*** ALMUT HÔFERT, ARMANDO SALVATORE (Ed.): Between Europe and Islam. Shaping Modernity in a Transcultural Space. Presses Interuniversitaires Européennes - Peter Lang (Brussels. Internet: info@peterlang.com). "Multiple Europes" series, No. 14. 2000, 216 pp. ISBN 90-5201-935-5.
With the gradual increase in power of cultural relativism in the twentieth century, scientific ideas have changed. Critical anthropology has challenged the myth that had hypertrophied in the colonial era of the West (which back then was largely made up of Europe) successfully exporting its model of modernity into a world that was thought of passively waiting to receive it and nothing else. The fact that some behaviour these days can legitimately lead one to believe that an intellectual regression is underway in this connection, will have the effect that for some people, this book will be all the more instructive. The book if the fruit of close cooperation between researchers from the Florence European University Institute and Berlin's Humboldt University. Seven historians and sociologists argue that Christian Europe and the Islamic Middle East have formed a "transcultural space" since the Middle Ages where, while one (Europe) undeniably influenced the other, the latter has also influenced European modernity. So there are no hermetic containers - the idea of supposed civilisations developing in splendid isolation is but the imagination of minds (or entities at least) that have never ceased to discuss over and above the carefully built symbolic and geopolitical barriers between themselves. In a way, the authors deal with the question of a potential "clash of civilisations", countering it with research based on the existence of "multiple modernities" that they describe as being spread out through time and space but continually porous, with the Muslims of Europe only being the latest manifestation of this common "transcultural space".
The book is divided into three parts. The first looks at epistemological aspects of the conceptualising of the "Other", from the "Turkish threat" to Europe in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, to how Egypt views its Ottoman past. The second part of the book sees the authors examining how Egypt, Turkey and Iran have merged religious traditions with the emergence of the nation state. The third part looks at the current period from the viewpoint of Muslim immigration. The book as a whole demonstrates that complexity should always be an incentive to avoid oversimplifying… Michel Theys
*** SAMI A. ALDEEB ABU-SAHLIEH: Les musulmans en Occident entre droits et devoirs. Editions L'Harmattan (see above). 2001, 296 pp, 24.40 euros. ISBN 2-7475-2438-8.
This book looks like a tempestuous pamphlet, a highly provocative one at least. It isn't, however, because its author is responsible for Arab and Muslim law at the Institut suisse de droit comparé in Lausanne. Does the Christian Arab author, who is of Palestinian origin, write from a scientific viewpoint at times? Whether he does or not, Sami Aldeeb Abu-Sahlieh goes straight to the point. He takes as his starting point the situation in Switzerland to demonstrate with various references and quotations that if the Muslim community in Europe continues to grow without a system of values and references that is up to the task, then it will become a real danger to the legal and democratic systems of Western countries and could jeopardise their territorial integrity (like in ex-Yugoslavia). An explosive idea incorporated into the dossier, which nobody can be indifferent to, even though it probably should be nuanced, particularly because there is nothing to prove that a "European Islam" will not be formed across the generations… (MT)
*** NIKOLA TIETZE: Jeunes musulmans de France et d'Allemagne. Les constructions subjectives de l'identité. Editions L'Harmattan (5-7 rue de l'Ecole-Polytechnique, F-75005 Paris. Tel: (33-1) 40467920 - Fax: 43258203 - E-mail: diffusion.harmattan@wanadoo.fr). "Religion et Sciences Humaines" series. 2002, 237 pp, 19.80 euros. ISBN 2-7475-2830-8.
In the West, the path to be followed by people wanting to live the life of a Muslim is sown with obstacles and the Muslim identity is forged subjectively against a backdrop often characterised by precarious social, political and/or economic circumstances. Through portraits of young Muslims in Germany and France, Nikola Tietze, scientific researcher at the Hamburger Institut für Sozialforschung and associate researcher at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences sociales, draws up a balance sheet of the various forms of expression and composition of Muslim identity. Four types of Islamic religious practices come to light among Muslim men - from ethnicity to culture via idealisation and utopia - which individuals mix and match each in their own way. Prayers, associations, ways of thinking and so on, the Islamic tradition can be seen from various angles according to ancestors and the society in which individual grow up. These portraits and the analyses of them reveal typical ways that the various different manners of asserting and living the Islamic religion are arrived at. The first part of the book looks at the different types of Islam seen in France (the Islam of foreigners, transplanted Islam and young people's Islam) and in Germany (Gastarbeiters' Islam, transplanted Islam and young people's Islam) with the author outlining essential details of the individuals' background before discussing how identity patterns are established. The book is dotted with strings of references and concrete examples showing that Islam varies from Berlin to Paris but the underlying quest remains unchanged.
(MLJ)
*** ROMAIN YAKEMTCHOUK: La bonne foi dans la conduite internationale des Etats. Editions Techniques et Economiques (3 rue Soufflot, F-75005 Paris). 2002, 248 pp.
Emeritus Professor at the Belgian Université de Louvain, this book's author publishes a rather astonishing study into the idea of "good faith" in international relations from various angles, namely international public order, international judicial order, negotiations between states, international treaties and how they are applied and interpreted, intervention by organisations like the United Nations, NATO, the European Union and the Council of Europe, and how this intervention is viewed. In the light of his analysis, it has to be admitted that supposed good faith is largely a myth. Otherwise, why would organisations like the Security Council call on countries to "act in good faith"? There are no angels in international policies, comments the author, since the only things that tend to count are individual interests, obscured by the multifarious state interests. The author points out, however, that case law has remained 100% faithful to the idea that bad faith must not be assumed and, as it happens, countries which agree to give evidence in court do so in a spirit of loyalty and good faith. It is up to the reader to decide where he or she stands between the two extremes of angel and demon and to decide which politicians and immediate interests will bear the most weight in future international negotiations in areas as varied as the creation and demise of states, setting state borders, ethnic minorities, human rights, refugees, secession, extradition, and acts called terrorist by some and legitimate defence by others... A huge field, where rights, case law and the human foibles of all people who have a role to play here carve out their own patch to defend by war and influence, in proportion to their ambition.
(PBu)
*** GILBERT GUILLAUME: La Cour internationale de justice à l'aube du XXIème siècle. Le regard d'un juge. Editions Pedone (13 rue Soufflot, Paris). 2003, 331 pp. ISBN 2-233-00418-3.
This book attempts to pay tribute to the man who wrote the entire book. Judge at the International Court of Justice, that he presided over from 2000 to 2003, Gilbert Guillaume only accepted the task because his friends - including Jean-Louis Dewost, the former director of the Commission's Legal Services - gave him snippets on various subjects. He finally agreed to research that he carried out at the International Court of Justice being assembled in this volume, scrupulously updated. The collection gives a coherent view of the International Court of Justice, based on a both modest and demanding concept of the role of an international judge in a world still dominated by the idea of state sovereignty, states which reserve primary responsibility for settling their differences. Throughout these pages a nagging concern shines through, arising in this great French statesman (he is also a member of the French Conseil d'Etat) when he considers the proliferation of international courts. While the application of the law is strengthened by having more courts, so is the danger of contradictory rulings. For this reason, former President of the International Court of Justice Gilbert Guillaume puts forward a few bold solutions - the least surprising of which is not the establishment on the world stage of a reference for preliminary ruling similar to that set out in Article 234 (formerly 177) of the EU Treaty.
(MT)
*** DOMINIQUE BARJOT (Ed.): Catching up with America. Productivity Missions and the Diffusion of American Economic and Technological Influence after the Second World War. Presses de l'Université de Paris-Sorbonne (18 rue de la Sorbonne, F-75230 Paris. Tel: (33-1) 40462720 - Fax: 40463308 - Internet: http: //http://www.paris4.sorbonne.fr/html/pups/pups.htm ). "Centre Roland Mousnier" series. 2002, 477 pp, 29 euros. ISBN 2-84050-240-2.
With articles by researchers from a huge number of different countries, this book looks at productivity missions organised in the wake of the Second World War that explain the United States' superiority with regard to production and management techniques. After exploring whether productivity missions were genuine modernisation tools or instruments to ensure the US way predominated, the book looks at the experience of three countries - the UK, France and Japan - and then looks at industries like steel, rubber, petrochemicals and electricity generation. The final part of the book finally attempts to measure the impact of these missions, distinguishing between productivity rhetoric and reality, although the missions formed part of an Americanisation process which was one of the keys to a number of economic miracles after the wary, in Norway, for example. (JNi)
*** RENAUD CUIGNET: Management de la maintenance. Améliorez les performances opérationnelles et financières de votre maintenance. Dunod (Paris. Internet: http: //http://www.dunod.com ). "Fonction de l'entreprise", "performance industrielle" series. 2002, 167 pp, 33.01 euros. ISBN 2-10-006674-9.
Expert in upgrading the performance of industrial sites and implementing change, Renaud Cuignet looks in this book at how to deal with maintenance problems like late deliveries, cash flow problems and outsize stock. The book, like the series, is user-friendly and highly practical, describing methods and practical tools for dealing with the problems it covers. (LD)
*** BERNARD HEVIN, JANE TURNER: Manuel de coaching. Champ d'action et pratique. Dunod (see above). "Fonctions de l'entreprise" series, "Animation des hommes". 2002, 273 pp. ISBN 2-10-005944-0.
Coaching is a new profession for guiding individuals and systems towards a future replete with realisable promises. It attempts to respond to the constant changes in modern society. The authors of this book, one of whom is a psychosociologist and psychotherapist and the other a clinical psychologist and psychotherapist - start of by explaining that the jobs done by 90% of new entrants to the workforce following higher education did not exist when they were born, which means that 90% of jobs have changed in the last twenty-five years, which explains the usefulness of coaching, which is nothing more than help in coping with change. The authors outline the characteristics of coaching. (LD)
*** ERIC LANTRUA: Boostez vos commerciaux. Entraîner, former et évaluer ses équipes de vente.
Dunod (see above). "Fonctions de l'entreprise", "Vente-Distribution" series. 2002, 157 pp.
ISBN 2-10-006629-3.
A professional salesman, author Eric Lantrua provides tables, tests and practical factsheets in this book, along with assessment methods and action to boost the skills of sales managers. (MT)
*** EuroLobbying. Répertoire des organisations professionnelles de l'Union européenne - Directory of European Union trade & professional associations. Editions Delta (55 rue Scailquin, B-1210 Brussels. Tel: (32-2) 2175555 - Fax: 2179393). 2003, 408 pp, 140 euros. ISBN 2-8029-0154-0.
This bilingual directory (French and English) has become a great classic, which is why it is now in its seventh edition. It includes details of some 700 professional organisations at EU level - including for accession countries - in the following areas: industry and trade, agriculture and agrifood, crafts and SMEs, transport and telecoms, the professions and connected activities, and trade union organisations. Every transitional organisation that is represented at European level is described in a highly practical manner - the official name(s), address, date of establishment and names of the President and Secretary General. The same details are given for each of the national member associations, with more than 9,000 different organisations being listed. This practical tool is supplemented by an index of acronyms and abbreviations, an analytical index and an alphabetical index. (MT)
*** The EUROPEAN COMMISSION (Official Publications Office of the European Communities, L-2985, Luxembourg. Internet: http: //publications.eu.int) has published the following documents:
*** Rapport général sur l'activité de l'Union européenne 2002. 2003, 632 pp, 38 euros. ISBN 92-894-4689-7.
Adopted by the Commission on 24 January 2003, this annual report looks at all the European Union's activities in 2002, with chapters on "Institutional issues and the future of the European Union", "Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms", "EU economic and social area", "Citizenship and quality of life", "The EU's role in the world", "Funding EU activity, managing resources", "Institutions and organisations", and "Information and communication". A useful, if not vital, tool for anyone working on Community matters.
*** Newsletter. Direction générale de l'agriculture (200 rue de la Loi, bureau L/130-4/148A, B-1049 Brussels. Tel: (32-2) 2953240 - Internet: http: //europa.eu.int/comm/agriculture/index_en.htm). March 2003, 2 pp.
This newsletter looks at future EU citizens' support for the CAP and the Commission's demand that more than EUR 90 million fraudulently paid out from the CAP be refunded, and the reduction in subsidies for the export of live cattle.
*** Europe locale. AFCCRE (30 rue Alsace Lorraine, F-45000 Orléans. Tel: (33-2) 38778390- E-mail: isabelle.fouache@afccre.asso.fr - Internet: http://www.afccre.asso.fr ). March 2003, 28 pp. Annual subscription: 30 euros.
Published by l'Association française du Conseil des communes et régions d'Europe, chaired by erstwhile minister Louis Le Pensec, this publication is a special issue looking at the European Structural Funds, which are due to be fundamentally rehashed in three years' time. It describes the main features and ideas behind the Fund, explains how they are implemented in France and describes how to use and make the most of the Funds.
*** Liaisons sociales Europe. Groupe Liaisons (1 av. Edouard-Belin, F-92500 Rueil-Malmaison. Tel: (33-825) 825371- Fax: (33-1) 412299668 - Internet: http: //http://www.ls-europe.com ). April-May 2003, No. 78, 31 euros. Annual subscription: 757.58 euros.
This issue looks at the Broad Economic Policy Guidelines that spit in the face of the Employment Guidelines, a British questionnaire about equal pay, British patients accessing Belgian hospitals and matters covered by European case law, like sleep during standby time.
*** PIERRE LEQUILLER, MARC LAFFINEUR, DIDIER QUENTIN: Art. 88-4 de la Constitution. Délégation pour l'Union européenne de l'Assemblée nationale (Kiosque de l'Assemblée nationale, 4 rue Aristide Briand, F-75007 Paris. Tel: (33-1) 40636121 - Internet: http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr ). "Rapport d'information" No. 713. April 2003, 138 pp, 4 euros. ISBN 2-11-116612-X.
This report outlines all EU legislation that was submitted to the French national assembly's Délégation pour l'Union européenne between 28 January and 14 March 2003.
*** Biblioteca della libertà. Centro di Ricerca e Documentazione "Luigi Einaudi" (4 via Ponza, I-10121 Turin. Tel: (39-11) 5591611 - Fax: 5591691 - E-mail: segretaria@centroeinaudi.it - Internet: http: //http://www.centroeinaudi.it ). 2002, Nos. 164-165, 160 pp. Annual subscription: 54 euros.
Alongside an article putting the philosopher John Rawls in the spotlight, this issue looks at how social protection systems can be rebalanced, and a report on business freedom in the EU.
*** L'Observateur OCDE. Les éditions de l'OCDE (2 rue André Pascal, F-75775 Paris cedex 16. Tel: (33-1) 45248200 - Fax: 45248210 - E-mail: sales@oecd.org - Internet: http://www.observateurocde.org ). sales@oecd.org ). March 2003, No. 236, 40 pp. Annual subscription: 50 euros.
This issue includes a special dossier on water as a factor for sustainable development. Taking as its starting point that water supplies may become a sensitive issue in the future, it makes a highly detailed assessment of the issue, pointing out shortcomings in access to water supplies. The magazine also looks at the pertinence of space programmes.