The Fall 2019 Berlin Journal

The thirty-third issue of the Berlin Journal features a suite of related essays on the fragility and composition of democracy: Daniel Ziblatt and Steven Levitsky on How Democracies Die; Steven Klein on the role of debt in post-WWII democracies; and Laura D’Andrea Tyson on how Germany is successfully navigating the automation of its industrial sector. Plus, fiction by Adam Ehrlich Sachs, Angela Flournoy, and Paul La Farge; Suki Kim on her reporting from North Korea; artwork by Renée Green; and essays on literary history by Azade Seyhan, Tatyana Gershkovich, and Liliane Weissberg, along with several essays from the June 2019 Andrew W. Mellon workshop.

Download the PDF of Issue 33 of the Berlin Journal.

The 2020-21 Berlin Journal

The 2020-21 Berlin Journal features articles, essays, fiction, and drawings by Academy fellows and guests, with a focus section on race, power, and empire.

The 2020-21 Berlin Prize Fellows

Berlin Prize fellowships have been awarded to 21 US-based scholars, writers, and artists.

Announcing the 2017-18 Class of Berlin Prize Fellows

BERLIN—May 10, 2017—The American Academy in Berlin has awarded Berlin Prizes—semester-long fellowships in Berlin—to 21…

Al Gore at the American Academy

On August 7, former US Vice President Al Gore visited the American Academy, on the occasion of his new film, An Inconvenient Sequel.

Reception for “Our Man”

Academy trustee Leah Joy Zell hosted a reception for George Packer for his new book, Our Man: Richard Holbrooke and the End of the American Century,

Panel Discussion: US-German Relations One Year Later

Five experts on US-European and US-German relations convened at the American Academy for a panel discussion on Trump and transatlantic security.

Remembering Richard K. Goeltz (1942-2020)

The American Academy in Berlin mourns the loss of trustee emeritus Richard K.Goeltz, who served the Academy as finance committee chair from 2008-2014.

The Fall 2017 Class of Fellows

On the evening of Thursday, September 21, 2017, the American Academy welcomed its thirty-ninth class of…

The Winter 2019 Program

Download the winter 2019 program of lectures and discussions by resident fellows and Distinguished Visitors.

Max Beckmann Talk with Arthur Jafa

On December 17, 2018, the American Academy in Berlin hosted Arthur Jafa as the 2018 Max Beckmann Distinguished Visitor.

The Holbrooke Forum in Estonia

From November 5-7, 2017, in cooperation with the Tallinn-based International Centre for Security and Defence (ICDS), the Richard C. Holbrooke Forum held a seminar in Tallinn, Estonia, as part of its Digital Diplomacy Project.

Remembering Vartan Gregorian (1934-2021)

The trustees and staff of the American Academy in Berlin mourn the passing of our friend and colleague Vartan Gregorian.

The Spring 2018 Program

This spring offers a range of timely lecture topics at the American Academy in Berlin,…

Welcoming the Fall 2019 Fellows

Academy supporters, friends, and colleagues gathered at the lakeside Hans Arnhold Center to welcome the fall 2019 class of fellows.

New Academy President: Ambassador Daniel Benjamin

The American Academy in Berlin has appointed Ambassador Daniel Benjamin as its new president. Benjamin is currently director of the John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding at Dartmouth College.

Announcing the 2019-20 Class of Berlin Prize Fellows

BERLIN—May 7, 2019—The American Academy in Berlin has awarded Berlin Prizes—semester-long fellowships in Berlin—to twenty scholars, writers, and artists for fall 2019 and spring 2020.

Museums, Architecture, and Social Engagement

Daniel Weiss of The Met and Sir David Chipperfield on the role of museums and architecture in the service of the greater social good.

The Spring 2017 Program

The spring 2017 public program includes lectures on the self-contained nuclear "plutopias" of the Cold War,…

The Spring 2020 Program

The spring 2020 program offers a wide-ranging selection of free public lectures and readings at the Hans Arnhold Center, in Berlin, and in several other German cities.

Remembering Erivan Haub (1932-2018)

The American Academy in Berlin mourns the loss of businessman Erivan Haub. Our thoughts are with his extended family, particularly his wife, Helga Haub, a dedicated former Academy trustee and donor, and an abiding supporter of the transatlantic relationship.

The 2017 Gala at The Met

On November 28, the American Academy in Berlin held a fundraising gala at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City to support its work in forging transatlantic relationships in the arts, humanities, and public policy.

The Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship in the Humanities

The American Academy in Berlin has been awarded a $1.4 million grant to establish the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Fellowship in the Humanities.

Katholisches Schulzentrum Edith Stein

On the afternoon of Friday, April 13, 2018, American Academy president Michael P. Steinberg visited…

Remembering George P. Shultz (1920-2021)

The American Academy in Berlin mourns the passing and celebrates the life of longtime friend and supporter George P. Shultz.

The Fall 2020 Program

The fall 2020 program features talks on the presidential election, US diplomacy, and an array of topics in the arts and humanities.

The Spring 2019 Program

From the written world to monuments of nature to the language of sexual safety. The spring 2019 program.

The Fall 2018 Program

As the fellowship program of the American Academy in Berlin celebrates its twentieth anniversary, our…

Inaugurating the Max Beckmann Distinguished Visitorship

In April 2017, the American Academy in Berlin inaugurates the Max Beckmann Distinguished Visitorship honoring…

Welcoming the Spring 2018 Class of Fellows

Presenting the spring 2018 class of fellows and their projects, with welcoming remarks by the editor-in-chief of Der Tagesspigel.

Gayatri Spivak at the American Academy

Columbia University professor Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak was the 2017 Richard von Weizsäcker Distinguished Visitor at the Academy, where she delivered an October 17 talk on the great African American intellectual W.E.B. Du Bois.

Beyond “Wilkommenskultur”

The American Academy in cooperation with the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin – Preußischer Kulturbesitz hosted a panel discussion “Beyond ‘Willkommenskultur’: Artistic and Academic Approaches to Integration from a Transatlantic Perspective.”

John McCain Receives the 2018 Henry A. Kissinger Prize

BERLIN—May 3, 2018—The American Academy in Berlin has awarded the 2018 Henry A. Kissinger Prize…

Remembering George H.W. Bush (1924-2018)

The American Academy mourns the passing of longtime friend George H.W. Bush.

Angela Merkel Receives the Henry A. Kissinger Prize

On January 21, 2020, Chancellor Angela Merkel received the Henry A. Kissinger Prize at an award ceremony at Charlottenburg Palace.

Berlin Journal 32

The Berlin Journal offers an eclectic range of essays by the American Academy in Berlin's residential fellows and Distinguished Visitors.

New Stuttgart Head-to-Head Series Partnerships

The American Academy’s Head-to-Head Series was established in 2012 to strengthen German-American ties in the…

Timothy Snyder on Language and “Not-Even Fascism”

Historian Timothy Snyder spoke about language and fascism at an event hosted with Intelligence Squared Germany.

The Fall 2019 Program

The fall 2019 program begins in mid-September and features a wide array of engaging topics. Download the PDF.

Singing to Glaciers

In this podcast, cultural anthropologists Dominic Boyer and Cymene Howe discuss their research into Icelandic traditions, melting glaciers, and a global sense of precariousness.

The Fall 2017 Program

From an assessment of President Donald Trump's world to the rise of populism across the globe,…

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