From 22 to 26 September 2025, Villa Vigoni (German-Italian Centre for European Dialogue) hosted the inaugural Käte Hamburger Kolleg CURE Summer School on “Dynamics of Despair”, co-organized with the Leibniz Center for Literary and Cultural Research (ZfL Berlin), in collaboration with the Catholic University of Portugal (Lisbon), the University of Trieste, the University of Naples Federico II, and THALIM (Sorbonne Nouvelle).
Bringing together eighteen doctoral students and eight scholars from around the world, the program explored not only the cultural, philosophical, and literary dimensions of despair, but also the possibilities of resilience and solidarity that arise within it. Highlights included a keynote by Camille de Toledo, who reflected on the politics of despair and the transformative power of writing. The PhD students worked in groups to deliver thought-provoking presentations on key works such as J. M. Coetzee’s Disgrace, Mosab Abu Toha’s Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear, Saidiya Hartman’s Lose Your Mother, the film No Other Land, and the art catalogue Permanent Temporariness. Beyond group readings and academic discussions, the participants also gathered for a screening of John Ford’s The Grapes of Wrath, followed by a lively debate on representations of suffering, hope, and collective struggle.
In just one week, the summer school succeeded in building a strong intellectual community. Participants left with new perspectives, fresh research impulses, and valuable connections. The event underscored the vital role of interdisciplinary and international dialogue in confronting pressing cultural and political challenges.
