2016 Archives – The Needle: Berlin

Joseph Pearson 17/09/201623/06/2018 2016, AfD, Alternatives for Germany, Asians, Berlin, Campaign, Election, Green Party, Holiday Apartments, Populism, Racism, Refugees, State Election, Touristenhass

Berlin Elections, Racism, and Who Belongs to the City

17 SEPT 2016. More than one instance of small-minded racism has marred my week, leading up to the Berlin city-state elections

Joseph Pearson is a writer and historian based in Berlin. His non-fiction portrait of Berlin was published in 2017. He published a second book, My Grandfather’s Knife, about how everyday objects tell World War Two stories, in 2022. His writing has appeared widely in the press, literary and academic journals, and has been translated into German, Italian, French, Arabic, and other languages. Born in Canada, he was educated at Cambridge University, UK, where he received his doctorate in history in 2001. He works at New York University, Berlin, and at the Barenboim-Said Akademie. Since 2008, he has written The Needle, which has become one of Berlin’s most popular blogs. For professional inquiries please contact his agency, Peters Fraser Dunlop, email him directly joseph [AT] cantab.net, or visit his professional website: josephpearson.ca