Hamburg-Vigoni Talks – #6 'Brexit' as a symptom of a lack of a common European identity?with PD Dr Andreas Grimmel and Prof Dr em. Hartmut Kaelble
20 January 2021

As a result of the recently concluded transition phase of 'Brexit,' the United Kingdom has now definitively exited the EU Single Market and Customs Union. PD Dr. Andreas Grimmel and Prof. Dr. em. Hartmut Kaelble took this development as an opportunity to discuss the potential interaction of European identity with 'Brexit' in the sixth Hamburg-Vigoni Talk. Hartmut Kaelble is an emeritus professor of historical sciences at Humboldt University in Berlin. Between 2004 and 2009, he also held a guest professorship at the College of Europe in Bruges and was a member of the History Selection Committee of the European Research Council. Andreas Grimmel is a lecturer and research fellow in political science at the University of Hamburg. He obtained his habilitation in 2019.
Starting with an outline of the topoi of identity in general and European identity in particular, Andreas Grimmel and Hartmut Kaelble explored the significance of identity(ies) in the context of 'Brexit.' Their focus was on one hand on the causes and motivations for the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union and, on the other hand, on potential effects for the development of a new European identity among the remaining member states.
The "Hamburg-Vigoni Talks" is a discussion format within the Hamburg-Vigoni Forum. The series aims to relate the thematic focuses of the forum - space, sovereignty, and identity - to current political topics and further promote the desired connection between politics and research. The intention is not a theoretical discussion of complex topoi but rather an accessible discussion of their actual significance in political practice.
The conversations primarily take place among the scientists from the organizing institutions of the forum and are conducted in an interdisciplinary manner. To avoid a monoperspective view, the circle of speakers is not limited to the academic field but occasionally includes individuals with practical political backgrounds.