Life is full of unforeseen, yet entirely predictable obstacles: over-committing, over-optimism, and yes, occasionally, over-indulgence. As a result, this year’s spring edition of the Eclectic, Erratic Bibliography on the Extreme Right (in (Western) Europe)™ is late, but here it comes. With 180 new titles, this is the second-biggest update ever, which just goes to show…
I get a lot of Academic Spam. Is this the next level?
In this house, every day is S.M. Lipset Appreciation Day. Most of what we do and think today is not much more than an elaboration of the old stuff, plus some new data and fancy methods. And still, I took some sort of mental double take when I stumbled across this article. Somewhat depressingly, he…
Die Ereignisse im Bundestag heute waren spannend, aber was sagen sie über die Erfolgsaussichten der neuen Regierung aus? Ich glaube: nicht allzu viel 📻👇🏼 https://www.deutschlandfunkkultur.de/affront-gegen-merz-im-ersten-wahlgang-nur-ein-daempfer-fuer-schwarz-rot-100.html
Not too much, probably. Still, I talked at length with Linda Mannheim about the fallout from the latest German election. Here is the result. In other news, I love it when journalists ask me to keep in mind that they are writing for an American audience. https://www.thenation.com/article/world/germany-grand-coalition-government
This, my young friends, is a (West German) coin-operated payphone. Like cigarette and bubble gum vending machines, they were ubiquitous during my youth. Now, this is literally a museum piece, which I spotted in Frankfurt a couple of days ago. Very rarely, people forgot to collect the coins that remained when they ended their call.…
Was bedeutet der AfD-Erfolg, und wie sollte man damit (nicht) umgehen?
The AfD doubled its vote share in Germany’s 2025 federal election, achieving dominance in eastern states with over 30% of votes but also making significant gains in the west. Its success stems from mobilizing non-voters, attracting disaffected voters from other parties, and exploiting migration fears. Despite this, its extremist stance remains polarizing. Germany’s democratic parties still have a chance to stem the tide, but they must act now.
I have the rare privilege of a job with very flexible working conditions, and I always loved working from home. Pre-pandemic and post-nursery, I wouldn’t normally come in on more than three, maybe four days per week. However, the pandemic had a lasting effect on my working habits. I developed a strange longing for my…
Zunächst mit dem SWR und dann mit dem Deutschlandfunk habe ich über das relativ gute Abschneiden der AfD im Wahlkreis Kaiserslautern gesprochen. Der Artikel beim SWR hat mir die bislang originellste Beleidigung meiner Karriere eingebacht: meine Uni sei so schlecht, dass sie demnächst komplett aus dem Ranking fallen werde. Womit ich das verdient habe, kann…