European histories: Concord and conflict

Introduction

In recent years, the possibility of a "grand narrative" that includes both East and West in a common European story has been discussed intensely. In a new Focal Point, Eurozine seeks to broaden the question beyond the East-West historical divide. How are contested interpretations of historical and recent events made active in the present, both uniting and dividing European societies? [more]

Changing media -- Media in change

Editorial

Media-technological developments are causing a fundamental re-structuring of the newspaper and book publishing sectors. Yet media change is about more than just the "newspaper crisis" and the iPad: property law, privacy, free speech and the functioning of the public sphere are all affected. A new Eurozine focal point debates a field experiencing profound and constant transformation. [more]

Bologna's blind alley

The uni's burning! The slogan was everywhere in the German-speaking space last winter, as the protests at the University of Vienna set off a wave of similar strikes, first at Austrian universities, then beyond: in Frankfurt, Heidelberg, Marburg, Zürich... 2009/10 saw further protests at universities in Athens, Zagreb, Marseilles and London. The Bologna Process, one of the main points of contention, also marked its ten-year anniversary on 12 March this year by officially inaugurating the European Higher Education Area. Eurozine surveys a debate enflaming (not only) Europe. [more]

Climate politics: Only good on paper?

Introduction

Social agreement about the necessity of radical ecological change may be unprecedented, yet rhetoric and reality go their separate ways. Are multilateral climate deals inherently ineffective? Is the cap-and-trade approach being pursued at the expense of fairer alternatives? Is the declaration of commitment to sustainability an exercise in societal self-delusion? A Eurozine focal point debates the politics of global warming. [more]

Slovenia into the EU limelight

Slovenia is the first former communist country to take charge of the EU. It will face a tough test with the question of Kosovo's independence as the biggest challenge. But what country could be better suited to handle this crisis than a former Yugoslav republic with a deep understanding of the situation in the region? Slovenia is the most developed of the former Yugoslav republics, a member of the Eurozone and the Schengen area -- and of NATO. It is in most respects an insider. But the country is more than a European success story. In a selection of articles painting a broad picture of the life of a nation, Eurozine offers an often critical insight into Slovenian culture and politics. [more]

Illiberal Europe?

On the new populism

Parliament or the soapbox? Populist politics are enjoying renewed success in Europe, above all in the former socialist countries. A new Eurozine focal point investigates the rise of "democratic illiberalism". [more]

Cultural citizenship

introduction

The concept of cultural citizenship responds to the multicultural context of contemporary societies, in which the concern with equality is increasingly being complemented with a concern with difference. Eurozine groups together texts articulating issues central to the concept. [more]

The city as stage for social upheaval

From the western European city to megacities in Asia and Africa, the articles gathered here demonstrate how one principle more than any other asserts itself in the contemporary urban social space. That principle -- privatization -- is geared towards the concentration of wealth and assets on an increasingly global scale. It is the attempt to naturalize this principle that these articles resist. [more]

Freedom of speech and the Danish cartoon controversy

Free speech is a fundamental human right and a central tenet of democracy. Or is it? Reactions to the controversy reveal strong divergences among liberals about what the right to free speech entails. [more]

Neighbourhoods

Introduction

In recent decades, the deadly potential inherent in neighbourly relations has become more and more obvious. But we tend to forget that the borders inside and outside the neighbourhood are constantly redrawn; that conflicts are part and parcel of everyday life among neighbours. [more]

European histories: Towards a grand narrative?

Introduction

In order for there to be solidarity within the enlarged EU, it will be necessary to develop a broader historical consciousness that accommodates the experiences of the new members. And if Russia's relations with its neighbours are to be harmonious, the taboos surrounding the Great Victory will need to be addressed. Read on for analyses from both sides of a historical divide. [more]

Europe talks to Europe: Towards a European public sphere?

Introduction

The European integration project has made the discussion about transnational spaces for cultural and political debate acute. Can there at all be a common Europe without a pan-European public sphere, where potentially common values and ideas can be formed and transnational political institutions can find their legitimacy? [more]

Politics of translation

Introduction

Our understanding of the field of translation studies has in recent years taken on many more meanings and now encompasses spheres beyond the usual textual dimension: Translation today is as much about the translation of cultural, political, and historical contexts and concepts as it is about language. [more]