Beyond the Lecture is a podcast from the American Academy in Berlin featuring short interviews with distinguished American thought-leaders in political science, economics, journalism and the arts. New York Office American Academy in Berlin, Inc. 14 East 60th Street, Suite 604 New York, NY 10022 USA Berlin Office American Academy in Berlin GmbH Hans Arnhold Center Am Sandwerder 17-19 14109 Berlin Germany
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Is Russia a "Verbrecherstaat?" - A Perspective from International Law
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With the Russian attack on Ukraine, the Academy's spring 2022 Daimler fellow Lawrence Douglas's project on aggressive war, atrocity and the "Verbrecherstaat" suddenly became very current.On this episode of "Beyond the Lecture," Douglas talks about the origin of the term "Verbrecherstaat," considers Russia's actions in light of the categories of agg…
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Threats from the Margin? - Ladee Hubbard's novel "The Descendants"
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In fall 2021, New Orleans-based writer Ladee Hubbard spent her time as Mary Ellen von der Heyden Fellow in Fiction working on her new novel, "The Descendants." On this episode of "Beyond the Lecture," Hubbard talks about her novel-in-progress, the 1980s war on drugs, and, as a special treat, reads a story from her forthcoming collection "The Last S…
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"The Family Chao:" Lan Samantha Chang on How to Narrate a Community
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During her stay at the American Academy as the Mary Ellen von der Heyden Fellow in Fiction in fall 2021, Lan Samantha Chang gave the finishing touch to her much-anticipated new novel "The Family Chao," to be published by W.W. Norton & Company in February 2022. On today's episode, you can find out how rediscovering Dostoevsky's "The Brothers Karamaz…
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In this episode of "Beyond the Lecture," we take a behind-the-scenes look at a debate currently roiling classical scholarship and pedagogy. It’s a debate about how the field should be approached now and in the future, about privilege and access and the very aura of classics. To get into this story, we talk with spring 2021 American Academy fellow N…
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What was it like to be the first black person at an all-white private school in the American South? The very first, that is. In this episode, we explore this question through the work of investigative journalist and fall 2020 Holtzbrinck fellow, Mosi Secret, who's currently writing a book about a philanthropic initiative to integrate black children…
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There are few novelists who made more of an impact on twentieth-century German literature than Thomas Mann. His works have been translated into over thirty languages and remain the subject of much debate. On today's podcast, we bring together two scholars who have made Mann's life and literary output the focus of their academic concerns: Susan Bern…
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The world is on hold and we are all going a bit stir-crazy. Strange things are happening in a tiny New York City apartment, where a young podcaster uses his isolation time to open a mysterious portal to the afterlife. This episode of “Beyond the Lecture” features a special recording of novelist Paul LaFarge’s fictive play “Ninth Beast.” LaFarge is …
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Corona Dispatches: Scholars at the American Academy reflect on the pandemic and its meanings
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In this episode of „Beyond the Lecture,” scholars and artists at the American Academy in Berlin reflect on the various intersections of the coronavirus pandemic with their respective fields of study. We spoke with composer Carolyn Chen, cultural historian Liliane Weissberg (spring 2020 Anna-Maria Kellen fellow) of University of Pennsylvania, German…
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Singing to Glaciers: What Iceland can teach us about grief & our common future
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In this episode of "Beyond the Lecture," cultural anthropologists Dominic Boyer (spring 2020 Axel Springer Fellow) and Cymene Howe, both of Rice University, reveal some insights from their recent research into Iceland's ancient traditions. What they found has profound implications for how we view grief, the future, and the way we come to terms with…
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What Happened When Claudia Rankine Talked to White Men About Privilege
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Poet, playwright, and Yale University professor Claudia Rankine was at the American Academy in Berlin as a Distinguished Visitor in early November 2019, to deliver the John W. Kluge lecture. Academy producer Tony Andrews sat down with Rankine to discuss the various dynamics at work in the conversations she quotes in her forthcoming book, Just Us, a…
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Linda Gordon on the KKK & the roots of US anti-immigrant policy
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Historian Linda Gordon was recently at the American Academy in Berlin, as a Marcus Bierich Distinguished Visitor, to discuss her latest book, "The Second Coming of the KKK." In it, Gordon goes beyond the more well-known terrorism of the KKK in the South, to show just how active the Klan was in northern states like Oregon and Massachusetts in the fi…
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Beyond the Lecture: Anne Finger on Disability and the Politics of Memory
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Writer Anne Finger is in Berlin to research histories of disability in the city. In this episode, she goes on a trip to an old, abandoned Nazi psychiatric facility with producer Tony Andrews. Along the way, they meet up with Andreas Hechler, whose great grandmother was sent to a facility just like it. In the process, they confront some disturbing h…
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Beyond the Lecture: Wang Lu On How She Writes Music
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Composer and pianist Wang Lu was born in the Xi’an, China, the country’s ancient capital. Brought up in a musical family with strong Chinese opera and folk music traditions, her compositions are inspired by both of these forms, and fused with urban environmental sounds. Wang’s works have been performed internationally by the Ensemble Modern, The Mi…
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Beyond the Lecture: Martin Puchner Tries to Save a Dying Language
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Literary historian Martin Puchner's journey with languages started early and unexpectedly: a series of seemingly unconnected events led to his discovery that he was the last speaker of an almost forgotten medieval language, Rotwelsch. In his research into what this language was — where it came from, who spoke it, and why — Puchner was forced to con…
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Beyond the Lecture: Sir David Chipperfield
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Sir David Chipperfield is a world-renowned architect who has designed and refurbished some of the most iconic buildings in the world, including Berlin’s Neues Museum. On March 21, 2019, Sir Chipperfield was at the American Academy to deliver a lecture entitled “Identity and Sustainability—Fundación RIA in Galicia.” In the lecture, he discusses his …
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Beyond the Lecture: Masha Gessen and Joshua Yaffa
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New Yorker staff writer Masha Gessen was at the American Academy in late November to talk about her most recent book, The Future Is History. In this podcast, she discusses Russia, cynicism, doublethink, and the imaginative powers of democracy with fall 2018 Academy fellow Joshua Yaffa, the Moscow correspondent for the New Yorker.Host: R. Jay Magill…
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P. Carl is a dramaturg, nonfiction writer, theater producer, and Distinguished Artist in Residence at Emerson College. As a Holtzbrinck Fellow at the American Academy in fall 2018, he’s is working on a memoir about gender transition, entitled Becoming a White Man, to be published by Simon & Schuster. The American Academy’s Tina Reis sat down with C…
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Many climate scientists say it's past midnight on the environmental clock. New Yorker staff writer and Pulitzer recpient Elizabeth Kolbert has spent the last few decades reporting on climate change and its effects. We sat down with her to talk about the dire state of the biosphere.Host: R. Jay Magill, Jr.Producer: Cristina GonzalezPhoto: Annette Ho…
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On October 11, 2018, Pulitzer-prize winning author and journalist Frances FitzGerald delivered a lecture on evangelical voters in the United States, as the American Academy's fall 2018 Richard von Weizsäcker Distinguished Visitor. We sat down with FitzGerald to find out more about this particular voting bloc and its political influence in the Unite…
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Political philosopher Michael Sandel was at the American Academy in spring 2018 to deliver a lecture entitled “Populism, Trump, and the Future of Democracy.” We sat down with him to gauge his thoughts on where democracy was headed, what he thought was missing from public discourse, and what he believes gave rise to populist nationalism.Host: R. Jay…
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Linda Greenhouse reported on the Supreme Court for the New York Times for the past thirty years. Currently a journalist in residence at the Yale Law School, and president of the American Philosophical Society, Greenhouse was at the Academy in May 2018 to deliver the Lloyd Cutler Lecture, entitled “Can the Supreme Court Save the United States.” We s…
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Tricia Rose is a professor of Africana Studies and director of the Center of the Study of Race and Ethnicity at Brown University, and a frequent commentator in American media and on college campuses about the state of race in America. A few hours before her April 24, 2018 Marcus Bierich lecture at the American Academy, we sat down with Rose to ask …
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Adam Tooze is professor of history and director of the European Institute at Columbia University. A specialist in twentieth-century German economic history, he was at the Academy on March 13, 2018, to deliver this semester’s Marcus Bierich Lecture, “The 2008 Global Crisis: Approaches to a Future History.” This is also the subject of his forthcoming…
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Beyond the Lecture: Keith David Watenpaugh
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Keith David Watenpaugh is Professor and Director of Human Rights Studies at the University of California, Davis. Since 2013, he has directed a multi-disciplinary international research program to assist refugee university students and scholars fleeing the war in Syria. He’s leading an effort to expand refugee access to higher education through some…
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David Miliband, a former British foreign minister, has been the president and CEO of the International Rescue Committee since 2013. He's the author of a new book about the global migration crisis, Rescue: Refugees and the Political Crisis of Our Time (Simon & Schuster/TED Books). On February 19, 2018, Miliband gave a lecture on this topic as an Ame…
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Before joining the German Marshall Fund, as executive vice president and senior advisor for security and defense policy, Derek Chollet held senior positions in the Obama administration—in the White House, State Department, and the Pentagon. He most recently served as US assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, and most rec…
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Beyond the Lecture: Earl Lewis on Meeting Global Challenges
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Beyond the Lecture: Earl Lewis on Meeting Global Challenges by American Academy in BerlinBy American Academy in Berlin
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Beyond the Lecture: Nicholas Eberstadt on North Korea
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Political scientist Nicholas Eberstadt (American Enterprise Institute) was a Distinguished Visitor at the American Academy in Berlin in November 2017. An expert on North Korea, Eberstadt has been following the country's economic and political development for the past thirty years. In this interview, he discusses the country's reclusive regime, its …
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Beyond the Lecture: Charles Taylor on Democratic Degeneration
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On November 16, the renowned Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor was at the American Academy to deliver the 2017 Fritz Stern lecture, “Democratic Degeneration: Three Easy Paths to Regression.” Taylor’s talk addressed a concern held by increasing numbers of thoughtful people in recent years: that democracy is sliding backwards—losing ground internat…
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Beyond the Lecture: Nicholas Eberstadt on Men without Work
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On this episode of "Beyond the Lecture," we sat down with political scientist Nicholas Eberstadt to discuss the origins and causes of the decline of work for American men."Men without Work" is the title Eberstadt’s latest book. It’s about the radical decline in employment of working age American men over the past half-century. This worrying trend i…
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Beyond the Lecture: Roger Cohen on Trump and the Postwar Order
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On this edition of "Beyond the Lecture," we sat down with New York Times columnist Roger Cohen.On the evening of September 28, 2017, Cohen spoke at the American Academy -- as a John W. Kluge Distinguished Visitor -- about the fate of the postwar order in the age of Donald Trump. We sat down with Cohen to discuss the topic more personally, and to he…
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Beyond the Lecture: Kerry James Marshall and Trenton Doyle Hancock
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On this edition of Beyond the Lecture, we sit down with artists Kerry James Marshall and Trenton Doyle Hancock for an extended discussion about painting, collage, and comics.Host: R. Jay MagillBy American Academy in Berlin
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Beyond the Lecture: Jill Abramson on Fake News and Trust in Media
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At a time when public trust in the news media is at a historic low, when fake news proliferates social media, and voters are highly polarized, how can quality journalism survive? Jill Abramson, former executive editor of the New York Times, sits down with the Academy's Beyond the Lecture series to discuss protecting accurate and reliable news.Host:…
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Beyond the Lecture: Kati Marton on Soviet Russia and 1930s America
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At a time when Russia is alleged to have manipulated the recent US Presidential elections, Kati Marton returned to the American Academy to present her latest book, True Believer (Simon & Schuster, 2016), which reveals the life of Noel Field, an Ivy League-educated State Department employee, who was deeply rooted in the culture and history of the Un…
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Beyond the Lecture: Barry Eichengreen on American Populism
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This episode of the American Academy in Berlin's “Beyond the Lecture” features an interview with University of California Berkeley economist Barry Eichengreen. A distinguished academic expert on the international monetary and financial systems, Eichengreen is also a research associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research in Cambridge, Massac…
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Beyond the Lecture: Joseph Stiglitz on the Future of the Euro
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On this edition of the American Academy in Berlin's “Beyond the Lecture” series, Nobel laureate economist Joseph Stiglitz discussed his most recent book, The Euro: How a Common Currency Threatens the Future of Europe. It was published this fall in Germany by Siedler Verlag, as Europa Sparr Sich Kaputt. We spoke with him talk about the future of the…
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Beyond the Lecture: Douglas Rivers and the Angry American Voter
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Douglas Rivers, chief scientist at YouGov and professor of political science at Stanford University, talks to the American Academy in Berlin about polling, the media, and the angry voter in the 2016 US Presidential election.Host: R. Jay MagillBy American Academy in Berlin
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Soheil Nasseri playing Beethoven's Fifth Symphony
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On February 4th, Soheil Nasseri performed Beethoven's Fifth Symphony at the American Academy in Berlin. For more information about Nasseri's upcoming performances, you can visit his website: http://soheilnasseri.com/en/By American Academy in Berlin
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The Role of Women: A discussion with Marilyn Yalom and Brenda Stevenson
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On the occasion of her visit to the American Academy in Berlin, Stanford University historian Marilyn Yalom sat down with Academy fellow Brenda Stevenson, herself a historian from UCLA. Their topic was one of shared interest: women. From Abigail Adams to Hillary Clinton, Yalom and Stevenson discuss the historical role of women and the current chall…
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Beyond the Lecture: Brenda E. Stevenson on the LA Riots
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24 years ago, the deadliest race riots in US history were raging in Los Angeles. Current American Academy fellow Brenda E. Stevenson shares her perspective on why the violence erupted and how the American criminal justice system must still be improved to make all citizens truly equal under the law. Hear more from Brenda at her Axel Springer Lecture…
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Yo-Yo Ma and Kinan Azmeh: "When Strangers Become Friends"
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"When Strangers Become Friends" brought remarkable musicians from the US, Syria, and Germany to the Academy. Listen to a beautiful testament to the unifying power of music by Yo-Yo Ma (cello) and Kinan Azmeh (clarinet).This concert took place on March 23, 2016 at the American Academy in Berlin.By American Academy in Berlin
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Beyond the Lecture: Michèle Lowrie on Ancient Rome
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Can advice from ancient Rome redeem the current political scene in the United States? Dirk Ippen fellow Michèle Lowrie discusses this anomalous, yet timely question in a review of Philip Freeman’s translations of the works of the brothers Cicero.By American Academy in Berlin
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On March 31, the Trustees of the American Academy in Berlin announced the selection of a new president, Brown University Professor Michael P. Steinberg, who will assume his duties at the Hans Arnhold Center on August 15, 2016. The following are excerpts from a press conference with Professor Steinberg and current Academy president, Professor Gerhar…
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Steven Hill on Germany and the sharing economy
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Based on his research of today's sharing economy, our fellow Steven Hill sees facets of the German system as a potential model for the US.By American Academy in Berlin
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Beyond the Lecture: Alvin E. Roth on the Economics of Matching Markets
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On March 9, the American Academy in Berlin co-hosted an event with ESMT and Siedler Verlag: Nobel laureate and Academy distinguished visitor Alvin E. Roth introduced his new book "Wer Kriegt Was und Warum? Bildung, Jobs und Partnerwahl: Wie Märkte Funktionieren" (Siedler Verlag 2016).Roth spoke with the American Academy's Cristina Gonzalez about ma…
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Francis Fukuyama: Democracy's Failure to Perform
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Democracy has been doing poorly around the world in recent years, argued noted political scientist Francis Fukuyama, the Academy's spring 2016 Marcus Bierich Distinguished Visitor, at his February 29 lecture. With political breakdown occurring in many regions across the globe, Fukuyama noted, the failure of governments to provide citizens with basi…
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Beyond the Lecture: Francis Fukuyama on Challenges to Democracy
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Distinguished Visitor and noted political scientist Francis Fukuyama delivered a lecture at the American Academy in Berlin, "Democracy's Failure to Perform." Prior to his lecture on February 29, 2016, he spoke with the American Academy's Cristina Gonzalez about polarization in the United States, the rise of presidential candidate Donald Trump, and …
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