„[K]ein Grund zum Feiern“…? Die Universitätsjubiläen in Marburg und Tübingen 1977 zwischen Jubel, Krise und Chance

Abstract

The year 1977 marked the 450 and 500 anniversaries, respectively, of both the founding of the University of Marburg and Tübingen. Due to a series of upheavals, financial shortfalls and protests in the university sector since the 1960s the jubilees were not perceived as an occasion for cheers by everyone. The paper understands the anniversaries as a probe which can shed light on contemporary problem diagnoses and lines of conflict. By examining not only the official program, but rather a wide range of history types such as counter-festivities and counter-publications, conclusions can be drawn about diverging ideas regarding the identity of the university and the role of its different members. Despite several celebratory elements, the anniversary in Marburg was framed as a critical appraisal of the current situation with a participatory approach. Particular attention was attracted by a counter-celebration hosted by conservative professors,who used the opportunity for a general reckoning with university reforms. In Tübingen however, where the official program was altogether much more solemnly, it came to no comparable conservative protest, but instead to a student counter-jubilee.