Our Motto: In The Mean Time

The time of the Corona pandemic defies measurability worldwide. Every status quo, whether private, economic or political, is only that: a snapshot, devoid of any possibility of comparison. This is an interim period in which the past and the future are equally at rest. Yesterday's plans are just as obsolete as plans for tomorrow. We are stuck 'In The Mean Time', in the now, the time between pre- and post-Corona.

The effects of this inability to plan and act are dramatic for both communities as well as individuals. While some are forced to act immediately and thus partly without a plan, others remain in involuntary idleness. Questions of equity arise from this as well as from prioritising certain financial aid, from bans or vaccination hierarchies. The time of the pandemic divides society on both a small and larger scale. Solidarity—what is that again? In that sense, it is not only a "meantime", but also a "mean time"—an utmost unpleasant, lousy time.
Nevertheless, re:publica wouldn't be the same if we—"In The Mean Time"—couldn't rely on our creativity and optimism, as well as our keen eye for the essential. Before we can celebrate another big re:publica together with you again next year (the 15th edition!), we will return with a digital edition titled "In The Mean Time" from 20 - 22 May 2021.

What has changed "In The Mean Time"? Which topics are (or remain) — apart from the pandemic — more relevant than ever and how will things continue now and in the future? We will take a closer look — also at what is happening around the headlines and higher-ranking structures. Which urgent debates have perhaps even disappeared from the news or never made it to the news in the first place? What about climate change or the situation of refugees? What kind of very personal stories are being written "In The Mean Time", in "real" life and aside from what is being discussed "up there"?

At re:publica 2021, we want to shed light on both sides of the pandemic, which has made it more obvious than any other crisis in the past what a society in 2021 needs (and what it doesn't anymore) — not only in the 'meantime', but also in the 'aftermath'.