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„But where could one go?“ Intercultural Spaces in Fred Wander’s Refugee Novel Hôtel Baalbek (1991)
No full textDer Aufsatz untersucht, auf welche Weise in Fred Wanders autobiographisch gefärbtem Roman Hôtel Baalbek (1991) interkulturelle Räume inszeniert werden. Dabei ist es von besonderem Belang, dass der Text diverse positiv konnotierte Elemente des mediterranistischen Diskurses aufgreift, sie aber ins Negative wendet, um so die katastrophale Lage seiner Protagonist*innen zu veranschaulichen: Diese hat es zu Beginn der 1940er Jahre auf der Flucht vor Hitlers Terrorregime nach Marseille verschlagen, wo sie sich verzweifelt und überwiegend vergeblich darum bemühen, nach Amerika weiterreisen zu können. Angesichts dessen leuchtet es ein, dass der Roman eine Reihe nicht zuletzt touristischer Topoi und Motive dergestalt variiert, dass von den Verheißungen des Interkulturellen kaum etwas übrigbleibt.This paper examines the ways in which intercultural spaces are depicted in Fred Wander’s autobiographically tinged novel Hôtel Baalbek (1991). In this context, it is of particular importance that the text takes up various positively connoted elements of the mediterranist discourse, but turns them into the negative in order to illustrate the catastrophic situation of its protagonists: At the beginning of the 1940s, they are on the run from Hitler’s regime of terror and have ended up in Marseille, where they desperately and mostly in vain try to continue their journey to America. In view of this, it makes sense that the novel varies a series of not least tourist topoi and motifs in such a way that hardly anything remains of the promise of the intercultural
„I wanted to go to the sea, always to the sea“. On the image of the sea in Ilma Rakusa‘s „Mehr Meer“
No full textDer Aufsatz fragt nach der Bedeutung des Meeres in Ilma Rakusas „Erinnerungspassagen“ Mehr Meer (unter Heranziehung der zehn Jahre später erschienenen Sammlung Mein Alphabet). Obwohl es zunächst naheliegend erscheint, das Meer bei Rakusa als unfassbar Erhabenes im Sinne Immanuel Kants zu verstehen, zeigt sich bei näherem Zusehen, dass es bei Rakusa stets fassbar bleibt, es immer um ein konkretes und anschaubares Meer geht. Dies aber steht als Versprechen auf eine unerreichbare Einheit und Ganzheit, deren Anzeichen sich ebenso im poetischen Erinnern zeigen.The essay inquires into the meaning of the sea in Ilma Rakusa‘s „Memory Passages“ Mehr Meer (drawing on the collection Mein Alphabet, published ten years later). Although it seems obvious at first to take the sea in Rakusa‘s work as something inconceivably sublime in the sense of Immanuel Kant, a closer look reveals that it always remains tangible, that it is always a concrete and viewable sea. This, however, stands as a promise of an unattainable unity and wholeness, the signs of which are also evident in poetic memory
Mare nostrum = nostrum sepulcrum? The Mediterranean as a mass grave for migrants and the dilemma of European refugee policy On the current controversy about the new “boat people”
No full textDie von einer Jury deutscher Linguisten ausgewählten „Unwörter des Jahres“ (wie Pushback, Asyltourismus, Anti-Abschiebeindustrie, Überfremdung) beziehen sich nicht selten auf die in Deutschland (aber nicht nur dort) anhaltenden Kontroversen über Migrations-und Flüchtlingspolitik. Das Wort ‚Pushback‘ etwa beschreibe die Praxis europäischer Grenzwächter, Flüchtlinge an den Grenzen zurückzuweisen oder ihre Boote am Anlanden zu hindern. Vor dem Hintergrund der europäischen Humanitätskrise im Schatten des russischen Angriffs auf die Ukraine diskutiert der Beitrag aktuelle Positionen der Debatte um die Integration von Ausländern, namentlich aus dem afrikanischen Nachbarkontinent, in die europäischen (und besonders die deutschsprachigen) Gesellschaften. Was sind die Bedingungen für eine erfolgreiche Zuwanderung? Wie ist die Bilanz der politischen (und finanziellen) Versuche zur sozialen, beruflichen und vor allem sprachlichen Integration von Ausländern? Wie verhält sich die restriktive Praxis (Stichworte:‚Frontex‘ oder ‚Festung Europa‘) zu dem demographischen Desiderat von Zuwanderung in alternde Gesellschaften? Wie die Zunahme der irregulären Immigration zu dem Ruf der Wirtschaft nach legaler Zuwanderung? Da die Zahl der afrikanischen Flüchtlinge angesichts multipler, auch ökologischer Krisen weiter zunehmen wird, plädiert mein Beitrag für neue Ansätze zur Lösung des Problems ihrer Integration in die europäischen Gesellschaften. Ausgehend von einer Analyse der Ursachen für die aktuelle Situation 2022 gibt das Papier vor der für 2023 angestrebten Neufassung des Zuwanderungsgesetzes einen Überblick über die Fakten und Zahlen der Migrationspolitik unter besonderer Berücksichtigung afrikanischer Flüchtlinge, ihrer Bedürfnisse, ihrer Anforderungen und Perspektiven, was zu einem interkulturell sensibilisierten Plädoyer für mehr sprachliche und berufliche Bildung sowohl im Inland, aber auch im Ausland führt.The “Unwords of the Year” selected by a jury of German linguists (pushback, asylum tourism, anti-deportation industry, foreign domination) often refer to the ongoing controversies in Germany (but not only there) about migration and refugee policy. The word ‘pushback’, for example, describes the practice of turning back refugees at the borders or preventing their boats from landing. Against the backdrop of the European humanitarian crisis in the shadow of the Russian attack on Ukraine, the article discusses current positions in the debate on the integration of foreigners, namely from Africa, into Europe. What are the conditions for their successful immigration? What is the record of political (and financial) attempts to integrate foreigners socially, professionally and, above all, linguistically? How does restrictive practice (keywords: ‘Frontex’ or ‘Fortress Europe’) relate to the demographic desideratum of immigration in ageing societies? How does the increase in irregular immigration relate to the economy’s call for legal immigration? Since the number of African refugees will continue to increase in view of multiple, also ecological crises, my contribution pleads for new approaches to solving the problem of their integration into European societies. Based on an analysis of the causes of the current situation in 2022, the paper provides an overview of the facts and figures of migration policy with special reference to African refugees, their needs, their requirements and perspectives, prior to the new version of the Immigration Act targeted for 2023, leading to an interculturally sensitised plea for more language and vocational training both at home but also abroad
From Time to Time: Time Routes and Temporal Fragments in Representations of the Eastern Adriatic
No full textThis paper problematizes, from an ethnographic perspective, the temporal aspects of Eastern Adriatic travelogues published in the first half of the 20th century. By employing the concept of ‘time routes,’ the author analyzes diverse temporal fragments emerging along the itineraries of travel writers such as Maude Holbach, Alice Lee Moqué, Frances Kinsley Hutchinson, and Rebecca West. Their descriptions of local cultures and specific locations in the Eastern Adriatic open a debate about the shifting boundaries between the West and the East and between the past, present, and future. Furthermore, the predominantly spatial aspect of travelogues is supplemented by an analysis of diverse non-linear temporal modalities and phenomena, such as anticipation, expectations, idleness, boredom, timelessness, and waiting. The paper explores the spatiotemporally fluid nature of ‘time routes’ in representations of the Eastern Adriatic and how they discursively constitute heterogeneous temporal regimes and practices. The emergence of diverse temporal modalities is examined within the broader, at times overlapping, context of the Mediterranean and Southeastern European regions, raising the question of how Western ideas of linear progress are entangled with processes of temporal othering
Potonulo groblje by Goran Tribuson between horror fiction and film
No full textU ovome se radu analiziraju žanrovska obilježja romana Potonulo groblje (1990.) Gorana Tribusona, jednoga od najvažnijih hrvatskih predstavnika tzv. eskapističke književnosti, i istoimene filmske adaptacije romana iz 2002. godine redatelja Mladena Jurana i Jiříja Menzela. Polazeći od sadržaja romana usredotočena na povratak glavnoga lika, bivšega zatvorenika u rodni grad i njegovo suočavanje s prošlošću potaknuto navodnim natprirodnim iskustvima te na prikaz povijesnoga razdoblja u kojemu se radnja odvija i u kojemu je roman objavljen, cilj je rada utvrditi kako je autor prepoznatljive elemente horor žanra upotrijebio u postupku stvaranja slike hrvatskoga društva toga vremena. U toj perspektivi, radnja romana i stil pripovijedanja uspoređuju se s istoimenom filmskom adaptacijom romana te se razmatra kako su i u kojoj mjeri postupci adaptacije književnoga djela i vremenski odmak utjecali na promjene žanrovskih obilježja i prikaz društvenoga okvira u filmu.This paper analyzes Potonulo groblje (“The Sunken Cemetery”, 1990), a horror novel by Croatian author Goran Tribuson, a key figure in the country’s escapist fiction tradition. The novel centers on Ivan Hum, a former prisoner who returns to his neglected, nameless hometown to uncover the truth about his past. As he navigates an eerie, decaying landscape marked by supernatural events and cryptic townspeople, Ivan becomes entangled in a web of personal trauma, local myth, and historical repression. The narrative weaves together psychological horror, crime mystery, and gothic atmosphere to explore deeper themes of memory, decay, and identity. At the core of the novel lies a metaphorical exploration of the collapse of socialism and the uncertain transition into a post-socialist society. The imagery of the sunken cemetery, derelict infrastructure, and a town lost in time serve as powerful symbols of social disintegration and historical amnesia. Through close reading and comparative analysis, the study investigates how Tribuson mobilizes elements of horror and thriller genres not just for suspense, but to comment on the disorientation and disillusionment that accompanied the end of Yugoslavia. A central contrast in the novel is between Ivan - a disillusioned intellectual shaped by rationalism, guilt, and exile - and Marilina, a strange, quasi-mystical librarian whose home is filled with Western pop-culture memorabilia. Their interaction encapsulates the tension between high and popular culture, as well as the ambivalence of post-socialist identity caught between the ruins of the past and the seductive promise of consumerism. The novel is also examined through its 2002 film adaptation, directed by Mladen Juran, co-written with Tribuson and Czech director Jiří Menzel. The film reinterprets many of the novel’s themes through visual storytelling, using cinematic techniques, symbolism, and Western horror tropes to enhance psychological and socio-political layers. While the novel’s horror is more existential and literary, the film foregrounds visual motifs such as marbles (representing trauma), decayed urban spaces, and Western pop references to depict the cultural Westernization and trauma of post-war Croatia. The adaptation reflects how the sociopolitical context of the early 2000s - particularly Croatia’s recovery from war and reorientation toward Europe - influenced the reinterpretation of the original narrative. The film emphasizes resolution and personal healing more explicitly than the novel, suggesting a more hopeful vision of the future. Ultimately, the study argues that despite its genre label, The Sunken Cemetery -both as a novel and as a film -offers a layered, critical engagement with the historical, psychological, and cultural anxieties of late 20th-century Croatia. It demonstrates that escapist or genre fiction can serve as a powerful lens for examining national trauma, collective memory, and ideological transition.L’articolo consiste in un’analisi del romanzo Potonulo groblje (“Il cimitero sommerso”, 1990) di Goran Tribuson, tra i principali esponenti della cosiddetta letteratura escapista (o d’evasione) in Croazia. Tenendo conto della trama del romanzo (incentrata sul ritorno di un ex detenuto nella città natale, dove presunte esperienze sovrannaturali lo obbligano a confrontarsi col proprio passato) e del periodo storico in cui è stato pubblicato, si intende dimostrare come l’autore abbia impiegato gli elementi tipici del genere horror per riflettere sulla società croata dell’epoca. In quest’ottica, il romanzo sarà confrontato con l’omonimo adattamento cinematografico del 2002, girato da Mladen Juran in collaborazione con l’autore e il regista ceco Jiří Menzel; si determinerà quindi in che misura il processo di adattamento e la distanza storica abbiano influenzato il rapporto tra film e libro
Retrospective reflections on Manzoni’s early linguistic ideas addressed to the purist Antonio Cesari
No full textQuesto intervento analizzerà il dialogo del Manzoni con il “capo riconosciuto dei puristi italiani, il veronese Antonio Cesari” (Vitale 2013: 120) nelle Due Minute di una lettera mai spedita (12 giugno 1827), e si pone l’obiettivo di mostrare non solo le novità ma anche l’esclusività della teoria linguistica manzoniana nel panorama ottocentesco. Egli dissertando sulla tradizionale dicotomia scritto - parlato (Lingua - dialetti), riconoscerà e promuoverà la vera essenza della lingua: l’oralità a base sociale. Il linguista ante litteram era arrivato primieramente a capire cosa fosse una lingua nella maniera generale e cosa fosse la lingua italiana nel particolare. Smantellerà infatti le convinzioni diffuse dissertando sul meccanismo dell’evoluzione idiomatica e mostrando come quello che tutti consideravano Lingua appunto, cioè il toscano letterario, era storicamente e naturalmente compromesso con gli elementi concreti di oralità e dialetti, nonché Uso italiano.This presentation will analyze Manzoni’s dialogue with the “recognized leader of Italian purists, Antonio Cesari from Verona” (Vitale 2013: 120) in Due Minute of a Letter Never Sent (12 June 1827), with the aim of highlighting the novelty and uniqueness of Manzoni’s linguistic theory in the 19th-century context. Today, it is natural for us to understand that in a bilingual (multilingual) context, written and spoken language and dialects compete in linguistic codification and learning, influencing each other (De Marco 2002, Diadori-Palermo-Troncarelli 2016); just as we are aware that Italian is the result of a compromise between regional idioms and a literary variant that is mutilated in many of its parts (Bruni 1984, Cortelazzo 1986, D’Achille 1990, De Mauro 1994, Berruto 2010). However, it is not sufficiently well known that these conclusions were first described by Manzoni in his early comments on Cesari, and we still do not consider him one of the most important figures in the history of Italian linguistics. Tradition held that there was a common Italian language preserved in the canonical writings of the fourteenth (and/or sixteenth) century, that its acquisition depended on the passive study of these texts, and little attention was paid to current, oral and popular usage. Alessandro Manzoni, the first to give true value to usage (orality), could not believe that reading past writings was the most reasonable solution, both because this would have meant providing a model of dead rather than a living language, and because it would not have taken into account the concrete way in which Italians were trying to conquer their language and achieve the ideal of a single language. In fact, he began to discuss the traditional dichotomy between written and spoken language (Lingua - dialetto), recognizing and promoting the true essence of language: socially based oral tradition. In truth, thanks to an attitude that was not purist-censorial but descriptive-explanatory (Sgroi 1995: XVII), he presented ahead of his time the binding position of dialect(s) in the formation and history of Italian, explaining how the two characteristics should never be separated and, evaluating the natural results of this relationship, he tried to convince others to exploit them in favour of a truly common language
From August to November by Camillo Boito. On the Latent Library of Storielle vane
No full textL’articolo analizza la novella Dall’agosto al novembre di Camillo Boito, uscita per la prima volta sulla Nuova antologia nel marzo 1871 con il titolo Un autunno. Storiella vana. Il testo assume un valore programmatico all’interno dell’intera produzione di Boito in rapporto al tema della vanità e alla ricca biblioteca latente che vi si collega. Il contributo mostra infatti come la novella contenga il primo nucleo della riflessione boitiana sulla vanitas, sviluppando tale tematica non solo nel celebre passo conclusivo su Monimo il Cinico e Marco Aurelio, ma anche attraverso tre direttrici costanti: la descrizione del paesaggio, la fitta rete di rimandi intertestuali e la riflessione sul valore e l\u27attendibilità della scrittura letteraria.This article examines the novella Dall’agosto al novembre by Camillo Boito, which contains the author’s most significant reflection on the theme of vanitas developed within his creative work (Storielle vane, 1876, and Senso. Nuove storielle vane, 1883). The analysis focuses on the landscape descriptions, on the dense network of intertextual relations and the rich latent library connected to them, and, finally, on the use of the notebook device, which invites the reader to question the reliability of the first-person narration. The initial description of Lake Maggiore makes it possible to situate the choice of the novella’s setting – unique within Boito’s narrative production – within a broad nineteenth-century pictorial and literary horizon. At the same time, the use of the personal notebook allows for an assessment of the problematic construction of the narrative self and of its strategies of self-representation. Lastly, the article considers the protagonist’s pseudo-philosophical dialogues and, in particular, the references to the Goethe-Schiller correspondence and to Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations, including the textual variants that marked the transition from the periodical version of the novella to the volume edition. What emerges is a library of major classics and of authors close to the Romantic milieu, which the protagonist ostentatiously displays and appropriates in a reductive and partial manner. The reader is thus invited to reflect on the use of these sources and on their actual function within the Storielle vane, both in relation to Boito’s poetics and to the theme of vanity. Dall’agosto al novembre thus stands as a crucial hinge within the entire collection of novellas and as a particularly representative example of the modus scribendi that unites them
Increasing Diamond Open Access Journals quality, visibility, and recognition through the Diamond Discovery Hub
No full textAs shown by the Open Access (OA) Diamond Journals study, which considers OA journals to be journals that are “free for the reader and for the author”, the landscape of academic publishing turns out to be much more diverse and rich than indicated by Research Assessment (RA) quantitative methods, such as the Impact Factor (IF). Indeed, RA policies relying mostly on the IF favour wellestablished journals supported by big publishers, and corresponding to a specific profile: Western, English-speaking, and primarily STEM focused journals. The Diamond OA model, on the other hand, represents a community-driven and scholar-led publishing model that is equitable and diverse (e.g. in terms of languages, and countries represented), capable of transforming the global publishing ecosystem towards a more equitable, diverse and scholar-owned future. In this sense, supporting and increasing Diamond OA journals’ quality and visibility means transforming not only the perception of the academic landscape but also the way RA policies are defined
Reconciling open science practices and research assessment requirements in the process of establishing a national CRIS system in Serbia
No full textOpen science promotes transparency, open access, and reproducibility in research, ensuring that research outputs are openly available and reusable by others. However, traditional research assessment systems usually emphasize quantitative indicators, such as journal impact factors and citation counts, encouraging publication in ‘high-prestige’ journals and failing to fully capture the value of open science practices. Accordingly, a Current Research Information System (CRIS) tracking research outputs for assessment purposes does not necessarily encourage open science practices. This presentation explores the challenges and strategies involved in reconciling open science practices with research assessment requirements in Serbia during the process of establishing the national CRIS system eNauka