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As unprecedented numbers of refugees seek asylum in Europe, Ralf Horlemann, consul general of the Federal Republic of Germany in Boston, will speak on the political and economic implications of the crisis at a free public event on campus March 3.

Hosted by 51²è¹Ý's German Studies Department, the event will take place at 3:30 p.m. in Devlin 101 with a reception to follow.

“Dr. Horlemann is in a position to offer the Boston College community an opportunity to engage in an educational conversation on this critical issue,” said Associate Professor Rachel Freudenburg, acting chair for German Studies. “Migration, and the flood of refugees escaping dangerous environments all over the world, is an issue of global concern. It is of special importance to the United States, which is proud of its immigrant heritage, but struggling with that identity.”

Migrants in Slovenia, 23 October 2015
Migrants in Slovenia, 23 October 2015

In 2015 alone, she noted, Germany welcomed approximately one million refugees – the majority from Syria – fleeing life-threatening situations. “Chancellor [Angela] Merkel’s heroic initiative to bring refugees to Europe presents Germany with its greatest challenge since unification,” Freudenburg said. “While support for her policies is great, radical opposition is simultaneously gaining momentum, and beyond Germany’s borders, growing tension is testing the cohesion of the European Union.”

The issue, she added, “affects every aspect of life in Germany, from national and international politics to issues of security, economic policy, education, health care, infrastructure, culture and religion. I hope that the global citizens who are Boston College’s students deepen their awareness of the unique solutions implemented by Germany, yet also leave the lecture with fresh insights on the question of immigration in their own countries of origin.”  

Students like senior Alex Hawley are eager to hear Horlemann’s views. “The refugee crisis that is transpiring across Eurasia and Northern Africa represents one of the gravest problems to face the globe today,” said Hawley, an International Studies major with a political science concentration. The number of refugees who entered Germany’s borders last year “put Germany’s new ‘Wilkommenskultur (Welcoming Culture)’ to the test. 

“I believe this event marks a critical opportunity for the Boston College community to engage in dialogue with a diplomat from one of America’s strongest allies.” 

–Rosanne Pellegrini | News & Public Affairs

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