Articles by Kelly Miller

December 4, 2016 0

Why Feminism and Hijab Go Together

As Muslim refugees who choose to wear hijab become a lasting part of the societies of those European states that have taken them in, their right to be different must be defended. Most importantly, we must defend the right of women to choose. It is this choice that makes women free. This is why feminism and hijab go together. [Read More!]
women refugees Germany Cologne
February 8, 2016 0

“Not our Women” after Cologne

Sounding like the crescendo long-awaited by right-wing populists, the attacks on New Year's Eve in Cologne occurred. "Will they treat our women well? Will they know how to speak to and appreciate our women?" a Cologne politician asked on national German public radio in the days following the attacks. It is no slip of the tongue that a possessive article precedes "women". Belonging to a place can quickly devolve into sentiments of ownership, as well as xenophobia. [Read More!]
Donald Trump immigration
September 28, 2015 1

Moralpolitik and the Ressentiments of Change

According to headlines, the German government has pledged haven – albeit temporary in many cases – to up to 800,000 refugees or migrants applying for asylum in the country. The U.S., despite initial wavering, has signaled that it will work to raise its refugee quota yearly, with the goal of a 100,000 cap by 2017. Yet within and around this historical moment of humanitarian crisis and measured political response are the inflammatory words of Donald Trump. He recently roared to a crowd in Iowa that, if elected, he “will deport all of the 11 million illegal migrants in this country.” [Read More!]
February 13, 2015 0

Lens: Leaving Berlin, collecting ourselves

Leaving Berlin might mean losing some connection to the tangible trek between dreams, realizations, and moments of vulnerability that is our movement through years, our aging and maturation, in any sense. But it is only temporary. Indeed, collecting ourselves means leaving ourselves. But only for now... [Read More!]
December 5, 2014 0

Review: Circumcision at the Jewish Museum Berlin

Circumcision has a history of being used to make distinctions between 'us' and 'them', particularly in Germany. In the United States the debate on foreskin or no-foreskin looks much different, citing hygiene rather than religious freedom. This begs the question if arguments against a religious practice, such as the one raised in the German context, can ever be purely about legal arguments - for the rights of children, as German courts have decreed - when strong divisions between those of Christian heritage and those of Muslim and/or Jewish heritage remain. This question was the inspiration for the newest exhibition at the Jewish Museum Berlin, a timely one, at that... [Read More!]
September 29, 2014 1

Beyond Berlin: London and other transplants

This past week, I visited my good friend D who, like me, is an American transplant. D lives in East London, where the corner store owner greets you in an upbeat banter and the sign to a ‘Carolina Fried Chicken’ joint dances in the light from the neighboring gastropub. Multicultural, maybe. But London’s multiculturalism has a few faces and facades. And, in the end, it’s the people that matter more than the cultural installation: So, who is actually 'making' it here?... [Read More!]
July 28, 2014 0

World Cup Fever: How malleable is German identity?

Germany's World Cup victory has unleashed a new wave of patriotism, as well as a new identity crisis. This patriotism might only be as good as the boundaries it is ready and able to redefine. An act of flowing colors and neighbor-to-neighbor high-fives may have started a new understanding of who is allowed into the club, but policies and institutions need to take it one step further. Otherwise, patriotism is just as good as nationalism, which rules by way of exceptionalism. In the type of inclusive global society many of us would love to build, there is no room for exceptionalism... [Read More!]
May 30, 2014 1

Interview: the Klezmer Gentiles

International artists in Berlin occupy a semi-privileged position, able to ask critical questions of society without being publicly rebuked. An example of such an artist is Soliman Lawrence. Soli has been photographing the memorialization of Jewish culture in Poland for years, following the tracks of a new form of engagement with the past, as enacted by a more recent generation of Poles. In contrast to Poland, Germany now has its fair share of Jews. What might this mean for memory and its rituals?... [Read More!]
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