55 Voices for Democracy – The Podcast
How can democracy be renewed and defended today?
A collaboration of the Thomas Mann House, the Goethe Institute, Wunderbar Together, and the Los Angeles Review of Books.
- Update frequency
- every 14 days
- Average duration
- 34 minutes
- Episodes
- 59
- Years Active
- 2020 - 2024
Diana Garvin on the Political Implications of Food
The fascist regime in Italy attempted early on to create a culinary nationalism by “re-writing ‘la cucina povera’ (the cooking of the poor) as national greatness” and to evoke a sense of pride in loc…
Craig Calhoun on Nationalism & Protest Movements
Ruben Neugebauer on Sea Rescue and the Crisis on the Mediterranean Sea
Civil sea rescue by organizations such as Sea-Watch saves lives, but the fundamental problem that Europe is sealed off to many who seek refuge remains, argues Ruben Neugebauer. Neugebauer is a co-fou…
Lawrence Douglas on Fixing the Electoral System
Mohamed Amjahid on the Protection of Minorities
Aurora Almendral on the Political Situation in the Philippines
In this episode, Tom Zoellner and fellow journalist Aurora Almendral analyze the political situation in the Philippines: How does President Rodrigo Duterte, who many criticize for his autocratic gove…
David Kipen on the Renewal of the Federal Writers' Project
Birte Meier on Equal Pay
What can Germany learn from California in terms of Equal Pay? Award-winning journalist Birte Meier explored this question during her Fellowship at the Thomas Mann House in Los Angeles. In this episod…
Sonia Faleiro on Political Oppression in India
In this episode, award-winning journalist Sonia Faleiro talks about dangerous developments in Indian democracy under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The repression of the Muslim minority and restrictio…
Daniel Ziblatt on Resilient Democracies | A Collaboration with the German American Conference at Harvard
In this collaboration with the German American Conference at Harvard, Dr. Daniel Ziblatt talks about the decline of democracies. Ziblatt encourages us not to "be afraid to reform our constitution and…
Tobias Boes on Thomas Mann’s War
How did Thomas Mann use the then still young medium of radio in his fight against fascism? How did he channel repressed energies into political activism? Literary scholar Tobias Boes, author of the b…
Anniversary Episode: One Year of "55 Voices for Democracy"
The 55 Voices for Democracy podcast celebrates it's first birthday this month! Time to look back on the first 25 episodes and reflect on what happened so far: Hosts Tom Zoellner and Aida Baghernejad …
Emilia Roig on Intersectionality
"We have to think of the entire fabric of our society, and we have to be courageous!“ French political scientist Emilia Roig talks about the intersection and simultaneity of different categories of d…
Timothy Snyder on Resisting Authoritarianism
"The problem is ourselves." Timothy Snyder describes why the challenges of our democracies are not so much political figures like Trump, but ourselves as citizens. Snyder says it's about breaking dow…
Samuel Moyn on the idea of humane wars
Stephanie Kelton on Democracy and the Deficit Myth
Susan Bernofsky on Translation and the Plurality of Language
Susan Bernofsky's new translation of Thomas Mann's novel "The Magic Mountain" is eagerly awaited. In conversation with Tom Zoellner, Bernofsky talks about Thomas Mann's multiculturalism and the chall…
Mithu Sanyal on 'Transracialism' and Identity
As more and more Americans self-identify as multiracial, transgressing categories of race still raise questions. Most prominently in the case of Rachel Dolezal, a former college professor and activi…
David Himbara on Threatening Developments in Rwanda
While his government has long been a promise for reconciliation and development, Rwanda's President Paul Kagame is facing increasing international criticism. Human Rights Watch and other institutions…
Colm Toíbín on Thomas Mann & Democracy
Irish novelist, journalist and scholar Colm Toíbín talks about Thomas Mann’s formation as a democrat and the historic circumstances that formed his political thinking. Toíbín’s highly anticipated upc…