AGI

Society, Culture & Politics

The AGI Society, Culture & Politics Program focuses on crucial topics within the German-American dialogue, including: demographic change, migration/integration, and aging societies; electoral politics at the national, state, and European levels, and comparative analysis of Germany and the United States; diversity within Germany, Europe, and the United States; the politics of collective memory and identity, Holocaust remembrance and reconciliation, and shifting conceptions of national identity that shape perspectives and policy responses.
Reset

Episode 120: The Issues Driving German Politics One Month from the Bundestag Election

With the German elections slated for February 23, Member of the Bundestag Omid Nouripour, a former national co-chairman of the Green Party, joins The Zeitgeist to discuss the issues shaping the campaign. …

The German Reason of State as State Anti-Semitism

In an article published online in March 2024, the historian Andrew Port wrote about “Germany, Gaza, and Genocide.” He summarized what he called the “postcolonial catechism” critique of official German …

A Zeitenwende for Whom?

German Colonial Memory and Epistemic Barriers On November 21, 2024, The Namibian, Namibia’s leading English-language newspaper, reported that the ongoing negotiations between Namibia and Germany over compensation for the genocide …

Episode 119: Voter Volatility and Political Stagnation

Germany votes for a new parliament on February 23. While the center-right Christian Democrats maintain a lead in the polls, the three parties of Olaf Scholz’s outgoing “traffic light” coalition …

Addressing Germany’s Medical Personnel Shortage

The Untapped Potential of Physician Assistants Germany is grappling with a significant shortage of medical personnel that is likely to be exacerbated by an aging population of doctors and increasing …

Smoot-Hawley, McKinley, or a Brave New Trading World?

Historical Analogy and the Future of U.S. Trade Policy under Trump Trump and trade history MAGA is coming back to the White House—but the 2024 vintage of “Make America Great …

Trust and Distrust in Civic Institutions

Generational Differences in Germany and the United States Trust in civic institutions, such as government, courts, or the media, is essential for the effective functioning of a political system and …

Testing Democratic Resilience

Evidence from the United States and Germany The purpose of this essay is to evaluate the pillars of democratic resilience in the United States and Germany. It focuses on the …

Building Queer Community in the Birthplace of the LGBTQ+ Movement

The Stonewall Rebellion in New York’s Greenwich Village catalyzed the worldwide LGBTQ+ rights movement. In September 2024, participants of the second cohort of AGI’s project, Building LGBTQ+ Communities in Germany …

Queers’ (Un)Surprising Support for Right-Wing Parties in Germany and the United States

In politics, parties represent the interests of their constituents, and there is often a relationship between a person’s identity and their vote. In some cases, this seems consistent and in …

No Place Like Home

Housing as an LGBTIQ Issue in Germany and the United States Members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer (LGBTIQ) community exist in every culture and in every …