Die Epstein-Files

• As part of the series “Masculinity.Power.USA – On Tech Bros and Boys’ Clubs”
• in cooperation with the Federal Agency for Civic Education

Over the course of decades, Jeffrey Epstein was able to establish a system of influence, dependencies, and abuse within the circles of economic and political elites. In our event, we want to explore howthe “Epstein system” was ableto function: Who benefited from it, who covered it up—and what is actually contained in the millions of files that continue to fuel speculation to this day?

But we also want to shed light on the media coverage surrounding the case: Doesn’t the voyeuristic fascination with prominent names and conspiracy theories also lead to a problematic shift in focus? How should we interpret the silence of men in the face of the files’ release? And doesn’t the scandal even push everyday patriarchal violence and structural forms of sexual exploitation into the background? 

Guest:

Annette Kammerer, journalist in the investigative department at NDR
Veronika Kracher, author, columnist, and expert on men who post harmful content online
Christoph May, men’s studies researcher, consultant, and lecturer
Moderator: Kotaro Dürr, host at WDR 1Live and host of the podcast “The Epstein Files”
 

About the series

"Masculinity.Power.USA

on tech bros and boys’ clubs”

A series of events in cooperation with the Federal Agency for Civic Education

What do new images of masculinity, political developments in the U.S., and the unrelenting thirst for oil have in common? In our series “Masculinity.Power.USA – on tech bros and boys’ clubs,” we aim to explore the ideological interconnections between hypermasculine worldviews, capitalism, and current U.S. politics. We examine the ideologies of neo-reactionary thinkers and ask why their “dark Enlightenment” was able to seep not only into the corridors of power in Silicon Valley but ultimately take hold in the White House as well. We analyze the phenomenon of “petromasculinity” and why male identity perceives climate protection as a threat and thus calls all the more loudly for the defense of fossil fuels. Amid Bitcoin hype and fantasies of masculinity, we examine whether cryptocurrencies truly promise freedom. And last but not least, we take a look at how patriarchal violence operates in politics, the economy, and society—and how, as exemplified by the Epstein case, it is inextricably intertwined, as if under a magnifying glass.

All Dates

Wed, August 19, 7:00 p.m. 
The Minds Behind MAGA: Intellectual Lineages of Neo-Reactionary Thought

Tue, August 25, 7 p.m.
Drill, Baby, Drill! A Conversation on Petro-Masculinity 

Tue, September 1, 7 p.m.
Crypto, Crisis, Cult? Bitcoin Between Emancipation and Fantasies of Masculinity

Wed, September 15, 7:00 p.m.
The Epstein Files: Within the Network of Patriarchal Violence