An Appeal to Reason:
A Celebration of Democracy, Freedom, and Culture
May 10, 2025 at 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM Eastern Time
University of Southern California Capital Campus
Washington, DC
(Join us in person)
Join the Goethe-Institut Washington, D.C. and the Thomas Mann House Los Angeles, USC Libraries, and the USC Dornsife Center for Advanced Genocide Research at the USC Capital Campus in commemorating the 150th birthday of writer and Nobel-laureate Thomas Mann with a timely exploration of his enduring legacy and its relevance to the challenges facing global democracy, freedom of expression, and the power of literature today.
This special event will utilize Mann’s life and work as a springboard for critical conversations about the present state of our world. In 1941, exiled in the U.S., Mann was appointed Consultant in German Literature at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., delivering powerful annual speeches, such as The War and the Future (1943), Germany and the Germans (1945) and Goethe and Democracy (1949). This event will revisit the historic connection between the U.S. capital and Thomas Mann’s renowned speeches to examine his political and artistic legacy in the context of contemporary challenges on both sides of the Atlantic. The event will feature panel discussions, lectures, a recital, as well as a sound artwork by Grammy-nominated musician Kokayi. (More information below about the speakers.)
Attendance
This event is free and open to the public. Advanced registration is required.
Register Here
The program will feature a distinguished lineup of participants, including:
- Azar Nafisi – New York Times bestselling author (Reading Lolita in Tehran, Read Dangerously: The Subversive Power of Literature in Troubled Times)
- Clint Smith – New York Times bestselling writer, poet, and scholar (How the Word is Passed, Above Ground)
- Daniel Ziblatt – Political scientist and author (How Democracies Die, Tyranny of the Minority)
- Hans Rudolf Vaget – Literary scholar and leading Thomas Mann expert
- Kimberly Marteau Emerson – Attorney, advocate, and human rights leader
- Summer Lopez – Co-CEO and Chief Program Officer at PEN America
- Kokayi – Grammy-nominated artist and musician
- Renea Brown – actor, writer, educator
Reception will follow the program.
Accessibility:
This venue is ADA compliant. The event will take place in English, with ASL interpretation from Pro Bono ASL. Please ask an attendant or event representative upon arrival for directions to accessible seating if preferred.
For other accessibility needs, please email teddy.rodger@goethe.de.
This program is open to all individuals. USC operates all of its programs and activities consistent with the University’s Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor.