*** EDELTRAUD TAGWERKER: Vom Leben in unseren Städten. Kulturanthropologische Analysen des urbanen Alltags in europäischen Metropolen un Provinzstädten der Gengenwart. Peter Lang (1 Moosstrasse, CH-2542 Pieterlen. Tel: (41-32) 3761717 - Fax: 3761727 - E-mail: info@peterlang.com - Internet: http://www.peterlang.de ). "Europäische Hochschulschriften - Publications Universitaires Européennes - European University Studies", No. 55. 2006, 452 pp,€69-60. ISBN 3-631-54801-X.
This rich and highly detailed cultural and anthropological analysis of daily urban life in European provincial cities and metropolises today is a highly remarkable work. The author, an Austrian ethnologist who has studied and carried out research in a number of countries, describes her work as combining historical, cultural and social considerations about the planning of cities and the form of urban life, from the starting point that big European cities today are no longer the anonymous, isolating and dehumanising places as made out in some modern literature criticising modern civilisation, but rather places of enrichment, whose direct impact on the daily life of our contemporaries needs to be understood. For this reason, the author undertook this mammoth research, project, thoroughly aware of the immense job facing politicians in charge of European cities in order to construct a new future, convinced, as she explains, that cities form the basis of society in the future. Recent OCDE statistics in fact show that two-thirds of Europe's population live in towns and cities, of whom 80 live in urban areas with rich historical and cultural heritage.
The first, theoretical, section of the book is based upon a highly detailed analysis of the methodology of anthropology, cultural and ethnic research, sociology, psychology and philosophy, to justify the possibility of describing in an objective, scientific manner the daily life of individuals in their urban environment (in order to discern political action that could improve urban life). The analysis of a raft of concepts connected with culture and its role in the development of national and social identity, along with the role of 'multiculturality' in the establishment of a new urban society, is particularly rich. The genuinely European aspect of the research should be noted, with quotations in many languages from specialist scientific texts and literature alike, particularly literature describing over the course of history how urban society has evolved, along with the planning ideals of great architects from Haussmann to Le Corbusier, artists and the whole range of individuals who have contributed to the development of the urban fabric.
There is a more detailed, in-depth analysis of the special case of the city of Innsbruck, where the author studied. She makes use of numerous interviews and stories of daily life to illustrate the book's main arguments. But this study of a provincial city in Austria is used first and foremost to help readers understand the book's thesis about big metropolises like London, Paris, Berlin and so on, whose descriptions, from the big common areas to the meeting places where life evolves, from the coffee houses in London to the "Cafés de Paris” and the famous 'Wiener Kaffeehaus' in Vienna, aim to explain the originality of the daily life of men and women in European cities. The book is replete with quotations and references (with nearly 800 footnotes) and a weighty bibliography covering the specialist literature of a series of countries. Above all, it is characterised by a lively enthusiasm which may well induce readers to revise any negative prejudices they may be holding about the future. The title of the concluding chapter illustrates the message sent out by the book - 'The significance of the city for the creation of a new lifestyle'. Another look at European and the life of Europeans in the twenty-first century that releases us from the bogged-down inter-state vision the European Union has made us accustomed to for a while now…
Gabriel Fragnière
*** MICHAEL KEATING (Ed.): Scottish Social Democracy. Progressive Ideas for Public Policy. Presses Interuniversitaires Européennes - Peter Lang (1 av. Maurice, B-1050 Brussels. E-mail: info@peterlang.com - Internet: http://www.peterlang.com ). "Regionalism and Federalism" series, No. 11. 2007, 289 pp, €39-50. ISBN 978-90-5201-066-3.
Since devolution, Scotland has been given greater latitude to launch policies that reflect to a greater extent the aspirations of people living in Scotland and Scottish political culture - the region is probably more oriented towards social democracy than other parts of the United Kingdom. The authors of this book edited by Michael Keating, Professor of Regional Studies at the European University Institute in Florence and Professor of Scottish Politics at Aberdeen University, therefore start by drawing up a balance sheet of social democracy in Scotland - the exact nature of which varies from one interpretation to another - particularly through a raft of key sectors like education, healthcare and the penal system. The authors do not, however, restrict themselves to descriptions alone because the book also aims to serve as a basis upon which new politics can be developed, although the authors point out that they have not drawn up a shopping list of policies to be adopted by the Scottish Executive or Parliament, but rather a reflection on political directions, trends and options. Following Pascal Delwit's book on Social Democracy in Europe published in 2005, this book will be of definite interest to people involved in political life in Scotland, people following changes in the country and those interested in how social democracy itself is developing at European level, opening a window on one of the regional-type European entities which now, against the backdrop of European integration and globalisation, have political powers at their disposal which were once the prerogative of the nation state.
(FRo)
*** LINAS ERIKSONAS, LEOS MÜLLER (Eds.): Statehood Before and Beyond Ethnicity. Minor States in Northern and Eastern Europe. Editions Presses Interuniversitaires Européennes - Peter Lang (see above). "Multiple Europes" series, No. 33. 2005, 388 pp, €49-90. ISBN 90-5201-291-1.
Is the idea of the state necessarily connected with the idea of ethnicity? It is not easy to answer the interesting question raised in this book because the situation in Europe (not to mention Africa) varies so widely. Before 1919, military might was the only element able to decide upon a state, but in the post-Versailles Europe, the old empires were replaced by nations where peoples had the right to self-determination and self-governance. Political leaders therefore had recourse to historical foundations to encourage nationalism to boost their legitimacy, which led them to neatly connect the idea of the state with the idea of ethnicity or rather with the idea of nationality. Although ethnicity is seen as preceding the state, is it really the precursor of the nation? This is what the authors of this book argue, claiming that the state is not necessarily connected to the nation and the nation is simply a political tool. They are therefore at pains to identity the elements in a state which do not have ethnic characteristics rather than those that do. The non-ethnic characteristics of states are studied from two points of view during two periods of history: firstly as a historical phenomenon when the first modern states were set up, and secondly as a historical tradition used by political leaders in the 19th and 20th centuries. Discussion in the first part of the book focuses on the first modern states and the burning issue of legitimacy at that time. There is an essay looking at Sweden, where the question of legitimacy is illustrated by the case of King Gustav who, finding himself in a precarious situation when he came to the throne, developed a new from of patriotism in order to connect up the notation of the state with the king. Another essay looks at Bohemia which, during an insurrection against the Hapsburgs in the 17th century, also had state aspirations. There is a comparison between England and Prussia concerning ways of waging war, which evolved over the course of the 18th century due to questions of legitimacy. The second part of the book focuses on the 19th century, analysing national movements which wanted to seize power from the ruling class and made use of historical traditions of nation and ethnicity. Traditions which are very strongly found in the history of the Lombard League developed mainly in Milan and directed against the German Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and later against Austria, later spreading further in Northern Italy at the time of German unification. More explosive is the case of South-East Europe, where political and cultural irredentism is strong. The authors discuss the case of Greece and Romania in the light of the role played there by Macedonia and Transylvania. The case of Belgium is also studied, where Flemings and Walloons, who share neither the same language nor the same ethnicity, remained together, partly due to historical traditions going back to the creation of the state. A mine of information which, for once, is not restricted to the big global powers alone.
(NDu)
*** TAKIS TRIDIMAS: The General Principles of Law. Oxford University Press (Great Clarendon Street, Oxford OX2 6DP, UK. Tel: (44-1865) 556767 - Fax: 556646 - Internet: http://www.oup.com ). "Oxford EC Law Library" series. 2006, 591 pp, £39-95 or £100. ISBN 978-0-19-925806-2.
An academic figurehead (lecturing at both Queen Mary's in London and Pennsylvania State University in the United States) and renowned lawyer, Takis Tridimas - who was also legal advisor during the last Greek Presidency of the Council of the EU) has produced the second, revised and updated, issue of a tome taking a detailed and systematic look at the general principles of European Law as interpreted by the European Court of Justice and the European Court of First Instance, along with the mechanisms through which they are influenced by political and economic developments. The book is enriched with two new chapters discussing the interaction between proportionality, subsidiarity and competence, on the one hand, and the responsibility that may fall on institutions on the other. The other nine chapters study issues like the principle of equality, the protection of legitimate expectations, fundamental rights, the right of defence and the responsibility of Member States when it comes to the failure to respect EU legislation. There is also a full list of judgements issued by the various European courts.
(NDu)
*** DAMIAN CHALMERS, ADAM TOMKINS: European Union Public Law. Cambridge University Press (The Edinburgh Building, Shaftesbury Road, Cambridge CB2 8RU, UK. Tel: (44-1223) 312393 - Fax: 315052 - Internet: http://www.cambridge.org ). 2007, 501 pp, £29-99 or £70. ISBN 978-0-521-70902-6 or 978-0-521-88237-8.
Damian Chalmers lectures in European law at London School of Economics and Political Science, and Adam Tomkins lectures in public law at Glasgow University. In this academic tome aimed mainly at students of European law, they take an in-depth look at European Union public law. The book is divided into two sections, one on constitutional and institutional law, and the other on administrative law. In the first section, the authors describe the European integration process, the various EU treaties, the failure of the Constitutional Treaty, the various institutions, the EU legislative process, the authority and limits of European law between sovereignty and federalism, fundamental rights in the EU and the prevailing judicial relations within the EU. The section on administrative law is composed of three chapters looking in turn at questions of transparency and the responsibility of EU players, the different means available to ensure EU law is applied, and the legal responsibility of the EU institutions. This is a fine reference work!
(NDu)
*** ANDRE LANGE, SUSAN NEWMAN-BAUDAIS (Eds.): Les entreprises de distribution cinématographique en Europe. Observatoire européen de l'audiovisuel (76 allée de la Robertsau, F-67000 Strasbourg. Tel: (33-3) 88144400- Fax: 88144419 - e-mail: obs@obs.coe.int - Internet: http://www.obs.coe.int ). 2007, 296 pp, €95. ISBN 978-92-871-6019-5.
This report from the Council of Europe's European Audiovisual Monitoring Centre comes in two sections. It presents a pretty comprehensive picture of the distribution of European films from other European countries within Europe. Following a brief balance sheet of the industry and research into the financial situation, there is a country-by-country description of film distributing companies. Alongside the market share for each company, the reader is provided with general information about each company, a list of the top performing companies since 2000 (classified according to the number of tickets sold), and a financial profile. Some 28 European countries are analysed, making a useful contribution to improving transparency in the European audiovisual industry.
(TBa)
*** VALTTERI NIIRANEN (Ed.): Les Européens lisent les journaux. 2007. European Newspaper Publishers Association (ENPA, 29 rue des Pierres, Box 8, B-1000 Brussels. Tel: (32-2) 5510190 - Fax: 5510199 - e-mail: enpa@enpa.be - Internet: http://www.enpa.be ). 2007, 224 pp. ISBN 978-2-9600750-1-4.
Since 1996, the European Newspaper Publishers Association has been publishing an annual report on the newspaper and journals markets. The situation was generally positive in 2007. After reviewing legal and political issues at the top of the list of publishers' concerns, the report provides an overview of the challenges facing the press, two university lecturers make an in-depth analysis of the various national markets, looking at their history, structure and reading habits. There are reports on the press in eighteen countries, with information about the launch of newspapers, sales figures, readership and the specific nature of each of the markets.
(MT)