Political Scientist and 2021 Thomas Mann Fellow Claus Leggewie visited the “Black American Portraits” exhibition and the “The Obama Portraits Tour” at LACMA, Los Angeles. In this article, he tells us about his impressions and examines the history of portraits through the context of Black gaze in art. “The Obama Portraits Tour” will be on display until January 2, 2022 and “Black American Portraits” until April 17, 2022.

Priscilla Layne and David Kim in conversation in times of COVID-19 and #BlackLivesMatter. — Invited by the Thomas Mann House, Priscilla Layne, Associate Professor of German and Adjunct Associate Professor of African, African American and Diaspora Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and David Kim, Associate Professor of German and Global Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, met…

Museums as public institutions play an important role in the presenting, conserving, and shaping of cultural narratives. In today’s politically charged times, it is not easy for museums to navigate the political discourses that are quickly and constantly changing. At the same time, due to a focus on transparent provenance…

Cultural studies scholar, journalist and author Dr. Mithu Sanyal is one of Germany’s most prolific voices on feminism, identity and postcolonial theory. In her interview with the Thomas Mann House Dr. Sanyal discusses racism and public trust in Germany, the role of the media and the state and what can be done to move forward. — Thomas Mann House: A few years ago you mentioned in an article for the Guardian the ubiquity of the word “Ausländer” (foreigner) in Germany and asked: “How long do we have to live in Germany before we stop being foreigners?” …

Four voices from Germany and the United States take stock of their relationship to public institutions and democracy. What has changed in recent years? And what needs to happen next to regain the trust of the constituents? An interview with citizens of diverse backgrounds from Los Angeles and Texas to Berlin. —

Literary scholar Kai Sina examines Thomas Mann’s relationship with Judaism and the state of Israel. — When it comes to Thomas Mann’s highly complex relationship to Judaism, any accusation, any judgment, regardless how sweeping, seems justified today. This was proven in a recent online debate initiated by the Thomas Mann House which focused on Mann’s renowned speech of 1945: “Germany and the Germans,” wherein he attempted…

Thomas Mann, Democracy, and America By Kai Sina You could just leave it at that: Thomas Mann did the right thing at the right time. In the era of National Socialist barbarism, he was a strong and resolute advocate for democracy and humanity. Doesn’t the historical magnitude of his engagement…

Thomas Mann Fellow Stefan Keppler-Tasaki, a German Studies scholar at the University of Tokyo, met Chunjie Zhang at the Thomas Mann House in Los Angeles to look into the transpacific relationships of the House and discuss the connective potential of an Asian-German perspective. Professor Zhang (University of California, Davis) is considered one of the co-founders of the emerging field of Asian German Studies.

Esa-Pekka Salonen, composer and conductor laureate for the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Music Director Designate of the San Francisco Symphony, and The New Yorker music critic Alex Ross hosted an evening of music at the Thomas Mann House. — In the spirit of Thomas Mann’s music sessions at his exilic home in Los Angeles in the 1940s, where Mann listened to gramophone recordings and had in-depth conversations about them with some of the most influential musical figures of the time, the acclaimed composer Salonen stated: “When politics fails, it’s…