2024-2025年常读: 在暴政

“后真相是前法西斯主义.——蒂莫西·斯奈德

The search for truth is not only an academic exercise, but a foundation of democracy. Autocrats rely on 的 spread of misinformation to gain and hold power. Those who wish to undermine democratic systems deliberately suppress access to history. We find ourselves in a “post-truth” era, in which democracies across 的 globe are in decline. 作为一个大学社区, we must take responsibility for 的 role that 的 exchange of facts and ideas plays in 的 pursuit of a more equal and just society. As a starting point, we invite you to read Timothy Snyder’s 论暴政:20世纪的20个教训 in preparation for our 共同的主题, Defending Democracy, and related conversations in 的 fall.

在暴政 - Twenty Lessons From The Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder

Every discipline on campus plays a unique role in shaping our understanding of 的 world and each field of study contains a diversity of viewpoints. To study is not to seek confirmation of what you already know, but to be open to answers to questions you don’t yet know how to ask. This is how we develop as thinkers, but also how we maintain a free and democratic society. We hope you’ll keep this in mind as you pursue your major and minor fields. You’ll also have 的 chance to focus specifically on 的se issues in your 新生研讨课s. 以斯奈德的书为起点, 的se classes and accompanying programming will explore 的 ways in which learning about history can help us shape our present and future. 以斯奈德的书为起点, 的se classes and accompanying programming will explore 的 ways in which learning about history can help us shape our present and future.

We live in an era not only of widespread distrust in and dissatisfaction with government, 同时也是日益严重的社会经济不平等. We know from 的 violent history of 的 previous century that this is precisely 的 environment in which antidemocratic parties thrive and seize power. It is this history from which Snyder draws his lessons for our current age, providing 的 reader with concrete steps we can take to help uphold democratic values. 也许最出名的是他的作品 血色土地在希特勒和斯大林之间, Timothy Snyder has spent a career studying 的 murderous regimes of 的 last century not simply to 目录 horrors, but to understand how tyranny functions and how it can be stopped.

在 Covid-19 pandemic, we all experienced 的 anxiety and trauma of an era “unprecedented” in recent history. The threat we face now does not induce fear because we cannot know what is at stake; it is terrifying precisely because we know exactly what can happen. 我们对之后发生的事有清晰的记录 排外主义的, antidemocratic ideologies take hold, if only we choose to look. 我们不能忽视知识和真理. 而不是, we must fulfill our duty as a community of learners to face difficult histories, 参与具有挑战性的想法, and respect 的 differences that exist in a pluralist democracy.

Dr. Emma Woelk, Associate Professor of 德国, Director of 荣誉项目 & 全球计划