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Hannah Arendt

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

Fifty years after her death, Hannah Arendt’s thinking is more relevant than ever. In this editorial, we explore her life and work from various perspectives and invite readers to reconsider her questions about freedom, responsibility, and judgment 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?

 

“The Origins of Totalitarianism”

The Relevance of Hannah Arendt

The disturbing relevance of Arendt's work is well-known. Nowhere is this more evident than in her three-volume work, “The Origins of Totalitarianism”, published in 1951.

Illustration: Illustration: Hannah Arendt and her book “The Origins of Totalitarianism” Illustration: © Eléonore Roedel Illustration: © Eléonore Roedel

  • Roger Berkowitz

    Learning to Think Again

    Hannah Arendt warned that real thinking demands courage and solitude. In an age of algorithms, outrage, and fear of speaking out, Roger Berkowitz shows why her voice is more urgent than ever and considers whether Arendt would succeed as an influencer today.

    Illustration of the face of Hannah Arendt. In the background, a hand, mobile phone and screens. Illustration: © Eléonore Roedel Illustration: © Eléonore Roedel

  • A Critical View

    The Shortcomings in Political Theory

    In a time marked by the resurgence of white nationalism, Hannah Arendt’s work on totalitarianism is frequently invoked as a guide to our socio-political crises. From South Africa's perspective, however, reading her work reveals a fundamental paradox.

    Hannah Arendt and the fanatics of race Illustration: © Eléonore Roedel Illustration: © Eléonore Roedel

  • Flight and Philosophy

    An Intellectual Kinship

    What connects Hannah Arendt and Walter Benjamin beyond their shared exile in Paris? Sigrid Weigel and Uta Staiger explore their intellectual paths and surprising parallels between the two thinkers – and examine why their ideas are more relevant today than ever before.

    The illustration shows Hannah Arendt and Walter Benjamin, both in their younger years, with the Eiffel Tower visible in the background. Illustration: © Eléonore Roedel Illustration: © Eléonore Roedel

Ken Krimstein

Hannah’s Search for Answers

In his graphic novel “The Three Lives of Hannah Arendt”, Ken Krimstein captures the philosopher's thinking and biography, creating an entertaining introduction to her ideas. Here is a brief insight into the life of the young Hannah.

Excerpt from the graphic novel "The Three Lives of Hannah Arendt" Illustration: © Eléonore Roedel Illustration: © Eléonore Roedel

  • An Impossible Relationship

    Hannah Arendt and Martin Heidegger

    Can you remain loyal to someone who aligned with the Nazis? Hannah Arendt did – and, in the process, wrote a quiet chapter of German postwar history. This was a relationship that tested the very boundaries of thought and morality.

    Illustration: Hannah Arendt and Martin Heidegger Illustration: © Eléonore Roedel Illustration: © Eléonore Roedel

  • Letters

    The many friendships of Hannah Arendt

    Author Madeleine Thien explores the aspect of Friendship as one of the great and palpable joys of Hannah Arendt’s life.

    The illustration shows Hannah Arendt in the centre, surrounded by hands and letters. Illustration: © Eléonore Roedel Illustration: © Eléonore Roedel

  • Hannah Arendts Werke

    Bibliografie

    Auf dieser Seite finden Sie eine ausführliche, wenn auch nicht erschöpfende Bibliografie von und über Hannah Arendt, zusammengestellt von Samantha Rose Hill.

    Hannah Arendt Bibliografie © Eléonore Roedel © Eléonore Roedel

  • Chen Wei

    How Loneliness Favours Totalitarian Systems

    How does loneliness affect modern man – and why is it a breeding ground for totalitarian rule? Chinese philosopher Chen Wei analyses Hannah Arendt's thinking and shows how political participation can counteract withdrawal into private life. 

    Totalitarianism and the Loneliness of Modern Man Illustration: © Eléonore Roedel Illustration: © Eléonore Roedel

  • Thinking and Art

    The Human Condition Today

    Three artists, Milena Zović, Anja Ranđelović and Emilija Đonin, who were selected to be mentors as part of the “Conditio Humana” programme in Belgrade, discuss how they are inspired by Hannah Arendt's work.

    An illustration showing a person in a bot Illustration: © Eléonore Roedel Illustration: © Eléonore Roedel

  • Latin America

    Right to Have Rights

    Argentine sociologist Claudia Bacci discusses the enduring relevance of Hannah Arendt's thinking in Latin America and asks who could be considered “stateless ” today. 

    Illustration of Hannah Arendt illuminating a map of Latin America with a torch. Illustration: © Eléonore Roedel Illustration: © Eléonore Roedel

Onleihe: Digital Library

Borrow digital media on Hannah Arendt

Through the Goethe-Institut’s Onleihe – a digital library – you can borrow key works by Hannah Arendt. The collection also includes materials on her life and thought, offering insight into a philosopher whose ideas remain deeply relevant.

Hannah Arendt in the Goethe-Institut's eLibrary

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