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What Can Hannah Arendt Teach Us About This Moment?

Ryohei Noda
/
Creative Commons
Hannah Arendt

Hannah Arendt's 576-page magnum opus, The Origins of Totalitarianism, is a densely-written book about the rise of anti-Semitism up to the outbreak of World War I. The book sold out on Amazon within one month of the 2016 election in which America elected Donald Trump as their next president. 

Hannah Arendt wrote the book in the 1940's after reflecting on her personal experience as a survivor of persecution in Nazi Germany. She was exiled from her home after protesting against the third Reich only to be captured in Paris and sent to Gurs concentration camp. She escaped to America to contemplate how the killing of over six million people could happen.

Her observations on the conditions that desensitized people to the signals of danger are as relevant today as then: the rise of a mass movement, ideologically-driven government, increasing social and political isolation and polarization, denunciation of truth, the press, and the rise of "alternative facts," and most importantly, the dehumanization of people based on their identity. 

GUESTS:

  • George Prochnik - Writer, editor-at-large for Cabinet Magazine, and author of several books including Stranger in a Strange Land: Searching for Gershom Scholem and Jerusalem
  • Roger Berkowitz - Founder and academic director of the Hannah Arendt Center and associate professor of Politics, Philosophy, and Human Rights at Bard College, and currently writing a book with Peter Baehr, On Totalitarianism: Hannah Arendt In Her Time and Ours
  • Kathleen B. Jones - Professor Emeritus of political theory and women’s studies at San Diego University and the author of several books, including most recently Diving for Pearls: A Thinking Journey with Hannah Arendt

You can join us on Facebook and Twitter.

Colin McEnroe and Chion Wolf contributed to this show. 

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Betsy started as an intern at WNPR in 2011 after earning a Master's Degree in American and Museum Studies from Trinity College. She served as the Senior Producer for 'The Colin McEnroe Show' for several years before stepping down in 2021 and returning to her previous career as a registered nurse. She still produces shows with Colin and the team when her schedule allows.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

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