Bard College Berlin Board of Governors member and civil rights advocate Kimberly Marteau Emerson recently published a contribution co-written with Nina Smidt (Director, ZEIT-Foundation) and entitled "Berlin: The Beating Heart of European Civil Society" on the blog of the Center on Public Democracy at USC.  

In the aftermath of the closing of Open Society Foundation and the Central European University in Budapest, as well as similar situations that threaten liberal democracy in Europe, the two authors turn their attention to Berlin and its status as a safe haven for civil society institutions and initiatives. Emerson and Smidt urge that, with the support of the federal government, Berlin plays “a pivotal role in shaping civil society in Germany, Europe and the world at large. It is our hope that it acts on this opportunity.” 

Read the contribution>> 

The volume Plato and the Moving Image, co-edited by Bard College Berlin faculty member Michael Weinman and Shai Biderman (Tel Aviv University), was recently published by Brill Publishers.

From the book's description:
This book shows how and why debates in the philosophy of film can be advanced through the study of the role of images in Plato’s dialogues, and, conversely, why Plato studies stands to benefit from a consideration of recent debates in the philosophy of film. Contributions range from a reading of Phaedo as a ghost story to thinking about climate change documentaries through Plato’s account of pleonexia. They suggest how philosophical aesthetics can be reoriented by attending anew to Plato’s deployment of images, particularly images that move. They also show how Plato’s deployment of images is integral to his practice as a literary artist.

Weinman also contributed a chapter to the book on "The Myth of Er as Rationalizing Recording Device."

The book is available both in print and in e-book edition and can be found here.

On June 19, 2019 Professor of Politics Boris Vormann discussed for Deutsche Welle the formal kick-off of Trump's 2020 re-election campaign. Vormann commented that Trump's re-election bid is not surprising and that it is accompanied by familiar themes which have so far been the focus of Trump's presidency. Vormann also discussed the meaning of the swing states for Trump and urged for cautiousness regarding the current poll numbers. 

Watch the interview>> (source: dw.com) 

On June 18-19, 2019 Bard College Berlin representatives participated in the conference "The Other 1 Percent - Refugees at Institutions for Higher Education Worldwide," organized by the German Federal Foreign Office (FFO), the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Berlin, in celebration of World Refugee Day on June 20. The conference was opened by Heiko Mass, the German Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs, and Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

The conference aimed to strengthen collaboration between higher education stakeholders in countries where displaced individuals live to ensure that generations of young people do not lose their opportunity to lead productive, engaged and independent lives today and in future. In panel discussions, workshops and world-cafés, participants explored opportunities to expand access to higher education for displaced individuals, identified good practices, partnership opportunities and possible actions in the areas of financing and partnerships, inclusion and access, research and data, connected learning, internationalization and transition to employment. 

Bard College Berlin was represented at the conference by Associate Dean Kerry Bystrom, who gave a presentation in a workshop on “Research and data” moderated by economist and peace researcher Tilman Brück; by Civic Engagement Manager Xenia Muth, who introduced BCB’s Program for International Education and Social Change in a poster exhibition on the inclusion of qualified refugees in German universities; and by student Ehab Badwi (BA 2022, Syria), who participated in a student panel discussion on “Refugee student experiences at higher education institutions worldwide” and in the workshop "Student-led Initiatives." 

Read more about the conference>>

On June 7, 2019 faculty member Aya Soika was a guest on the radio show Forum (SWR 2) to discuss together with art critic and journalist Till Briegleb and art historian Christoph Zuschlag (University of Bonn) the relation of the Expressionist art movement "Die Brücke" to National Socialism. 

The radio show draws on two current exhibitions co-curated by Soika - A German Legend. Emil Nolde and the Nazi Regime at the Hamburger Bahnhof and Escape into Art? The Brücke Painters in the Nazi Period at the Brücke Museum in Berlin, which both grapple with the question of whether the Brücke artists were victims of the National Socialist cultural policy in light of their inclusion in the "Degenerate Art" exhibition. In the radio show, Soika highlights that the exhibitions are trying to go beyond the scope of this question, to look at the case of each painter individually and also in relation to the changes in their painting style and their actions after 1933. 

Listen to the show>>