The celebratory session for Einstein Day in Potsdam, the capital of Brandenburg, is one of the two central annual ceremonial sessions of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, during which, among other things, prizes are awarded to young researchers. Among this year’s awardees is the quantum physicist Khrystyna Gnatenko from Ivan Franko University in Lviv, who was a VUIAS Fellow in 2023/24. The theme of this year’s Einstein Day was “Global Cultural Heritage.

The goal of the diverse research conducted at German academies of sciences like the BBAW is often summarized by the triad “development, preservation, and representation of (global) cultural heritage.” This term was coined in 2003 by the Berlin philosopher and BBAW member Volker Gerhardt. Indeed, the BBAW’s diverse activities—for example, the edition of the works of philosophers Leibniz and Kant in Potsdam, as well as the documentation and interpretation of medieval stained glass—are aptly captured by this triad. But what exactly does “cultural heritage” mean? Who owns the cultural heritage that the BBAW researches? What constitutes the cultural heritage that the BBAW should research, and with whom should it research it? Isn’t the academy’s research on cultural heritage itself now a form of cultural heritage?

Many individuals and institutions are now reflecting on these and other questions surrounding this controversial term. On Einstein Day, the Academy aims to learn from people and institutions in Germany who are also engaged with this topic, to share their insights for discussion, and thus to initiate a dialogue. The music performed by members of the Barenboim-Said Academy and the President’s report on the Academy’s activities are also influenced by this theme.

Organised by

Berlin-Brandenburgischen Akademie der Wissenschaften