At the Alfred Landecker Memorial Lecture 2027, historian Sönke Neitzel will examine Germany's response to the war in Ukraine and the wider implications for European security. Drawing on his expertise in military history, he will explore how Germany's historical experience continues to shape its approach to military power, national security and international responsibility.
Date and time: January 27, 2027, 5:30–7:00 p.m. (GMT) / 6:30–8:00 p.m. (CET)
Location: Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford, and online
Admission: Free and open to the public. Registration required.
Register here now.
The lecture will be chaired by Prof. Ngaire Woods, Dean of the Blavatnik School of Government and Professor of Global Economic Governance at the University of Oxford. It will be followed by a moderated Q&A session and a reception.
About the lecturer
Sönke Neitzel is Professor of Military History and Chair of War Studies at the University of Potsdam. He previously held academic positions at the London School of Economics and the universities of Glasgow, Saarbrücken, Bern and Mainz. His research focuses on the history of war and organized violence, international history in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and the history of the German armed forces from an international perspective.
The Alfred Landecker Memorial Lecture
Held annually at the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the Alfred Landecker Memorial Lecture is part of the Foundation's program at Oxford, which explores the protection of minority rights, democratic institutions and responsible governance.
For the Alfred Landecker Foundation, remembering the Holocaust also means confronting the responsibilities that arise from history for the present.
Germany's experience of National Socialism and the Second World War continues to shape its understanding of military power, international responsibility and European security. Russia's war against Ukraine has brought these questions into renewed focus. By supporting the Memorial Lecture, we seek to foster historically informed debate on the challenges facing democratic societies - and on their responsibility to defend the values and institutions on which they depend.
Learn more about the Alfred Landecker Memorial Lecture and its previous speakers.