Placing All Bets on Memorials: Memory Mania Goes Balkans
As Confederate war memorials are being removed or relocated across the United States, Ana Milosevic looks at “memory mania” in the Balkans — and the various meanings and purposes of monuments. At a recent symposium on European remembrance, I asked three experts in dealing with the past about the road to reconciliation. Does it begin as a political process or should it be initiated by a collective need to come to terms with… Read More
The “Spirit of 1975” in Spain: Lost Forever?
Three decades after the widespread political crisis that affected Europe after the Second World War, Spain abandoned its isolation and joined firmly the European project. After 1975, the future of Spain was inextricably linked to the successful experience of economic progress and democracy pursued by its European partners. Yet what happens when the EU seems nowadays anything but a success? Is Europe no longer a model for Spain, nor the solution to… Read More
The European Nations in Paradise
Once upon a time, the European Nations went to war, but instead of the battlefield, they walked into a paradise. After entering paradise, some Nations felt a little bit tired from their previous war and thought, “We wish we could be more peaceful”. Then, these Nations saw a beautiful and peaceful community. Within it everything seemed wonderful. So, they entered the community and found peace, economic and political co-operation. After a… Read More
The Rome Manifesto: An Initiative to Re-launch the Project of European Integration
Sixty years after the Treaty of Rome, the European Union (EU) and its Member States are facing major challenges, from Brexit to the threat of Grexit, from the migration crisis to the changing reality transatlantic relations. Much uncertainty however seems to reign on how the EU should move forward. On the one hand the White Paper of the European Commission lacks decisiveness in clearly saying where the EU should be heading. On… Read More
How to deal with Trumpism – A practical guide from the Mediterranean Boot
History has never been a magistra vitae in the way Cicero might have wished. If, however, there is anyone on the American side of the Atlantic ocean who only remotely thinks that the Roman philosopher had something of a point, then the time has come to learn some lessons from a tiny country called Italy, which for centuries has had the privilege to play the trailblazer – from the Roman Empire through… Read More
The Myth of a European Memory: A Voyage to Poland and Back
More than a quarter of a century after the fall of the iron curtain, western and eastern Europe are still divided, especially when it comes to collective interpretations of the European past. Whereas the centrality of the Holocaust for European memory politics has been widely accepted in the west, this paradigm is challenged by many voices within eastern European states. Revisiting Poland – literally and through the lenses of literature and film… Read More
The consequences of Brexit for TTIP
More than three months after the Brexit referendum, which saw 51.9 % of British voters express themselves in favor of leaving the European Union, the time has come to get things cleared and collect some reasonable thoughts. In particular, in respect to the UK’s share of EU exports and imports 12.9 % and 15.2 % respectively (Eurostat Statistics Explained, 2015), with many already questioning the future of EU trade agreements, with great concern regarding negotiations… Read More
Schwappt die Welle über? Frankreich nach den US-Präsidentschaftswahlen
Einen Tag nach dem Bekanntwerden der Ergebnisse der US-Präsidentschaftswahlen titelte der französische Nachrichtensender LCI fragend „Donald Trump nous déteste-t-il?“. Die Sorge um die Beziehungen zum neu gewählten Präsidenten dürfte allerdings kaum größer sein als jene vor dem Populismus im eigenen Land. Der amerikanische Präsidentschaftswahlkampf und die innerparteilichen Vorwahlen fielen in eine Zeit, die für Frankreich nicht einfach war. Die sozialen und wirtschaftlichen Probleme, sowie politischen Querelen wurden von den Terroranschlägen überlagert, beginnend… Read More
Die Produktion medialer Bilder – Polen und Ungarn in deutschen Medien
Wie nehmen wir unsere östlichen Nachbarn wahr und welche Rolle spielen die Medien dabei? Als Kulturanthropologin beschäftige ich mich mit Praktiken, Symbolen und Materialität. Es geht um die scheinbar einfache Frage nach dem alltäglichen Leben: Wie gestalten wir unseren Alltag und warum ausgerechnet so, wie wir es tun? Dazu gehören auch die Medien, die für jeden von uns eine wichtige Rolle im täglichen Leben spielen. Nach dem Zusammenbruch des Kommunismus war nach… Read More
Verstoßen Polen und Ungarn fundamental gegen europäische Werte?
Was sind eigentlich die europäischen Werte, von denen zuletzt auch sehr häufig in der deutschen Öffentlichkeit die Rede war? In Artikel 2 des Vertrags über die Europäische Union steht Folgendes: „Die Werte, auf die sich die Union gründet, sind die Achtung der Menschenwürde, Freiheit, Demokratie, Gleichheit, Rechtsstaatlichkeit und die Wahrung der Menschenrechte einschließlich der Rechte der Personen, die Minderheiten angehören. Diese Werte sind allen Mitgliedstaaten in einer Gesellschaft gemeinsam, die sich durch… Read More