Time for a Change?
Thoughts on the National Anthem of Germany The story of the Deutschlandlied (song of Germany) is one of turbulence and shifting perceptions. It was written in 1841 by August Heinrich …
Toy Maker 2: Journeys
On June 20, 2018, the article “The Story of Bert Reiner, the Toy Maker, or: An Appreciation for the Individual Experiences of Former Shanghai Jewish Refugees” was published by the …
From Shame to Pride to Propaganda
The Political Afterlives of the Pink Triangle Symbols wield profound political significance, particularly within marginalized communities. They emerge from histories of exclusion and become tools of identity, resistance, and collective …
Forty Years After Forty Years After
Reflections on the Eightieth Anniversary of the End of World War II The 8 of May, 2025, is the eightieth anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. …
“Never again Ignore”
Why supporting Ukraine is a strategic necessity, not simply a moral obligation Support for Ukraine is a strategic necessity. However, in Germany, support for the beleaguered country is mainly portrayed …
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Some Small-Town Reflections on Catechism 2.0
When it came to German memory, the language of Dirk Moses’s initial contribution to what subsequently became the so-called Catechism debate was replete with references to a priestly cast, priestly …
Holocaust Memory after Gaza
Toward a New Epistemology of the Minority Question How does one intervene in “the Catechism Debate” when it has caused such polemics? Dirk Moses’ piece “The German Catechism” was published …
The German Reason of State as State Anti-Semitism
In an article published online in March 2024, the historian Andrew Port wrote about “Germany, Gaza, and Genocide.” He summarized what he called the “postcolonial catechism” critique of official German …
A Zeitenwende for Whom?
German Colonial Memory and Epistemic Barriers On November 21, 2024, The Namibian, Namibia’s leading English-language newspaper, reported that the ongoing negotiations between Namibia and Germany over compensation for the genocide …
Building Queer Community in the Birthplace of the LGBTQ+ Movement
The Stonewall Rebellion in New York’s Greenwich Village catalyzed the worldwide LGBTQ+ rights movement. In September 2024, participants of the second cohort of AGI’s project, Building LGBTQ+ Communities in Germany …
Edward Knudsen, DAAD/AGI Research Fellow
AGI is pleased to welcome Edward Knudsen as a DAAD/AGI Research Fellow in Fall 2024. Edward Knudsen is a doctoral researcher in international relations at the University of Oxford, a …
Remembering Pulse
The Power of Community-Driven Collective Memory Natalie Adams-Menendez: Reflection Days before I turned seventeen, I awoke to news that 49 people had been killed and at least 53 others had …
Hyperinflation Weimar
One hundred years ago, the Weimar inflation reached its peak. It remains Germany’s greatest economic crisis and has heavily shaped the history of the Federal Republic. Within a few months …
Publication Preview: The German-Israeli Special Relationship
In the coming weeks, the American-German Institute will publish “The German-Israeli Special Relationship: A Chronicle of Four Decades, 1983-2023” from Senior Fellow Dr. Lily Gardner Feldman. In light of the …
