Languages, Literatures and Cultures

This article examines two recent German novels (Christoph Peters' "Ein Zimmer im Haus des Krieges", and Sherko Fatah's "Das Dunkle Schiff"), and their respective portrayals of protagonists exposed to fundamentalist terrorism. The analysis unfolds in light of considerations from recent post-secular discourse, most prominently represented by Jürgen Habermas and Charles Taylor.

With his most recent book, Die Möglichkeit der Normen (The Possibility of Norms), legal philosopher Christoph Möllers (Humbolt Universität Berlin) puts forward a surprisingly novel and highly adaptive account of normativity. What initially strikes the reader as a simple, intuitive definition of a norm entails rigorous engagement with and distinction from conventional normative and ethical theories.

Rarely has so much uncertainty and concern arisen from a US election as in its 2016 installment. American liberals and many European observers are still in somewhat of a state of shock, shaking their heads in light of the puzzling nature of both the victorious candidate himself and the US electorate which elevated him into the White House. The blend of extremely simplified narratives and visions provided by Donald Trump, disregarding any nuance in assessing complex global problems, a strong emotional resonance among his supporters, clear distinctions of insiders and outsiders, and rigid "we-they" thinking can indeed be quite perplexing.

In this essay, I argue for additional readings of Heinrich von Kleist's 1808 novella "Michael Kohlhaas", one that emphasizes his ordinariness and his struggle to articulate his extraordinary sense of injustice. This unfolds in light of Charles Taylor's rich notion of "articulacy".
A German translation of the article is set to appear in the 2020 Kleist-Jahrbuch.

Take rural road trips to promote science As the March for Science in Washington DC on 22 April gathers momentum, we argue that it should be followed by ongoing scientific outreach to rural US communities. This would encourage their participation in the broader science conversation, fostering improved relationships with, and trust in, the scientific community. These goals cannot be achieved just through the Internet and specialist research papers. We must rid ourselves of the stereotype of the ivory tower academic. As well as touring the international conference circuit, we should take local road trips to convey the exciting insights we garner through our research. Rural communities are just as interested as those in cities in how our work could apply to them and their environment. Some US political institutions have gained rural America's trust because they listened and responded to local needs while becoming part of the community. Scientists must do the same.

Bibliographie: Baum, Markus/Demirovic, Alex/Dhawan, Nikita/Druwe, Ulrich/Holznienkemper, Alex/Hurbin, Philippe Bernhard/Karolewski, Ireneusz Pawel/Kempf, Victor/Kreide, Regina/Kulke, Christine/Kurth, Lukas/Maahs Jorke, Ina-Maria/Mancheno, Tania/Niesen, Peter/Prinz, Janosch/Rehm, Rafael/Saar, Martin/Schulze Wessel, Julia/Seyferth, Peter/Vennmann, Stefan: Kritische Theorie heute, ZPTh, 1-2017, S. 47-112. https://doi.org/10.3224/zpth.v8i1.04