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ECOWAS and the Dynamics of Conflict and Peace-building testifies to the fact that we cannot talk of West African affairs, more so of conflict and peace-building, without talking about ECOWAS. For over two decades now, West Africa has remained one of Africa's most conflict-ridden regions. It has been a theatre of some of the most atrocious brutalities in the modern world. It has, nonetheless, witnessed one of the most ambitious internal efforts towards finding regional solutions to conflicts through ECOWAS. The lead role of ECOMOG - the ECOWAS peacekeeping force - in search of peaceful solutions to civil wars in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea Bissau and Cote d'Ivoire has yielded a mix of successes and failures. In this book, the authors take a candid look at the role that ECOWAS has played and show how the sub-regional organisation has stabilised and created new conditions conducive to nation building in a number of cases. Conversely, the book shows that ECOWAS has aggravated, if not created, new tensions in yet other cases. The comparative advantage that ECOWAS has derived from these experiences is reflected in the various mechanisms, protocols and conventions that are now in place to ensure a more comprehensive conflict prevention framework. This book provides a nuanced analysis of the above issues and other dynamics of conflicts in the region. It also interrogates the roles played by ECOWAS and various other actors in the context of the complex interplay between natural resource governance, corruption, demography and the youth bulge, gender and the conflicting interests of national, regional and international players.
The global perspectives adopted in this volume by the authors, from different academic disciplines and social experiences, ought not to be locked in sterile linearity which within process of globalisation would fail to perceive, the irreversible opening up of the worlds of the south. There is the need within the framework of the analyses presented here, to quite cogently define the sense of the notion of the market. The market here does not refer to saving or the localised exchange of goods, a perspective which is imposed by normative perceptions. In fact, a strictly materialistic reading of exchange would be included, since every social practice and interaction implies a communitarian transaction; meanwhile the exchange system under study here broadens to root out the obligation of the maximisation of mercantile profit from the cycle of exchange. Trade here would have a meaning closer to those of old, one of human interaction, in a way that one could also refer to ?bon commerce? between humans. In one way, trade places itself at the heart of social exchanges, included the power of money, and is carried along by a multitude of social interactions. The reader is called upon to take into account the major mercantile formations of the social trade system, the market society, without forgetting the diversity of exchange routes as well as the varying modalities of social construction, at the margins and within market logics ? those of implicit value in trade between humans ? which the texts herein also seek to review. The age-old project of restructuring the domestic economy, the market society as it has developed in the West, ? whence it has set out to conquer the whole wide world ? places at the very centre of the current capitalist expansion the challenge of imperatively reshaping gender identity, inter alia, in market relations.
Joy in the Morning
(2011)
Hopolang was sexually abused by a neighbor and for nineteen years she didn't divulge her experience because she feared that she would be blamed. In the first edition of 'Joy Comes in the Morning' she shared her battle to regain her self-confidence and self-esteem by running into the arms of the One who can heal - God. Through poems, she expresses emotions, such as confusion, pain, fear, betrayal, guilt, regret, approval, self-pity, mistrust and forgiveness that she had to work through. In this revised edition of 'Joy Comes in the Morning', Hopolang recounts how she overcame, not only the trauma of being sexually abused but also other challenges, such as working through relationships and climbing Mount Kilimanjaro- something that she never imagined she could accomplish. As she narrates her experiences, her hope is that the lessons she learned will motivate and inspire her readers. No matter how difficult the circumstances are that we encounter in our lives, we can triumph, and joy always comes in the morning. As she walked the paths of recovery from sexual abuse, Hopolang Phororo longed to read stories she could relate to, of those who had suffered abuse and overcame it. Because such stories were not available, she decided to share her story, to reach out and inspire other women with the message that there is hope. Her passion to see young women realize their fullest potential has led her to set up the Daughters of Destiny (DoD) Ministry (mentoring young women), in countries where she has lived.
Non-Europhone Intellectuals
(2011)
The history of Arabic writing spans a period of eight hundred years in sub-Saharan Africa. Hundreds of thousands of manuscripts in Arabic or Ajami (African languages written with the Arabic script) are preserved in public libraries and private collections in sub-Saharan Africa. This 'Islamic Library' includes historical, devotional, pedagogical, polemical and political writings, most of which have not yet been adequately studied. This book, Non-Europhone Intellectuals, studies the research carried out on the Islamic library and shows that Muslim intellectuals, in West Africa in particular, have produced huge literature in Arabic and Ajami. It is impossible to reconstitute this library completely. As the texts have existed for centuries and are mostly in the form of unpublished manuscripts, only some of them have been transmitted to us while others have perished because of poor conservation. Efforts toward collecting them continues and the documents collected thus far attest to an intense intellectual life and important debates on society that have been completely ignored by the overwhelming majority of Europhone intellectuals. During European colonial rule and after the independence of African nations, Islamic education experienced some neglect, but the Islamic scholarly tradition did not decline. On the contrary, it has prospered with the proliferation of modern Islamic schools and the rise of dozens of Islamic institutions of higher learning. In recent years, the field of Islamic studies in West Africa has continued to attract the attention of erudite scholars, notably in anthropology and history, who are investing in learning the languages and working on this Islamic archive. As more analytical works are done on this archive, there will be continued modification in terms of the debate on knowledge production in West Africa.
Re-thinking African Economies for Development is delivered in the particularly historic context of the fiftieth independence anniversary of most African countries. This moment, therefore, calls for an assessment and suggestions for new alternatives. African countries have been searching for models of development since attaining political independence. Taking cognizance of the fact that African economies are today stuck in an impasse, many innovative ideas are proffered by the contributors to this book for new development strategies. These ideas are essentially hinged upon the successful experience of countries in Asia and Latin America, and the need to reform the State and bring about development. African intellectuals are called upon in this book to rise up to their responsibility for the production of innovative knowledge that can be used by public and private sector decision makers to raise their communities out of poverty. In this publication, issues of industrialization and diversification of African economies are raised again to decry their limited specialization which exacerbates their vulnerability toward crises. This, to a large extent, is at the root of Africas marginal status in global trade. Special attention ought to be given to those thousands of micro-economy stakeholders who are actually the backbone of African economies. Regional integration is more and more seen as an imperative for economic development in the context of Africas small sized countries that often fall prey to a great deal of political instability. The issue of financing of development is re-visited, and new ideas are put forth to better channel foreign direct investment and public revenue towards building a more viable monetary and financial system.
The dramatic sociopolitical crisis which befell Côte d'Ivoire in September 2002 gave birth to an unprecedented political zeal. Immigration, the other, ethno-nationalism, nationalism, patriotism, civil war, youth at risk - such are the words that describe the Côte d'Ivoire' situation. Attempts to explain the 'crisis' in this country, known in recent past as 'relatively peaceful', mainly happen through media 'sensationalism'. This translates at the same time the almost complete control of the scoop media which renders the understanding of the situation only possible through such outlets. The ability of media professionals to coin words through which social history is reflected upon has the effect of complicating the task of social and human sciences while also appearing as stimulating at the same time. Understanding complex situations is now a crossroad of confusion between the simple and the simplified. The challenge for social and human sciences is, therefore, to resume its rightful place by presenting social and political realities in their complexity. Contributions in this book attempt to rid simple words of their excessive simplification to enable an understanding of social and political ills as well as the sense of history. This book is to be taken as a look from within. The challenge here is to take a step back and disconnect the real from the surprising which prevents a deep analysis of realities emanating from a historical process that is relatively long. At the heart of that process resides the paradoxical re-invention of the self through violence, though in the name of democracy. The 2010 post-electoral crisis and the intensity of the violence which characterized it are once again a demonstration of the relevance of the violence-democracy paradox and the on-going exercise of objectivity.
This book re-examines historical, ethnographic and anthropological productions in various spaces in Senegambia. Just like language, material culture in original forms is powerful in the transmission and affirmation of identity. Unfortunately, archeology has so far played a very minor role in this domain in Senegambia, as the discipline has been confined to the study of eras know as prehistoric and protohistoric, which are little known by story tellers and other traditional communicators. It is generally agreed that archeology generates more inclusive knowledge, given the fact that the essential source of identity for all societal strata is based on the production, consumption, rejection or recycling of material culture. This book democratizes knowledge generation by giving prominence to the social life and identities of ordinary individuals who are often invisible in written and oral sources.
This brave and moving collection of stories by South African lesbian women from different backgrounds reminds us, again, that rights are never finally won in legislatures or in court rooms. They are won by people exercising them. The authors of the stories and poems in this book have done just that. They have stood up to celebrate the dignity of lesbian women in South Africa. Each contribution is different. And each intensely personal. And each one reminds us of the urgent need for us to stop hate crime and to create a safe society for all LGBT South Africans.
This report is an in-depth study of electoral commissions in six countries of West Africa - Benin, Cape Verde, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone - assessing their contribution in strengthening political participation in the region. As institutions that apply the rules governing elections, electoral management bodies (EMBs) have occupied, over the last two decades, the heart of discussion and practice on the critical question of effective citizen participation in the public affairs of their countries. The way in which they are established and the effectiveness of their operations have continued to preoccupy those who advocate for competitive elections, while reforms to the EMBs have taken centre stage in more general political reforms. Election Management Bodies in West Africa thus responds to the evident need for more knowledge about an institution that occupies a more and more important place in the political process in West Africa. Based on documentary research and detailed interviews in each country, the study provides a comparative analysis which highlights the similarities and differences in the structure and operations of each body, and attempts to establish the reasons for their comparative successes and failures.
'Home is as old as one's skin but as elusive as an object seen through the wrong end of a telescope.' It is this sense of a view, skewed, intangible, which echoes throughout Karen Lazar's Hemispheres. Waking in hospital after a post-operative stroke, she finds one side of her body paralysed and her world knocked out of kilter. Spatial, perceptual and subjective changes force her to view her new life in facets. The fragmented view is made apparent by means of a triptych of clusters which charts Karen's experience from Metamorphosis, through Rehabilitation and Adaptation. Quietly reflective, deeply lyrical, Hemispheres is concerned with returning separated parts into a whole and coming home to the self.
Conduit
(2011)
'These are poems of drowning and coming up again. Of surviving with lungs that breathe water and sunlight. These are poems of longing and loss. Of searching for a foothold in a world where all slides and changes. Sarah Frost is a new voice in South African poetry. A clear and strong and exciting voice. Read her.'- Kobus Moolman Sarah Frost is 37 years old and a single mother to a six year old boy. She works as an editor for Juta Legalbrief in Durban, South Africa. Sarah has been writing poetry for the past fourteen years. She has completed an MA in English Literature, and also a module on Creative Writing.
Difficult Gifts
(2011)
Kerry Hammerton is a poet, writer and alternative health practitioner. She is a graduate of The University of the Witwatersrand (Johannesburg) and The College of Integrated Chinese Medicine (Reading, UK). Her poetry has been published in South African literary journals such as Carapace, New Contrast and New Coin, online at Litnet and Incwadi. She has also been a contributor to The Empty Tin Readings (May 2010) and The Poetry Project. These are the lies I told you is her fi rst poetry collection. Kerry has fewer wrinkles than she should have at her age - or so her friends tell her.
Removing
(2011)
Melissa Butler lives in Cape Town and Pittsburgh, PA. In the US, she teaches kindergarten. In South Africa, she writes and works with pre schools in the Eastern Cape. She has a Masters degree in Curriculum Theory from Penn State University and a Masters degree in Creative Writing from the University of Cape Town. This is her first book of poetry.
Universities and economic development in Africa: Pact, academic core and coordination draws together evidence and synthesises the findings from eight African case studies. The three key findings presented in this report are as follows: 1. There is a lack of clarity and agreement (pact) about a development model and the role of higher education in development, at both national and institutional levels. There is, however, an increasing awareness, particularly at government level, of the importance of universities in the global context of the knowledge economy. 2. Research production at the eight African universities is not strong enough to enable them to build on their traditional undergraduate teaching roles and make a sustained contribution to development via new knowledge production. A number of universities have manageable student-staff ratios and adequately qualifi ed staff, but inadequate funds for staff to engage in research. In addition, the incentive regimes do not support knowledge production. 3. In none of the countries in the sample is there a coordinated effort between government, external stakeholders and the university to systematically strengthen the contribution that the university can make to development. While at each of the universities there are exemplary development projects that connect strongly to external stakeholders and strengthen the academic core, the challenge is how to increase the number of these projects. The project on which this report is based forms part of a larger study on Higher Education and Economic Development in Africa, undertaken by the Higher Education Research and Advocacy Network in Africa (HERANA). HERANA is coordinated by the Centre for Higher Education Transformation in South Africa.
Writing Free
(2011)
In this fifth anthology of Zimbabwean short stories from Weaver Press fifteen writers respond to the topic of writing free, and offer their thoughts about how and why they wrote as they did. The stories reflect a wide variety of freedoms: from tyranny, from hunger, from abuse, from the shackles of tradition, and even from the traditional constraints of narrative convention. But there are cautionary tales, too. Political change may be liberating for the adults who suffered for it, but will their children share in the euphoria of new-found freedom? Will a departure from domestic poverty to the calm waters of the diaspora deliver all that was hoped for it? Is the grass always greener beyond the fence of a stifling marriage? Zimbabwe has had more than its share of social and material deprivation in recent years, and people's responses have taken many forms. Writing Free offers an engaging and kaleidoscopic sample of these, and in doing so gives an intimate portrait of a country in transition.
Beyond the Enclave sets out to unravel the contradiction of a country, Zimbabwe, where a rich, diverse resource base co-exists with endemic poverty. One reason lies in the colonial economy, which was predicated on an ideology of white supremacy, creating an enclave formal economy employing one-fifth of the labour force. Yet over three decades after independence, the non-formal segment has become even more entrenched. This book assesses Zimbabwe?s economy through three main phases: 1980-90 when a strong social policy framework proved difficult to sustain due to erratic growth, and 1991-96, when ?structural adjustment? demanded a market-driven approach to development. The third phase is characterized by crisis-management leading to policy inconsistencies and reversals. Not surprisingly, such incoherence saw the economy descend into hyperinflation and paralysis in 2007-2008, leading to the signing of the Global Political Agreement in September 2008. In the absence of formal dollarization, economic recovery after the adoption of the multi-currency regime has remained fragile, leaving an estimated 70 per cent of the population outside the banking system. This has further entrenched uneven (enclave) growth as the economy remains locked in a low-income poverty trap. There is a need to facilitate transition towards formality to promote decent jobs. Furthermore, a strategic, developmental role for the state in the economy is now widely recognized as vital for development. Beyond the Enclave argues for a new approach to development in Zimbabwe based on pro-poor and inclusive strategies, which will contribute to the well-being of all of its citizens and wise stewardship of its resources. It offers suggestions on policy formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation in all sectors, designed to promote inclusive growth and humane development.
Broken Promises
(2011)
Ntombi's mom is out all the time with a new man, Zakes, leaving Ntombi to lookafter her little sister Zinzi. So Ntombi is missing practices for SA's 'Teen Voice' competition and the auditions are getting closer. Besides, Ntombi's keen to have her own fun, especially once she gets the attention of Mzi, one of Harmony High's hottest boys. But, what secrets are Zakes and Mzi hiding? How many promises will be broken before Ntombi finds out the truth?
Sugar Daddy
(2011)
Busi feels left out! Her friends have won a talent competition, but the only talent that she has is for being late for school! When she climbs out of a broken window at Harmony High and escapes onto the street her life is about to change. The smooth, handsome taxi driver, Parks, stops to pick her up and there is no going back. But, Busi soon finds herself out of her depth and realises that Parks has a secret he isn't sharing.
Jealous in Jozi
(2011)
Ntombi travels to Jozi for the finals of the Teen Voice competition. But it is not a bed of roses. She has left her boyfriend, Olwethu in Cape Town. Her jealous little sister Zinzi is out to make trouble while she's away. And, she must deal with the other contestants she's up against: the cool, talented and gorgeous Alex and the nasty twins, Lindiwe and Sindiwe. Thank goodness her room mate Mahlodi can help her make sense of her confusing emotions. (This is a sequel to Broken Promises.)
Wena
(2011)
The collection of poems is an intriguing reflection of the sometimes torturous evolution of inner self which so many South Africans face as they struggle to find who they are in a multicultural society that espouses the values of traditional culture while reaching for the promise of a global community. Thus the blend of Xhosa and English as Ntsiki strives to merge her modern views with cultural roots. She feels strongly the need to reclaim her culture and language and blend them within the context of a cosmopolitan society. She captures the 'vibe and energy' of young South Africa and its blossoming as well as its quandaries. Ntsiki does not hesitate to deal with controversial and painful issues, such as rape, and her work challenges the reader to stop and think, really think. The quest for self expression and self-understanding echoes throughout the book and through it, she exhorts the reader to have the courage to explore and understand himself. Underlying many poems is the unspoken but burning desire that, by telling the truth, she will create possibilities for others to do the same. In many ways, 'Wena' is a celebration of life. The poems brim over with Ntsiki's own desire to drink to the full and then go out there and pour love and life out into the world. The manner in which she distills meaning and value from the negative is perhaps best expressed in her own words, from the poem, 'I choose life'.
Archie Mafeje was an independent Pan-Africanist and cosmopolitan individual who sought to understand the world at a global level in order to locate Africa within that tapestry. In many ways, Archie Mafeje was one of the African intellectual pathfi nders. He contributed immensely to the African people's search for self-understanding, self-determination and political emancipation as they struggled against alienation and misrepresentation. In recognising the academic and intellectual contribution of Archie Mafeje, this monograph also refl ects on the African people's journey for emancipation in the search for African identity, self-control and self-understanding.
How do we understand and create kowledge? Does scientific knowledge cover all knowledge? Afrikology tries to answer these questions by tracing the issue of epistemology to the Cradle of Humanity in Africa and through such a reflection the Monograph establishes a basis for holistic and integrated ways of knowledge production that makes it possible to interface scientific knowledge with other forms of knowledge. In this way Afrikology responds to the crisis created by the fragmentation of knowledge through existing academic disciplines. Afrikology therefore advances transdisciplinarity and hermeneutics to a level where they attain a coherent basis for interacting with Afrikology as an epistemology which returns wholeness to understanding and knowledge production.
The Nile River is the longest river in the world covering nearly 7,000 kilometres. It traverses ten countries in Africa, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda, with South Sudan as the eleventh riparian state once it acquires its sovereignty. Of the more than 300 million inhabitants in the ten riparian states, the Nile River Basin is home to nearly 160 million people. The interlocking controversies surrounding the utilisation of the waters of the Nile River and the resources therein have centered on the 1929 Anglo-Egyptian and the 1959 Egypto-Sudanese treaties, which have largely ignored the interests of the upstream states. Through the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) established in 1999, the riparian states concluded, in 2010, the Agreement on the River Nile Basin Cooperative Framework (CFA) based on the principle of equitable and reasonable utilisation, the objective of which is to establish durable legal regime in the Nile River Basin. This book addresses the complexities inherent in the colonial and post-colonial treaties and agreements and their implications for the interests of the riparian states and the region in general. It is the first book of its kind that covers the ten riparian states in a single volume and deals comprehensively with politico-legal questions in the Nile River Basin as well as conventions on the international water courses and their relevance to the region.
Nachdem der erste große Krieg der Moderne Ende Juli 1914 seinen Anfang genommen hatte und innerhalb weniger Monate immer mehr Nationen in ein Kampfgeschehen von bis dahin unerreichtem Ausmaß eingetreten waren, ließ es sich – so wird in ausgewählten Puppenspielen der Zeit berichtet – alsbald auch ein altbekannter Spaßmacher und berühmtberüchtigter Spitzbub nicht nehmen, im weltumspannenden Kriegsgetümmel mitzumischen. Mit dem Kasper(l) unserer Tage, der wohl in vielen Menschen kraft seiner herzerwärmenden Kindlichkeit und seiner schalkhaften Harmlosigkeit Assoziationen an die eigene Kindheit hervorruft, hat der Lustigmacher des Ersten Weltkriegs wenig gemeinsam. Vorausgeschickt sei an dieser Stelle ein wesentlicher Aspekt: beim Kriegskasper(l) der Jahre 1914 bis 1918 handelt es sich nicht um eine für ein Kinderpublikum konzipierte Figur. In weiterer Folge differieren beispielsweise die Inhalte, die Figurenkonzeption oder die Darstellungsmittel in erheblicher, ja mitunter frappierender Weise von dem, was der unbedarfte Rezipient von heute sich vermutlich von einem Kasper(l)theater erwarten würde. Zum Gegenstand wissenschaftlicher Forschungen wurde der Spaßmacher des Ersten Weltkriegs allerdings äußerst selten erklärt: Sowohl die Literatur-, die Theater- und die Sprachwissenschaften als auch die historisch-volkskundlichen Disziplinen schenkten diesem Randphänomen des Literatur- und Kulturbetriebs bisher spärlich Beachtung. [...] Programm und zugleich Ziel dieser Masterarbeit ist eine Annäherung an das Phänomen des Kasper(l)s der Weltkriegszeit auf mehreren Ebenen unter Rückgriff auf ein interdisziplinäres Instrumentarium, wobei der philologische Zugang zu den Primärtexten durch die zusätzliche Einbeziehung sozialhistorischer wie auch soziologischer Theorien und Methoden maßgeblich bereichert werden kann. Diese fächerübergreifende Herangehensweise wurde gewählt, da die Kasper(l)stücke der Weltkriegsjahre 1914 bis 1918 eine Fülle von Anspielungen auf politische Ereignisse und soziale Zustände in sich bergen wie auch auf ihre sehr spezifische Weise die Gesellschaft bzw. die nationale Gemeinschaft der damaligen Zeit samt ihren Charakteristika, Anforderungen und Problemen widerspiegeln.
Testamente fungieren als Mittler zwischen Vergangenheit und Zukunft. Sie organisieren Memoria und Nachleben, beeinflussen Verwandtschaftsordnungen und bestimmen deren Reproduktion, sie verursachen oder lösen rechtliche, familiale, ökonomische Konflikte. Insofern zählt das Testament zu den wichtigsten kulturellen Formen des geregelten Übergangs von Leben zu Leben, durch den Tod getrennt.
Ulrike Vedders Studie analysiert das Testament im Spannungsfeld von Recht, Ökonomie und Kultur sowie im Zusammenhang mit Konzepten von Erbschaft, Vererbung und Nachleben. Sie entwickelt eine Poetologie des Testaments anhand der Literatur des 19. Jahrhunderts (von Jean Paul, Kleist, E.T.A. Hoffmann, Balzac, Heine, Droste-Hülshoff, Stifter, Melville, Keller, Storm, Fontane, Zola, James u.a.) und erforscht zudem das Testament als eine Form der Übertragung von Eigentum, Dingen, Rechten, Identität, Schuld, Leidenschaften. Als ein Medium für weitreichende - literarische und außerliterarische - Erbe- und Transferprozesse bildet das Testament eine zentrale Figur der kulturellen Tradierung sowie des Austausches zwischen verschiedenen Wissensfeldern, zwischen Literatur, alltäglicher Praxis und Wissenschaften.
Mit dem wachsenden Interesse für die Vorgänge des Lebendigen im 19. Jahrhundert rückten auch subjektive Erfahrungen in den Bereich lebenswissenschaftlicher Forschung. Damit wurde nicht zuletzt die Frage nach der adäquaten Perspektive virulent, von der aus sich ein Wissen über diese Innerlichkeiten generieren ließe. Das Buch nimmt in drei Fallstudien das neurologische Selbstexperiment Henry Heads, Jacques-Joseph Moreau de Tours' psychiatrische Versuche, den Wahnsinn mit Haschisch zu modellieren, und Benjamin Paul Bloods philosophisch ambitionierten Lachgaskonsum in den Blick, deren Protagonisten sich allesamt dafür entschieden die Innenperspektive einzunehmen und an sich selbst zu experimentieren.
I would like to start off my cultural-historical intervention with a trouvaille from the 'Denktagebuch', a sort of intellectual notebook, of Hannah Arendt, the famous German-Jewish philosopher (1906–1975). Arendt's publications include a most profound book on the 'Human Condition' (1958, in German 'Vita activa', 1960) in which she develops the idea of 'acting / Handlung' as the crucial realm of intersubjectivity and humanity. This realm is based in the space between human beings, a literal 'inter-est' of togetherness. It is only in this space, only in the relationship to others, that the full sense of the Self, including the involuntary expressions of the person, manifests itself. It is the same realm in which the moral, social and political life is created. In the notebook of the 44-year-old Arendt one comes across the following entry: "In nichts offenbart sich die eigentümliche Vieldeutigkeit der Sprache [...] deutlicher als in der Metapher. So habe ich zum Beispiel ein Leben lang die Metapher 'es öffnet sich mir das Herz' benutzt, ohne je die dazu gehörende physische Sensation erfahren zu haben. Erst seit ich die physische Sensation kenne, weiss ich, wie oft ich gelogen habe [...]. Wie aber hätte ich je die Wahrheit der physischen Sensation erfahren, wenn die Sprache mit ihrer Metapher mir nicht bereits eine Ahnung von der Bedeutsamkeit des Vorgangs gegeben hätte?" (Notebook II, 22 December 1950, Arendt 2002, 46) The entry discusses the mutual transferral between mind and body by reflecting the role of language as a mediator for minding the body and the embodiment of the mind. Since the phrase of the 'open heart' belongs to a register of long-established metaphors, these reflections concern the comprehension of body-metaphors and their role for a 'shared meaningful space of experiences' (Gallese 2009a, 527), i.e. language as transmitter of experiences and memory in cultural history.
Nach 1989 ist Europa – wieder einmal – in Bewegung geraten und die Mitte des Kontinents hat sich "ostwärts" verlagert. Diese Verschiebung Europas, die Frage nach neuen und alten Grenzen und Zentren, ist Anlass, sich mit jener vergessenen Himmelsrichtung und ihren Gebieten zu befassen, die 'plötzlich' wieder auf der Landkarte und in den Köpfen aufgetaucht sind. Wird der Osten zum Standort gemacht, von dem aus Europa zu konturieren ist, so erschließt sich dieser Osten in seinen unterschiedlichen geographischen, historischen und imaginären Mehrdeutigkeiten. Europa wird dabei zu einem dezentralen Gebilde, für dessen kulturelle Semantiken gerade die Peripherien von entscheidender Bedeutung sind.
In den Beiträgen des Bandes werden diese "schmerzenden Nähte" (Jurij Andruchowitsch) aufgesucht: von Vilnius über den Balkan, den Kaukasus, die Schwarzmerregion bis nach Istanbul, Alexandria oder Beirut. Es eröffnen sich plurale Kulturen, deren Umgang mit Sprachen, Religionen, Bild- und Zeichensystemen in vielem quer zu westlich-europäischen Ordnungskonzepten liegen. Zugleich liegt die Brisanz dieser Kulturen darin, dass sie auf vielfältige Weise mit modernen kulturellen Homogenisierungsstrategien verbunden sind und immer wieder auf die auch diesen inhärenten, verdeckten oder getilgten Pluralitäten verweisen. Die Beiträge zeigen, wie die Vermessung dieser Orte zu allen Zeiten zu einem beträchtlichen Teil in Literatur und Kunst stattfindet. Hier werden territorial-kulturelle Zugehörigkeiten verhandelt, wird ein nuanciertes Spiel mit geopolitischen Verschiebungen, Verwerfungen und Umkodierungen von Topographien, mit ironischen oder melancholischen Wahrnehmungen "fremder" Räume und Gepflogenheiten betrieben.
Nicht erst seit der Wahl in Berlin 2011 ist die Piratenpartei in aller Munde. Doch trotz des großen Medienechos ist bisher relativ wenig über das Innenleben der Partei bekannt. Daher wurden im Frühjahr 2011 alle damals rund 12.000 Parteimitglieder eingeladen, an einer umfangreichen Befragung teilzunehmen.
Rund ein Viertel der Piraten folgte dem Ruf und gab Antworten auf Fragen zu ihrem Engagement, ihrem Demokratieverständnis, zur programmatischen Entwicklung, zur innerparteilichen Demokratie, Kommunikation und Partizipation. In dieser Studie zum Selbstverständnis der Partei werden die Ergebnisse anschaulich dargestellt und zusammengefasst. Abgerundet wird das Bild durch eine ausführliche Beschreibung zur Entwicklung der deutschen Piratenpartei und ihres internationalen Umfelds.
Tobias Neumann ist Jahrgang 1981 und hat Soziologie, Politologie und Philosophie studiert. Der Wahl-Frankfurter ist seit 2009 Mitglied der Piratenpartei, in der er seine Leidenschaft für Politik auslebt.
Eines der zentralen Konzepte, auf das sich die Sowjetunion in ihrem Selbstverständnis als neue Zivilisation berief, war das Konzept der "Völkerfreundschaft" (družba narodov). Über den naheliegenden Zusammenhang mit der sowjetischen Nationalitätenpolitik (insbesondere stalinscher Prägung) hinaus verweist es auf die propagierte sowjetische Ethik – die Gleichheit aller Sowjetbürger nach der Abschaffung der Klassengesellschaft. Nach dem Zerfall der Sowjetunion wird dieses Modell des gemeinschaftlichen Zusammenlebens bezogen auf den Raum der Sowjetkultur vor allem als machtpolitische Strategie bzw. in seiner mythenhaften Dimension betrachtet. Anliegen des Workshops ist es, ausgehend vom sowjetischen Freundschaftsbegriff unterschiedliche Facetten und Implikationen der Freundschaft im interkulturellen Vergleich zu diskutieren. So haben Länder und Regionen im Süden und Osten Europas (wie Georgien) beispielsweise die Gastfreundschaft als kulturelle Praktik zu ihrem "Markenzeichen" erklärt. Die Art und Weise, wie die Gastfreundschaft in Literatur und Kunst verhandelt bzw. repräsentiert wird, ist ein Indiz für die nachhaltige Bedeutung des Paradigmas, das bis in aktuelle Konflikte und juristische Diskurse (wie etwa die Frage nach dem Gastrecht oder das ethnisch begründete Restitutionsgesetz im heutigen Abchasien) hineinreicht. Gefragt wird u.a. nach den politischen Implikationen des Freundschaftsbegriffs, nach der Übertragung des interpersonellen Konzepts Freundschaft auf Völker im (sowjetischen) Konzept der Völkerfreundschaft, nach Politisierungsstrategien, nach unterschiedlichen Praktiken der (Gast-)Freundschaft (u.a. im Kontext der Derridaschen Ethik oder der Positionen von C. Schmitt, P. Klossowski oder M. Mauss) oder etwa nach der Bildung formeller und informeller Netzwerke in unterschiedlichen kulturellen und historischen Kontexten. Schwerpunktmäßig im 20. und 21. Jahrhundert angesiedelt, wird im Rahmen des Workshops auch die Genese der (sowjetischen) Konzepte und Praktiken der Freundschaft aus der Antike bzw. der Vormoderne thematisiert.
Creativity is astir: reborn, re-conjured, re-branded, resurgent. The old myths of creation and creators – the hallowed labors and privileged agencies of demiurges and prime movers, of Biblical worldmakers and self-fashioning artist-geniuses – are back underway, producing effects, circulating appeals. Much as the Catholic Church dresses the old creationism in the new gowns of 'intelligent design' , the Creative Industries sound the clarion call to the Cultural Entrepreneurs. In the hype of the ‘creative class’ and the high flights of the digital bohemians, the renaissance of ‘the creatives’ is visibly enacted. The essays collected in this book analyze this complex resurgence of creation myths and formulate a contemporary critique of creativity.
G-CSC Report 2010
(2011)
The present report gives a short summary of the research of the Goethe Center for Scientific Computing (G-CSC) of the Goethe University Frankfurt. G-CSC aims at developing and applying methods and tools for modelling and numerical simulation of problems from empirical science and technology. In particular, fast solvers for partial differential equations (i.e. pde) such as robust, parallel, and adaptive multigrid methods and numerical methods for stochastic differential equations are developed. These methods are highly adanvced and allow to solve complex problems..
The G-CSC is organised in departments and interdisciplinary research groups. Departments are localised directly at the G-CSC, while the task of interdisciplinary research groups is to bridge disciplines and to bring scientists form different departments together. Currently, G-CSC consists of the department Simulation and Modelling and the interdisciplinary research group Computational Finance.
This thesis examines three made-for-television ‘Event Movies’ from the German production company teamWorx, made between 2006 and 2007 – Dresden (2006), Nicht alle waren Mörder (2006) and Die Flucht (2007) – within the context of contemporary debates of ‘Vergangenheitsbewältigung’ or ‘coming to terms with the past’ in Germany. It will deal with specific debates in memory of the National Socialist past, namely representations of Germans as victims of the Second World War and memory of the Holocaust. Although in recent years the importance of teamWorx’s television films has begun to be acknowledged by scholars in both Germany and the UK, this thesis represents the first attempt to analyse these three Event Movies as a unit and to explore in-depth the teamWorx company and its attitudes to historical film. As such, two interviews will be relied on throughout this thesis, with chairman of the board Nico Hofmann and Die Flucht’s director Kai Wessel. In order to place the films within the context of contemporary debates on memory of the Nazi past in Germany, the thesis will undertake a filmic analysis of the Event Movies, supported by both the intentions of the filmmakers and critical responses in the contemporary press. Of primary importance for the thesis will be the twin concerns of the authenticity of teamWorx’s productions, as claimed by the filmmakers and the Event Movies’ borrowing of filmmaking devices from Hollywood genres, in particular the melodrama. Following this analysis it will be asked to what extent the Event Movies affect and reflect contemporary debates on the legacy of National Socialism and how these films contribute to the normalisation of the Nazi past in Germany.
Die Themenschwerpunkte Lehr-Lern-Forschung und Professionalisierung werden aus Sicht aktueller Forschungsprojekte sowohl empirisch als auch theoretisch analysiert. Im Vordergrund stehen die Wirksamkeit spezifischer Unterrichtsmethoden und Fördermaßnahmen sowie professionelle Kompetenzen des Bildungspersonals.