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Category: Media & Communications

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Kluge Center Welcomes New Chairs in Residence

Posted by: Andrew Breiner

Four scholars holding chair positions at the Kluge Center began their terms in residence in September 2021. These positions are filled by invitation of the Librarian of Congress and scholars enjoy individual offices in the Jefferson Building, where they engage in writing and research and interact with other scholars in residence. Keep reading to get …

Sweeping view from the floor of a great room, looking upwards past marble columns and arches to a grand golden-colored dome

Pillars of Democracy: Rebuilding America’s Trust in the Presidency

Posted by: John Haskell

For decades America’s civic and governmental institutions have lost the trust of the people, and sometimes even come under direct attack. Commentators offer various explanations for what has happened. Many point to a loss of faith in authority figures beginning with the Vietnam War and the corruption of Watergate, and the movement in the 1960s …

Sweeping view from the floor of a great room, looking upwards past marble columns and arches to a grand golden-colored dome

Watch Now to Learn About the Movements Shaping American Democracy

Posted by: Andrew Breiner

The John W. Kluge Center and the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University are proud to release Social Movements and American Democracy in the 21st Century, a discussion moderated by Theda Skocpol and featuring panelists Hahrie Han, Dana Fisher, and Leah Wright Rigueur. Theda Skocpol, Victor S. Thomas Professor of Government and Sociology at …

Sweeping view from the floor of a great room, looking upwards past marble columns and arches to a grand golden-colored dome

Kluge Center Co-Sponsors Examination of American Institutions with Pillars of Democracy Series

Posted by: John Haskell

For decades America’s civic and governmental institutions have lost the trust of the people, and sometimes even come under direct attack. Commentators offer various explanations for what has happened. Many point to a loss of faith in authority figures beginning with the Vietnam War and the corruption of Watergate. A movement in the 1960s and …

Sweeping view from the floor of a great room, looking upwards past marble columns and arches to a grand golden-colored dome

Our Common Purpose: The Complete Collection

Posted by: Andrew Breiner

In June 2020, the Kluge Center announced Danielle Allen as the winner of the Kluge Prize, launching the Our Common Purpose Campaign for Civic Strength at the Library of Congress. Allen hosted a series of exciting conversations at the Library to explore the nation’s civic life and ways that people from all political beliefs and …

Sweeping view from the floor of a great room, looking upwards past marble columns and arches to a grand golden-colored dome

Visualizing “Our Common Purpose”

Posted by: Andrew Breiner

This is a guest post by Lee Ann Potter, Director of Professional Learning and Outreach Initiatives at  the Library of Congress Center for Learning, Literacy, & Engagement. “Our Common Purpose—A Campaign for Civic Strength at the Library of Congress,” a wealth of activities at the Library this spring. The theme, chosen by Danielle Allen, winner …

Sweeping view from the floor of a great room, looking upwards past marble columns and arches to a grand golden-colored dome

Wrestling with the Question of American Identity and Whether Consensus is Possible

Posted by: Andrew Breiner

On May 13, the John W. Kluge Center held a panel discussion on the changing interpretations of the nation’s founding principles, with the goal of illuminating a shared vision of the United States and its history for Americans across the spectrum of political beliefs. The full event is now available to view. Kluge Prize Winner …

Sweeping view from the floor of a great room, looking upwards past marble columns and arches to a grand golden-colored dome

What Makes Americans American? Why Origin Stories Require Negotiation

Posted by: Dan Turello

Origin stories are never simple, and this is as true for countries as it is for individuals, ideas, and cultures. That the term “nation-state,” which designates one of the primary building blocks of modern geopolitical order, is a compound word speaks to this complexity, and there are many reasons why scholars are unable to fully …