Research Library: Mon, Thu 12–19, Tue, Wed, Fri 10–17 | Study Centre: Mon–Fri 10–17
Research Library: Mon, Thu 12–19, Tue, Wed, Fri 10–17
Study Centre: Mon–Fri 10–17

Open Lecture: The Anti-colonial Direction of the Enlightenment in the Work of Playwright August von Kotzebue

On 11 November at 4 pm, Dr. Messan Tossa, this year’s recipient of Tallinn University’s Baltica foreign researcher scholarship, will present his research at the Estonian Academy of Sciences (Kohtu 6). Dr. Tossa is a researcher at the National Archives of Togo and an honorary lecturer in the Department of German Studies at Lomé University. His research focuses on postcolonialism, postcolonial state theory, and literature on war and peace.

Dr. Tossa explains: “Based on the scholarly interpretation of the Enlightenment as a cultural and intellectual movement of the early modern period, there may arise an impression that the Enlightenment was solely concerned with racially discriminatory and colonialist conceptual frameworks. This interpretation, resulting from a one-sided postcolonial view, depicts the Enlightenment as a racist and colonialist movement. My research aims to uncover the anti-colonial aspects of the Enlightenment, illustrated through the work of playwright August von Kotzebue. My lecture will explore the anti-colonialist lines of thought within the discourse of the Enlightenment.”

The presentation will be in German, and interested participants can also follow it on Teams: Join via Teams.

You are warmly invited to attend and participate in the discussion!

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