Prior to her years in diplomatic life, Helen Kornblum worked professionally as a translator and analyst for the US Congress, Helsinki Watch and Time magazine. She currently leads a group focused on design for Willkommen in Berlin, a German Foreign Office-sponsored organization serving diplomatic families posted in the capital. Her commentary on American politics has… Read more »
Joshua Ellison is the editor of Habitus: A Diaspora Journal, a magazine of international Jewish culture and literature, and founding partner of Restless Books, a soon-to-be-launched digital imprint. His work as a journalist, essayist, and photographer has appeared in books and periodicals from Belfast to Beijing.
This week, U.S. Ambassador Philip Murphy warned Berliners against racism, after an African-American U.S. Embassy employee was harassed by racist hooligans at a Hertha soccer match. Read his speech here. This brings us back to the question of what is German, who is German, and how can these definitions be expanded to… Read more »
Given the current debate about immigration and integration in Germany, undocumented American journalist Jose Antonio Vargas’ story resonates here, too. We are especially interested in his organization Define American. How would you “define German?” What do you think it takes to integrate in Germany? Is it easier or more difficult to fit in than in… Read more »
