With just over a week to go before the U.S. presidential election and elections across Germany quickly approaching, we will take a step back from a frantic race and look at the bigger picture: What can any citizen do for their democracy besides casting a vote every couple of years? We will reflect on the seemingly waning importance of political institutions, and the lack of trust and authority office holders and experts alike experience these days.

We debated these questions with education and anti-trafficking advocate Rachel Labi, and Founder and Project Manager at Youth Lead the Change Germany Clara Kallich. This talk is part of our trans-Atlantic series “Across the Pond” in collaboration with Open Embassy for Democracy (OPEM) and University of Cologne New York Office. Curated and moderated by Tobias Endler.

Recording Available

After a year of elections around the world and elections in Germany next year, the American Council on Germany and 1014 were joined for a discussion by Prof. Franz Mayer, Chair in Public Law, European Law, Comparative Law, and Law and Politics at the University of Bielefeld and Scholar in Residence at Columbia University. He will talk about electoral processes as fundamental pillars of democracies. How can they be designed in a way that citizens truly have a voice in governance? And, how can they be safeguarded against fraud or violence, or allegations thereof?

This event is in partnership with the ACG

Many heinous actions reported throughout history are linked to individuals or groups that claim to be people of faith. Our two experts in religious studies, Professor Susannah Heschel, Dartmouth College, and Professor Terrence Johnson, Harvard Divinity School, considered some consequences of engaging with Judeo-Christian scripture and its relevancy for the current, alas violent, political moment. Moderated by Professor Irene Kacandes, Dartmouth College.

Recording Available

Freedom in Western societies is often celebrated as a fundamental value, but its application has historically been marked by significant limitations and exclusions. Together, Aziz Rana, author and Professor of Law and Government at Boston College, and Alexander Goerlach, expert on liberal democracies and Adjunct Professor at NYU, discussed how freedom and democracy have been unevenly applied throughout history and how those patterns continue to shape contemporary society. In partnership with the American Council on Germany.

Recording Available

A collective 50.3 million people with disabilities across the U.S. and Germany need urban planning and an architecture that allows them to access streets, parks, buildings, and public transportation the same way as people without disabilities. Are they part of our city development conversations? What is needed to create an inclusive future, a future that serves our entire community?

Together, at the The Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung, we discussed ways to reimagine our cities to be inclusive to ALL. Featuring disability rights activist and content creator Annie Segarra, urbanist and content creator Jon Jon Wesolowski, a.k.a. "The Happy Urbanist", disability rights activist and artist Moira Williams, and Warren Shaw, attorney, activist, historian, and son of Disability Rights Movement pioneers Mollie and Julius Shaw. 

Recording Available

With elections in the German state of Brandenburg and federal elections in the United States coming up, we want to take a closer look at the critical topics across the Atlantic: migration, economy and inflation, equality and reproductive health rights. How can we fix these problems? What do the candidates for office suggest?

Together, we debated these questions with Franziska Riel, Head of Communication for a member of the German Bundestag; and J. Miles Coleman, Associate Editor at The Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. This talk is part of our trans-Atlantic series “Across the Pond” in collaboration with Open Embassy for Democracy (OPEM) and University of Cologne New York Office. Curated and moderated by Tobias Endler.

Recording Available

Upon her return from Berlin as the inaugural Gahl Hodges Burt Scholar at the American Academy in Berlin, Dr. Sharon S. Nazarin shared her vast expertise on antisemitism and its intersection with democratic crisis across Europe, North America, and Australia.

This breakfast discussion, hosted by 1014 and the American Council on Germany (ACG), was moderated by Steven Sokol, President of the ACG.

The amount of money spent on election campaigns in the United States has increased dramatically over time, sparking debate on the influence of money in politics and its impact on the democratic process. To what extent does money determine election outcomes? Join us with Sandra Navidi, University of Cologne alumna, financial expert, attorney and CEO of BeyondGlobal; and Maureen Edobor, Assistant Professor of Law, Washington and Lee School of Law to gain a better understanding of these funding models.

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Every other member of the U.S. Senate is a millionaire, and 9 out of 10 members of the German Bundestag have spent time at a university at some point; a significant number never worked in a job outside of politics. Is it any surprise that many U.S. and German citizens consider their country’s democratic institutions out of touch when it comes to the life and work of the average citizen?

Together, we debated these questions with Center for American Progress Director of Technology Policy Megan Shahi, Missions Publiques co-director Antoine Vergne, and Centre for European Reform chief economist Sander Tordoir.

Recording Available

Constitutions used to be a symbol of national identity. In democracies, they state the principles and ideals that citizens can rally around. But does this still work today? 

Together, we debated these questions in our trans-Atlantic talk series “Across the Pond” in collaboration with Open Embassy for Democracy (OPEM), with German journalist and podcast host Hanna Israel and U.S. public historian Shelby Dains.

Recording Available

Politics is hard work, and holding public office is tough. Recently, it can even mean dealing with heckling and physical violence. How can we ensure that citizens stay engaged? What would politics look like if there were no one more prepared to do the job? During this discussion, we reviewed these challenges with Jasmin Miah, Head of Berlin Office at Local Governments for Sustainability (ILCLEI), and Marco Morales, Adjunct Professor at Western Washington University, teaching Introduction to Latino Studies and Latino Migrants in the U.S.  

This talk is part of our trans-Atlantic series “Across the Pond” in collaboration with Open Embassy for Democracy (OPEM). Curated and moderated by Tobias Endler.

Recording Available

Freedom of the arts is essential for any democracy, but what role do the arts play when democracies come under pressure? This concert and dance performance by Miro Magloire’s New Chamber Ballet took a leap from mid-century composers into the present. Featuring music by Ursula Mamlok, Tania León, and Alyssa Regent. Moderated by Carl Bettendorf.

Freedom of the arts is essential for any democracy, but what role do the arts play when democracies come under pressure? This performance at the Austrian Cultural Forum New York for Songs from Exile presented works of Ruth Schonthal and Erich Zeisl.

Freedom of the arts is essential for any democracy, but what role do the arts play when democracies come under pressure? This concert performance brought us to the Center for Jewish History, Leo Baeck Institute New York for Songs from Exile with works by Rosy Geiger-Kullmann, Paul Aron, and Ernst Toch - introducing two German-Jewish composers in American exile: Paul Aron and Rosy Geiger-Kullmann, with world premiere performances.

Freedom of the arts is essential for any democracy, but what role do the arts play when democracies come under pressure? Kai Hinrich Müller joined us at Goethe-Institut New York for “Opera and Democracy” to explore the past and present of being forced out of a country or a home and the struggles to continue artistic practices elsewhere. Featuring Brigid Cohen, Associate Professor of Music at New York University; Gracie Golden, Artistic Freedom Initiative’s Senior Officer for Strategic Initiatives & Relocation; and Michael P. Steinberg, professor of history and music, German studies, and author of “The Afterlife of Moses: Exile, Democracy, Renewal”.

Democracies seem to be wilting from lack of genuine interchange and compromise. How can educators support explorations of controversial subjects in ways that engage people’s hearts as well as minds? What tools of critique build connections rather than obstacles between people? Legal scholar Martha Minow and choreographer, educator and writer Liz Lerman discussed such questions and offered examples that show how developing our capacities to find new routes and pathways to each other can be taken from classrooms and seminar rooms into the wider world. Moderated by Professor Irene Kacandes, Dartmouth College.

Recording Available

This trans-Atlantic conversation about migration, part of a series called Humanities for Humans presented in partnership with the Walter de Gruyter Foundation (Berlin), explored current migration trends, why they are happening, and how the role of so-called “race” have influenced the history of migration. Featuring Legal Scholar and Dr. Kathryn Abrams, University of California, Berkeley and Migration and Racism Expert and Independent Scholar Dr. Mark Terkessidis, Berlin, Germany. Moderated by Professor Irene Kacandes, Dartmouth College.

Recording Available

At a time when there is talk of "fake news" and "alternative facts", the question arises as to the role and status of truth in democracy. In conversation with the historian Sophia Rosenfeld (UPenn), Alexander Görlach discussed truth and probability, science and faith in liberal democracy.

Organized with generous support by the Kurt Forrest Foundation.

Recording Available

This conversation about gender, part of a series called Humanities for Humans presented in partnership with the Walter de Gruyter Foundation (Berlin), explored the dichotomy of the loosening up of social values and prohibitions around non-normative expressions of embodiment, and the prevention and banning of gender affirming care and sex education sweeping the U.S. Poet Meg Fernandes and cultural critic Jack Halberstam discussed gender identification and sexual styles. Moderated by Irene Kacandes, Dartmouth College.

Recording Available

Alexander Görlach and philosopher Markus Gabriel discussed the foundations of a liberal anthropology: Can people have freedom, and if so, how much? Does technology help or does it impose invisible shackles on humankind? Ultimately, the "elephant in the room" is the question of whether liberal democracy has a future.

Recording Available

Like the US, Germany has seen the rapid growth and radicalization of domestic right-wing movements. Racist, anti-Semitic conspiracy theories are actively imported over the Atlantic and influence the political debate in Germany. In conversation with Steven Sokol, President of the American Council on Germany (ACG), Ricarda Lang discussed her party’s efforts to counter the rise of anti-democratic forces in Germany, Europe, and across Atlantic, and to rebuild trust in democracy.

The discussion aimed to draw out shared lessons for democratic actors on both sides of the Atlantic, as they confront this common challenge to their democracies.

This trans-Atlantic conversation about acts of mourning and memorialization, part of a series called Humanities for Humans presented in partnership with the Walter de Gruyter Foundation (Berlin), explored the legacies of structural racism, inequality, war, poverty, and climate change following the COVID-19 pandemic. Featuring Professor Marianne Hirsch, who writes about the transmission of memories of violence across generations; and Hortense J. Spillers, the Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor Emerita of English at Vanderbilt University. Moderated by Professor Irene Kacandes, German Studies and Comparative Literature, Dartmouth College.

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This conversation, co-hosted with The Urban Activist, explored what activism means to people, its power to create positive change, and how it has been evolving over the past decades. Featuring Co-Founder and Executive Director of Street Lab New York Leslie Davol; award-winning policy advocate, liberation and food activist Eloísa Trinidad; Baltimore based photographer and educator Devin Allen; and academic-activist and advocate for fair digital labor practices Trebor Scholz. Moderated by Sarah Seidman, Puffin Foundation Gallery Curator of Social Activism at the Museum of the City of New York and the curator for the ongoing exhibition “Activist New York".

Video available

This trans-Atlantic conversation, part of a series called Humanities for Humans presented in partnership with the Walter de Gruyter Foundation (Berlin), explored differing definitions of inequality. While we might believe that all humans are created equal, socially defined characteristics confer or withhold concrete privileges and opportunities that profoundly shape the quality of individual lives. How do scholars define inequality? Featuring historian Robin D.G. Kelley, Distinguished Professor and Gary B. Nash Endowed Chair in U.S. History at the University of California in Los Angeles, and cultural studies scholar Bruce Robbins, Old Dominion Foundation Professor in the Humanities at Columbia University. This talk was moderated by Professor Irene Kacandes, German Studies and Comparative Literature, Dartmouth College.

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This discussion, hosted in partnership with Goethe-Institut New York and Thomas Mann House Los Angeles, explored Black feminism in a trans-Atlantic context, examining the lived experience of Black women in the USA and Europe. Featuring Alice Hasters, German journalist, author, and podcaster; and Morgan Jerkins, 2023 Fellow at the Thomas Mann House Los Angeles and bestselling author.

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As part of their virtual series Democracies Under Pressure: Challenges for the Global Liberal Order, ACG and 1014 hosted another discussion about the economic and social impact of the simultaneous crises we are facing. Featuring Prof. Dr. h.c. Jutta Allmendinger, President, WZB Berlin Social Science Center and Professor of Educational Sociology and Labor Market Research, Humboldt University in Berlin; and Dr. Adam Tooze, Shelby Cullom Davis Chair of History and Director of the European Institute, Columbia University. Moderated by journalist Ines Pohl, Washington bureau chief for Deutsche Welle.

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This trans-Atlantic conversation about climate change, part of a series called Humanities for Humans presented in partnership with the Walter de Gruyter Foundation (Berlin), explored ancient and modern views of human relations to the earth from disciplines as seemingly different as legal studies and art, geography and ethics and from places as different as North America, Europe and Southeast Asia. Featuring Prof. Harriet Hawkins, Co-Director of the Royal Holloway Centre for the GeoHumanities, University of London, and Director of Techne, and Prof. Rebecca Tsosie, James E. Rogers College of Law at the University of Arizona. Moderated by Irene Kacandes, Professor of German Studies and Comparative Literature, Dartmouth College.

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As part of their virtual series Democracies Under Pressure: Challenges for the Global Liberal Order, ACG and 1014 hosted another discussion about how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February recalibrated the attention of the transatlantic community toward Europe. Featuring Sinologists Dr. Kristin Shi-Kupfer, Professor for Sinology at the University of Trier and a Senior Associate Fellow at MERICS; and Yun Sun, Senior Fellow and Co-Director of the East Asia Program and Director of the China Program at the Stimson Center.

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As part of their virtual series Democracies under Pressure: Challenges for the Global Liberal Order, ACG and 1014 hosted another discussion about the economic implications of the Ukraine war. Featuring experts Ambassador Ertharin Cousin, CEO and Managing Director, Food Systems for the Future; former Executive Director, United Nations World Food Program; and Alexander Müller, Managing Director, TMG Think Tank for Sustainability.

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As part of their virtual series Democracies under Pressure: Challenges for the Global Liberal Order, ACG and 1014 hosted another discussion about how authoritarianism and authoritarian regimes are gaining more traction around the world. Featuring experts Dr. John Glenn, Senior Director of the National Endowment for Democracy’s International Forum for Democratic Studies; and Sarah Pagung, Associate Fellow in the International Order and Democracy Program at the German Council on Foreign Relations.

Video available