Linie 4: The environmental question - a 'hot potato' at the family table?

left: Anti-nuclear demonstration 14 October 1979 in Bonn (photo: Hans Weingartz), right: Fridays For Future demonstration 15 March 2019 in Berlin (photo: Leonhard Lenz)

How much conflict does the environment actually cause in families? Paulo Isenberg Lima addresses this question in the public lecture series Linie 4, organised by the BGHS together with the vhs Bielefeld. In his presentation “Attitudes to the Environment in Families - Generational Conflict or Cultural Struggle?” he looks at generational relationships and their potential for conflict on the topic of the environment.

Since the 1970s, the image of environmental movements has been shaped by the narrative of a generational conflict. The story of the 'young savages' taking to the streets against the environmental sins of their parents' generation is widespread and has also been reinforced by ‘Fridays for Future’. At the same time, the older generations are symbolically showing their solidarity with the young people of ‘Fridays for Future’ by founding ‘Parents for Future’ and ‘Grandparents for Future’. So is there a conflict between “young and old” when it comes to the environment or does the history of conflict run elsewhere? Using data from a long-term study that has been conducted regularly since 1984, Paulo Isenberg Lima gives an insight into his social science research work and the challenges involved. At the same time, the long-term perspective allows a look at which ‘hot topics’ have led to conflicts between generations over time.

Paulo Isenberg Lima has been working as a research associate at the Institute for Interdisciplinary Research on Conflict and Violence (IKG) at Bielefeld University since 2020 and has been doing his PhD on “The intergenerational transmission of values and its impact on societal cohesion” at the BGHS since 2021. He studied sociology at the Technical University of Dresden.

The presentation will take place on Monday, 8 May 2023 at 6.15 p.m. in room 240 at the vhs Bielefeld, Ravensberger Park 1. The event will be held in German.

Here you will find information about Linie 4 and the presentations in the series.