09/24/2026
On September 22, the Max Weber Chair in European & German Studies at NYU Center for European and Mediterranean Studies and Deutsches Haus at NYU presented “Local Elections and Migrant Political Participation in Illiberal Times" with Nihad El-Kayed (University of Münster, Germany), John Mollenkopf (Graduate Center CUNY), Manuela Boatcă (Theodor Heuss Professor at The New School for Social Research and University of Freiburg, Germany) and René Kreichauf (Harvard University and Free University Brussels). The discussion was expertly chaired by (NYU).
We want to thank our amazing panelists – Nihad, John, Manuela, René – for sharing your nuanced reflections on how ethnicity and origin determine political participation, the differing approaches to citizenship in Germany and the U.S. and how this impacts access to voting, and the voting potential of immigrant groups against the backdrop of increasing polarization and democratic backsliding. A huge thank you goes to Talja for the expert moderation and keeping everyone on schedule, and our wonderful audience for asking such excellent questions. All images © Dirk Anschuetz
