DOCSLIB.ORG

Betwixt and Between: a Reflection on the Scale and Scope of Disaster Memories

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Betwixt and Between: a Reflection on the Scale and Scope of Disaster Memories INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR HISTORY, CULTURE AND MODERNITY www.history-culture-modernity.org Published by: Uopen Journals Copyright: © The Author(s). Content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence eISSN: 2213-0624 Betwixt and Between: A Reflection on the Scale and Scope of Disaster Memories Felix Mauch HCM 7: 110–141 DOI: 10.18352/hcm.552 Abstract This paper shows that disaster memories not only develop over differ- ent circuits of time, but also involve multiple spatial layers. In the par- ticular case presented here, remembering Hamburg’s ‘Great Deluge’ of 1962 followed patterns in which national politics intermeshed with dis- tinctive local legacies and competing memory actors in changing inter- pretive frames. Tracing the flood’s multi-faceted reverberations along these intersections, this article suggests, firstly, that a long-term analy- sis of selected memory narratives can offer insights into the broader political implications as well as the unique characteristics of place- based disaster cultures. Secondly, by taking into account commemora- tion events, politics of remembrance as well as symbolic and material lieux de mémoire, the article shows that disaster memories are shaped by historical actors both ‘outside’ and ‘on site’. As a result, the article traces an eclectic panorama of co-evolving disaster memory cultures – not only local and (inter)national, environmental and social, and ‘from below’ and prescribed at the same time, but ‘betwixt and between’ them as well. Keywords: environmental history, floods, Hamburg, memory, natural disaster HCM 2019, VOL. 7 110 Downloaded from Brill.com09/28/2021 03:43:31AM via free access BETWIXT AND BETWEEN Introduction Hamburg’s Große Flut (‘Great Deluge’) is firmly anchored in German public memory.1 A wealth of monuments, high water marks and a pleth- ora of documentary films, media outlets and personal testimonies from contemporary witnesses keep the incidents that occurred in early 1962 alive. During the night of 16 to 17 February, a massive storm flood shook the young Federal Republic to its foundations. Hailing from the North Sea, storm front Vincinette, the victorious, forced massive tidal waves into the lower reaches of the Weser and Elbe for several hours, washing away vast areas along the coastline between Cuxhaven and Geesthacht and causing billions of deutschmarks of material damage. Once the tidal waves crashed through dykes and embankments, a chain of events took its course that triggered what disaster experts consider the most devastating natural catastrophe in modern German history.2 The Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg suffered the most. More than 12,500 hectares – approximately one fifth of the entire urban landscape – were submerged. The water masses trapped more than 100,000 residents; over 15,000 lost their homes and 315 people lost their lives. One area accounted for most of the fatalities: within hours, Wilhelmsburg, a working-class district surrounded by two branches of the Elbe, was literally drowned. Here, the flood caught many local resi- dents by surprise, and transformed the river island into a watery grave. Despite unprecedented rescue efforts, help came too late for many. After the water receded, emergency services reported 222 people dead or missing.3 So much for the undisputed history of events. The figures arguably paint a picture of a mainly local event. The inundations’ physical impact and its destructive outcome were restricted to specific geographic areas located in a high-risk zone, in which natural hazards pose an enduring threat. Within the North Sea’s sphere of influence, life is and has always been shaped by the rhythm of high and low tide. Storm winds, down- pours and high waters are very common. Accordingly, Hamburg’s envi- ronmental history is that of a distinctive ‘disaster culture’.4 Municipal archives are replete with reports and popular tales of the city’s struggle with the elements that at least go back to the Middle Ages.5 However, floods are never limited to a specific place. In both their origin and their outcome, they transcend particular spaces. Like the HCM 2019, VOL. 7 Downloaded from Brill.com09/28/2021111 03:43:31AM via free access MAUCH River Elbe itself, which mutates from a small source in the Czech mountains to a river that reaches a length of 1245 km, covering a water- shed of more than 148,300 km2, the ‘Great Deluge’ had humble origins. A deep low-pressure system and strong west winds was all it took to send Vincinette on her way to Hamburg. Once there, the storm’s gusts transcended all cultural, political and national borders, as did the waves that it pushed into the German Bight and down the Elbe River. If the impact of the flood was not confined to a small segment of Hamburg, what does this mean for its history? That history has been told countless times and is well remembered, but it, too, should be explored in dimensions that transcend the immediate and the local. Looking more closely at the storm’s wider causes and impact brings some interesting new storylines to light. Many transgress the conventional dualisms that modernity has drawn between nature and culture, between memory and history, between the nation and the city, while others add the interplay between cityscape and natural environment to the human drama. These storylines have been propelled by nature’s agency as much as by dif- ferent historical voices, actors and political institutions. Varying per- ceptions, overlapping plots, counter-narratives and conflicts shape (and reshape) the catastrophe’s diverging interpretations.6 Whether in Wilhelmsburg, Hamburg or further afield, and whether fifty years ago, today or tomorrow, reckoning with the history of the flood of 1962 is a constructive practice. Who remembers the events, how and upon what grounds are crucial considerations comprising more than one layer of ambiguity. Therefore, disaster memories can only exist in the plural. Various forms of remembrance operate on dif- ferent temporal and spatial scales, ranging from the deep past to the future and from the most local to the unbounded global. The question remains, however: if every catastrophic event has ramifications much wider than its immediate context, and if differing plots and competing memory actors co-evolve over time, how exactly does this affect the scale and scope of disaster memories? Between the Tides: Northern German Cultures of Disaster A single answer does not exist; only approximations and interpretations are possible because memories relating to Hamburg’s ‘Great Deluge’ HCM 2019, VOL. 7 112 Downloaded from Brill.com09/28/2021 03:43:31AM via free access BETWIXT AND BETWEEN oscillated between heterogeneous actors and different locales, feed- ing on many sources. According to David Blackbourn, German water- scapes turned incrementally into ‘a screen on which a changing society projected its hopes and fears’.7 In that regard, well-established Northern German ‘cultures of disaster’ proved to be a common framework. Literary works such as Theodor Storm’s Der Schimmelreiter or Detlev von Liliencron’s ballad Trutz, blanke Hans are examples of narratives grounded in long-held common myths about the dangers of living in a harsh climate at the mercy of storm tides and flooding. They are testi- mony to a longstanding appreciation of the agency of nature in this haz- ard-prone area.8 Since premodern times, withstanding the seemingly untameable elements shaped the lives of many coast dwellers. Theirs was a frontier mentality: the shoreline resembled a ‘space of confron- tation’, where nature and culture literally clashed with each other.9 Heimat was the land wrested from a hostile sea. Ever since its founda- tion in the Early Middle Ages, the settlement that later became the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg was part and parcel of this landscape, and its cultural memory was inscribed into its geomorphology. Despite being located more than 120 km inland, its residents pictured them- selves as active constituents of a ‘coastal society’.10 The oldest and most visible memory topoi of this struggle are dykes. Building these embankments served a double purpose. On the one hand, they protected the marshlands physically and made permanent settle- ments possible. At the same time, they were of high symbolic value. Dykes drew a line between culture and mistrusted wilderness. Until the early twentieth century, every landowner in flood-prone areas was legally responsible for erecting a floodwall. Neglect would end in loss of possession. As a traditional proverb put it: Wer nicht will deichen, muss weichen (‘anyone who does not build a dyke has to leave’). A line of artificial walls that reaches seven to nine metres above sea level still surrounds Hamburg today. For the people living behind these protective barriers, however, another saying from premodern times defines their prevailing attitude towards the North Sea: ‘mind the next flood!’11 The long arm of the North Sea, the Elbe River, had simply brought too many calamities for residents to be able to forget about them. The number of both levees and memorials speak clearly of this awareness. This holds true for Hamburg in particular. The dykes never isolated the Hansestadt from its environment. On the contrary, Hamburg has HCM 2019, VOL. 7 Downloaded from Brill.com09/28/2021113 03:43:31AM via free access MAUCH always been an ‘amphibious city’.12 The Elbe, the Alster Lake and a vast network of tributaries and canals drive its history, culture and prosperity. Hamburg’s
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Descrizione Storica Delle Carte (ITA)
    PRIMA DECADE I. Russian Tanks (DDR 1953) Nel maggio 1953, il Politburo del Partito di Unita’ Socialista della Germania (SED) innalzo’ le quote di lavoro dell'industria del 10 %. Il 16 giugno, una sessantina di operai edili di Berlino Est iniziarono a scioperare quando i loro superiori annunciarono un taglio di stipendio in caso di mancato raggiungimento delle quote. La loro manifestazione del giorno seguente fu la scintilla che causò lo scoppio delle proteste in tutta la Germania Est. Lo sciopero portò al blocco del lavoro e a proteste in praticamente tutti i centri industriali e in tutte le grandi città del Paese; le richieste iniziali dei dimostranti, come il ripristino delle precedenti (e inferiori) quote di lavoro, si tramutarono in richieste politiche. I lavoratori chiesero le dimissioni del governo della Germania Est che, per contro, si rivolse all'Unione Sovietica per schiacciare la rivolta con la forza militare. 1. Land Reform (DDR 19451945----1948)1948) Le riforme agrarie ("Bodenreform") prevedevano l'espropriazione di tutte le terre appartenenti agli attivisti del nazismo. Circa 500 proprietà degli Junker furono convertite in fattorie collettive, e più di 30.000 km² vennero distribuiti tra mezzo milione di contadini. Inoltre vennero costituite le prime fattorie statali, chiamate Volkseigenes Gut. 2. Forced Merger of KPD and SPD (DDR 1946) Un decreto del 10 giugno 1945 da parte delle autorità sovietiche permise la formazione di partiti democratici antifascisti; le prime elezioni vennero indette a ottobre 1946. Nel luglio 1945 si costituì una coalizione di partiti democratici antifascisti, formata da KPD, SPD, CDU, LDPD. Nell'aprile 1946 il KPD (il partito comunista tedesco e la SPD si fusero dietro grandi pressioni da parte dei sovietici, formando la SED (Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands, Partito di Unità Socialista).
    [Show full text]
  • Tafeln (Page 1)
    "Forgotten" History BERUFSVERBOTE Political Persecution in the Federal Republic of Germany 1. DEFINITION Berufsverbot? What is That? At the end of the 1960s, politicians, lawyers, police and secret Aim of Berufsverbot: Intimidation by Threat of Subsistence Deprivation services considered how to contain mass protests at universities and Political repression and political persecu- work places. The forms of repression practiced so far – surveillance, tion has happened and is still happening police raids, political trials and imprisonment – didn't seem to be in many areas of society. sufficient anymore. In particular, the state authorities were What was so special about the "Radikalen - concerned that a new generation with left-wing leanings could erlass"? Its aim was to abolish the mate- rial existence of the affected people in the permeate the governmental structures and change them from workplace. Those affected either could the inside. A working group commissioned in 1971 discussed not complete their education or could not possibilities to keep left-wing critics out of the civil service. practise their professions, because these The measures to be taken were meant to be intimidating and were monopolised by the state. Therefore, Berufsverbote have lifelong existential deterrent. On the basis of this, the Prime Ministers of the Länder consequences for those affected. under the chair of Chancellor Willy Brandt on January 28, 1972 passed what became known as the "Anti-radicals Decree*" (Radikalenerlass). The "Radikalenerlass" Violated Essential Basic and Human Rights: Hurry up, gentlemen, 1. The principle of equality and here is another radical who wants the non-dis crimination rule to get into the civil service.
    [Show full text]
  • The Reform of Higher Education Systems and the Concept of Lifelong Learning
    The Reform of Higher Education Systems and the Concept of Lifelong Learning A comparative study of German and Armenian universities in the Bologna Process Dissertation zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades doctor philosophiae (Dr. phil.) vorgelegt dem Rat der Fakult¨at f¨ur Sozial- und Verhaltenswissenschaften der Friedrich-Schiller-Universit¨at Jena von Hasmik Hunanyan geboren am 21.04.1977 in Jerewan, Armenien Gutachter 1. Prof. Dr. Martha Friedenthal-Haase 2. Prof. Dr. Elisabeth Meilhammer Tag des Kolloquiums: 12.11.2010 Contents TitlePage.................................... i TableofContents................................ iii ListofFigures.................................. vii Acknowledgments................................ viii 1 Introduction 1 1.1 ResearchTopic .............................. 1 1.2 ResearchApproach ............................ 11 1.3 RelevancetoResearchandPractice . 13 1.4 StructureoftheThesis .......................... 16 2 Methodology 18 2.1 ResearchDesign.............................. 18 2.2 Cross-CountryComparison. 19 2.3 Selection of Cases for the Cross-Country Comparison . .. 25 2.4 Interview as a Method of Qualitative Research . 28 2.4.1 Purposesofinterviews . .. .. 28 2.4.2 The type of the interviews conducted . 30 2.4.3 Selection of interviewees . 34 2.4.4 Reflexions on the limitations of interviews as research method 35 2.5 The Case-Oriented Comparative Research Scheme . 36 3 The Bologna Process 40 3.1 Introduction................................ 40 iii Contents iv 3.2 MagnaChartaUniversitatum . 41 3.3 SorbonneDeclaration(1998). 43 3.4 BolognaDeclaration(1999) . 49 3.5 Lisbon, Salamanca, G¨oteborg, or other cities that matter . .... 53 3.6 PragueCommuniqu´e(2001) . 60 3.7 BerlinCommuniqu´e(2003). 62 3.8 BergenCommuniqu´e(2005) . 68 3.9 LondonCommuniqu´e(2007) . 73 3.10 Leuven/Louvain–la–Neuve Communiqu´e(2009) . 76 3.11Conclusions ................................ 80 4 The German System of Higher Education 85 4.1 HistoricalContext ...........................
    [Show full text]
  • Copyright by Josch Lampe 2021
    Copyright by Josch Lampe 2021 The Dissertation Committee for Josch Lampe Certifies that this is the approved version of the following Dissertation: The Marxisms of West Germany's "1968": Remaking a Public Critique through Literary Magazines Committee: Katherine Arens, Supervisor Pascale R. Bos Kirkland A. Fulk Sabine Hake Jan Uelzmann The Marxisms of West Germany's "1968": Remaking a Public Critique through Literary Magazines by Josch Lampe Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Texas at Austin May 2021 Acknowledgements First of all, I would like to thank my supervisor and committee, without whom this dissertation would not have been possible. The University of Texas at Austin and its Department of Germanic Studies have been crucial for this research project in both intellectual and financial ways. Research grants for the summers of 2018 and 2019 from the Department and a University Graduate Continuing Fellowship from the Graduate School for the academic year 2019–20 made it possible for me to devote my energies to my project and to complete it despite the disruptions of 2020. I would also like to thank the American Friends of Marbach, who granted me a dissertation fellowship to conduct research at the German Literature Archive in Marbach, Germany, in the summer of 2018. Vast parts of this dissertation are based on data that I was able to access thanks to the archivists, researchers, and staff in Marbach, especially Jan Bürger, Christoph Hilse, Gerhild Kölling, Petra Weiß, and Robert Zwarg.
    [Show full text]
  • Annual International Journal on Analysis of Contemporary Legal Affairs
    Annual International Journal on Analysis of Contemporary Legal Affairs Vol. 1 January, 2021 About the Journal An International, Double-blind, Peer-reviewed and Annually published Journal. Contact Details Email: [email protected] Helpline Number: 8473808112 Office Address: H/o Shri Sarthak Aryan, C/o Shri Subodh Kumar, Old Madhya Bihar Gramin Bank Building, Sakurabad P.O.: Sakurabad, Dist: Jehanabad, PIN: 804425 (Bihar). Published By Aequitas Victoria Foundation www.aequivic.in VOLUME 1 (Editorial Special Issue) 2020 AEQUITAS VICTORIA FOUNDATION PRESENTS ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL ON ANALYSIS OF CONTEMPORARY LEGAL AFFAIRS ABOUT THE JOURNAL Annual International Journal on Analysis of Contemporary Legal Affairs (AIJACLA) is an annual international double-blind peer- reviewed journal in the field of law. The journal deals with contemporary affairs primarily within the discipline of law but also encourages interdisciplinary research works from any discipline provided the relation of the subject-matter with the legal institutions, legal instruments, or any other legal matters shall be established and highlighted to meet the eligibility criteria of the journal. Broadly the Journal welcomes research works from each branch of law like: Human Rights, Humanitarian Rights, IPR, Environmental Law, Public and Private International Law, Air and Space Law, Drone Law, Martial Law, Sports Law, Fashion Law, etc. It even encourages contributions from panel discussion or conference reports based on the topics of recent developments in the field of law. Further, case commentaries, law book reviews, legislative and policy analysis are also welcomed. The journal will also publish contributions that are not expressly from the discipline of law but establishes a relation with any of the legal matters and gives it an interdisciplinary character.
    [Show full text]
  • Screening the Impossible: the Politics of Form and Feeling in Second Wave Revolutionary Cinema
    SCREENING THE IMPOSSIBLE: THE POLITICS OF FORM AND FEELING IN SECOND WAVE REVOLUTIONARY CINEMA By Sarah Hamblin A DISSERTATION Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY English 2012 ABSTRACT SCREENING THE IMPOSSIBLE: THE POLITICS OF FORM AND FEELING IN SECOND WAVE REVOLUTIONARY CINEMA By Sarah Hamblin Screening the Impossible explores how the new revolutionary ideologies that emerged in the various global articulations of the “long 1968” produced new forms of revolutionary cinematic practice – what I collectively refer to as a second wave of revolutionary filmmaking. The project focuses on films largely from the 1960s and 1970s that engage the revolutionary energies of the period to examine the relationship between emotion, aesthetics, and political theory in an international cinematic context. Drawing on the claim that the global rebellions of the 1960s mark the denunciation of early 20th century revolutionary narratives, it traces the connections between filmmakers who are similarly preoccupied with the limits, failures, and counter-revolutionary appropriations of orthodox revolutionary thought and yet remain committed to the necessity of revolutionary transformation. Through a comparative analysis of films from various national traditions, the project examines how the political cinema of this period develops a new understanding of revolutionary process and the role that cinema can play in it. At its core, the project lays out the aesthetic and affective contours of this emergent genre, arguing that second wave revolutionary cinema is characterized by its rejection of the teleological narratives and didactic political messages embedded in earlier first wave revolutionary cinematic production.
    [Show full text]
  • War and Terror in Historical and Contemporary Perspective
    Harry & Helen Gray Humanities Program Series Volume 14 WAR AND TERROR IN HISTORICAL AND CONTEMPORARY PERSPECTIVE Edited by Michael Geyer University of Chicago American Institute for Contemporary German Studies The Johns Hopkins University Harry & Helen Gray Humanities Program Series Volume 14 WAR AND TERROR IN HISTORICAL AND COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE Edited by Michael Geyer University of Chicago The American Institute for Contemporary German Studies (AICGS) is a center for nonpartisan, advanced research, study and discourse relating to the Federal Republic of Germany, its politics, economy, culture and society. Founded in 1983, AICGS has been a premier source of research and analysis for the policymaking and policy-advising communities in the public and private sectors. Drawing on an international network of scholars and specialists, the Institute has consistently generated in-depth, nonpartisan assessments of Germany’s policy choices and developments and their impact on the transatlantic dialogue. Affiliated with the Johns Hopkins University, AICGS provides a comprehensive program of public fora, policy studies, research reports, and study groups designed to enrich the political, corporate and scholarly constituencies it serves. Executive Director: Jackson Janes Board of Trustees, Cochair: Fred H. Langhammer Board of Trustees, Cochair: Dr. Eugene A. Sekulow The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors alone. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies. ©2003 by the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies ISBN 0-941441-75-X This Humanities Program Volume is made possible by the Harry & Helen Gray Humanities Program. Additional copies are available for $5.00 to cover postage and handling from the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies, Suite 420, 1400 16th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.
    [Show full text]
  • Sociology in Germany a History Stephan Moebius Sociology Transformed
    SOCIOLOGY TRANSFORMED SERIES EDITORS: JOHN HOLMWOOD · STEPHEN TURNER Sociology in Germany A History Stephan Moebius Sociology Transformed Series Editors John Holmwood School of Sociology and Social Policy University of Nottingham Nottingham, UK Stephen Turner Department of Philosophy University of South Florida Tampa, FL, USA The feld of sociology has changed rapidly over the last few decades. Sociology Transformed seeks to map these changes on a country by country basis and to contribute to the discussion of the future of the subject. The series is concerned not only with the traditional centres of the discipline, but with its many variant forms across the globe. More information about this series at http://www.palgrave.com/gp/series/14477 Stephan Moebius Sociology in Germany A History Printed with the funding of the Austrian Academy of Sciences Stephan Moebius Sociology University of Graz Graz, Steiermark, Austria Sociology Transformed ISBN 978-3-030-71865-7 ISBN 978-3-030-71866-4 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-71866-4 © The Author(s) 2021. This book is an open access publication. Open Access This book is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this book are included in the book’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material.
    [Show full text]
  • LAW LIBRARY -T1 (' "~ American
    '!' If you have issues viewing or accessing~~---"- this"} file contact us at NCJRS.gov. ) t J 4 V--~ . , ~ ANTI-TERRORIST LEGISLATION IN THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY Prepared by Dr. Miklos Radvanyi 1979 '... < , " ~ ',)." ~ • .:. .' : • Library of Congress *0.1' LAW LIBRARY -t1 (' "~ American.. British Law Division 0 ~ European Law Division ... z ,;::::, ,...\ Far Eastern Law Division ~" "» Hispanic Law Division c; 1} .tt ~ Near Eastern and African Law Division ",' , , , ., ,',' , rl:", " I Ii t~\ i" '. t .. : ~. '. ~ ; • LAW LIBRARY PUBLICATIONS A major function of the Law Library of Congress is the prepa­ ration of reports on various topics in foreign, comparative and international law in response to requests from the Members and Committees of Congress, the executive and judicial branches of the federal government and others. While many of these legal studies are so specific in content as to be useful only to the requester, a number are potentially of great interest to a broader audienc~. With tbe approval of the original reque6ter, these reports are printed and ma,de available for general distribution. In addition to thesa printed reports, the Law Library prepares a variety of other publications which include: a series of guides to the law and legal literature of nations, extensive bibliographies, indexes and scholarly articles. Notice of all of these publications is found in the Library of Congress Infor­ mation Bulletin. Specific inquiries may be addressed to the Law Librarian, Library of Congress. The principle resources of all Law Library publications are its collection and research staff. The Law Library's holdings of over 1,600,000 volumes constitute the world's largest and most comprehensive legal collection.
    [Show full text]
  • Annual Report 2015 L Urg Rosa Uxemb Stiftung
    AnnuAl RepoRt 2015 Rosa LuxembuRg stiftung tiftung s g- R Rosa-Luxembu AnnuAl RepoRt 2015 of the Rosa-LuxembuRg-stiftung 1 Contents editoRiAl 4 FoCus: the stRuggle FoR the ClimAte 6 It’s no longer just about polar bears 6 The Foundation’s work at the Paris climate summit 8 Fleeing from climate change 9 Selected cooperation projects linked to our key issue 10 Selected publications on our key issue 11 the institute FoR CRitical soCiAl AnAlysis 12 Fellowships 13 Greece: The European catalyst 14 Lack of participation in elections: Democratic societies do not come about by themselves 15 “Um-Care” for new strategies in health and care 16 Luxemburg Lectures 17 the Academy FoR political education 18 Further education: Politics as a Project of Change 19 Four things that we need from you! 20 Insight NSU 20 Solidarity beyond borders 21 nAtionwide woRk 22 Baden-Württemberg: Conference on welcoming culture and the regime of deportation 24 Bavaria: The Summit of (the) Alternatives 24 Berlin: Unspeakable things: Sex, Lies and Revolution 25 Brandenburg: World history and stories from the province 25 Bremen: After the summer of Snowden 26 Hamburg: Change! Europe! Solidarity! 26 Hesse: 100 years of Turkey’s denial of genocide 27 Mecklenburg-Vorpommern: Demolition – transition – optimism 27 Lower Saxony: Certified local politics 28 North Rhine-Westphalia: In honor of Viktor Agartz (1897–1964) 28 Rhineland-Palatinate: Walter Benjamin – From the end of history until now 29 Saarland: Following in the footsteps of Alfred Döblin 29 Saxony: Social media and right-wing
    [Show full text]
  • Soviet Russia in Comparative Perspective
    IMT Institute for Advanced Studies, Lucca Lucca, Italy Transformations of Political Culture in Post-Totalitarian Societies. Post-World War II West Germany and Post-Soviet Russia in Comparative Perspective PhD Program in Political Systems and Institutional Change XXI Cycle By Jane Lezina 2010 The dissertation of Jane Lezina is approved. Program Coordinator: Prof. Giovanni Orsina, Libera Università Internazionale degli Studi Sociali “Guido Carli” LUISS – Roma Supervisor: Prof. Tatiana Vorozheikina, The Higher School of Economics, Moscow Tutor: Assist. Prof. James Melton, IMT Institute for Advanced Studies, Lucca The dissertation of Jane Lezina has been reviewed by: Prof. Lev Gudkov, The Levada Analytical Center, Moscow IMT Institute for Advanced Studies, Lucca 2010 To my family Contents Acknowledgements x Abstract xi 1 Introduction 1 1.1 Understanding Democratization in West Germany and Russia: 1 the Basis for Historical Comparison 1.2 Theoretical Framework and the Thesis Structure 9 1.2.1 Analyzing Political Context of Transformations 12 (Institutional Dimension of Democratic Consolidation) 1.2.2 Analyzing Political Culture: Focusing on Political 15 Attitudes and Political Behavior 1.2.3 Analyzing Political Culture: Focusing on Symbolic 24 Structures of National Identity and Collective Memory Formation 1.3. The Case-Studies’ Literature Overview and Remarks on 31 Methodology 2 Political Context of Transformations in post-WWII West Germany 34 and post-Soviet Russia 2.1 Comparative Analysis of Political Transformations post-WWII 37 West Germany
    [Show full text]
  • A Comparative Analysis of Emergency Powers in Europe
    Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF) Policy Paper – №30 Securing Democracy? A Comparative Analysis of Emergency Powers in Europe Anna Khakee GENEVA CENTRE FOR THE DEMOCRATIC CONTROL OF ARMED FORCES (DCAF) POLICY PAPER – №30 Securing Democracy? A Comparative Analysis of Emergency Powers in Europe Anna Khakee Copyright © 2009 by the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces ISBN 978-92-9222-098-3 DCAF Policy Papers offer a practical, policy-oriented view of Security Sector Governance issues. Policy Papers can be downloaded for free from the DCAF website at www.dcaf.ch/publications. Printed and bound copies can also be purchased. Table of Contents List of Abbreviations ............................................................................ 3 1. Introduction .............................................................................. 5 2. Constitutional Protection of the Democratic Order During States of Exception: No European Consensus ............................................ 9 2.1 Introduction ........................................................................ 9 2.2 Types of states of exception .................................................. 10 2.3 Declaration, prolongation and termination of emergency rule .......... 12 2.4 Oversight and maintenance of democratic institutions during a state of exception ............................................................ 14 2.5 Judicial control and oversight ................................................. 16 2.6 The protection of human
    [Show full text]