The collapse of egalitarian values, the persecution of minorities and the dismantling of democratic processes that spread throughout Europe during the 1930s are not too dissimilar to some of the threats we see in the world today.
It is of utmost importance to understand the parallels to the present situation and consider the values and institutions that need to be built and strengthened. That is why we created the Alfred Landecker Program at the Blavatnik School of Government at Oxford University.
International Day in Memory of the Victims of National Socialism
Launched on the International Day in Memory of the Victims of National Socialism (January 27, 2020), the academic program will investigate the persecution and protection of minorities in Europe, exploring in particular the values and institutions that underpin democratic society.
At the core of the program is a new academic chair, leading philosopher Professor Jonathan Wolff, the Alfred Landecker Professorship of Values and Public Policy, and an annual lecture. The Alfred Landecker Memorial Lecture, an integral part of the new program, will be an annual event held each year to coincide with the International Day in Memory of the Victims of National Socialism.
“By building partnerships with Oxford University and other universities around the world, the Alfred Landecker Foundation ensures that research continues into how you protect minorities and how you build institutions to do that, but it also protects the education of future generations of leaders, which is extraordinarily important. I am grateful to the Alfred Landecker Foundation for supporting research and teaching on these issues.” – Professor Ngaire Woods, Dean of the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford.