Interview with Susan Neiman, the author of Learning from the Germans: Confronting Race and the Memory of Evil

Susan Neiman’s most recent book, Learning from the Germans: Confronting Race and the Memory of Evil, combines philosophical reflection and interviews with both Americans and Germans who are grappling with their own national histories, especially in relation to racism. In conversation with Michaela Kalowski, Susan will reflect on how much the unexamined past forces its way into the present. What is our responsibility to our national pasts? How should children be educated, monuments built or removed, reparations for injustice organised, and political cultures constructed?

With reference to the history of post-war Germany and its relationship to moral responsibility for the actions of the Nazi party, to the Black Lives Matter movements around the world, and how genuine social equality can be created, this is a timely and powerful conversation.

 “From Baltimore to Bristol to Brisbane, thousands are standing in solidarity with black Americans and calling for a re-examination of their own local histories…We cannot have a just and decent present as long as we refuse to face our pasts.” Susan Neiman, Learning from the Germans

Susan spoke at the 2020 online Sydney Jewish Writers Festival. If you missed out on Susan’s interview or any of our Festival events, you can purchase on-demand access here:

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