----------------------------------------------------------- EUROZINE NEWSLETTER 12.2007 -----------------------------------------------------------
1. Article of the month: 2. New Partner: New Humanist 3. Eurozine at the European Parliament 4. New articles
----------------------------------------------------------------- 1. ARTICLE OF THE MONTH: HOW TO PAY FOR A FREE PRESS -----------------------------------------------------------------
In a media world with one eye on the bottom line and the other on the official line, it's getting harder to publish or broadcast anything that doesn't promise huge sales and attendant profits, and that doesn't say or show what is approved. But it's still possible. In a compelling article, originally published in the English language edition of Le Monde diplomatique, legendary American publisher André Schiffrin points the way for a free press.
"Newspapers and book publishers that belong to independent, not-for-profit foundations or cooperatives may be the best way to preserve political and cultural autonomy. This solution might have saved such major publishers as Le Seuil (Paris) and Einaudi (Milan) from being sold to conglomerates whose primary objective is profitability. For centuries publishing averaged an annual profit of 3-4 per cent; the conglomerates want at least l0 per cent, if not l5 per cent, which changes the nature of what can be published."
While acknowledging that Jürgen Habermas's recent call for governmental intervention to guarantee a plurality of views to the public has not been widely accepted in Germany ("which has unhappy memories of government control"), Schiffrin is convinced by the principal idea.
"Many small publishers and magazines are struggling bravely against difficult economic situations, and may in the end lose. There is no reason why their limited resources should not be helped by legislative action. [...] Conglomerate control has dangerous political and intellectual consequences for media. There is still time to control and reverse this global threat."
André Schiffrin How to pay for a free press
This article is available in English and German: http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2007-11-07-schiffrin-en.htmlhttp://www.eurozine.com/articles/2007-11-07-schiffrin-de.html
----------------------------------------------------------------- 2. NEW PARTNER: NEW HUMANIST -----------------------------------------------------------------
"New Humanist" magazine is the lively and intelligent journal of rationalism, humanism, and free thought published by the London-based Rationalist Association. It's been published continuously since 1885 and under the current title since 1972.
During its long history, "New Humanist" has distinguished itself as a world leader in "supporting and promoting humanism and rational inquiry and opposing religious dogma, irrationalism, and bunkum wherever it is found". Past and current contributors to the magazine include HG Wells, GB Shaw, Richard Dawkins, Eric Hobsbawm, Phillip Pullman, Polly Toynbee, Christopher Hitchens, Jonathan Miller, Eileen Barker, and Amartya Sen. Editor Caspar Melville joined New Humanist in July 2005.
More on "New Humanist", including its current issue: http://www.eurozine.com/journals/newhumanist/selfdescription.htmlhttp://www.eurozine.com/journals/newhumanist.html
----------------------------------------------------------------- 3. EUROZINE AT THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT -----------------------------------------------------------------
Eurozine was invited to present its work at the European Parliament's Committee on Culture on 19 November in Brussels. Michaela Adelberger's introduction was followed by a lively discussion among the MEPs and representatives from the European Commission on the possibilities for long-term funding of truly transnational projects such as Eurozine.
----------------------------------------------------------------- 4. NEW ARTICLES -----------------------------------------------------------------
Elena Trubina PRACTICING OWNING AND FEARING LOSING: NORMALITY AS MATERIALITY Established transitional narratives of "then and now" omit a central attribute of "normality" that existed during socialism: materiality, or the chance to establish oneself as an owner and maker of things. It was eastern Europeans' resourcefulness during times of scarcity that prepared them for the change and ensured the continuity of experience. 03.12.2007
This article is available in English: http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2007-12-03-trubina-en.html
Christian Höller, Jacques Rancière THE DISPOSAL OF DEMOCRACY. INTERVIEW WITH JACQUES RANCIÈRE While the western democratic system still serves a prototypical function for the rest of the world, internally it is faced with a range of challenges. The most serious of these, says Jacques Rancière, is an attack from a power elite that has nominated itself the "true guardian of democratic values". Responding, Rancière articulates what might constitute a contemporary understanding of "the political". 30.11.2007
This article is available in German: http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2007-11-30-ranciere-de.html
Eurozine Review "AN ALPHABET OF DISAPPEARANCE" "du" signs off an era in publishing; "Osteuropa" takes stock of post-election Ukraine and Poland; "Reset" fathoms the gulf between the American and European Left; "Le Monde diplomatique" (Oslo) criticizes the gullibility of Norwegian news reporters; "Nova Istra" proclaims the essay the literary genre of the future; and "Lettre Internationale" (Denmark) wants to make artists into journalists. 27.11.2007
This article is available in English: http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2007-11-27-eurozinerev-en.html
Slavenka Drakulic BATHROOM TALES. HOW WE MISTOOK NORMALITY FOR PARADISE The shortage of toilet paper alone may not have brought down communism, but it's an apt metaphor for a system unable to fulfil people's basic needs. Although Slavenka Drakulic's bathroom is better stocked these days, she's still prone to doubt. Was the normality she and her fellow eastern Europeans longed for just another false paradise? 26.11.2007
This article is now available in English and Lithuanian: http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2007-10-04-drakulic-en.htmlhttp://www.eurozine.com/articles/2007-11-26-drakulic-lt.html
Jörg Lau MUSLIMS AND THE DECADENT WEST Young Muslims in Europe who criticize western "decadence" are rejecting mainstream norms, argues Jörg Lau. Nevertheless, some commentators interpret young Muslims' self-segregation as the fault of the majority. What motivates this alliance between liberal self-critique and Muslim religiosity? 23.11.2007
This article is available in German and English: http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2007-11-23-lau-de.htmlhttp://www.eurozine.com/articles/2007-11-23-lau-en.html
Hans Erik Næss EU AND THE GLOBAL HOLLYWOOD In a harsh critique of EU film policy, Hans Erik Næss claims that European funding programmes that focus on "European cultural identity and cultural heritage" are totally misguided. 22.11.2007
This article is available in English and Norwegian: http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2007-11-22-naess-en.htmlhttp://www.eurozine.com/articles/2007-11-22-naess-no.html
Bernd Greiner IN VIEW OF THE OCCASION. A WAR THAT BEGAN WITH A LIE AND MUST END IN DISASTER In Iraq, like in Vietnam, the US military is in thrall to ideological warriors in civilian dress; and in Iraq, like in Vietnam, morale has disintegrated among troops fighting a war without fronts. Bernd Greiner examines the US military's unwillingness to learn from its mistakes. 21.11.2007
This article is available in German: http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2007-11-21-greiner-de.html
Ivan Krastev THE POPULIST MOMENT Unlike the extremist parties of the 1930s, the new populist movements do not aim to abolish democracy: quite the opposite, writes Ivan Krastev. What we are witnessing is a conflict between elites suspicious of democracy and increasingly illiberal publics. 20.11.2007
This article is now available in Bulgarian, German, English, and French: http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2007-11-20-krastev-bg.htmlhttp://www.eurozine.com/articles/2007-09-18-krastev-de.htmlhttp://www.eurozine.com/articles/2007-09-18-krastev-en.htmlhttp://www.eurozine.com/articles/2007-11-20-krastev-fr.html
Jacques Rupnik POPULISM IN EASTERN CENTRAL EUROPE Directly after the fall of communism, hopes burgeoned for democracy in the "new" eastern central Europe. What does the current climate of populism mean for these hopes and how does it affect these countries' relations with the EU? 20.11.2007
This article is now available in Bulgarian, German, and English: http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2007-11-20-rupnik-bg.htmlhttp://www.eurozine.com/articles/2007-09-10-rupnik-de.htmlhttp://www.eurozine.com/articles/2007-09-10-rupnik-en.html
Jacek Kochanowicz RIGHT TURN. POLISH POLITICS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY Alternatives to the anti-communism and national conservatism of Poland's two main rightwing parties are barely offered by a Centre-Left tarnished by corruption scandals. With new elections set for 21 October, it seems unlikely that Poland will alter its course rightwards. 20.11.2007
This article is now available in Bulgarian, German, English, and Hungarian: http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2007-11-20-kochanowicz-bg.htmlhttp://www.eurozine.com/articles/2007-09-14-kochanowicz-de.htmlhttp://www.eurozine.com/articles/2007-09-14-kochanowicz-en.htmlhttp://www.eurozine.com/articles/2007-09-14-kochanowicz-hu.html
Will Barnes CAPITAL CLIMES Today, an Indian child consumes one ninetieth of the energy of her American counterpart. Such comparisons discredit the consensus that it is simply the mass activity of "man" which is responsible for global warming. 19.11.2007
This article is now available in German and English: http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2007-11-19-barnes-de.htmlhttp://www.eurozine.com/articles/2007-07-16-barnes-en.html
Ali Fathollah-Nejad, Feridun Zaimoglu YOU'VE GOT TO SWING YOUR HIPS! A CONVERSATION WITH FERIDUN ZAIMOGLU "This whole ethnic crap gets on my nerves!" Author Feridun Zaimoglu, who has defended the right of young Muslims in Germany to religious autonomy, explains with characteristic forthrightness what he thinks is wrong with the discourse on integration and multiculturalism. 16.11.2007
This article is available in German and English: http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2007-11-16-zaimoglu-de.htmlhttp://www.eurozine.com/articles/2007-11-16-zaimoglu-en.html
Rainer Bauböck WHO ARE THE CITIZENS OF EUROPE? The tension between freedom of movement and national self-determination of citizenship within the EU has the potential to create serious conflicts. 15.11.2007
This article is now available in German, English, Spanish, French, Italian, and Lithuanian: http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2007-07-11-baubock-de.htmlhttp://www.eurozine.com/articles/2006-12-23-baubock-en.htmlhttp://www.eurozine.com/articles/2006-12-23-baubock-es.htmlhttp://www.eurozine.com/articles/2007-07-11-baubock-fr.htmlhttp://www.eurozine.com/articles/2007-02-26-baubock-it.htmlhttp://www.eurozine.com/articles/2007-11-15-baubock-lt.html
Marius Babias ZONES OF INDIFFERENCE The world in a "state of exception": On the relations of "populism", "public sphere" and "terrorism" The events of 9/11 introduced a "state of exception". As a result, the social and political struggles of the de-classed now operate in a zone of indifference which threatens democracy. 15.11.2007
This article is available in English: http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2007-11-15-babias-en.html
Richard Norman HOLY COMMUNION It's not been a good year for God. Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens have been riding high in the international bestseller lists. The new wave atheism is aggressively antagonistic to religion. But, argues Richard Norman, it's more fruitful to find common ground. 13.11.2007
This article is available in English: http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2007-11-13-norman-en.html
Eurozine Review "HOW TO PAY FOR A FREE PRESS" "Le Monde diplomatique" (Berlin) points the way for a free press; "Esprit" is all about Sarkozyism; "New Humanist" asks what Dawkins and Hitchens mean for humanism; "Critique & Humanism" busts the populist spectre; "Edinburgh Review" airs the Scottish-Polish spirit of exchange; "Arche" deconstructs the myths of Belarusian history; "Kulturos barai" plots the future of Lithuanian music; and "Wespennest" brings out the hidden affirmation of negation. 13.11.2007
This article is available in English: http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2007-11-13-eurozinerev-en.html
Göran Rosenberg BACK IN THE GHETTO The Israeli Right nurtures the image of the nation of Israel as a bastion under eternal siege but fails to see that Israel is laying siege to the Palestinians. The window of opportunity opened by the Oslo agreement has been closed for good, fears Göran Rosenberg. 09.11.2007
This article is now available in Danish, English, Norwegian, and Swedish: http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2007-11-28-rosenberg-da.htmlhttp://www.eurozine.com/articles/2007-11-09-rosenberg-en.htmlhttp://www.eurozine.com/articles/2007-11-28-rosenberg-no.htmlhttp://www.eurozine.com/articles/2007-11-09-rosenberg-sv.html
Will Brady THE BREAD AND MEAT OF LIFE Since Poland's accession to the EU, around 200 000 Polish workers are registered in the UK, with as many again estimated to be employed in the shadow economy. One reason for their choice may be that Poles are attracted to societies in which an established meritocracy operates. Yet, as is the case in Edinburgh, Polish immigration is also reviving community values. 06.11.2007
This article is available in English: http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2007-11-06-brady-en.html
Vita Matiss, Tzvetan Todorov MEMORY OF EVIL, ENTICEMENT TO GOOD. AN INTERVIEW WITH TZVETAN TODOROV In France, communism has positive associations with the Resistance movement. Not so for eastern Europeans, who must bring their own experiences to bear in the European discussion, says the Bulgarian philosopher. 05.11.2007
This article is now available in English, Latvian, Italian, and Hungarian: http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2005-08-19-todorov-en.htmlhttp://www.eurozine.com/articles/2005-08-19-todorov-lv.htmlhttp://www.eurozine.com/articles/2007-11-05-todorov-it.htmlhttp://www.eurozine.com/articles/2007-11-05-todorov-hu.html
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