disputhek - Library for critical Theory

The disputhek will be a library and a space for critical disputes and events.

With this space for critical theory in Dresden, we want to intervene in social and political discourses and facilitate the study of the social conditions that are at the root of the authoritarian present and bigoted ideologies. This ambition is especially important in Dresden. Besides the persistence of everyday antisemitism, racism, and misogyny, there is a growing dominance of the far right, which asserts itself with threats and violence. We think that this not only calls for the already existing political struggles (especially the antifascist action), but also for a reflection of the social relations, which are the embryonic form of this development.

The disputhek is not a library in the classical sense; it strives to provide the infrastructure for well-founded discussions. The core of the library is the legacy of the late critic Joachim Bruhn (1955 - 2019). He collected the books for his reflexions on the bourgeois subject and its tendency to take shelter in the ideology of a homogenous Volksgemeinschaft ("people's community") during times of crisis. This entails, according to Bruhn, a compulsion to identity, which continuosly leads to detachments and projections. It is no coincidence that antisemitism as a boogeyman projection and the reality of Israel were the central starting point of his thought. With this in mind, Joachim Bruhn studied left-wing movements and their history. The books in his legacy attest to Bruhn's critique and encompass not only works of critical Theory and other critiques of society, but also numerous primary sources of different historical periods and schools of thought (Nazism, Socialism, Stalinism, Romanticism, Enlightenment, etc.). For a critique of lordship, political economy, antisemitism, and bigoted projections is impossible without engaging with the subject matter.

Futhermore, the disputhek contains over 1000 books from other private libraries, which the owners have generously gifted us. These books considerably enhance the noted focal points of our collection. They, too, will be cataloged and made publicly available.

Against isolation

We are convinced that the discussion of questons pertaining to a critique of society cannot adequately be held alone, without the exchange with others. Hence, we want to establish the disputhek as a space that counters the presence of neoliberal isolation, authoriatarian rebellion, and antisemitic movements. We want to provide reading and working spaces during the operating hours of the library and organize events such as talks, book presentations, workshops, and reading groups.

We rely on financial support to open the libary in this year - for basic infrastructure and the tools for cataloging, which are necessary for lending and hosting events. 

More information about our project on our website: disputhek.de