Welcome to the Virtual Reading Group
Join us for a thoughtful and spirited exploration of the works of Hannah Arendt. Founder and Academic Director Roger Berkowitz personally leads the VRG each week and engages closely with members as he conducts in-depth readings of Arendt's books. We read one book or collection of essays over the course of a few months; sessions are held (almost) every Friday at 1pm Eastern Time. To prepare, we read selections ranging from 20 to 50 pages. The group progresses slowly to allow for close readings. Sessions are conducted via Zoom. Learn more about how to participate and what the group is currently reading here. If you have any questions, please email Jana Mader, Director of Academic programs at jmader@bard.edu.
Recordings of the Virtual Reading Group sessions are uploaded weekly to our YouTube channel and are also available in audio format on PodBean, so you can listen on the go.
Beginning Friday, January 23, we'll read Crises of the Republic. In this collection of four essays, Hannah Arendt investigates the political ruptures of the twentieth century—probing civil disobedience, violence, bureaucratic power, and the erosion of authority. With her unsparing clarity and historical insight, Arendt illuminates the pressures that distort democratic life and the possibilities for renewed political action. Urgent and thought-provoking, Crises of the Republic offers a vital framework for understanding the challenges that continue to shape our public world.
EDITION INFORMATION:
Title: Crises of the Republic
Publisher: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich (Mariner Books Classics)
Publication Date: 1972
Publication Place: United States
Buy it through our partners at Oblong Books.
As a complement to our reading, our Spring Conference will take place on Friday, April 24th at Finberg House and will take the form of a text seminar on Arendt’s On Violence.
Donate $500 before December 31st, 2025, and receive our next Virtual Reading Group book, Crises of the Republic, plus membership perks! Your support helps sustain our community.
Past Reading Groups
VRG: Eichmann in Jerusalem (2024)
VRG: Human Condition (2021)
VRG: Human Condition (2014-15)
VRG: Labor, Work, and Action Lecture
VRG: Lectures on Kant’s Political Philosophy (plus Responsibility and Judgement)
VRG: Origins of Totalitarianism
VRG: Rahel Varnhagen: The Life of a Jewess
