Between April and July 2025, the Institute for American Studies organized seven public lectures that explored the cultural implications of Donald Trump’s return to the presidency. The series brought together speakers from different disciplines to examine the broader societal and cultural shifts shaping the current US political climate. Held on Tuesday evenings, the lectures consistently drew strong interest not only from ASL members but also from guests across various departments and disciplines of Leipzig University. The engagement and thoughtful contributions from the audience highlighted the relevance of fostering dialogue about how we navigate today’s complex political realities.
Trump 2.0: Cultural Perspectives on the Current US Political Landscape
- “It Can't Happen Here:” Fascism Critique and Resistance in US Literature
– Prof. Dr. Katja Kanzler
Against the backdrop of recent publications, the lecture discussed the role of fiction for critical engagements with fascism in the US. Professor Katja Kanzler explored how US antifascist narratives perform a political analysis: How they analyze the properties of US democracy and the risks of a fascist shift; how they envision the potential unfolding of such a shift, and—most importantly—how it might be resisted or prevented. - Civil Sentimentalism, A House Divided, and the Trump Presidency
– Prof. Dr. Heike Paul (FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg)
In this talk, Professor Heike Paul discussed her groundbreaking work on civil sentimentalism ("Amerikanischer Staatsbürgersentimentalismus: Zur Lage der politischen Kultur in den USA," Wallstein, 2021). She focused on how Donald Trump has been departing from the conventions of sentimental symbolism that used to play a central role in US politics, and explored what this departure means for the political culture of the United States. - “Your Body My Choice:” Donald Trump's Reelection and Its Impact on Gender Equality in the US and Germany
– Dr. Marie Löffler (Federal Speaker for the Municipal Gender Equality Officers of Germany)
In her lecture, Dr. Marie Löffler used her dual perspective as an American Studies scholar and Equal Opportunity Officer to discuss the attacks on gender equality and reproductive rights under the Trump presidency and their impact on Europe/Germany. She explored the transatlantic dynamics both in the recent surge of anti-feminist politics and in the formation of resistance. - The Rise of the “Sad Angry White Man:” Masculinity, Class, and Popular Culture in the Age of Trumpism
– Dr. Stefan Schubert
In his lecture titled “The Rise of the ‘Sad Angry White Man:’ Masculinity, Class, and Popular Culture in the Age of Trumpism,” Dr. Stefan Schubert discussed the intersections of masculinity, social class, and popular culture in the context of Trumpism and their significance for the cultural climate in the United States. - The Pop in Populism: Reality TV, Pro Wrestling, and Right-Wing Cultural Politics
– Dr. habil. Sebastian M. Herrmann
Before turning to politics, Donald Trump had participated in Wrestling spectacles, and he had starred as the main character of the Reality TV show The Apprentice. Dr. habil. In his lecture, Sebastian M. Herrmann explored how Donald Trump's entanglements with popular culture—especially Professional Wrestling and Reality TV—can help us understand shifting regimes of representation in contemporary US politics. - “We Are Taking It Back:” Imperial Rhetoric and Cultural Narratives about the Panama Canal
– Prof. Dr. Gabriele Pisarz-Ramirez
As part of his plans to “Make America Great Again,” Donald Trump announced his intention to retake control of the Panama Canal. In her lecture, Prof. Dr. Gabriele Pisarz-Ramirez contextualized his rhetoric in earlier US narratives related to the Canal, highlighting the significance of its construction for the representation of the US to itself and the world. Moreover, the lecture discussed writings and artworks that represent Canal history from Afro-Caribbean and Panamanian perspectives. - Comeback USA: The Language of History in Contemporary America
– Prof. Dr. Olaf Stieglitz
Building on the ongoing prominence of expressions of "greatness" and the supposed "comeback" of the United States, Professor Olaf Stieglitz explored the current visibility of "history" in US culture and analyzed the intensity with which (national) history and memory are being contested today and have been in the recent past.