Climate of change?

global warming 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 declaration of commitment to sustainability an exercise in societal self-delusion? A Eurozine focal point debates the politics of global warming. [ more ]

Dilemma 89

1989 Twenty years after 1989, most former communist states in central and eastern Europe are members of the EU. Yet the transition from closed to open societies is far from "complete". '89 not only historic moment of liberation, but also political and social dilemma for the present day. [ more ]

European histories

Towards a grand narrative? 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. [ more ]

Media landscapes

Central and eastern Europe Those in central and eastern Europe who in '89 took the commitment to free expression seriously, who saw the media as the handmaiden of democracy and the conventional watchdog on political and commercial power, today have become targets for new and subtler forms of censorship. [ more ]

The malady of infinite aspiration?

Financial crisis Sound in principle or sick at heart? Articles on the financial crisis, compiled under Durkheim's memorable phrase, coined in "Suicide" in 1897. Texts by Jacques Rupnik, Ralf Dahrendorf, Daniel Daianu, André Orléan, Reinhold Vetter, Olivier Mongin, Mircea Vasilescu and more. [ more ]

Shared space, divided society

Cultural diversity Migration is part of modern society, meaning more and more people of different ethnic, religious, and cultural backgrounds live together in Europe. The multitude of perspectives and experiences represents an enormous resource, but as cultural conflicts inherent in today's urban societies become visible, doubts are also raised about the value of diversity. In cooperation with the European Cultural Foundation, Eurozine presents a broad take on the issue that goes beyond the common dichotomy between multicultural segregation and the forceful assimilation of the "melting pot". [ more ]

Olympic indifference

Sport and politics The Beijing Olympics 2008 are unusual insofar as not one country has boycotted them. This, despite the fact that the political dimension of the Games has seldom been more controversial. Are we seeing a new kind of "Olympic indifference"? With this in mind, Eurozine compiles articles on sport, politics, and protest. [ more ]

1968: Beyond soixante-huit

1968 Forty years on, the differences between the 1968 uprisings in western and eastern Europe move into ever sharper focus. "In retrospect, the great event of '68 in Europe was not Paris, but Prague. But we were unable to see this at the time." Including articles on '68 in Czechoslovakia, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, France and West Germany [ more ]

Illiberal Europe?

The new populism Parliament or the soapbox? Populist politics are enjoying renewed success in Europe, above all in the former socialist countries. Ivan Krastev, G.M.Tamás, Ralf Dahrendorf, Jacques Rupnik and others investigate the rise of "democratic illiberalism". [ more ]

Cultural citizenship

Cultural citizenship 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 issues central to the concept. Including contributions by, among others, Gerard Delanty, Rainer Bauböck, Ivaylo Ditchev, Charles Taylor, Rada Ivekovic, António Sousa Ribeiro, and Axel Honneth. [ more ]

Decentring Europe

Decentring Europe Contemporary European discourse on Europe often tends to be self-centred and, thus, to provide one more link in a long chain of ideological or mythological constructions. Any reinvention of the concept of Europe that takes into account the complexities inherent in Europe's place in a globalized world must contain a critique of Eurocentrism. Learning from the South, i.e. absorbing the full critical impact of alternative approaches may be a key element in the rethinking – and unthinking – of "Europe". [ more ]

The future of war

The Future of War Are wars that are fought between nations a thing of the past, and are the future challenges more a case of ethnic strife, break-up of failed states, secession and civil wars? In a special focal point, Eurozine analyzes the changing face of warfare in the twenty-first century, in which terrorism and new security threats have profoundly transformed the way wars are conducted. [ more ]

The city as stage for social upheaval

City as stage From the western European city to the Third World megacity, one is able to observe how a single principle asserts itself in the social structure of the urban space. That principle ­ privatization ­ is geared towards the concentration of wealth and assets on an increasingly global scale, a manoeuvre its beneficiaries attempt to naturalize. In revealing the vested interests behind processes passed off as inevitable, it is precisely this attempt at naturalization that the articles presented here oppose. [ more ]

Changing Europe: 50 years of European integration

Changing Europe The European Union has been far more successful than anyone expected when the Treaty of Rome was signed half a century ago, on 25 March 1957. But as political Europe turns 50, the questions about its future are as open as ever. In a special focus, we present some of the most outstanding contributions on the European project published in Eurozine: From analyses by Jacques Rupnik and Jan-Werner Müller of the current European crisis, to enquiries by Slavenka Drakulic and Ales Debeljak into transnational identity building; from Göran Rosenberg's federalist arguments, to György Spiró's hilarious parody of Brussels' bureaucratic literary ambitions. [ more ]

Post-secular Europe?

Religion and politics Has the rapid and drastic process of secularization in western Europe come to an end? In a special focal point, Eurozine looks at different aspects of this question: Is religion a public or a private matter? Can there be such a thing as a European Islam? If so, what characterizes it? What role can religion – or religions – play when it comes to the emergence of a European solidarity? [ more ]

European histories: Towards a grand narrative?

European histories 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?

EUROPEAN PUBLIC SPHERE 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 border making and (cross-)border identities

Border making Have borders become irrelevant with the project of a united Europe which is supposed to overcome the historical divisions of the continent and the political isolation of its East? No, just the opposite. In a focal point guest-edited by Tatiana Zhurzhenko, essayists and researchers look at the dilemmas of border building and cross-border cooperation in the EU and its neighbourhood. [ more ]

Documenta 12 magazines

In 2007, Eurozine participated in the Documenta 12 magazines project, which linked over 90 print and on-line periodicals worldwide. Read Eurozine's contributions to the documenta leitmotifs "Modernity" and "Bare Life", including texts by Michelle Provoost, Markus Miessen, Benedict Seymour, and Swapan Chakraworty. [ more ]

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Changing places (What's normal anyway?)

The 20th European Meeting of Cultural Journals
Sibiu, 21-24 September 2007

Normality and Writing in Exile Under the heading "Changing places (What's normal anyway?)", the Eurozine network conference 2007 in Sibiu, Romania, addressed the challenges facing societies, literature, and the media as the need for change meets the urge for normality. Read the conference texts here. [ more ]

Friend and foe. Shared space, divided society

The 19th European Meeting of Cultural Journals
London, 27-30 October 2006

Shared space, divided society The Eurozine conference "Friend and foe. Shared space, divided society" saw a record number of speakers and participants representing over thirty countries. Editors of Europe's leading cultural journals converged on London to bring highly varied and often widely diverging perspectives to this most current of topics. [ more ]

Neighbourhoods

The 18th European Meeting of Cultural Journals
Istanbul, 4-7 November 2005

Neighbourhoods 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 ]

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Parallel lives
A rise in inter-ethnic conflict, often reinforced by segregated or "parallel" lives, has renewed doubts about the value of diversity. Has multiculturalism indeed been a "failed experiment"? [ more ]

Big Brother goes global
Post 9/11, governments are increasingly tailoring "international standards" to ratify domestic policies that intrude on civil liberties. On the downside of international cooperation. [ more ]

Remembering Chernobyl in 2006
Chernobyl is more than a technological accident belonging to the past: it is a catastrophe that affects the present and that will determine the future. But amidst the twenty-year anniversary commemorations, will the lessons of Chernobyl be heeded? [ more ]

Hungary '56: The first time as tragedy...
With a political battle going on in Hungary over rightful ownership of the legacy of '56, the international press take comparisons between '56 and the recent demonstrations at face value. The first time as tragedy, the second time as farce? [ more ]

Slovenia
Slovenia was the first former communist country to take charge of the EU. 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 ]