Society

Love beyond Borders

Belonging usually begins with what we know. But it can also emerge somewhere unfamiliar. Love Beyond Borders follows five Indo-German couples living in India and Germany, whose stories reveal the unexpected ways people find common ground and build a life together.

Love beyond Borders © Anupam Arunachalam © Anupam Arunachalam

Germany & Everyday Life

Detours

A selfie at the Brandenburg Gate, a tour of Neuschwanstein Castle – all great. But which cities, landscapes and special places in Germany are also worth seeing? We take you to places in Germany that you absolutely must discover!

Detours © Goethe-Institut e. V., Tobias Schrank © Goethe-Institut e. V., Tobias Schrank

German City Portraits

German cities are as diverse as the landscape that surrounds them. In a series of city portraits, we embark on a journey through Goethe's homeland. Our authors have taken a close look at things small and large which make the cities so unique and lovable.

© Tobias Schrank © Tobias Schrank
Portraits of Indians in Germany

Home Away From Home

Indians in Germany bring their culture and drive, shaping everything from food to education. This dossier examines why they choose Germany, the hurdles they face, and their experiences building new lives abroad.

© Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan | Anupam Arunachalam © Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan | Anupam Arunachalam
Typical Germany!

Oh so German!

Do bratwurst, beer gardens, and Lederhosen truly encapsulate Germany? Are fairy tales the country's secret obsession, and is every corner adorned with castles? Oh So German! offers glimpses of the many facets that compose the essence of Deutschland.

© Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan New Delhi | AI-generated © Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan New Delhi | AI-generated
Dreamland Deutschland?

Dreamland Deutschland? is a unique storytelling project that captures the real-life experiences of South-Asian students navigating life in Germany. Through the lens of an international panel of talented graphic artists, these stories are brought to life in both online and print formats as a graphic novel anthology.

© Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan | Pritish Bali & Anupam Arunachalam © Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan | Pritish Bali & Anupam Arunachalam

Memory & Democracy

Hannah Arendt

Fifty years after her death, Hannah Arendt’s thinking is more relevant than ever. In this issue, we explore her life and work from various perspectives and invite readers to reconsider her questions about freedom, responsibility, and judgement in light of today’s challenges. In doing so, we ask: what does it mean today to think and act in the spirit of Arendt?

Illustration: Hannah Arendt reclining with a lit cigarette in her right hand Illustration: © Eléonore Roedel Illustration: © Eléonore Roedel

M.A.P // A.M.P

The project captures, documents, explores and invites music, poetry, research and discourse on the intersections of music and activism in South Asia.

Articles

Manifesta 16 Ruhr

Churches on a New Mission

Manifesta 16 Ruhr is reimagining what shared spaces can become. Titled This is not a church, the biennial has transformed 12 former or at-risk post-war church buildings across Duisburg, Essen, Gelsenkirchen and Bochum into active sites for art, community, play and public participation.

Christ-König Bochum, Exhibition View, Manifesta 16 Ruhr - This is not a Church Courtesy of the artists and Manifesta 16 Ruhr. Photo: © Birgit Ostermeier Courtesy of the artists and Manifesta 16 Ruhr. Photo: © Birgit Ostermeier

Obituary for Alexander Kluge

History was his obsession

A constant lightness of character was the hallmark of film-maker and author Alexander Kluge. Yet war was the very substance of his work. An obituary.

Photo (detail): Bruni Meya; © picture-alliance / akg-images Photo (detail): Bruni Meya; © picture-alliance / akg-images
German-German history

The remains of the border fence

How “East German” does the post-reunification generation feel 35 years after unification? Do young people see their future in eastern Germany – or are they drawn elsewhere? Artsy hipsters in a repurposed cinema and members of a Simson moped club in Saxony offer some intriguing insights. 

Photo (detail): © Jonas Dengler Photo (detail): © Jonas Dengler
Everyday Life in Germany: Game Edition

“Don’t Get Cross – It’s Just a Games Night”

Games are the same everywhere – and yet never quite alike. Between “Mensch ärgere Dich nicht” (Man, Don’t Get Angry) and “Bargis”, one can discover not only how much a games night is shaped by culture, but also how familiar the foreign can feel. A journey into the world of games with our author Ahmad Kalaji.

Graphic: Jennifer Engl| Illustrations: Canva.com | Pictures: on the left: picture alliance / dpa-tmn | Christin Klose; on the right: picture alliance / Westend61 | Mareen Fischinger Graphic: Jennifer Engl| Illustrations: Canva.com | Pictures: on the left: picture alliance / dpa-tmn | Christin Klose; on the right: picture alliance / Westend61 | Mareen Fischinger
Video Games from Germany

Typical German?

Germans like to play games. 53 percent of people over the age of 16 regularly play video games. And with a turnover of almost six billion euros, the gaming industry is now a significant economic factor. But which games come from Germany? And what makes them “typically German”?

© Deck13 Interactive © Deck13 Interactive
German-German history

Negotiations in the shadows

From the early 1960s to the end of the 1980s, thousands of GDR prisoners were ransomed by the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG). It was a deal that benefited both sides. But how did the process work? An article on a unique aspect of German-German history.

Photo (detail): © picture alliance/dpa | Hendrik Schmidt Photo (detail): © picture alliance/dpa | Hendrik Schmidt