Episode 54: Diverse Communities, Questions of Identity, Polarization of Societies

On this episode of The Zeitgeitst, AICGS President Jeff Rathke talks with participants in the AICGS project on social divisions in Germany and the United States, which recently visited the German city of Chemnitz. Elizaveta Firsova, research associate and PhD student at the Institute for Didactics of Democracy at Leibniz University of Hanover, Dillon Cathro, Community Research Coordinator for the University of Michigan School of Social Work, and Elizabeth Hotary, AICGS Program Officer for Foreign & Security Policy and Society, Culture & Politics shared their impressions and findings. The AICGS project “Social Divisions and Questions of Identity in Germany and the United States” seeks to establish new connections within and between communities. In Chemnitz, participants from Germany and the United States met with representatives of local government and civil society organizations to learn about the experience of social and economic changes and the challenges for politics and society. How has Chemnitz tried to attract growth amid loss of industry, demographic decline, and a growing far-right movement in society and government? Elizaveta Firsova and Dillon Cathro discuss initiatives in Chemnitz to promote a diverse and inclusive society in Saxony’s third-largest city. Host Jeff Rathke, President, AICGS Guests Dillon Cathro, Community Research Coordinator, University of Michigan School of Social Work Elizaveta Firsova, Research associate and PhD student, Institute for Didactics of Democracy, Leibniz University of Hanover Elizabeth Hotary, Program Officer, Foreign & Security Policy and Society, Culture & Politics, AICGS