AGI

Society

Our societies are changing on both sides of the Atlantic thanks to demographic change, immigration and integration, and regional differences—among other factors. Greater understanding about our cultures, an open exchange about emerging issues, and fostering dialogue between different groups can help German and American societies build stronger internal and external connections and awareness.
Reset

Inner Unity and Regional Diversity

The unification of the two German states in 1990 prompted expectations of harmonization in political culture and promises of equivalent living conditions. Almost three decades later, the revival of narratives …

On the Halle Synagogue Attacks

Everyone in the AGI community grieves and condemns the right-radical, anti-Semitic terrorist incident that occurred on Yom Kippur, Wednesday, October 9, 2019, in the city of Halle. By now, the …

Migration and Integration in Germany: The First Two Decades of the Twenty-First Century

Issue Brief 60 Few issues in recent years have dominated public and political discourse inside and outside of Germany as migration and integration. The movement of millions of people into …

Migration and Integration in Germany: The First Two Decades of the Twenty-First Century

Migration and integration have become dominant political topics in the United States and Germany. The German experience in 2015-2016 is often cited in the U.S. discourse on migration, but there …

Welcoming Places – Few and Far Between?

These days negative and at times dehumanizing rhetoric aimed at migrants—both legal and undocumented and of varying religious and ethnic make-up—are grabbing headlines around the globe. The trend to ignore …

Merve Schmitz-Vardar, Visiting Fellow

AGI is pleased to welcome Merve Schmitz-Vardar as a Visiting Fellow at AGI from August to October 2019.  Ms. Schmitz-Vardar is a research and teaching assistant at the Chair of …

The Dehumanization of Immigrants and the Rise of the Extreme Right

The ascendance of the far right has jolted both American and European politics. It has undermined liberal democracy in Hungary and Poland, and threatens it throughout Europe. That ascendance depends …

The Dehumanization of Immigrants and the Rise of the Extreme Right

The ascendance of the far right has jolted both American and European politics. It has undermined liberal democracy in Hungary and Poland, and threatens it throughout Europe. That ascendance depends …

Trinitarian Politics in Germany: Impact of the State Elections in Brandenburg and Saxony 

A lesser-known story in Christian history is how the concept of the Trinity of God—Father, Son, and Holy Ghost—was the subject of massive disagreement in the early years of the …

Episode 13: Elections Reveal New Trends in German Political Scene

Voters in two eastern states went to the polls on September 1, with perhaps surprising results: they kept their long-governing parties in place despite threats from the far right and …

The Mainstream Strikes Back with Victories in Saxony and Brandenburg, but the AfD Is Not Going Away

Voters in Brandenburg and Saxony today rendered judgments that reach well beyond the borders of two states that used to be part of the German Democratic Republic, as my colleague …

The 2019 Regional Elections in the East: Small States, Big Impact

On September 1, the eastern German states of Brandenburg and Saxony will elect new state parliaments (Landtage). Both are relatively small states with 2.5 million and 4 million people respectively …