Our Birdview building is based in Salzburg, a city that was home to the writer Stefan Zweig for some 14 years. In 1934, Zweig left Salzburg, first for London and later into exile in Brazil. He would never return – neither to Salzburg, nor to Europe. A committed advocate of European unity, Zweig became increasingly disillusioned as he watched that vision disintegrate in the face of rising fascism, division, and hate.
It is this very vision, and its relevance today, that Jasper Knecht explores in conversation with Jeff Fountain. After serving as director of Youth With A Mission (YWAM) Europe, Jeff went on to found the Schuman Centre for European Studies, an initiative dedicated to exploring European history and current affairs, reflecting on Europe’s future, and fostering intercultural dialogue and studies.
In the conversation, Jeff challenges Jean-François Lyotard’s claim of the collapse of metanarratives in the ‘postmodern’ era. He emphasises the importance of thinking about Europe’s story in the context of Christianity, arguing that large parts of both our history and our present can not be properly understood if we lose sight of that aspects in our history.
If you’re curious about the European Idea, its history, and Robert Schuman (perhaps a different kind of composition), join us in this conversation that challenges us to rethink Europe and our relationship with it.
Links:
- Schuman Centre: https://www.schumancentre.eu/
- Jeffs weekly Blog: https://weeklyword.eu/en/
Feel free to listen to Jeff’s story on your favourite podcast platform. (Podcast RETHINK from the Quo Vadis Institute, www.qvi.eu).
Listen to this Podcast episode here:
Photo Credits: private