... And Peace

Taking as his starting point debates on the ethics of human rights, the internationalism of the labour movement and 'universalism...

Taking as his starting point debates on the ethics of human rights, the internationalism of the labour movement and 'universalism from below', Fabian Georgi argues for 'global freedom of movement' as a core component of a project for broad social transformation. The book reflects on the problems and opportunities of open border policy, addresses objections to the idea - including 'migration critiques from the Left' - and discusses how to start taking practical action.

Historical research has dispelled a number of myths surrounding the First World War. Whereas the outbreak of war was greeted...

Historical research has dispelled a number of myths surrounding the First World War. Whereas the outbreak of war was greeted by the urban middle classes with frenzied enthusiasm, the mood in working-class areas and smaller towns was more one of foreboding. Little attention has so far been paid to those who opposed the war and its underlying culture of militarism, although opposition to war and militarism has a distinguished German pedigree.

This volume explores opposition to war and militarism among a range of German-language authors in a period roughly defined by two international bestsellers: Bertha von Suttner's Die Waffen nieder! (Lay Down Your Arms!) (1889) and Erich Maria Remarque's Im Westen nichts Neues (All Quiet on the Western Front) (1928). Major figures (Kraus, Schnitzler, Zweig) have already received some critical attention, but other authors discussed here (such as Andreas Latzko and Hans Chlumberg) are still far from being household names. These essays remind us that the period's opposition to war and militarism manifested itself in a broad range of literary forms and publications, providing a different emphasis from previous volumes exploring connections between German-language literature and pacifism.

The Enlightenment is the best thing humanity ever produced. Its essence is the pursuit of objectivity and intersubjective justification: an...

The Enlightenment is the best thing humanity ever produced. Its essence is the pursuit of objectivity and intersubjective justification: an elitist minority project to which large swathes of humanity owe great gains. However, what we are currently witnessing is the end of the second Enlightenment era. This is due to the immense burdens of an emancipated way of life, along with current political and sociological pressures. These include a stunted capitalist understanding of freedom and migration movements, a failure to defend ethical universalism, and anti-racism that lacks an awareness of negative dialectics. This erosion is causing a return to humanity's standard authoritarian models, coupled with the technical and media potential of modernity. It is time to look back with gratitude and to reflect critically on what lies ahead.

Albert Schweitzer, Ernst Bloch, Alexander Mitscherlich, Octavio Paz, Margaret Atwood, Jürgen Habermas, Susan Sontag, Svetlana Alexievich, Carolin Emcke and Tsitsi...

Albert Schweitzer, Ernst Bloch, Alexander Mitscherlich, Octavio Paz, Margaret Atwood, Jürgen Habermas, Susan Sontag, Svetlana Alexievich, Carolin Emcke and Tsitsi Dangarembga: whoever receives the internationally renowned Peace Prize of the German Book Trade has shaped and continues to shape intellectual and political debates. The speeches selected for this volume by editor Gert Ueding seem more topical and important than ever - they are fiery intellectual interventions for peace. Here we can read what the laureates have to say about the war zones that have once more drawn close to us, or about the current threat to the European Union. The speeches are testimonies to European and international openness. They are our cultural memory.

Stories of flight - whether from Pakistan to the USA, from Libya to the Netherlands, from Venezuela to Argentina or...

Stories of flight - whether from Pakistan to the USA, from Libya to the Netherlands, from Venezuela to Argentina or from Cameroon to Wales - are diverse, complex, moving, and, in spite of all hardships, not completely devoid of hope. When Taqi Akhlaqi reports from Kabul in the summer of 2021 or Habib Abdulrab Sarori from the 'Calais Jungle', the topic of migration comes into sharp focus. Conversely, Matthias Nawrat takes a look at the histories of those who have been forced to leave their homes. The increasing frequency of extreme weather events shows that climate-related migration will be one of the central issues of the future. 

The essays in this volume engage with aspects of the author's life, work and reception which have been virtually ignored...

The essays in this volume engage with aspects of the author's life, work and reception which have been virtually ignored until now. Not only is there detailed analysis of the Argentinian comic version of the novel The Road Back, but also of adaptations of Remarque's works in comics and manga from China, Japan and Korea. Remarque's progressive convictions, which stem from his didactic experiences as a teacher, are reflected in his novel about a German concentration camp, Der Funke Leben (Spark of Life) and applied to his oeuvre as a whole. Other contributions include an exploration of literary reactions to the outbreak of the Second World War in the Social Democratic exile newspaper Neuer Vorwärts, and the depiction of the German Armed Forces' Afghanistan mission in contemporary German-language literature.

RESIST! illuminates 500 years of anti-colonial resistance in the Global South, and tells the story of colonial oppression and its...

RESIST! illuminates 500 years of anti-colonial resistance in the Global South, and tells the story of colonial oppression and its effects to the present day. The exhibition and its accompanying publication pay homage to those who resisted in highly varied ways, and whose stories are still rarely told or heard today. The works of over 40 contemporary artists from the Global South and diaspora tell stories of rebellion and war, violence and trauma, as well as survival and resilience. Their stories are complemented by historical documents and numerous objects from the RJM collection, which bear silent witness to moments of resistance.

More than ever, the world needs to develop a sustainable peace order in which all political, ideological and religious communities...

More than ever, the world needs to develop a sustainable peace order in which all political, ideological and religious communities are embedded, and which they all support. Using previous volumes as a foundation, which analysed secular conceptions of peace, as well as Jewish, Christian and Islamic notions of peace, this volume compares diverging and overlapping conceptions of peace, before going on to examine the commonalities between them, and to develop principles for a global transecular and interreligious ethics of peace.

In the era of Trump, #MeToo and attacks like those in Halle or Hanau, masculinity is no longer a positive...

In the era of Trump, #MeToo and attacks like those in Halle or Hanau, masculinity is no longer a positive concept. Activist JJ Bola is searching for ways out of this crisis. He examines influences from non-Western traditions, pop culture and the LGBTQ+ community, and shows just how diverse masculinity can be.

In a measured tone, JJ Bola invites discussion that moves away from hardened positions. For only when men and concepts of masculinity change will there be true gender justice.

Russia's Left has been deeply divided on the issue of Ukraine since 2014. While the leadership of the Communist Party...

Russia's Left has been deeply divided on the issue of Ukraine since 2014. While the leadership of the Communist Party (CPRF) supports Putin's strategy, many left-wing groups and activists have become part of the protest movement. Special Operations and Peace seeks to show the entire spectrum of positions within the Russian Left - in relation to the Ukraine War, Russia's invasion policy, NATO involvement, the humanitarian crisis, and the issues of refugees and sanctions. It looks at oppositional CPRF members; social democracy and left-wing socialism; the smaller Stalinist and Trotskyist parties; anarchists, trade union activists and feminists; university lecturers and diasporic authors. Original documents and interviews are accompanied by introductory and analytical text that places these in their wider social contexts and explores the situation of left-wing political forces in Putin's Russia as a whole.

This collection of interview essays with 19 public intellectuals and scholars from around the world reflects on some of the...

This collection of interview essays with 19 public intellectuals and scholars from around the world reflects on some of the most pressing questions of our age: what is global inequality; what factors cause it; and how should we deal with it? Leading figures from the fields of history, sociology, economics, anthropology and postcolonial studies illuminate how their personal backgrounds, places of work, and hometowns have shaped their views on global inequality. We learn about the causes of global inequality, the historical factors that have made the world an unequal place, and the challenges with which humanity is confronted in the face of the widening gap between rich and poor. Bringing together voices from the Global North and South, this book helps us to think more broadly about inequality, and deepens our understanding of how this long-lasting phenomenon is, and has been, experienced across the globe.

Fred is an experienced and ambitious German consul. A woman who rarely gets ruffled, at home everywhere and nowhere.  But then,...

Fred is an experienced and ambitious German consul. A woman who rarely gets ruffled, at home everywhere and nowhere.  But then, in Montevideo, she falters for the first time in her career and finds herself transferred to politically volatile Istanbul, her greatest challenge yet. Caught between the Justice Palace and summer residence, the secret service and German-Turkish cooperation, between affairs and loneliness, she is confronted with the limits of friendship, the rule of law and the European idea.

Convinced that Germany's path to isolation and catastrophe could be prevented by reversing and renouncing its belief in the sword,...

Convinced that Germany's path to isolation and catastrophe could be prevented by reversing and renouncing its belief in the sword, a number of German officers became war opponents and pacifists. 'Crying into the wilderness', they opened themselves up to abuse and slander, social ostracism and exclusion, persecution, expulsion and exile - and warned against the continued aberration of Prussian-German power and its violent politics. Their battle with the ruling elites shows how there was another way of resolving conflicts besides supporting the cult of war. The memory of these pacifist officers was repressed, 'forgotten' or deliberately erased after 1933 and, following a brief moment of rehabilition, again after 1945. Their rediscovery, based on in-depth research into their biographies, thus also calls into question the process of 'coming to terms with the past' and the 'culture of remembrance' that, for superficial reasons, hides the best traditions of recent German history.

In his own lifetime, Erich Maria Remarque was seen as one of the most influential German-language authors. But what status...

In his own lifetime, Erich Maria Remarque was seen as one of the most influential German-language authors. But what status do he and his works hold internationally today? How are his works and views discussed today? The contributions in this volume shed light on these questions from historical, literary and cultural perspectives. They provide an overview of Remarque's reception in individual countries and cultures, and examine the changes the author's image and works have undergone in the eyes of readers worldwide in recent decades. As well as focusing on Remarque's reception and legacy in literary studies and literature, the volume explores artistic engagements with Remarque's work in film, theatre, visual art and graphic novels.

Recent years have seen the rise of resistance movements like 'Fridays for Future', which address the urgent issues of our...

Recent years have seen the rise of resistance movements like 'Fridays for Future', which address the urgent issues of our time and demand social change. For young people in particular, who are just beginning to express themselves politically, the question of the 'right' approach to take when fighting for major change looms large. The comic book opens with a news report on violent protests by residents at a nursing home. A heated family discussion ensues about the usefulness of violent and non-violent protest. The question is not what is morally right, but which strategy is more effective. Due to an (un)fortunate coincidence, various experts stray into the living room in the course of the discussion to contribute scientific findings and theories. A well thought-out comic that offers its readers encouragement.

Lebenslaute (Sounds of Life) is an eclectic network of German musicians. Their concert blockades are directed against state structures such...

Lebenslaute (Sounds of Life) is an eclectic network of German musicians. Their concert blockades are directed against state structures such as the military and the Office for the Protection of the Constitution; against the nuclear, arms, genetic engineering and coal industries; against war, the destruction of nature and racism. The Music of Resitance in Impossible Places is a book in the best traditional sense: on opening it, something will catch your eye and you'll start reading... It is a book that charts a movement, documenting and preserving the experiences of a non-violent action group that has been practising civil disobedience for thirty-three years. And it is a history book: stories from 1986 to 2018 are told by long-time activists, newcomers, professional and amateur musicians, and supporters and followers of different ages. This chronicle contains 180 mostly full-colour photos, as well as numerous documents that reflect on the conditions, imperatives and consequences of these unique direct actions.

Young soldier Ernst Graeber is granted a few weeks' leave from the frontline - and meets the love of his...

Young soldier Ernst Graeber is granted a few weeks' leave from the frontline - and meets the love of his life in the dying days of the Third Reich. Only now do fear, terror and persecution make him realise the utter futility of the war. But it is too late, because he has to go back and fight...