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The Fractured Legacy of Antitotalitarianism: Political Usage of a Discursive Frame in EU Memory Politics and Beyond
No full textThis article, through a critical engagement with relevant literature, explores the genesis, the evolution and the political weaponisation of anti-totalitarianism in European politics. The first section situates the emergence of anti-totalitarianism within European academic and literary debates from the 1930s to the 1980s, framed around the master signifier of "totalitarianism." The second section examines its role in EU memory politics, particularly its adoption as a memory frame in response to the Eastern enlargement of the European Union (2004–2007), legitimising the EU as a democratic and human rights-based political community. The third section analyses the domestic instrumentalisation of EU anti-totalitarianism, with a focus on its use by the Italian post-fascist right to challenge the legacy of the Resistance and anti-fascism as a core element of Italy's civil religion. The article, while highlighting the unintended consequences of EU memory frames, concludes that the widespread invocation of totalitarianism has diluted the concept into a "floating signifier," undermining its historical meaning and political potency
Inherited Pragmatism: Race, Representation and Technology in Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man
No full textScholars who turn to Ralph Ellison’s novel Invisible Man to address issues of race and black representation often employ the thinking of American pragmatists such as John Dewey. However, Dewey’s record on race and that of other classical pragmatists contribute little on the topic. As a result, some scholars have suggested that Ralph Ellison brings critical attention to the idea of race in pragmatism in ways thinkers before him do not. This study challenges this view, revealing how the philosopher Immanuel Kant fulfilled this role. It also explains why illuminating Kant’s troubling views on race and their continuity in the sociology of Robert Park warrant a reconceptualization of race as a technology of power, particularly as it is explored in the missing chapter from Ellison’s novel. Ultimately, a technological consideration of the novel helps to advance it as a refutation of the essentialization of black identity in Kantian philosophy and American history
“To the Men Who Love Us”: The Reframing of Reproductive Rights during Kamala Harris’s 2024 Presidential Campaign
No full textWomen’s reproductive rights were one of the central issues in the run-up to the 2024 US presidential election. Kamala Harris ran on the issue as she and her supporters on the campaign trail emphasized the importance of access to all reproductive healthcare services, which, depending on individual state laws, had been severely curtailed since the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022. However, to Harris’s detriment, the gender gap in the 2024 election was projected to be profound (Pellish), and Donald Trump did retain a firm hold over men’s votes, with 53% of men aged 18 to 44 and 57% of men votes aged 45 and up voting for him (“Interactive”). The Trump campaign was evasive about reproductive issues and, instead, aggressively promoted hypermasculine images by campaigning with Hulk Hogan and enlisting the support of conservative pundits, including Joe Rogan and Charlie Kirk (founder of the conservative activist organization Turning Point USA) (Kellman). Amanda Friesen and Kate Hunt’s observation that movements like #MeToo have further alienated men from women’s issues complicated the Harris campaign’s efforts to make inroads with male voters and actively engage them in the ongoing debates. This essay will show that the Harris campaign set out to win votes by reframing their rhetoric to position reproductive rights in the context of other fundamental American freedoms and convey that men have a stake in preserving access to reproductive healthcare. Michelle Obama’s powerful campaign rally speech on October 26, 2024, in Michigan (accessible on Kamala Harris’s YouTube channel) was the most conspicuous example of this strategy. Taking the stage in a camouflage-patterned blazer, Obama, not long into her speech, began a sentence with “[t]o the men who love us . . .” (Kamala Harris, “Michelle Obama”). The former first lady’s argument was in part an impassioned plea that forcefully explained to men how another Trump presidency and concomitant healthcare restrictions would hurt the women they loved and, ultimately, themselves. Thus, I will argue that Obama’s speech strikes a delicate balance between prompting men to “step up” for reproductive freedom on its merits and appealing to masculine gender scripts, reminiscent of “protective paternalism” (Leaper and Gutierrez), to suggest that voting Harris is a way to fulfill their “duty” to “protect” women, which is a political strategy that nevertheless somewhat weakens emancipatory discourses of bodily autonomy
Character and Choice: Abortion in American Teen Films
No full textThis essay summarizes the history of abortion in teen movies in the United States, emphasizing how, for over a century, teen abortion has often been censored, omitted, or depicted inaccurately. Even after the legalization of abortion via Roe v. Wade in 1973, a film like Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), which shows abortion as a simple and painless procedure, remained rare. However, soon before the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade via the Dobbs v. Jackson decision in 2022, several American teen movies such as Grandma (2015); Never Rarely Sometimes Always (2020); Unpregnant (2020); and Plan B (2021) shifted the teen abortion narrative by depicting abortion itself as a valid and reasonable choice by the girl protagonist even as their access to abortion and emergency contraception becomes an ordeal necessitating a road trip. These sympathetic portrayals of girls who have a right to their abortion rewrite many of the stereotypes that had come to define abortion narratives for teens, instead showing abortion to be the safe and effective procedure that it is. In addition, these films highlight the difficulties for girls who need funds and parental consent for their abortions, predicting the actual circumstances that many adults as well as teens now find themselves in upon Dobbs v. Jackson decision. At the same time, it hardly seems coincident that each film portraying an abortion depicts the girl in an abusive or harmful relationship. In doing so, the stories emphasize the girls’ need for an abortion. However, such a pattern begs the question – is such a relationship deemed necessary within the story to give them the “right” to an abortion? In this essay, I look to the history of abortion in teen films and examine the recent phenomenon of the abortion road trip teen film. Ultimately, I argue that aspects of these plots seem aimed toward appealing to a pro-choice fanbase while seeking to avoid ostracizing a more conservative audience who requires more justification for abortion
« Mourir effectivement au monde » : l’écriture spirituelle de Jacqueline pascal entre mortification et renouvellement intérieur
No full textThis article examines the spiritual journey of Jacqueline Pascal, focusing on the central role that writing played in her religious vocation. It follows her progression from a celebrated poet in Parisian literary circles to her eventual commitment to the religious life at Port-Royal, where she embraced humility and simplicity under the guidance of Mother Agnès Arnauld. Central to this transformation is her reappropriation of language, which she turned into an instrument of inner purification, drawing on biblical models and Augustinian principles that shaped contemplative life at Port-Royal. The analysis of her meditation on the mystery of Christ’s death demonstrates how Jacqueline Pascal’s writing became an active spiritual practice, illustrating her stylistic shift from her earlier worldly poetry to a meditative and austere prose. Through the use of rhetorical devices such as repetition, her writing embodies the inner struggle for self-discipline and spiritual renewal, reflecting her commitment to her future religious life at Port-Royal
Plasticità e patosofia. Identità narrativa, schema motorio e metodo biografico fra Weizsäcker e Malabou
No full textThe subject of the contribution is the relationship between the concept of plasticity developed by Catherine Malabou, especially in its meaning of “destructive plasticity”, and Viktor von Weizsäcker’s reflection on the “pathic”, from the writings of the 1920s dedicated to medical anthropology and the refoundation of a relational metaphysics, up to the complete elaboration of a pathosophy. Both for the German physician and thinker and for the French philosopher, the intertwining of the question of the living being, the form and the rearticulation of narrative identity leads to outcomes capable of profoundly questioning our time. A particular in-depth analysis is dedicated to the dislocation of narrative identity with specific reference to some examples of contemporary narration both with reference to the critical work of W.G. Sebald, and through a specific survey relating to Scandinavian literatures, between the poetry of Inger Christensen – now inscribed in the canon of those literatures – and the very recent experiments in the writing of Naja Marie Aidt.The subject of the contribution is the relationship between the concept of plasticity developed by Catherine Malabou, especially in its meaning of “destructive plasticity”, and Viktor von Weizsäcker’s reflection on the “pathic”, from the writings of the 1920s dedicated to medical anthropology and the refoundation of a relational metaphysics, up to the complete elaboration of a pathosophy. Both for the German physician and thinker and for the French philosopher, the intertwining of the question of the living being, the form and the rearticulation of narrative identity leads to outcomes capable of profoundly questioning our time. A particular in-depth analysis is dedicated to the dislocation of narrative identity with specific reference to some examples of contemporary narration both with reference to the critical work of W.G. Sebald, and through a specific survey relating to Scandinavian literatures, between the poetry of Inger Christensen – now inscribed in the canon of those literatures – and the very recent experiments in the writing of Naja Marie Aidt.The subject of the contribution is the relationship between the concept of plasticity developed by Catherine Malabou, especially in its meaning of “destructive plasticity”, and Viktor von Weizsäcker’s reflection on the “pathic”, from the writings of the 1920s dedicated to medical anthropology and the refoundation of a relational metaphysics, up to the complete elaboration of a pathosophy. Both for the German physician and thinker and for the French philosopher, the intertwining of the question of the living being, the form and the rearticulation of narrative identity leads to outcomes capable of profoundly questioning our time. A particular in-depth analysis is dedicated to the dislocation of narrative identity with specific reference to some examples of contemporary narration both with reference to the critical work of W.G. Sebald, and through a specific survey relating to Scandinavian literatures, between the poetry of Inger Christensen – now inscribed in the canon of those literatures – and the very recent experiments in the writing of Naja Marie Aidt
Plasticità e mimesis: tre metamorfosi. Un dialogo
No full textThe present dialogue took place online on February 23, 2023, in the context of a conference organized by Professor Nidesh Lawtoo and his team at KU Leuven. Revised and expanded for the present written version, this dialogue brings in conversation two of the most relevant thinkers of our time: Catherine Malabou, the author of a widely influential philosophical account that is largely (but not exclusively) based on plasticity, and Nidesh Lawtoo, the proponent of a new and successful field of interdisciplinary inquiry, mimetic studies.
With an editorial note by Alice Iacobone and an intermezzo with Isabelle Dahms & Giulia Rignano.
Traduzione italiana di Alice Iacobone.
The present dialogue took place online on February 23, 2023, in the context of a conference organized by Professor Nidesh Lawtoo and his team at KU Leuven. Revised and expanded for the present written version, this dialogue brings in conversation two of the most relevant thinkers of our time: Catherine Malabou, the author of a widely influential philosophical account that is largely (but not exclusively) based on plasticity, and Nidesh Lawtoo, the proponent of a new and successful field of interdisciplinary inquiry, mimetic studies.
With an editorial note by Alice Iacobone and an intermezzo with Isabelle Dahms & Giulia Rignano.
Traduzione italiana di Alice Iacobone.The present dialogue took place online on February 23, 2023, in the context of a conference organized by Professor Nidesh Lawtoo and his team at KU Leuven. Revised and expanded for the present written version, this dialogue brings in conversation two of the most relevant thinkers of our time: Catherine Malabou, the author of a widely influential philosophical account that is largely (but not exclusively) based on plasticity, and Nidesh Lawtoo, the proponent of a new and successful field of interdisciplinary inquiry, mimetic studies.
With an editorial note by Alice Iacobone and an intermezzo with Isabelle Dahms & Giulia Rignano.
Traduzione italiana di Alice Iacobone.
 
Corporate Social Responsibilities Washing in The Textile Industry: A Review of Causes, Consequences, and Remedy.
No full textThe textile industry is facing a growing issue of Corporate Social Responsibilities washing or CSR-washing, which are misleading social claims made by companies to appeal to customers' social consciousness. This review examines the causes and consequences of this practice, focusing on the holistic impact on consumers, corporations, stakeholders, and society. The analysis used various sources, including review papers, case studies, book chapters, and websites, to identify relevant publications. The study explores the concept of CSR-washing in fast fashion and its impact on society. To combat this issue, it suggests promoting transparency, accountability, and independent certification in the textile industry. The lack of research on this practice in the industry makes it difficult to understand its effects. The study emphasises the need for optimal measures to control this practice, aiming to create a sustainable and responsible fashion sector