Focal Points

As the end of abundance becomes an everyday experience in Europe, we are thinking more closely about how our food reaches the table.

The ‘great democratic revolution’ of modern times, as Tocqueville once called it, appears to be spluttering to a halt. Some observers, recalling the disasters of the 1920s and 30s, are suggesting that an anti-democratic counterrevolution on a global scale has begun. But is the writing really on the wall? Or does declinism prevent us from recognizing moments of democratic renewal?

Eurozine looks into the political, social and cultural factors that define the war on Ukraine, from Russia’s neo-imperialist aspirations and the concept of culpability to artists at the forefront of Ukrainian resistance. This focal point is supported by the C.H.Beck Verlag.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine poses the greatest challenge to Europe’s self-understanding since World War II. Contributors to the new series ‘Lessons of war’ take on this challenge and reflect on the possibility of a ‘Rebirth of Europe’.

With new variants mutating around the globe, COVID-19 is no longer a novelty. The pathogen is seemingly here to stay, inducing social, political and economic turmoil. This is not a crisis to emerge from quickly. It is a prelude to further emergencies linked to climate change-related transformations and environmental destruction. How will societies deal with its tangible effects? And which issues might be perilously left by the wayside? In this new focal point, supported by the European Cultural Foundation’s Culture of Solidarity programme, Eurozine and partners take stock of this public health crisis and its accompanying crises of values and meaning.

The 20th century model of education promised a path for talent to rise through the ranks and for everyone else to find their place in society on the labour markets. But decades of research have confirmed what many found through their own experiences: that this promise was never fulfilled. The COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated already existing problems and it may be just the opening act of much deeper crises. It is clear that there isn’t an old educational normal to return to; the old ways were clearly flawed. But how to go forward? In this focal point, initiated by our partner journal La Revue nouvelle, we look into matters of access and inequality, concerns about labour markets and the rapidly changing knowledge production, to map the factors that could inform a better design for our schools.