign cultural and educational policy is, on the one hand, viewed as an instrument to represent Germany’s liberal values and interests abroad, along with consolidating the country’s position as a hub for science and business. On the other hand, art and cultural exchange are regarded as independent social realms of a globally embedded “cultural state”; they constitute the basis of social life and progress. The free development of ideas and artistic freedom are its foundation. This also holds for the international perception of Germany: “Our country should be a lighthouse in the world for free art and culture.”
Terms like “soft power” and the greater emphasis on values and interests reveal how the global competition between diverging ideologies has intensified in recent years. Building defence capability in order to safeguard “peace in freedom and security” is an important goal. A healthy economy, social cohesion, ensuring the state’s power to act and better management of migration — these are other interests of Germany, according to the preamble to the coalition agreement.
The Goethe-Institut is ready to represent Germany’s interests to the world in this spirit. Over the course of the transformation process of the past three years, the institution has ensured it is in the right position to do so effectively. On the basis of stable funding that takes global cost increases into account, the Goethe-Institut wants to contribute to the country’s future in areas such as security policy and the immigration of skilled workers, as well as by strengthening Germany’s international connections in a world where stable partnerships are indispensable.
Security for Germany means, on one level, investing in military defence capability. But security is also created through strong international civic networks. In a global context, these are formed when, on the one hand, people in countries and societal groups who share liberal values are emboldened in their resilience and their ties to Germany. One example of this is the Goethe-Institut’s committed support of Ukraine’s cultural and educational sector, because it represents Ukraine’s shift towards Europe, promotes democratic identity and bolsters society’s capacity to resist. On the other hand, we also create security through intensively fostering dialogue with countries and social groups that are in competition with us and diverge from us ideologically. In both situations, international cultural and educational exchange offers great opportunities.
This broad understanding of security thus has very direct consequences for German foreign cultural and educational policy: “In Europe we will need to invest more in security, but while we are doing that we should simultaneously be investing in cultural and educational programmes, which are far more cost-effective and can make a major impact,” said Scott McDonald, the CEO of the British Council, at the Munich Security Conference event “Resilient Roots: The Role of Culture in European Stability”, organised by the Goethe-Institut and its British sibling.
How the Goethe-Institut contributes to the formation of international networks and wins friends for Germany is demonstrated by numerous examples in this annual report. The Internationale Deutscholympiade represents the 100,000 schools teaching German to which the Goethe-Institut offers services. The 15 million pupils who learn German there engage in class with our society, culture and language, bringing them closer to Germany and promoting a high level of empathy for our country. The Europanetzwerk Deutsch, which — supported by the Federal Foreign Office — has been bringing together senior officials in the EU with German language skills for 30 years, and the residency programmes for artists and creatives, the source of many international partnerships, are also presented in this annual report. One strong initiative is Culture Moves Europe, which the EU has entrusted the Goethe-Institut with implementing: since 2022, 7,000 artists and creatives based in Europe have taken part in residencies, workshops and research trips to cultural institutions outside their respective countries, across the whole continent. The networks that have grown from this are an important contribution to European cohesion.
The German government’s interests — strengthening the country’s economy and actively shaping migration — overlap when it comes to the immigration of skilled workers. The coalition agreement proclaims: “Securing a base of skilled labour is a crucial factor in our country’s prosperity. We are thus making every effort to ensure the immigration of skilled workers is a success in the coming years.” For this, linguistic and intercultural preparation in a person’s country of origin plays a significant role. This “preintegration” is essential for a positive experience in the German job market and in German society, and the Goethe-Institut has a wide range of measures to facilitate it; some are outlined in the article “German teachers as key players”.
“Our land should be a lighthouse in the world for free art and culture,” writes the coalition. The claim to stand for liberal values around the world could not be formulated more clearly. “The universal, indivisible and inalienable nature of human rights constitutes the foundation of our rule-based international order,” the coalition agreement continues, identifying the European Union as the guarantor of freedom, peace, security and prosperity. In the face of historic global changes, these values have come under massive pressure. The Goethe-Institut advocates for these liberal values and sends a message of resilience in less liberal societies. The institutes abroad are places of engagement with Germany, places of learning and exchange. But they are also spaces for open discussion and uncensored debate. Through programmes fostering media literacy, as described in the article “Against populism”, the Goethe-Institut bolsters people’s ability to resist populist propaganda and fake news. With programmes about culture of remembrance, we address the dark chapters of German history — as the coalition agreement also calls for — and actively oppose all forms of antisemitism, racism and other kinds of discrimination.
Coined in the 1990s by the American political scientist Joseph Nye, the term “soft power” assumes that a country’s ability to attract and persuade is crucial for its capability to exert influence in the world. A country’s culture, education system and values play a key role in this. But what does the term mean for Germany? What is “soft power made in Germany”? It is precisely the values underlined in the coalition agreement — freedom of expression, artistic freedom, justice and pluralism — that make our country attractive. Foreign cultural and educational policy only functions in our unsettled world if it can be measured against these values. If we want to use culture, guided by these values, for foreign policy, it must have the necessary room to breathe. If we want art to “inspire, perplex and open up new perspectives”, then in an international context, too, it must epitomise free artistic experimentation and uncertain results. The fact that the German government has entrusted independent intermediary institutions such as the Goethe-Institut with the implementation of foreign cultural and educational policy is an expression of these democratic values, because this system reflects the societal pluralism and the independence of culture and education that Germany stands for.
In times when liberal values are under pressure, cultural exchange requires courage and the willingness to engage in critical dialogue and respectful cooperation. They require the ability to proactively present one’s own position while at the same time listening to others and considering their concerns. Only then can the credibility and trust develop that allow a rapprochement between differing positions. This openness, the willingness to engage in dialogue, the capacity for communication and discourse in international cultural relations constitute this “soft power made in Germany” and are the reason for the success of German foreign cultural and educational policy. They are what the Goethe-Institut stands for!