Grüezi Amerika Episode 30: Elisabeth Bronfen on violence in America

"This is not who we are – we are good people" was not only President Joe Biden's response to the excesses of political violence, but is a phrase often heard whenever mass shootings or political assassinations occur in the United States. Since the murder of political activist Charlie Kirk, however, fear of increasing violence has dominated: Although a clear majority of Americans in both political camps reject politically motivated violence, the younger generation in particular is at risk of becoming desensitised to its dangers. In particular, more than a third of Gen Z believe that violence is an effective means of combating political speech at universities. These figures are not entirely surprising: "America has a history of violence," Professor Emeritus Dr Dr hc Elisabeth Bronfen recently explained in the Bieler Tagblatt. We explore this history further in this episode of "Grüezi Amerika!"

Elisabeth Bronfen was Chair of American Literature and Culture at the University of Zurich for thirty years and continues to be a visiting lecturer at New York University. Among many other honours, she is an honorary doctor of the Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg. Her work extends far beyond academia, ranging from books about divas and a cultural history of the night to a debut novel and several cookbooks – most recently: ‘Cooking on a whim. My mood kitchen.’

Recommended reading

• Herman Melville, The Confidence-Man
• F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

Foto von: Jialu Zhu