Temporary On-Site and Digital Exhibition—KSU Explores the Power of Elections and Showcases Berlin Through the Eyes of a Photographer

Voting and Power Digital Exhibit

How did two constitutional democracies respond to changing circumstances after World War I? How did the decisions of the people and the structure of the state interact to bring about divergent outcomes during the pivotal decades of the 20th century?

With each election, see what was at stake, meet the candidates, and discover the results. All the while, consider who could vote, who was prevented from exercising the franchise, and how those seeking power attempted to influence the electorate. 

With the exhibit opening on August 25, 2022, at 3:30 p.m., the MHHE partnered with the KSU Department of Student Leadership and Service to sponsor voter registration.

Voting and Power in Germany and the United States: 1919 - 1945

Berlin: A Jewish Ode to the Metropolis

1936 Olympia Glocke, 2010
1936 Olympia Glocke, 2010

In 2009, American Jewish photographer Jason Langer set out to face his childhood fears.

"After growing up in Israel and learning about the Holocaust, I decided to see Berlin for myself, keen to challenge my existing ideas and uncover reminders of the Jewish people who had lived there, until they fled or were hunted down and killed by the Nazis. I would spend the next five years reconciling my feelings and associations with Germany and the German people and writing a new narrative."

That new narrative became the basis for a book chronicling his experience and for a new photography exhibition premiering at the MHHE on August 25, 2022. At the exhibit opening, Langer will share some background about the photography project that led to the book coming out this Fall. Langer will return to present a lecture on November 9, 2022, at 6:00 p.m. The program will also mark the 84th anniversary of Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass, Nazi Germany's state-sponsored pogrom against its Jewish population on the eve of World War II.

Interview with Jason Langer in the Atlanta Jewish Times. 

Access screen-reader accessible exhibition text, or visit the MHHE office suite 125 at the KSU Center to borrow a screen-reader iPad. 

 

Exhibit Supplements

Voting and Power Conversation Series

This virtual series took a deeper dive into the content and themes of the Voting and Power exhibition. See below for a list of presentations and links to related material.

 

  • August 31, 2022, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. EST: Introduction to Propaganda with KSU Professor April Johnson.
  • September 7, 2022, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. EST: The Power of Words and Images developed with KSU student intern CJ Haggard. 
  • Welcoming Week! September 14, 2022, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. EST: Focusing on Marginalized Groups in Politics with KSU Professor Jeanne Law-Bohannon. 
  • Constitution Week! September 21, 2022, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. EST: Personal Responsibility with Ciarra Malone, Georgia State Coordinator of the Campus Voting Project. 
  • September 28, 2022, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. EST: What Causes Democracy to Fail or to Thrive with KSU Professor Jeff DeWitt.

Kristallnacht Program:

hillel kennesaw state logo
November 9, 2022 | 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. | Dinner, Tour, and Photography Lecture by Jason Langer. Cosponsored by Kennesaw State University Hillel, this event was free and open to the public.