Democracy and Vulnerability with the Wende Museum-Thomas Mann House Student Council

Join the Wende Museum, the Thomas Mann House, and dublab radio for the eleventh program in a series on the current state of democracies. How should a democracy deal with its own vulnerabilities? How do democracies need to evolve to deal successfully with increasing global levels of ecological crisis, geopolitical tensions, economic disparities, and culture wars? How much vulnerability can a democracy endure?

The Student Council consists of a team of highly engaged, talented, and diverse undergraduate and graduate students who invite prominent guest speakers to discuss topics relating to society, politics, culture, and art. In conversation with academics, journalists, politicians, and artists, the students will explore the various threats to democratic institutions and principles worldwide, as well as strategies to potentially overcome these threats.

After having interviewed twelve artists, writers, journalists, and academics about the vulnerability of democracies this year, our students will discuss among each other the results of the 2024 US presidential election and the rise of anti-democratic movements worldwide. They will combine their own life experiences with the knowledge and wisdom extracted from these earlier interviews in the series.