Menu

Trump, AFD und der Angriff auf Demokratie

© Maximilian Glas, Robert Rieger, Clara Nebelig

public event
public event

Trump, AFD und der Angriff auf Demokratie

Moot Court

How emotions steer politics – and what helps counteract them? Our fellow Fritz Breithaupt will speak at a public event at Bucerius Law School in Hamburg.

About

How emotions steer politics - and what helps counteract them.

Donald Trump is back - and with him the sound of populism: anger, victim roles, simple images of the enemy. The AfD is also successful with its narratives in Germany. How do these narratives work? What can the centrist parties do to counter them? And how are they changing our political culture?

Join the conversation with cognitive scientist Fritz Breithaupt, author Diana Kinnert, and editor Martina Kix.

Speaker

In his highly acclaimed SPIEGEL guest article (‘Im Rausch der rechten Narrative’), cognitive scientist Prof. Dr Fritz Breithaupt (THE NEW INSTITUTE / Indiana University) analyses how right-wing movements specifically instrumentalise emotions - and why empathy can become a weapon in the political arena. It is about more than language: about collective psychological patterns, affect politics, the construction of enemy images - and the attack on democracy.

The author Diana Kinnert is a CDU politician, entrepreneur, consultant and publicist. She stands for a modern conservatism that takes the feelings of the population seriously - and addresses social problems such as loneliness. Kinnert knows the social contexts in which people become receptive to Trump or the AfD - as well as the emotional pressure that politicians are often under.

Martina Kix, editor at SPIEGEL in the ‘Opinion & Debate’ section, provided editorial support for the article. She discusses the role of emotions in politics with Breithaupt and Kinnert - and what it takes to strengthen democratic counter-narratives.

Attendance

Please register here.

| stay informed | stay connected

NEWSLETTER

What is happening at THE NEW INSTITUTE? Step inside by following our institutional newsletter, which ties together the work of our fellows and programs, where the whole is more than the sum of its parts.

Newsletter

We use cookies to measure how often our site is visited and how it is used. You can withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future. For further information, please refer to our privacy policy.