NYU Berlin Blog

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A Walk Through Neukölln

Walking alone through Neukölln, I encountered a Berlin few tourists see — a layered, vibrant, and tension-filled neighborhood where resilience and marginalization meet in everyday life.

By Mattis Nurit*

From the moment I stepped out of the U-Bahn at Hermannplatz, the atmosphere felt different. The streets were alive with a mix of languages, cultures, and rhythms that revealed a neighborhood in constant negotiation — between old and new, exclusion and belonging, surveillance and creativity.

As I walked through the streets around Hermannplatz, I was drawn into a vibrant mix of people: Young and middle-aged adults, predominantly from Middle Eastern, Turkish, Arab, East Asian, and African backgrounds, filled the sidewalks. The shops mirrored this diversity — selling goods from nearly every part of the world. And yet, signs and menus were written in German, signalling an overarching framework into which these global identities are folded. [Read more…] about A Walk Through Neukölln

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Kitchen Battles — Baklava

Burcu and Ares cooking togetherBy two cooking aficionados who refuse to pick sides*

There are two of us: one from Greece, with family roots in Turkey — Istanbul, Kayseri, and Trabzon; the other from Turkey — Finike, Antalya, Bozcaada, and Istanbul, all places with deep traces of Greek culture and memory. We’re both passionate cooks, both deeply invested in the rituals of the kitchen: selecting ingredients, layering textures, tasting flavours. And yes, we cook many dishes with the same name, though never quite the same way. Baklava is just one of them.

Our baklava debate is simple: walnuts, as in Greece, or Antep fıstığı, the pistachio from southeastern Turkey? Each time we come together, whether to eat or to cook, our words explore time and place, tracing the paths of flavor where Greek and Turkish kitchens echo each other; sometimes in harmony, sometimes in contrast. We always find ourselves comparing dishes and memories: ingredients, methods, seasons, rituals… And sometimes tease each other gently across the counter, spatula in hand. [Read more…] about Kitchen Battles — Baklava

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The Practice of Being Restorative

Krystal McLeod Head ShotKrystal McLeod, a restorative practitioner committed to building a world where individuals feel deeply seen, heard, and known, is Co-Executive Director and Chief Program Officer of the NYU Center on Violence and Recovery. In this role, she leads a multidisciplinary team of practitioners, scholars, social workers, and activists working to reimagine community responses to violence with love, accountability, and healing at the forefront. Krystal was part of a team that visited NYU Berlin in March 2025 to offer a training series aimed at providing NYU Global sites with reflective and practical tools for engaging with restorative practices. The goal of the series was to integrate these practices across our global locations, fostering an inclusive environment where every community member feels a genuine sense of belonging. By developing greater confidence in using restorative tools, participants were equipped to enhance IDBEA efforts and address conflicts or misunderstandings that might otherwise cause harm.  We asked Krystal to write a short article on the impact and importance of restorative practices. [Read more…] about The Practice of Being Restorative

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Berlin’s Club Culture: The Aesthetic Battle Against Gentrification

By Kersti Jin*

There’s always that one painting, statue, or photograph we can stare at for hours, lost in its details, captivated by its presence. Perhaps we’re doomed to eternally search for metaxy, a term Simone Weil borrowed from the Greek to describe humanity’s longing for the good and the beautiful. But beauty, Weil also argued, “always promises, but never gives anything.” It’s a strikingly cynical take—one that encapsulates our relentless pursuit of aesthetics, a pursuit that doesn’t just unfold in art galleries but in every space we inhabit. Aesthetics shape our experiences, define our sense of belonging, and imbue our surroundings with meaning. Nowhere is this more evident than in urban environments. And in a city like Berlin, where history is etched into every brick, aesthetics become a battleground between authenticity and economic imperatives.

[Read more…] about Berlin’s Club Culture: The Aesthetic Battle Against Gentrification

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The Döner Phenomenon: How Berlin Made It Its Own

The origins of Döner Kebab have long been a topic of debate. Some argue it’s a Berlin creation, while others trace its roots back to Turkey. To shed light on this culinary discussion, we asked Burcu Serdar Köknar, who will be teaching the course “Food, Culture and Globalization” at NYU Berlin starting in Spring 2025, to write a short piece about Döner Kebab and its unique place in Berlin’s food culture.

By Burcu SERDAR KÖKNAR*

A photo depicting Döner Kebap on a counter
Photo by Burcu Serdar Köknar

Döner Kebab is one of the most iconic street foods in Berlin, and it can be found almost everywhere across the city’s bustling street food scene. Wherever street food is sold, döner kebab is always present. The origins of this beloved dish have always sparked much debate: where exactly does döner kebab come from?

Food culture, including the evolution of specific dishes, is shaped by people and cannot be separated from human movements and migration. Given Berlin’s rich immigrant identity, the city’s food culture has been heavily influenced by the cuisines of its immigrant populations. Döner kebab is one of the most significant of these influences, to the point that it has become a staple of the national fast food scene in Germany. [Read more…] about The Döner Phenomenon: How Berlin Made It Its Own

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Berlin beneath the beat

by Layla Zami*

Berlin’s best beats have always pulsed beneath, besides, beyond. Back in 1994, after I arrived in Berlin with my freshly expatriate Black-Jewish family from Paris, my commute to school would include a transfer via Potsdamer Platz, which was truly a sandlot with silent scars of World War II. My way to class at Französisches Gymnasium where we learned about the historical Marshall plan required walking on marshy land across the eerily empty city center. Today, many “Bombenlücke”(1) have been filled with buildings, yet I still carry the memory of the void with me each time I pass through the buzzing streets spilling with Starbucks and Sony energy. Although I was still a bit young to fully experience the city’s subcultures, I did get a glimpse into some of its artistic territories of freedom, such as the Tacheles community. The 1990s were times when the Love Parade, initiated by DJ Dr. Motte and interdisciplinary artist Danielle de Picciotto, would sprawl over town amidst the crumbling Wall. I never attended the parade, and little did I know that 30 years later, I would become part of a collective exhibition with Danielle and other artists who shaped the cityscape with their work, thanks to artist and curator extraordinaire Oxana Chi. [Read more…] about Berlin beneath the beat