Reading Hannah Arendt with Roger Berkowitz

In this bonus episode of Reading Hannah Arendt with Roger Berkowitz, we feature a talk from the Arendt Center's fall 2024 conference on Tribalism and Cosmopolitanism. Uday Mehta discusses the contrasting concepts of tribalism and cosmopolitanism, exploring how they shape identity, governance, and interpersonal relationships. He emphasizes the rootedness and exclusivity of tribalism in contrast to...

In this bonus episode of Reading Hannah Arendt with Roger Berkowitz, we share a talk from the Arendt Center's fall 2024 conference on Tribalism and Cosmopolitanism . Moderated by Roger Berkowitz, the conversation features Ayishat Akanbi, a fashion stylist and writer, and Thomas Chatterton Williams, an author and academic. The discussion delves into the notions of tribal identity, the impact of rac...

Part 2 of the conversation between Director of Academic Programs Jana Mader and Founder and Academic Director Roger Berkowitz, as they reflect on 2024 at the Hannah Arendt Center. In this bonus episode, they explore the evolving landscape of democracy, the rise of chaos and political violence in the US, and the potential of citizen assemblies to bridge partisan divides.   ABOUT: Produced by the Ha...

In this bonus episode, Director of Academic Programs Jana Mader and Founder and Academic Director Roger Berkowitz take a moment time to reflect on 2024 at the Hannah Arendt Center. They discuss the impact of the Virtual Reading Group's intellectual, global community and discussions. They share take-aways from our October conference on Tribalism and Cosmopolitanism. Finally, they introduce Jana Mad...

In this episode, we discuss the second part of "The Crisis in Culture: Its Social and Political Significance" from Hannah Arendt's Between Past and Future, examining the social and political significance of culture and the role of judgment in a political community.   ABOUT: Produced by the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College, this podcast offers close readings of Arendt's books alongside engaging...

This week we're sharing an episode from our friends at The Bulletin - Christianity Today's roundtable podcast, which dives into current events and breaking news, and shares a Christian perspective on issues that are shaping our world. Roger Berkowitz was invited to speak with Mike Cosper the day after the 2024 US presidential election about the rise of Donald Trump, the failures of the elite, and...

In this bonus episode, Roger Berkowitz discusses the relevance of Hannah Arendt's ideas on gratitude and the importance of understanding diverse perspectives in the context of modern societal challenges.   If you like this episode and our podcast in general, please leave us a comment on your favorite podcast platform! We appreciate your support!   ABOUT: Produced by the Hannah Arendt Center at Bar...

In this episode, we discuss the first part of "The Crisis in Culture: Its Social and Political Significance" from Hannah Arendt's Between Past and Future, including artists' rebellion against society, the erosion of a shared cultural world, and the impacts of consumption and entertainment on enduring cultural objects. Roger Berkowitz highlights how Arendt sees crises as opportunities for deeper th...

In this episode, we discuss Hannah Arendt's essay "The Crisis in Education" from her book Between Past and Future. Roger Berkowitz explores Arendt's views on the essence of education, the challenges posed by modern educational practices, and the necessity of balancing conservatism with revolutionary potential in teaching. Additionally, we reflect on the recent passing of Jerome Kohn and his contri...

Continuing with the essay "What is Freedom" in Hannah Arendt's Between Past and Future, Roger Berkowitz explains Arendt's views on the disappearance of authority in modern society and the evolving understanding of freedom as the courage to act publicly with impact, highlighting the essential connection between political action and human freedom.   ABOUT: Produced by the Hannah Arendt Center at Bar...

Focusing on the first two parts of the essay, "What is Freedom," in Hannah Arendt's Between Past and Future, Roger Berkowitz discusses Arendt's bold argument that true freedom is rooted in public action rather than individual will or intellectual motives. Berkowitz outlines Arendt's thought process, discussing how philosophical tradition has misunderstood freedom, perceiving it as an attribute of...

In this week's episode, Roger Berkowitz examines the notion of authority and its significance in political life. He discusses how the loss of authority impacts modern democracy and explores the differences between Platonic, Aristotelian, and Roman conceptions of authority.   ABOUT: Produced by the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College, this podcast offers close readings of Arendt's books alongside...

A talk given by Roger Berkowitz at the conference, Tribalism and Cosmopolitanism: How Can We Imagine a Pluralist Politics? The Hannah Arendt Center's 16th annual fall conference was held at Bard College on October 17 + 18, 2024, sponsored by the Hannah Arendt Center, the Open Society University Network (OSUN), and the Center for Civic Engagement at Bard College.   ABOUT: Produced by the Hannah Are...

In this week's master class, Roger Berkowitz delves into Hannah Arendt's critical examination of authority, tradition, and the political implications of their loss, drawing from her classic Between Past and Future, What is Authority, Parts 1 and 2.   ABOUT: Produced by the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College, this podcast offers close readings of Arendt's books alongside engaging interviews and t...

In this episode, Roger Berkowitz discusses, through a close reading of Parts III and Epilogue of Chapter 2, "The Concept of History: Ancient and Modern," in Hannah Arendt's Between Past and Future, how modern society's pursuit of logical historical narratives can lead to totalitarianism by devaluing individual deeds and experiences in favor of overarching ideological plots.   ABOUT: Produced by th...

Host Roger Berkowitz hosts a conversation with Sebastian Junger about his work and insights on tribalism.   Sebastian Junger is the #1 New York Times Bestselling author of THE PERFECT STORM, FIRE, A DEATH IN BELMONT, WAR, TRIBE, FREEDOM and, most recently, IN MY TIME OF DYING. As an award-winning journalist, a contributing editor to Vanity Fair and a special correspondent at ABC News, he has cover...

A close reading and discussion of Parts I and II of the second chapter, "The Concept of History: Ancient and Modern," in Hannah Arendt's seminal text, Between Past and Future. In this episode, we discuss the shift from individual deeds to historical processes and the resulting implications for modern society. The conversation touches on themes of humanity's impact on nature, the dangers of scienti...

A close reading and discussion of the first chapter in Hannah Arendt's seminal text, Between Past and Future, which describes the perplexing crises modern society faces. Through a series of eight exercises, Arendt shows how we can redistill the vital essence of political concepts and use them to regain a frame of reference for the future.   ABOUT: Produced by the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard Colle...

The first discussion of Between Past and Future, which describes the perplexing crises modern society faces as a result of the loss of meaning of the traditional key words of politics: justice, reason, responsibility, virtue, and glory. Through a series of eight exercises, Arendt shows how we can redistill the vital essence of these concepts and use them to regain a frame of reference for the futu...

This bonus episode explores the concept of power and control in the context of the American political system. Host Roger Berkowitz argues that the Arendtian perspective on politics is not abstract - we see it in our world today. He discusses the tension between elites and the working class in American history, drawing on the work of Hannah Arendt and historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr. He argues that...

The Hannah Arendt Center's Virtual Reading Group just finished reading and discussing Hannah Arendt's Eichmann in Jerusalem, and we collected questions from our members and podcast listeners for a new regular feature of our podcast: Q&A with Roger and Jana! Hear listener questions about our latest read in this bonus episode.   ABOUT: Produced by the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College, this p...

With our reading group on hiatus this August, we bring you another special episode of the podcast! In this episode we delve into race and language. Recorded live at the Alpine Fellowship Foundation Symposium on Language in Tuscany in July 2024, this episode features a conversation with New York Times columnist and linguist John McWhorter and cultural commentator Ayishat Akanbi (who will be speakin...

Why create a fake Hannah Arendt quotation when so many real ones express a similar viewpoint? And, does it matter? While on break from our chapter readings , we bring you a special episode of the podcast, where host Roger Berkowitz explores the implications of fake Hannah Arendt quotations. Drawn from his essay on the topic for Amor Mundi , this episode delves into best and worst practices around...

On break from our chapter readings, we continue our series of bonus episodes with a conversation between our host, Roger Berkowitz, and Bill T. Jones, the Tony Award-winning artist, choreographer, and longtime Hannah Arendt Center member. Bill's a regular at the Hannah Arendt Center's Virtual Reading Group - a weekly gathering where members have been delving into the works of Hannah Arendt since 2...

A discussion of Bettina Stangneth's Eichmann Before Jerusalem: The Unexamined Life of a Mass Murderer (New York: Random House 2014) Chapter 2, Eichmann in Conversation, p. 234-311   ABOUT: Produced by the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College, this podcast offers close readings of Arendt's books alongside engaging interviews and thought-provoking conversations. Released weekly, each episode provide...