Public disputes today are louder, more intense and more hostile than ever. Right-wing and authoritarian parties are gaining increasing support. Many people feel they are not being heard. Others complain of being unable to express their opinions. And in many parts of society, trust in the mediating power of state institutions and established media is declining.

n view of this imbalance, Berliner Festspiele assessed the current state of affairs: How is our culture of debate failing? What role do social media, inequality and ideological conflicts play in this? And how can a lively praxis of public debate be encouraged? These questions were considered in the second edition of “Reflexes & Reflections” in March 2025, which was once again curated by political scholar Saba-Nur Cheema and historian Meron Mendel. This time, the focus was on the future of debate culture.

On three packed days devoted to this theme, prominent speakers discussed in a series of panel discussions, lectures and workshops the possibilities of liberating public discourse from its enduring but unproductive state of arousal. Participants included Jeffrey Goldberg, Alice Hasters, Yasmine M’Barek, Hasnain Kazim, Gilda Sahebi, Mithu Sanyal, Stefan Niggemeier and Deniz Yücel.

Artistic perspectives on processes of social negotiation were offered by the dance piece “Freedom Sonata” by Emanuel Gat and the video installation “MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: BELANCIEGE” by Hito Steyerl, Giorgi Gago Gagoshidze and Miloš Trakilović. Alongside all the serious questions that were discussed as part of “Reflexes & Reflections”, there was also room for a sense of humour: shortly after the 2025 German Federal election, comedian Max Uthoff and comedienne and activist Enissa Amani commented on the election results. They asked themselves: what’s left to laugh about?

You can find video and audio recordings of the “Reflexes & Reflections” discourse programme in the BerlinerFestspiele Media Library.