The Hannah Arendt Center for Politics and the Humanities

What The Hannah Arendt Center for Politics and the Humanities does

The Hannah Arendt Center for Politics and the Humanities is an academic center at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, founded in 2005 by Roger Berkowitz to advance the study of Hannah Arendt's political thought. The center stewards the Hannah Arendt Personal Library (HAPL) — approximately 4,000 volumes with over 900 annotated books bearing Arendt's marginalia — housed at Bard's Stevenson Library. Its programming portfolio spans the Virtual Reading Group (weekly Zoom sessions of 60-100 participants led by Berkowitz, with recordings on YouTube), the annual Arendt Forum conference (the 2026 edition scheduled October 15-17 on 'Solidarity: What Are We Fighting For?'), the Visiting Scholar Program (non-stipendiary fellowships with a $1,000 utility fee, accepting up to three scholars per semester), undergraduate and post-doctoral fellowships, the Democracy Innovation Hub, and student programs such as BHSEC Ambassadors and OSUN Ambassadors.

Commercial activity is structured around a non-profit academic model. Recurring revenue comes from HAC membership subscriptions (gating the VRG, Amor Mundi newsletter, and event registration), supplemented by one-time conference fees ($150 per non-member, free for Bard community and HAC members), Visiting Scholar utility fees, HA Yearbook sales, donations via Constant Contact, and institutional funding routed through Bard College and the Open Society University Network (OSUN). The center also publishes the weekly Amor Mundi newsletter, the HA Yearbook academic journal, the 'Reading Hannah Arendt with Roger Berkowitz' podcast, and the 'October 27th' podcast documenting the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooting through oral history.

A 21-person team operates the center, which between 2020 and 2024 ran the Hannah Arendt Humanities Network (HAHN) as a global collaborative initiative through OSUN with partner institutions in Colombia, South Africa, Bangladesh, Austria, and Palestine. That network concluded in 2024, but the center retains partnerships with the Digital Humanism Initiative, the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) in Vienna, CAIML at TU Wien, the Rauh Jewish History Program and Archives, and the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory in Belgrade. Intellectual property in Arendt's writings is held by the Hannah Arendt Bluecher Literary Trust (Georges Borchardt Inc. as literary agent); the center operates under licensing arrangements rather than owning copyright.

Name

The Hannah Arendt Center for Politics and the Humanities

Legal name

The Hannah Arendt Center for Politics and the Humanities at Bard College

Website

https://hac.bard.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Hannah Arendt Center for Politics and the Humanities is a non-profit academic center at Bard College (founded 2005) that studies and disseminates Hannah Arendt's political thought through a Virtual Reading Group, annual conference, Visiting Scholar Program, publications, and global OSUN-affiliated programming for scholars, students, and engaged citizens.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Research Center (Humanities)

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720), Libraries and Archives (51921), Book Publishers (513130), Periodical Publishers (51312)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Humanities & Arts Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Digital Library & Electronic Resources Operations (e-Resources, Repositories, Licensing) (EDAEAGAF), Secular/Nonsectarian Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAG)

Keywords

• Political philosophy research
• Humanities academic programs
• Academic fellowship programs
• Humanities publications
• Academic conference programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Annandale-on-Hudson

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership and Donations: The center operates as a non-profit academic center at Bard College supported primarily through membership fees, donations, and institutional funding. Membership provides access to the Virtual Reading Group, publications, and event registration.
2. Conference Fees: Annual Arendt Forum and other conferences generate revenue through registration fees. Non-members pay $150 flat fee; Bard community and HAC members attend free.
3. Visiting Scholar Program: Visiting Scholars pay a $1,000 utility fee to support faculty and staff engagement. The program accepts up to three scholars per semester.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Hannah Arendt Center is a non-profit academic center at Bard College that studies and disseminates the political thought of Hannah Arendt through educational programs (Virtual Reading Group, Visiting Scholar Program, PhD in Global Humanities), annual conferences (Arendt Forum), publications (Amor Mundi newsletter, HA Yearbook, podcasts), and fellowships. It holds exclusive access to Arendt's Personal Library of 4,000+ volumes housed in Bard's Stevenson Library and connects scholars globally through the OSUN network.

Product overview

The Hannah Arendt Center for Politics and Humanities at Bard College is an academic center dedicated to the study and promotion of Hannah Arendt's thought. It offers a comprehensive portfolio of programs including educational offerings (Virtual Reading Group, Visiting Scholar Program, Text Seminars, PhD in Global Humanities), publications (Amor Mundi newsletter, HA Yearbook, podcasts), annual conferences (Arendt Forum), and various working groups and fellowships through the Hannah Arendt Humanities Network. The center fosters intellectual exchange through programs like the Dialogue Project, Democracy Innovation Hub, Courage to Be dinners, and the HAHN initiative, connecting scholars globally through OSUN.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hannah Arendt Humanities Network (HAHN): A collaborative initiative (2020-2024) connecting scholars and institutions globally to foster professional collaborations and intellectual exchange in the humanities.
• October 27th Podcast
• Virtual Reading Group (VRG)
• Structured Democratic Dialogue
• AI Working Group
• Plurality Forum
• BHSEC Ambassadors
• Ideas Forum
• OSUN Ambassadors
• Humanities for the People
• Alpine Fellowship
• Digital Humanism Summit
• Democratizing Globalization Working Group
• Annual Text Seminar
• Yehuda Elkana Fellowship

Products and services

• HAC Membership An annual membership program that gives individual members access to the Virtual Reading Group, the Amor Mundi weekly newsletter, and free registration at the annual Arendt Forum conference. Membership is the primary access mechanism for engaged individual participants in the center's programs.
• Virtual Reading Group (VRG) A weekly Zoom-based reading group led by Roger Berkowitz that conducts in-depth close readings of Hannah Arendt's works (20-50 pages per session). Sessions are recorded and posted on YouTube. Participation is free for HAC members. Currently reading 'Responsibility and Judgment' through July 2026.
• The Arendt Forum (Annual Conference)
• Visiting Scholar Program A non-stipendiary fellowship for scholars to access the Hannah Arendt Personal Library (HAPL) of approximately 4,000 volumes housed in the Stevenson Library at Bard College. Up to three scholars are accepted per semester. Requires a $1,000 utility fee that covers faculty and staff support; does not include travel, relocation, housing, or visa costs.
• Amor Mundi Newsletter A weekly newsletter published every Sunday morning covering Arendtian topics, edited by Roger Berkowitz. Available via subscription through Constant Contact; included with HAC membership.
• HA Yearbook An annual academic journal published by the Hannah Arendt Center, with print volumes available for order. Volume 13 is titled 'Tribalism and Cosmopolitanism' and is available on Amazon.
• PhD in Global Humanities A transformative doctoral program within the OSUN network designed to equip scholars with tools to address pressing global challenges, emphasizing public-facing scholarship and interdisciplinary learning.
• Annual Text Seminar An annual week-long intensive reading seminar bringing together OSUN scholars to closely read classic works of political or democratic thinking. Past texts have included Popper's Open Society, Arendt's Vita Activa, and Frantz Fanon's Black Skin, White Masks.
• Yehuda Elkana Fellowship An annual fellowship honoring Yehuda Elkana, bringing major scholars for residence at Central European University with public lectures and manuscript workshops with OSUN faculty.
• October 27th Podcast A podcast documenting the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooting through oral histories of the local community, adapted from the Meanings of October 27th oral history project. Hosted on Transistor.fm and all major podcast platforms.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100+ oral history interviews documented in October 27th project
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Digital Humanism InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2023Co-organized the Digital Humanism Summit on AI and Democratic Sustainability in Vienna (July 3-5, 2023) alongside the OSUN Hannah Arendt Humanities Network at Bard College and the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM).
• Institute for Human Sciences (IWM), ViennacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2023Co-hosted the Digital Humanism Summit on AI and Democratic Sustainability in Vienna (July 3-5, 2023) with OSUN HAHN and Digital Humanism Initiative.
• Austrian Ministry for European and Foreign AffairsminorOthers · 1 January 2023Supported the Digital Humanism Summit on AI and Democratic Sustainability through funding.
• Ministry for Climate Action (Austria)minorOthers · 1 January 2023Supported the Digital Humanism Summit on AI and Democratic Sustainability through funding.
• Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory (Belgrade)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Partner in the Democracy Innovation Working Group. Led workshops on Sortition (citizen assemblies) before the Fall 2021 Arendt Center Conference on Revitalizing Democracy. Published study on participatory and deliberative democracy.
• Participatory Governance Initiative (Arizona State University)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021University-wide interdisciplinary space promoting excellence in participatory governance research and practice. Partner in the Democracy Innovation Working Group with the Hannah Arendt Humanities Network.
• University of the Andes (Colombia)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Partner institution in the Hannah Arendt Humanities Network (HAHN) 2020-2024. Supported the integration and accessibility of humanities studies across the globe within the OSUN network.
• University of Witwatersrand (South Africa)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Partner institution in the Hannah Arendt Humanities Network (HAHN) 2020-2024. Part of OSUN network bridging north and south academic institutions.
• Brac University (Bangladesh)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Partner institution in the Hannah Arendt Humanities Network (HAHN) 2020-2024. OSUN network partner representing Asian academic institutions.
• Central European University (Vienna)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Founding OSUN partner institution. Co-hosted Yehuda Elkana Fellowship and participates in HAHN text seminars and working groups.
• Al Quds University Bard (Palestine)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Bard College partner institution in Palestine. Partner in the Hannah Arendt Humanities Network (HAHN) 2020-2024, representing Middle East in the global OSUN network.
• Rauh Jewish History Program and Archives (Pittsburgh)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2019Signed Memorandum of Understanding to serve as the archival home for the October 27th oral history collection upon project completion. The collection will include interactive interview transcripts and audio available on-site and online.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Bard College: HAC's parent institution and a private liberal arts college with a strong emphasis on the humanities, arts, and civic engagement. Comparable as the broader academic home and primary institutional funder of the center, sharing curricular and faculty resources.
• Stanford Humanities Center: A university-based humanities research center convening fellows, hosting public lectures, and producing scholarship across disciplines. Comparable to HAC as an academic humanities hub with fellowship, publication, and convening functions.
• Open Society University Network (OSUN): A global higher-education network anchored by Bard College and Central European University that links dozens of institutions including those that participate in HAC's programs. Comparable as the parent network supporting HAC's global humanities initiatives.
• Princeton University Department of Politics — Political Theory Subfield: Princeton's political theory faculty hosts seminars, workshops, and conferences on canonical thinkers including Arendt. Comparable to HAC as a venue producing rigorous political-theory scholarship, though operating as a university department rather than a dedicated center.
• Yale Program in Ethics, Politics, and Economics: A multidisciplinary academic program at Yale examining political thought, ethics, and democratic governance. Comparable to HAC in convening scholars and producing publications that bridge political philosophy with public-facing programming.

Direct peers

• Central European University: Vienna-based graduate university focused on the social sciences, humanities, law, and political theory. A founding OSUN partner and Hannah Arendt Humanities Network member, CEU co-hosts the Yehuda Elkana Fellowship with HAC and overlaps directly on political thought and humanities programming.
• Lapham's Quarterly: A literary journal of history and ideas published from the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College. Directly comparable as a HAC-affiliated publication that curates historical writing around themes, mirroring HAC's editorial model of pairing canonical thought with contemporary relevance.
• Institute for Human Sciences (IWM Vienna): An independent, internationally oriented institute for advanced study in the humanities and social sciences in Vienna. Directly comparable: HAC and IWM co-organized the Digital Humanism Summit on AI and democratic sustainability, and both convene fellows and visiting scholars around political theory, philosophy, and contemporary public questions.
• The New School for Social Research: A graduate university in New York known for scholarship in philosophy, politics, sociology, and critical theory. Comparable to HAC in hosting public lectures, seminars, and publications that engage canonical thinkers (including Arendt's intellectual tradition) for scholarly and public audiences.
• Digital Humanism Initiative: An international initiative convening scholars around the relationship between digital technology, AI, and human values. Co-organized the 2023 Digital Humanism Summit with HAC, making it a close peer in framing AI/democracy debates through a humanities lens.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCHYEknCM4nxmyNnTCTwsEkQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hannaharendt
• Instagraminstagram.com/hannaharendtcenteratbard

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Hannah Arendt Center for Politics and the Humanities