Bard College Berlin co-hosts event on the 50th anniversary of Hannah Arendt's death

In collaboration with the Internationale Hannah Arendt Gesellschaft, RaumImHof e.V., and the Bildungswerk Berlin der Heinrich Böll Stiftung, Bard College Berlin hosted “Verstehen, was ist on December 7, 2025. Ein Tag für Hannah Arendt” at the Maxim Gorki Theater. Across three panels, participants explored the continued relevance of Hannah Arendt’s (1906–1975) thought, drawing on her work to interpret contemporary political developments and their connections to central concepts such as freedom, judgment, and civil disobedience.

Antonia Grunenberg (Internationale Hannah Arendt Gesellschaft) and Berit Ebert (Bard College Berlin) led conversations with experts including Roger Berkowitz (Bard College), Martin Andree (University of Cologne), and Ilko-Sascha Kowalczuk. Together, they examined topics ranging from the state of democracy worldwide and the transformation of the media landscape to the influence of big tech and the role of activism today. All three panels - in various ways - touched on the importance of democracies to deal with change and to the active public engagement of the individual. The latter, according to Arendt, constituted the core when it came to living a meaningful life, a life that matters.

Read more about the event in the Frankfurter Rundschau. 

Post Date: 12-11-2025