April 9, 2024, 7 p.m. (PT) | Thomas Mann House Los Angeles | By Invitation Only

Join us in the living room of the Thomas Mann House for a participatory discussion with our 2024 Fellows Susanne Baer, legal scholar and former federal judge on the German constitutional court, sociologist Sabine_ Hark, and philosopher Rahel Jaeggi. Moderated by David Kim (UCLA), the three will discuss the role of solidarity in democracies and engage in a conversation with experts from academia, law, community organizing, non-profit work, and activism.

What kind of solidarity does a functioning democracy need? Can practices of solidarity replace welfare state arrangements? What is the difference between solidarity and charity? And what is the role of institutions versus individual activists or non-profit organizations?

During their time in Los Angeles, Baer, Hark, and Jaeggi are exploring the principle of solidarity from different academic backgrounds. By bringing critical legal studies and comparative constitutionalism into conversation with social philosophy, critical theory, feminist theory, and queer theory, they aim to contribute to a practice of solidarity.

As part of the Thomas Mann House annual theme “Democracy & Vulnerability,” the three scholars argue that solidarity is essential for every democracy to thrive and democratic cooperation, under the rule of law, is crucial for strengthening democratic participation. To achieve this, they stress the importance of clear rules that promote both equality and solidarity in society. In today's Western democracies, we are confronted with various crises: climate change, wars, economic exploitation, pandemics, and violence against marginalized groups, among others. Unsurprisingly, some forces are exploiting these crises and using their democratic power to undermine liberal values, promoting discrimination and exclusion under the guise of democracy. In contrast, solidarity is seen as inclusive and fair. It involves people working together, supporting each other, and addressing common issues. It's not just a social concept; it's also influenced by laws and institutions. Solidarity reflects how we interact and guides us in creating a better society.

Join us at the Thomas Mann House to learn more about their project “The Art of Living Together – Democracy & Solidarity.” Together with L.A.-based experts from academia, law, community organizing, non-profit work, and activism, our three fellows will provide insights into their research and discuss potential ways of practicing solidarity across the Atlantic.

Attendance

Attendance by invitation only.

Participants

Stephen Gardbaum is the Stephen Yeazell Endowed Chair in Law at UCLA School of Law, and was a previous Faculty Director of the Promise Institute for Human Rights. His research focuses on comparative constitutional law and constitutional theory. Gardbaum's widely-reviewed book The New Commonwealth Model of Constitutionalism: Theory and Practice (Cambridge University Press, 2013) explores a novel form of human rights protection in Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Gardbaum’s work has appeared, among other places, in the Harvard Law Review, Stanford Law Review, Michigan Law Review, and the University of Chicago Law Review.

David D. Kim is a professor in the Department of European Languages and Transcultural Studies at UCLA as well as Associate Vice Provost at the International Institute at UCLA. Kim’s scholarly interests range from postcolonial, global, and migration studies and community engagement to human rights, cosmopolitanism, cultural and political theories, global literary histories, and digital humanities. His first monograph is Cosmopolitan Parables (Northwestern University Press, 2017) and his peer-reviewed articles have recently appeared in The German Quarterly, Monatshefte, Gegenwartsliteratur, and Journal of Translation Studies.

Karen Mack created the South LA-based nonprofit LA Commons based on a vision of communities where everyone has the access and freedom to express themselves culturally and to tap the power that creativity provides. Since that time, she and her team have worked in neighborhoods across the city, implementing artistic programs that foster interaction, dialogue and collaboration for a better Los Angeles. LA Commons plays a unique role as a facilitator of local engagement in arts and culture as well as in other important issues.

Jordan Wynne (they/them) is a housing justice and homelessness policy expert that has been working in the Greater Los Angeles area for over seven years. Their accomplishments include serving as the Co-Chair for the Long Beach Continuum of Care Board, Board member of the Long Beach Homeless Coalition; regional organizing director for Everyone In - Long Beach; Community Activation Special for United Way of Greater Los Angeles; and Grants Manager for Long Beach Residents Empowered, in which they secured $800,000 for the organization to pilot the city's first Community Land Trust. 

Susanne Baer is Professor of Public Law and Gender Studies at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Lea Bates Global Law Professor at the University of Michigan Law School, and Centennial Professor at LSE London. From 2011 to 2023, she served as a federal judge on the German Constitutional Court. Her work focuses comparatively on constitutionalism, interdisciplinary legal research, and equality law. She is the author and co-author of many publications in German and English, including a textbook on Rechtssoziologie and the casebook Comparative Constitutionalism: Cases and Materials.

Sabine_ Hark has been Professor of Gender Studies and director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Gender Studies at the Technical University of Berlin since 2009. Hark has researched and taught at universities around the globe, including in Germany, Austria, Canada, Switzerland, and the USA. In addition to numerous positions as a board member and co-founder (of, for example, the organization WIR MACHEN DAS – wearedoingit e.V.), she is also co-editor of the journal Feministische Studien.

Rahel Jaeggi has been Professor of Philosophy with a focus on Political Philosophy at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin since 2009 and director of the university’s Centre for Social Critique  since 2018. Rahel Jaeggi has researched and taught as a visiting professor at Yale University, Fudan University, and as Theodor Heuss Professor at The New School for Social Research. Jaeggi was also a fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. She is a prominent representative of critical theory, has received numerous awards, and is the author and co-editor of numerous books, most recently Fortschritt und Regression ("Progress and Regression").