In times of globalization, the debate over what it means to be 'German' has erupted anew. A 'German identity' has become a political demand. As early as the 1960s, Theodor W. Adorno posed the question of what 'German' is and provided an answer that is still relevant today. The essay recalls this and clarifies how Adorno's successors have betrayed the philosophy of the critical theorist and squandered it in a dogmatic academic esotericism.