*** FRANCE GUWY, PAUL BUEKENHOUT (editors): Frontières Grenzen Borders. Passa Porta (46 rue Antoine Dansaert, B-1000 Brussels. Tel: (32-2) 2260454 - email: info@passaporta.be - Internet: http://www.passaporta.be ). « Passa Porta Magazine » series, No. 2011, 132 pp, €10 ISBN 978-90-8141002-1.
In the jargon used by publishers and journalists, “ issue zero” can be used to test and validate a publisher's key concept. It helps identify any last-minute problems before having to confront the public's verdict. In this case, the test case is rather different for several reasons. Firstly, the publishing house is not any ordinary publisher. Passa Porta, is, above all, the name of the Brussels-based publisher of literature and is literally a means of encouraging contact between different interested parties in related fields. This obviously applies to the cultural field but it is also relevant and indeed even more important with regard to the political arena. Passa Porta would like to see a greater opening up towards the outside world and intends to bridge the gap between languages and cultures in Belgium and in Europe. With this in mind, this publication (those promoting it have admitted from the outset that the frequency of publication will probably be episodic) was seen as an instrument for providing greater information and promoting tolerance. This instrument will not simply be a commercial project and is published in three languages: French, Dutch and English (the only regret is that the third official Belgian language, German, will not be included). The project would not have been possible without public subsidies and in this connection, the European Union also provided some of the funding. Passa Porta participates alongside other similar organisations in Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, Norway and Sweden in the Shahrazad project, which seeks to, “clandestinely introduce anthologies from the outside world, whilst providing nourishment from within on the debate on Europe”. With the same objective still in mind, it is not employees but writers, artists and other intellectuals who put their points of view across in this publication, free of charge. They deemed this exercise useful for tackling the different identity crises and short-sighted nationalism bubbling up throughout the world.
It is evident that this visually attractive magazine will also be well-received by those in the cultural sphere. The Belgian and French speaking writer and poet Caroline Lamarche wrote a letter to her Dutch speaking counterpart, Bart Moeyaert, in which she stated that, “the memory of an adult who is no longer very young… is like a moth-eaten fabric, through which the air and oblivion travels”. In an interview, Luc Tuymans, explains that he paints in the same way that someone else rides a bicycle. This may leave some commentators unmoved but others may understand. All the different contributors, however, are interested by the language question. Passa Porta is not simply resigned to the, “lack of communication between French and Dutch speaking Belgians” although this theme is tackled at great length in this publication. In the context of Belgium, the French-speaking writer, Patrick Rogiers, expresses anger because a people should not erect a border between itself. The Flemish poet and essay writer, Geert van Istendael, exclaims that the Flemish and the Walloons have been speaking English for twenty years, the Chinese for fifty and that this is fine, provided that someone is willing to translate his poems. The idea becomes more far-reaching and acerbic in the light of the experience of the former Yugoslavia, particularly Kosovo. The philosopher and essayist Daniel Salvatore Schiffer exclaims, “if we agree that a region can detach itself from a country on the basis of an ethnic majority, we will therefore have to agree that Brussels separates from Belgium because it will have a majority Muslim population and the Mayor of Brussels or Paris may be a Muslim”. The Dutch speaking sociologist Abram de Swaan merrily taunts the European Commission which, “despite its pious protests in favour of multilingualism and opposition to the hegemony of English… it is the main body promoting English on the European continent” and its code of conduct should be, “use the national language, unless…”
This inventory is perhaps already rather cursory on the question of languages and apart from exploring linguistics does not focus at all on other issues of separation. This theme is examined by the geographer and diplomat Michel Boucher, who puts forward the paradoxical thesis of a, “return to borders”, a description very often used in the context of globalisation and by Régis Debray - for whom, “the inconsistency of the European Union is due in large part to its inability to declare where it begins and where it ends”. This is all the more true in so far as, “those who are unaware of what's going on within, will be unable to respond to what's going on outside”. In conclusion and to attract the reader's attention to this subject further, we would simply like to mention the extract from the letter that journalist and publisher Dejan Anastasijevic addresses to, “dear Princess Europe”, which she sent after having experienced the Berlaymont by “breaking into” it because, “the security guards did not deign to believe that we had any business there” and where there are nothing but air-conditioned offices. She knew at this point that she, “could never live in such a cold and empty place”. Michel Theys
*** STEFANIE VAVTI: « Wir haben alles in uns… ». Identifikationen in der Sprachenvielfalt / Beispiele aus Südkärnten (Österreich) und dem Kanaltal (Italian). Peter Lang (1 Moosstrasse, Postfach 350, CH-2542 Pieterlen. Tel: (41-32) 3761717 - fax: 3761727 - Email: info@peterlang.com - Internet: http://www.peterlang.com ). 2009, 194 pp, €32.50 ISBN 978-3-631-58750-8.
The EU currently consists of 27 member states in which there are still small groups of the population who speak indigenous languages. This is the case with the inhabitants of Kanaltal, in Italy, who speak Slovenian and German. It is also the case of the Slovenian population in Südkärnten, in Austria. At the end of the First World War, with the disintegration of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, new borders were created and the respective populations sometimes became ethnic minorities in the larger states that grew up. Since then, these groups have been subject to a significant process of assimilation, which in some cases threatens their very existence. Stefanie Vavti is a researcher and member of the Slovenian minority in Kärnten. She carried out research among the people speaking minority languages in order to write this book. Her research is essentially based on national and linguistic identity, as well as ethnic assimilation. Who are these people? How do they perceive themselves within a multilingual and multi-ethnic environment? With whom do they identify? How does this impact on their daily lives? This book is put together in the form of biographies and life histories. The different responses come straight out of the mouths of these unique Europeans. In this book, for example, we meet Zdravko, an Austrian who had to hide his Slovenian identity during the Second World War. We also meet Antonia, an Italian German speaker married to an Italian Slovenian speaker. Their words have inspired the title of the book. In a world that is increasingly marked by globalisation and in the specific context of the European Union this research explores the fundamental questions of identity, assimilation and ethnicity. (VG)
*** ANNEMARIE PROFANTER (editor): Kulturen in Dialog / Culture in Dialogo / Cultures in Dialogue. Peter Lang, (see address attached). "Interkultureller Dialog" series, No. 1. 2010, 176 pp. €29.70. ISBN 978-3-631-59374-5.
Although admirable, the task that Annemarie Profanter and her colleagues set about tackling, proved to be extremely complex. It involves promoting multiculturalism and an interdisciplinary approach in the same book. This was a superlatively difficult intellectual challenge. In an effort to overcome any obstacles, the authors prioritised the first subject and approached it from within a politically scientific perspective. The book consists of eight chapters and the first part focuses on horizontal themes such as the debate on Turkey's possible accession to the Union, democratic freedoms, the question of power, tourism and even post-11 September geopolitics. The second part of the book focuses on more local questions, with two contributions exploring inter-cultural issues in the South Tyrol. The third part of the book analyses the same theme in the context of hospitals. (JD)
*** MARCI DI RUZZA, FRANCESCO SORDINI, LORENZO TRAPASSI: Il diritto delle minoranze nella nuova Europa. I principi del trattato di Lisboa ed i loro riflessi sul modello dell'autonomia altoatesina. Rubbettino Editore (10 viale Rosario Rubbettino, I-88049 Soveria Mannelli. Tel: (39-968) 66104-1 - fax: 662035 - Email: info@rubbettino.it - Internet: http://www.rubbettino.it ). 2010, €12. ISBN 978-88-498-2916-7.
With the Lisbon Treaty, the principle of respect and protection of minorities among the fundamental values of the Union, were respected for the first time ever. In this book, three young Italian diplomats ask what could be the implications of this most recent European development on the previous agreements protecting minorities. In particular, they examine the De Gasperi-Gruber Agreement, which is the basis of the model for the economy of the Alto Adige/Südtirol region. They also examine the question of whether the Lisbon Treaty ultimately makes the “protection function” for linguistic minorities in the region obsolete, which is still being demanded by certain Austrian political players. (MT)
*** DAVID VAN REYBROUCK, PETER VERMEERSCH (editors): La Constitution européenne en vers. Passa Porta (see address attached). "Cahier Passa Porta" series, No. 1. 2010, 104 pp. ISBN 978-90-8141-001-4.
For the trans-cultural militants of Passa Porta, this “poetic” European Constitution is much more than, “the frivolous reinterpretation of a political fiasco”. They are right for a thousand different reasons. It is all about an entirely European project, a long poem in which feelings are expressed, the feelings of Europe in all its diversity. There are even those who have found asylum within it. Originally, the members of this Brussels based poets' collective (which was also very active in contributing to the group on which the first article of these library pages focuses) provided the first outlines of the Constitution, “with a lot of blank pages and incomplete articles” … which some might describe as “brackets”… The publication was sent to other poets in Europe, some of whom are literary prize-winners or “traumatised” artists from the wider literary community, asking them whether they wanted to add to or amend some of the verses contained in the publication or write another article. Many wanted to participate and this anthology of poems is the echo of fifty voices, “resonating from all the different corners of Europe” in all their diversity (Friesian, Galician, Romani), together with the Persian, Berber, Arab and Turkish voices sung by a number of exiled intellectuals. The first poem, for example, is genuinely European and was published in French, English and Dutch. Is there any point in indicating that this anthology is also a homage to the art of translation? Quite remarkable! (MT)
*** SAMUEL SALZBORN (editor): Politische Kultur. Peter Lang (see address attached). "Politische Kulturforschung" series, No. 1. 2009, 232 p., €27.90. ISBN 978-3-631-58019-6.
Tension occurring in international relations and differences between political cultures and different actors provide an interesting field of study, which is often neglected by academics. Some international or supra-international organisations, however, provide us with regular examples of the difficulties that can develop out of national and sometimes even regional differences. In this respect, the European Union and its institutions provide an exceptional window on the world to study this subject. Politics is a different game in each country, even in those where democracy prevails. Democratic practices, the culture of consensus and other underlying elements in this system can prove very different from one country to another. These differences are often very deeply anchored in a given national political system, which inherits the history of the country in question, its culture, psychology and its leaders. This book is edited by a political scientist from the University of Gieâen and it explores all the different factors involved in the subject. Notwithstanding the historical, sociological and psychological roots of political culture, Samuel Salzborn begins by laying down a number of theoretical foundations in this discipline. The remainder of the book consists of comparative political articles in which different German contributors examine the different repercussions of cultural differences in international relations. Obviously, the European issue is not left out and another analysis focuses on the differences in communication policy and their consequences in international relations. Christine Kulke (University of Berlin) tackles the question of gender equality in political culture, as well as the ramifications and challenges involved in this issue. (JD)
*** JAN RUBES: Prague et la Tchéquie de A à Z. André Versaille éditeur (7 rue d'Alost, B-1000
Brussels. Tel: (32-2) 2133705 - Email: information@andreversailleediteur.com - Internet: http://www.andreversailleediteur.com ). "Les Abécédaires du voyageur" series. 2011, 238 pp., €14.90. ISBN 978-2-87495-119-0.
This guide on Prague and the Czech Republic is a model of its kind for several reasons. Firstly, because it is not just a tourist guide. Jan Rubes it is a senior professor in literature at the Free University of Brussels. In this book, he invites the reader to live the history of the country and experience it as it currently stands. In brief, it is more important to understand the country than to simply visit it. It should not be seen as a museum but as a being that is permanently alive. The author of this book provides a testimony that is identical to that described by, “a direct descendant of Princes who says he is from Brussels when he is in Vienna and that he is from Vienna when he is in Brussels”. The book is a kind of invitation to create real meetings rather than simply make tourist visits. Similarly, this guide is not a guide but a companion, with several hundred different contributions that help us to feel rather than just discover the culture of the country (from Baroque to Dvorak, from Kafka to Vaclav Havel). It also helps us to contextualise the decisive points in the country's history (from the Munich agreements to the division of the country and Czechoslovakia). It describes and paints its identity and its human communities, as well as the landmarks and huge touristic resources. It brings alive historical figures and in a very lively and reliable way it provides a brief summary of its external relations, daily, economic and social life. It is a calling to go out there and really meet up! (MT)