Folge 8: Democracy’s Invisible Infrastructure: Civic Imagination and Rienzi

This text explores the Aufbruch project, a unique cultural initiative that pairs Wagnerian opera with urban walking to examine the invisible foundations of democracy. Using the opera Rienzi as a primary case study, the author argues that civic strength relies more on a shared imaginative capacity than on formal institutions or physical gatherings. When this collective narrative begins to erode, public participation becomes merely performative, leading to the eventual collapse of political trust.

The author suggests that physical spaces, such as New York’s parks and squares, serve as essential scaffolding for these shared stories and democratic rituals. Ultimately, the work advocates for a reeducation of perception, asserting that the durability of a society depends on how citizens imagine and inhabit their common life together.

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