The Anticlimactic Opening of the Humboldt Forum
December will witness one of Germany’s (actually, Europe’s) biggest cultural events in at least a decade: the opening of a massive new museum and cultural complex in the heart of …
The SPD Goes Back to the Future
German politics today is fit for a Greek tragedy, which is particularly true for the Social Democratic Party (SPD). The quest for new leadership less than a year ago brought …
#BlackLivesMatter: Social Unsettlement and Intersectional Justice in Pandemic Times
Notes From Black Berlin in the Summer of 2020 Seven years after the initiation of the #BlackLivesMatter Movement by Alicia Garza, Patrisse Khan-Cullors, and Opal Tometi, we are again facing …
Like Sands Through an Hourglass, So Are Angela Merkel’s Approval Ratings
German chancellor Angela Merkel may be cementing her legacy in the pandemic as the most popular leader in the history of the Bundesrepublik. While Donald Trump, Boris Johnson, Emmanuel Macron, …
German Millennials, Their Weltanschauung, and the Transatlantic Relationship
Germany’s millennials are a growing force in politics, as the “Fridays for Future” protests demonstrate. Climate activist Carla Reemtsma called the September 2019 demonstrations “the biggest protest, at least since …
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Countering Racism and Anti-Extremism in Germany
On May 20, just days before the United States became engulfed in another serious crisis over the issue of racism and racial violence, the first meeting of the German federal …
Episode 26: Deep History and Politics in Eastern Germany Today
How does the past shape today’s politics? For states in eastern Germany, memories of life in the German Democratic Republic are not that distant of a past. One example is …
Why Have Women World Leaders Performed So Well During the COVID-19 Crisis?
In 2019, UN Women reported that a mere 5 percent of heads of government around the world were female.[1] These handful of women, including German chancellor Angela Merkel, have dominated …
Watching Germany IV: Classic Films
This final installment in the AGI “Watching Germany” series is coming (hopefully) toward the end of a long shutdown due to the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. So, maybe file this for …
Watching Germany III: Recent Films with Contemporary Themes
As the third installment of AGI’s “Watching Germany” series (see television and contemporary films on German history), I am turning to post-reunification films with contemporary themes. There is a multitude …
Watching Germany II: Contemporary Films on German History
Here in Washington, DC, we are into week six of the pandemic shutdown. Universities and public schools will not reopen until the next school year. Regular businesses might only (partially) …
