Based on the “Law on the Restoration of Civil Service”, which was passed in 1933, the National Socialists were able to dismiss numerous Jews and dissidents from public service. Among them was Philipp Schwartz, an anatomist and pathologist teaching at Frankfurt University. Upon his dismissal, he was forced to move to Zurich where he founded an association for German scientists in exile. Schwartz successfully struck up relations with Turkey and helped several hundred scientists to emigrate across the Bosporus. Schwartz himself moved to Istanbul where he was made director of the Institute of Pathology of Istanbul University. Julia Kluge’s comic tells the story of his emigration to Turkey as well as of his failed attempt to return to Frankfurt University after the war.
New Horizons is one of the stories in the project Redrawing Stories form the Past, Escape and Migration in Europe. In those stories the authors explored the history of flight and migration as a consequence of National Socialism. The scope of the project, however, went beyond the historical events of this period as participants also examined the medium- and long-term impact of escape and migration. These consequences are passed down from generation to generation and are still discernible in today’s societies. This approach allowed us to draw parallels between historic and current events (e.g. refugee and migration flows to Europe) with the aim of fostering a better understanding of history among the participating artists and youth, as well as the general public.
“Escape and Migration in Europe” took place in Naples, Italy, and Leipzig, Germany, throughout 2018 and 2019. It was funded by the Federal Agency for Civic Education (bpb)and Goethe-Institut Rom in cooperation with Goethe-Institut Neapel, Anne Frank Zentrum Berlin and kuš!.
All comics were published in an anthology by kuš! in March 2019. They were featured in an exhibition at neurotitan Berlin from 16 March to 4 April 2019.