----------------------------------------------------------- EUROZINE NEWSLETTER 03.2009----------------------------------------------------------- 1. Article of the month: Victims of violence and the public sphere 2. European histories: 2009 Eurozine conference in Vilnius 3. New partner: La Revue Internationale des Livres et des Idées 4. Symposium: History of a hope, end of an illusion? 5. New articles
----------------------------------------------------------- 1. Article of the month: Victims of violence and the public sphere----------------------------------------------------------- Does press freedom entail an unlimited right to information on the part of the public? Not when that information concerns victims of violent crime, writes Jan Philipp Reemtsma. Media insensitivity towards crime victims is nothing new -- "That's history, madam", as one journalist commented to the wife of the dying Robert Kennedy. Yet a recent interview on German television with a young victim of sexual violence suggests that, post-Kampusch, the victim's private sphere is more vulnerable than ever.
What are the causes of the increasing public interest in victims of crime? It has to do with a changing postwar attitude to Holocaust survivors, Reemtsma argues. Holocaust literature, and subsequently Gulag literature, has given rise to a "parasitic genre" (one that Reemtsma has used himself). Its authors "do not simply write about extreme situations [...], but act as the interpreters of a world that one cannot know without hearing what they have to say."
Yet to attribute to the victim greater powers of insight into human existence is disastrous in therapeutic terms. To do so on television exploits the needs of the victim and raises serious ethical questions:
"Once the victim appears in public and talks, he or she steps out of this role, seizes the reins once more, takes the initiative, becomes 'someone' again and determines what happens, at least in a communicative sense. But at the same time -- and this is the dialectic of this process -- the victim's appearance in public once again places him or her in the role of victim."
Jan Philipp Reemtsma Victims of violence: Can we demand restraint from the public sphere?
This article is available in English and German: http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2009-02-27-reemtsma-en.htmlhttp://www.eurozine.com/articles/2009-02-27-reemtsma-de.html
----------------------------------------------------------- 2. European histories: 2009 Eurozine conference in Vilnius----------------------------------------------------------- As previously announced, this year's Eurozine conference, the 22nd European Meeting of Cultural Journals, will take place in Vilnius from 8 to 11 May. The meeting is organized in cooperation with "Eurozine"'s Lithuanian partner "Kulturos barai" and "Vilnius: European Capital of Culture 2009". More than 100 editors and intellectuals from Europe's leading cultural journals will be participating. The programme includes seminars and debates as well as an exhibition displaying journals from more than 30 countries.
Under the heading "European histories", the conference will explore the role of history and memory in forming new identities in a Europe in change.
Throughout Europe, history is ceasing to be something for historians alone. Instead, it is becoming both a public issue and an instrument of politics. In the West, this progression can be traced from the wilful amnesia of the postwar years, through the mission of the '68 generation to make the previous generation accountable for its crimes, to the obsession with history of the last two decades. In the East, the imposed history of the liberation has given way to the liberation of history. Nevertheless, highly different "commemorative cultures" have formed and the comfortable historical consensus long obtained within and among western European countries has been undermined by the eastern enlargement.
Europeans are still far from an all-embracing "grand narrative", assuming this is worth striving for at all. But much would undoubtedly be gained by discussing the existing plurality of narratives in a shared space transcending national boundaries. The Vilnius meeting will provide the opportunity for such a debate.
Twenty years after 1989, the conference will also take stock of the dramatic developments since the fall of the Berlin Wall. Meanwhile, most former communist states in central and eastern Europe are members of the EU; others are waiting in line. But the transition from closed to open societies is far from over. Fierce debates on lustration and information surfacing from previously closed archives show that, today, 1989 represents not only an historic moment of liberation but also a political and social dilemma.
The full programme of the conference will be available soon. Watch this space!
See also the Eurozine focal point "European histories": http://www.eurozine.com/comp/focalpoints/eurohistories.html
----------------------------------------------------------- 3. New partner: La Revue Internationale des Livres et des Idées----------------------------------------------------------- Described as a "cultural revolution" by the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung", the Paris based "La Revue internationale des livres" ("RiLi") has taken its lead from the "New York Review of Books" and devotes itself to reviews of the most critical and innovative work being published today, a third of which are in languages other than French! Yet "RiLi" doesn't only do reviews: as a journal with an eye on current affairs, it seeks to intervene in the public debate and help redefine current affairs. And as a transnational journal, "RiLi" publishes in translation articles from the best international journals.
More information about "RiLi" and the full table of contents of the current issue: http://www.eurozine.com/journals/rili.html
----------------------------------------------------------- 4. Symposium: History of a hope, end of an illusion?----------------------------------------------------------- "What came of the hopes and promises for freedom after the fall of the Berlin Wall?" asks the international conference "Freedom within sight: Europe 1989/2009. History of a hope -- end of an illusion?", co-organized by "Eurozine" partner "Osteuropa" on 18 and 19 March in Berlin.
Among others, Adam Michnik, Ales Steger, Ivalyo Ditchev, Mykola Riabchuk, and Carl Henrik Fredriksson will discuss the effects of the political, economic and cultural dynamics of the last two decades.
More information: http://www.eurozine.com/journals/osteuropa.htmlhttp://www.eurozine.com/authors/michnik.htmlhttp://www.eurozine.com/authors/steger.htmlhttp://www.eurozine.com/authors/ditchev.htmlhttp://www.eurozine.com/authors/riabchuk.htmlhttp://www.eurozine.com/authors/fredriksson.html
More information about the conference: http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2009-03-02-newsitem-en.html
----------------------------------------------------------- 5. New articles----------------------------------------------------------- Arseni Roginski FRAGMENTED MEMORY STALIN AND STALINISM IN PRESENT-DAY RUSSIA As contemporary witnesses disappear, collective memory in Russia is altering, writes the director of Memorial. The hardships of war and the Stalinist terror are being forgotten and Stalin is being remembered as the victor over the essence of evil. 02.03.2009
This article is available in German: http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2009-03-02-roginski-de.html
Jan Philipp Reemtsma VICTIMS OF VIOLENCE: CAN WE DEMAND RESTRAINT FROM THE PUBLIC SPHERE? Does press freedom entail an unlimited right to information on the part of the public? Not when that information concerns victims of violent crime, argues Jan Philipp Reemtsma. An interest in crime is not the same thing as an interest in the victims of crime. 27.02.2009
Miroslav Balastík TWO STORIES KUNDERA AND THE CONCLUSION OF THE VELVET REVOLUTION The reaction to the Kundera allegations in the Czech Republic has largely been one of doubt rather than blame. Miroslav Balastík wonders whether the incident signifies the end of a phase of post-communism in the Czech Republic. 26.02.2009
This article is now available in English and Polish: http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2008-11-07-balastik-en.htmlhttp://www.eurozine.com/articles/2009-02-26-balastik-pl.html
Samuel Abrahám A TRACE OF METAPHYSICS? ON THE ALLEGATIONS AGAINST MILAN KUNDERA Whatever the outcome of the allegations against Milan Kundera, writes Samuel Abraham, the manner in which they have been made represents a failure of journalistic decency. 26.02.2009
This article is now available in English and Polish: http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2008-10-22-abraham-en.htmlhttp://www.eurozine.com/articles/2009-02-26-abraham-pl.html
Mike Davis, Mattias Hagberg THE NEW ECOLOGY OF WAR AN INTERVIEW WITH MIKE DAVIS "Global epidemics and global terrorism are two problems that principally emanated from the slums. When one talks about 'failed states' one often means 'failed cities' such as Gaza or Sadr City." Mike Davis talks in interview about the evolution of the neoliberal city. 25.02.2009
This article is now available in English, Norwegian and Swedish: http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2009-01-07-davis-en.htmlhttp://www.eurozine.com/articles/2009-02-25-davis-no.htmlhttp://www.eurozine.com/articles/2009-01-07-davis-sv.html
Christian Schneider WHAT ARE HEROES FOR? Heroes, writes Christian Schneider, mark the boundaries of human behaviour. And without boundaries, there is no scale and no purpose. 24.02.2009
This article is available in German: http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2009-02-24-schneider-de.html
Charlotte Wiedemann THE SMALL CHANGE OF PARTICIPATION BEING A CITIZEN IN AFRICA African democracies are usually based on local elites, who are estranged from the people and their living conditions. Practised democracy cannot be found in governments and parliaments, but in the communities. 24.02.2009
This article is available in German: http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2009-02-24-wiedemannc-de.html
Eurozine Review IN DEFENCE OF GENERALISM "Esprit" defends the generalist cultural journal; "Res Publica Nowa" sends out a wake-up call to the arts; "Arena" asks why nobody mentions 1982; "Mittelweg 36" discusses sexual violence and soldierliness; "Le Monde diplomatique" (Berlin) counts the small change of participation; "Revolver Revue" objects to peddlers of the Prague Spring; "Le Monde diplomatique" (Oslo) focuses on resistance in film; "Vikerkaar" learns from an historical accident; "Revista Crítica" listens to the subtext of manguebeat; "Greek Political Science Review" remembers a "Greek Marxist"; and "Akadeemia" reproaches extinction theorists. 24.02.2009
This article is available in English: http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2009-02-24-eurozinerev-en.html
Märt Väljataga LITERARY PERSPECTIVES: ESTONIA WAITING FOR THE GREAT ESTONIAN NOVEL While the Great Estonian Novel has yet to be written, the range of fiction in Estonia is wide enough to serve as an indicator of the post-communist country's hopes and fears, anxieties and obsessions, writes the editor of "Vikerkaar". 23.02.2009
This article is now available in Czech, English, Estonian, German, Latvian, Lithuanian and Swedish: http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2009-02-23-valjataga-cs.htmlhttp://www.eurozine.com/articles/2007-06-30-valjataga-en.htmlhttp://www.eurozine.com/articles/2008-02-11-valjataga-et.htmlhttp://www.eurozine.com/articles/2008-05-20-valjataga-de.htmlhttp://www.eurozine.com/articles/2008-03-05-valjataga-lv.htmlhttp://www.eurozine.com/articles/2008-05-20-valjataga-lt.htmlhttp://www.eurozine.com/articles/2007-10-10-valjataga-sv.html
Radostin Kaloianov MULTICULTURALISM AND DIVERSITY A REPLY TO KENAN MALIK Kenan Malik's critique of multiculturalism as a perpetuation of racist thinking is based on false conclusions, writes Radostin Kaloianov. Yet institutionalized multiculturalism should be challenged for its concentration on only a narrow spectrum of differences. 20.02.2009
This article is available in English and German: http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2009-02-20-kaloianov-en.htmlhttp://www.eurozine.com/articles/2009-02-20-kaloianov-de.html
Peter Lodenius A LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS OF BELARUS ON THE EUROPEAN HUMANITIES UNIVERSITY IN VILNIUS There is a light in the darkness of Belarus. A Belarusian university in exile provides future generations with internationally approved degrees and the ability to think independently. 19.02.2009
This article is available in English: http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2009-02-19-lodenius-en.html
Geert Lovink THE SOCIETY OF THE QUERY AND THE GOOGLIZATION OF OUR LIVES A TRIBUTE TO JOSEPH WEIZENBAUM As Google's hegemony over online content increases, argues Geert Lovink, we should stop searching and start questioning. 17.02.2009
This article is now available in Danish, English, Slovenian and Swedish: http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2009-02-17-lovink-da.htmlhttp://www.eurozine.com/articles/2008-09-05-lovink-en.htmlhttp://www.eurozine.com/articles/2008-12-17-lovink-sl.htmlhttp://www.eurozine.com/articles/2008-10-29-lovink-sv.html
Anna Loutfi FEMINISM, BIOGRAPHY AND CHESHIRE CAT STORIES A GEOPOLITICAL JOURNEY THROUGH A BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY In studying eastern central European feminist history of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Anna Loutfi detects "imperial ironies": feminists' identities shifting between international networking and national self-representation. 13.02.2009
This article is available in English: http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2009-02-13-loutfi-en.html
Giuliano Mesa NOWADAYS ON RESIGNATION Attention has to be paid to the individual victims of a small minority in pursuit of limitless and obscene wealth and power, writes Giuliano Mesa. Resignation in the face of the dominance of economic logic must be resisted! 12.02.2009
This article is now available in German and Italian: http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2008-11-18-mesa-de.htmlhttp://www.eurozine.com/articles/2009-02-12-mesa-it.html
Eurozine Review COMPARING CULTURAL CAPITAL(S) "Kulturos barai" watches Linz turn from smalltown to cultural metropolis; "Blätter" calls for a collective European politics of memory; "Osteuropa" sees the dawn of Great Russia; "Merkur" doubts the benefit of hindsight; "Ny Tid" follows a reluctant EU president; "Varlik" talks to Turkish poets about their support for the Palestinians; "Springerin" asks if there is art without a market; "Akadeemia" disapproves of hedonistic students; and "Transit" lights the way in climate politics. 10.02.2009
This article is available in English: http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2009-02-10-eurozinerev-en.html
Peter Furth ON MASS DEMOCRACY THE SITUATION ACCORDING TO PANAJOTIS KONDYLIS Mass democracy is a new social form that includes capitalism without the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. It is something like a caricature of the communist ideal of the classless society, writes Peter Furth. 09.02.2009
This article is available in German: http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2009-02-09-furth-de.html
Slavenka Drakulic WHY I HAVE NOT RETURNED TO BELGRADE Slavenka Drakulic asks herself why she has not visited Belgrade in seventeen years. It is clear to her that the underlying reasons are closely tied with the recent Yugoslav wars. But, she wonders, what is she anxious about now? 06.02.2009
This article is available in English: http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2009-02-06-drakulic-en.html
Milan Dezinsky, David Lehman THERE'S ALWAYS SOMEONE WHO SAYS THAT POETRY IS DEAD INTERVIEW WITH DAVID LEHMAN "Ever since I can remember, people have been announcing the death of poetry," says David Lehman in interview with Milan Dezinsky. "It's the premature-death syndrome. Obituaries are written before deaths occur, but they shouldn't be published until after the fatality." 05.02.2009
This article is available in English: http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2009-02-05-dezinsky-en.html
Claus Leggewie BATTLEFIELD EUROPE TRANSNATIONAL COMMEMORATION AND EUROPEAN IDENTITY The debate about the "correct" interpretation of history divides the European Union. Claus Leggewie considers whether the different experiences of western and eastern Europe can be moulded into a collective narrative. 04.02.2009
This article is available in German: http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2009-02-04-leggewie-de.html
Jonas Thente LITERARY PERSPECTIVES: SWEDEN BEYOND CRIME FICTION, HANDBAGS AND DESIGNER SUITS Recent literary debates in Sweden have dwelled, among things, on authors' love lives and penchant for designer handbags. Yet there is more out there if one looks: Hans Koppel's hatchet job on suburban manners, for example, or Magnus Hedlund's explorations of human perception. 03.02.2009
This article is now available in English, German, Lithuanian and Swedish: http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2008-09-23-thente-en.htmlhttp://www.eurozine.com/articles/2008-11-19-thente-de.htmlhttp://www.eurozine.com/articles/2009-02-03-thente-lt.htmlhttp://www.eurozine.com/articles/2008-09-23-thente-sv.html
----------------------------------------------------------- The Eurozine newsletter is published with the support of the Culture Programme of the European Union: http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/education_culture/index_en.html