Hospitality and/or conflict transformation: Philemon and Baucis revisited

Rich in conflict, Ovid's ‘Metamorphoses’ offer a number of reference points for the BBAW's annual theme for 2025 and 2026, ‘Resolving Conflicts!’: The myth of Philemon and Baucis serves as the strating point for a conversation about hospitality as a strategy for conflict transformation. Often read as a touching story of the unshakeable bond between the ageing couple, the myth tells of an explosive situation of confrontation with a stranger. By entertaining the incognito gods Jupiter and Mercury despite their modest circumstances, Philemon and Baucis diffuse the potential conflict. What does the myth tell us about conflicts and their resolution today? 

In discussion will be Christopher Degelmann (Ancient History, HU Berlin, member of the Junge Akademie), Ernst Osterkamp (German Studies, HU Berlin, academy member) and Sabrina Zajak (Social Sciences, German Centre for Integration and Migration Research), moderated by Anita Traninger (Rhetorics/Literary Studies, academy member, spokesperson for the annual theme 2025|26 ‘Resolving Conflicts!’).

Programme Salon Sophie Charlotte