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What we are Reading: Black Americans

By Roger Berkowitz
Nikole Hannah-Jones is well aware that she is “part of the first generation of black Americans in the history of the United States to be born into a society in which black people had full rights of citizenship.” She writes that while “Black people suffered under slavery for 250 years; we have been legally “free” for just 50.” And she believes that “in that briefest of spans, despite continuing to face rampant discrimination...

Authoritarianism Around the World

By Roger Berkowitz
With all the craziness going on here in the United States, it is sometimes hard to remember to pay attention to the world. But a number of essays this week remind us that the revolt against elite norms and elite institutions is a worldwide phenomenon. Siddhartha Deb writes about the decision of the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party in India to revoke the special status of Kashmir, the only Muslim-majority state in India.
 

Gaffes on the Campaign Trail

By Roger Berkowitz

Joe Biden made news with another racial gaffe when he said  “We have this notion that somehow if you’re poor, you cannot do it. Poor kids are just as bright and just as talented as white kids.” John McWhorter argues that these gaffes, while problematic, are also indicative of a paradoxical tension around black achievement. 

Teaching Hannah Arendt Underground

By Samantha Hill
For the past two days I’ve been teaching Hannah Arendt’s The Origins of Totalitarianism for the tuition free summer school program at The University of the Underground and The Hannah Arendt Center, at The School for Poetic Computation in NYC. ..

A Letter from Roger Berkowitz

When you join the Hannah Arendt Center, you become part of a global community of thinkers, philosophers, and activists dedicated to understanding and loving the world as it is. Please read this special letter from our Academic Director, Roger Berkowitz to learn why your membership is so important, now more than ever.

Democratic Happiness

Roger Berkowitz looks at two essays presenting differing views on democracy.

Gerrymandering and State Power

Roger Berkowitz takes a look at political power in American in light of last week's Supreme Court decision on partisan gerrymandering.

Concentration Camps
 

Roger Berkowitz talks to The Independent about comments made by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez about detention centers along the U.S.—Mexico border.

Between Mill and Plato

Roger Berkowitz and Samantha Hill take a look at Jonny Thakkar's examination of political correctness.