Globalization was supposed to connect people but instead ended up connecting the powerful. Local news is rapidly disappearing, a side-effect of digitalization and the ownership concentration in media markets. In an age of technological changes and political pressure, niche publications and a renaissance of zines lead the quest for new, sustainable models in publishing.
Regulation of media platforms has become an increasingly popular response to the challenges posed by disinformation and hyper-partisanship. But does regulation set a new set of traps for free speech and media diversity? And is it even adequate to the problem?
After ’89, the ideology of ‘free’ markets prevailed not just in eastern Europe, but also in the West. The consequences were particularly evident in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis and the 2010 euro crisis. What effect did the economic restructuring have on the European project and what are the key issues facing Europe today?
In a politicized age, literary debate seems to be seeking consensus. But many still argue that the task of writers is to voice what would otherwise be seen as unacceptable. Today, the question is as much about how literature is talked about as what it talks about.
Sex workers and prostitutes are subject to extreme discrimination and violence. Most of those living from commercial sex have no other choice, and all of them face a social stigma. To honour the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers, 17 December, we collected reads on the topic from the Eurozine archive.
A ‘kulturkampf’ is visible in new authoritarians’ power struggles, from rewriting history curricula in Russia, through the politics of Islamization in Turkey, to the total offensive on museums and theatres in Hungary. The consistent misrepresentation of cultures is a less spectacular but equally important means of silencing certain voices. A selection of reads on how political powers hijack culture through its institutions.
Malala Yousafzai advocates for girls’ education, while Greta Thunberg demands climate action. Thankfully, they don’t compete with each other for fame. They do, however, challenge assumptions about what can and cannot be done in politics. Especially by girls. For the European Week of the Girl, Eurozine offers reads which may help girls navigate the treacherous swamps of international politics.
It remains to be seen how the suspension of Fidesz’s membership in the European People’s Party will play out in the EU parliamentary elections and beyond. One thing is sure, however: Viktor Orbán’s attacks on democratic institutions are nothing new. Here is a set of reads from the Eurozine archive on the recent political transformations in Hungary.
Read up on feminist topics from theories of sexual violence to political strategies for women’s advancement and history from a female perspective for Internaational Women’s Day (8 March).
When the Cold War came to a sudden end thirty years ago, the two halves of Europe declared in unison their intention to overcome the legacy of the division. Today, the hopes and ambitions of those heady days can be viewed as unrealistic at best. But is talk of a new East–West divide justified?
Europe’s housing crisis affects everyone, but is especially a concern among millennials. Unaffordable rents and prices as high as the new luxury apartment blocks popping up everywhere raise a question about the actual purpose of cities. Read a compilation of our articles on urbanism, housing, and cities.
Internet technologies are being used in ways that raise far-reaching questions about the resilience and sustainability of democratic systems. And they have fundamentally impacted on understandings of the political, transforming democracies from within.
Martin Luther King was feared for promoting peaceful protest. To honour the legacy of the civil rights leader born 90 years ago, we selected a set of reads which address the political advancement since the days of the late advocate of non-violent political resistance.
Cultural journals have played a crucial role in the formation of the public spheres in Europe and beyond. Yet their future form and sustainability is by no means clear. Looking at journals’ history helps understand where they are headed. Introducing a new Eurozine focal point in collaboration with the Working Group on Periodicals Research.
