https://journals.ub.uni-giessen.de/kult-online/issue/feedKULT_online2024-06-25T07:26:40+00:00Isabella Kalteisabella.kalte@gcsc.uni-giessen.deOpen Journal SystemsKULT_online, the review journal of the International Graduate Centre for the Study of Culture (GCSC), JLU Giessenhttps://journals.ub.uni-giessen.de/kult-online/article/view/1461Editorial2024-05-23T09:26:51+00:00Isabella Kalteisabella.kalte@gcsc.uni-giessen.de2024-05-13T13:56:51+00:00Copyright (c) 2024 Isabella Kaltehttps://journals.ub.uni-giessen.de/kult-online/article/view/1453From Joy to Negativity2024-06-25T07:26:40+00:00Paul Kaletsch634248@soas.ac.uk<p>Negativity characterizes the contemporary. Today, elections, referenda, and political<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>practice <em>prefer not to</em>; they reject and resist what is offered instead. The planetary<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>polycrisis, on the other hand, limits what politics can do and reduces it to a condition of being limited. Therefore, <em>The Big No</em> and <em>Negative Geographies</em> engage in a theoretical<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>conceptualization of negativity and explore negative phenomena from the perspective of<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>political theory and cultural geography, respectively.</p>2024-04-25T13:23:19+00:00Copyright (c) 2024 Paul Kaletschhttps://journals.ub.uni-giessen.de/kult-online/article/view/1430Unraveling Masculinities2024-05-23T09:26:58+00:00Onur Karaköseonur.karakoese@anglistik.uni-giessen.de<p class="frontpageabstracttext"><span lang="EN-US">In <em>Masculinity in Transition, </em>K. Allison Hammer critically examines the role of normative (toxic) masculinity in fostering numerous societal ills in the United States. Hammer offers a refreshing perspective by weaving alternate forms of queer and trans masculinities into complex ideologies. Tracing normative masculinity in the contexts of racial capitalism, settler colonialism, and white supremacist fraternal bonds, Hammer emphasizes the potential politics of solidarity in unruly alliances of alternative embodiments and masculinities, while arguing for a reconceptualization of masculinity enriched by care and collaborative bonds.</span></p>2024-04-29T12:19:33+00:00Copyright (c) 2024 Onur Karakösehttps://journals.ub.uni-giessen.de/kult-online/article/view/1456Spotlighting the Othered2024-06-03T09:32:11+00:00Antonia Jungwirthantonia.jungwirth@gcsc.uni-giessen.de<p class="frontpageabstracttext"><span lang="EN-US">Barbara Tepa Lupack’s <em>The Othering of Women in Silent Film: Cultural, Historical, and Literary Contexts</em> is a comprehensive examination of racial, ethnic, and gender stereotypes in early cinema, with a focus on the representation of women. Lupack examines recurring tropes that are prevalent in silent film and sheds light on the broader social and cultural contexts that influenced these representations. The book is organized into eight chapters, each devoted to a specific underrepresented or misrepresented group in silent film</span><span lang="EN-US">.</span></p>2024-04-29T11:55:11+00:00Copyright (c) 2024 Antonia Jungwirthhttps://journals.ub.uni-giessen.de/kult-online/article/view/1452Can a Festschrift be feminist?2024-06-03T09:32:21+00:00Andrea Zittlauandrea.zittlau@uni-rostock.de<p class="frontpageabstracttext"><span lang="EN-US">This essay collection of the genre of a Festschrift for Sabine Hark honors her achievement for the field of Queer Studies in Germany. All contributors write for the ambitious goal to rethink the world as a place of equity and justice with the help of queer-theory and feminist interventions (as the title of the book promises). Thus, the essays provide readers with the tools – theories – that can help to reveal power structures. However, almost unavoidably, this book follows academic conventions that are already embedded in power structures and shows therefore, how difficult it is to dismantle them.</span></p>2024-04-25T07:34:22+00:00Copyright (c) 2024 Andrea Zittlauhttps://journals.ub.uni-giessen.de/kult-online/article/view/1458Unraveling the Tapestry of the Ottoman Empire2024-05-23T09:26:54+00:00Alexandros BalatsoukasAlexandros.Balatsoukas@gcsc.uni-giessen.de<p class="frontpageabstracttext"><em><span lang="EN-US">Losing Istanbul: Arab-Ottoman Imperialists and the End of Empire</span></em><span lang="EN-US"> by Mostafa Minawi presents a comprehensive reassessment of the decline of the Ottoman Empire, with a particular focus on the agency of Arab-Ottoman imperialists. The study challenges established historiographical narratives and emphasized the proactive engagement of Arab-Ottoman actors in shaping historical trajectories.</span></p>2024-05-02T07:30:46+00:00Copyright (c) 2024 Alexandros Balatsoukashttps://journals.ub.uni-giessen.de/kult-online/article/view/1457Fall of Giants? 2024-06-03T09:32:10+00:00Sandra Engelssandra.engels@gcsc.uni-giessen.de<p>Who belongs to German society, what belongs to German history, and who is allowed to speak out about it? These questions are explored in the edited volume. Contributions engage with the negotiation of German memory culture and its identity-forming effect. With its diverse and varied perspectives, the volume calls for a more inclusive understanding of history and a broadening of memory culture to reflect Germany as a country of immigration – a "Zeitenwende" in the politics of memory towards multidirectional memory.</p>2024-04-29T11:59:52+00:00Copyright (c) 2024 Sandra Engelshttps://journals.ub.uni-giessen.de/kult-online/article/view/1425Globalism before Globalization2024-05-23T09:26:56+00:00Edward Djordjevicedward.djordjevic@gcsc.uni-giessen.de<p class="frontpageabstracttext"><span lang="EN-US">In this volume, Classen brings together 19 case studies of economic, political, technological interconnectedness during the Middle Ages and Early Modernity. It is a contribution to the ‘global turn’ in history: challenging contemporary assumptions that globalism is very recent, but also the entrenched view of the Eurocentrism of previous times, giving the essays urgent relevance. Further, written by a combination of early-career researchers and established scholars, the book itself provides an excellent example of global, interdisciplinary scientific research.</span></p>2024-04-30T12:43:29+00:00Copyright (c) 2024 Edward Djordjevichttps://journals.ub.uni-giessen.de/kult-online/article/view/1421The Visible Invisibles2024-06-03T09:32:18+00:00Cathérine Annette Ludwig-Ockenfelsca.ludwig-ockenfels@mail.de<p class="frontpageabstracttext"><span lang="EN">Diane Wolfthal analyzes the visualization of slaves and domestic servants in visual media. Domestic servants found their way into commissioned works or entered as subject into the discourse of the ruling elite. Wolfthal surveys the period from 1300 to 1700 to show the social change from feudalism to capitalism, which is reflected in a globalized servanthood marked by a changing understanding of roles from lifelong service to profession</span><span lang="EN-US">.</span></p>2024-04-25T08:19:23+00:00Copyright (c) 2024 Cathérine Annette Ludwig-Ockenfelshttps://journals.ub.uni-giessen.de/kult-online/article/view/1431Age in Children's Literature2024-05-23T09:26:57+00:00Yauheniya Lekareviche.lekarevich@gmail.com<p class="frontpageabstracttext"><em><span lang="EN-US">Age in David Almond’s Oeuvre</span></em><span lang="EN-US"> analyzes the works of David Almond, known for his versatility in writing for both children and adults. Each chapter investigates intersecting research questions concerning the construction of age, presenting distinct insights into Almond’s literary repertoire. Ranging from autobiographical exploration to digital humanities methodologies, the review underscores the diverse analytical approaches utilized within contemporary children’s literary criticism.</span></p>2024-04-29T12:32:14+00:00Copyright (c) 2024 Yauheniya Lekarevichhttps://journals.ub.uni-giessen.de/kult-online/article/view/1455Reflecting on 21st Century Literature and Autofiction as Novel Forms of Narration 2024-06-03T09:32:12+00:00Zahra Vojganiz.vodjgani@gmail.com<p class="frontpageabstracttext"><span lang="EN-GB">Fiona J. Doloughan</span><span lang="EN-US"> interrogates the conflation of fiction and non-fiction by analyzing the</span><span lang="EN-GB"> literary and philosophical works of four contemporary authors, arguing that memoir and autofiction blur the line between the real and the imagined, resulting in a shift in the current trend of the novel. The study insightfully examines how literature reflects, influences, and interacts with real-life experiences, emotions, and societal issues, and considers how genres are shaped by societal construction of gender roles, expectations, and stereotypes</span><span lang="EN-US">.</span></p>2024-04-29T07:21:57+00:00Copyright (c) 2024 Zahra Vojganihttps://journals.ub.uni-giessen.de/kult-online/article/view/1434The Power of Things2024-06-03T09:32:14+00:00Hatunnur CiftciHatunnur.Ciftci@gcsc.uni-giessen.de<p class="frontpageabstracttext"><em><span lang="EN-US">Neo-Victorian Things</span></em><span lang="EN-US"> offers material readings of popular neo-Victorian multimedia that broaden the concept of neo-Victorianism and provide new insights into our contemporary fascination with the Victorian past. Each essay in the edited volume favors a particular ‘thing’ studied through the emerging strands of material culture. The book demonstrates that the things that appear in neo-Victorian multimedia play a central role in the revival of Victorian culture, identity and history. The volume makes a timely contribution to the field by critically examining ordinary objects, from a teapot to a haunted house.</span></p>2024-04-26T06:42:31+00:00Copyright (c) 2024 Hatunnur Ciftcihttps://journals.ub.uni-giessen.de/kult-online/article/view/1427When Bourdieu Meets the City 2024-06-03T09:32:15+00:00Anna Ivanovaanna.ivanova@gcsc.uni-giessen.de<p class="frontpageabstracttext"><span lang="EN-US">In <em>Bourdieu in the City: Challenging Urban Theory,</em> Loïc Wacquant synthesizes Pierre Bourdieu’s topological sociology with the fundamental inquiries of urban studies, elucidating the potential synergies between the two domains. Progressing from a foundational exposition of Bourdieu’s theoretical framework to its applicability within the specific contexts of contemporary cities, Wacquant develops the neo-Bourdieusian approach within urban sociology. The book offers an innovative application of a classical theory, rendering it a valuable resource for urban research.</span></p>2024-04-25T13:29:59+00:00Copyright (c) 2024 Anna Ivanovahttps://journals.ub.uni-giessen.de/kult-online/article/view/1435Feminist Traces of Memory Studies in Latin America and the Caribbean2024-06-03T09:32:11+00:00Tatiana QuinteroTatiana.Quintero@gcsc.uni-giessen.de<p class="frontpageabstracttext"><span lang="EN-US">The book <em>Memoria y Feminismos: Cuerpos, sentipensares y resistencias </em>is a collective effort of different authors to contribute to the debates on memory in Latin America and the Caribbean. The texts reflect on corporality and political practices of memory. Across thirteen articles the authors deploy the postulates of corpo-politics and feminist standpoint theory as a theoretical framework. The volume presents a critical approach and questions the role of Eurocentric academia while giving insights into localized and experience-oriented research.</span></p>2024-04-29T07:37:10+00:00Copyright (c) 2024 Tatiana Quinterohttps://journals.ub.uni-giessen.de/kult-online/article/view/1424"History, but normal!" 2024-05-23T09:27:00+00:00Henning Tauchehenning.tauche@gcsc.uni-giessen.de<p class="frontpageabstracttext"><span lang="EN-US">In the sociological dissertation <em>Rechte Zeitverhältnisse</em>, Philipp Rhein examines right-wing populist concepts of time. He analyzes interviews for the temporal orientation of AfD voters. His core thesis is that right-wing populism is a reaction to the time crisis of late modernity (Spätmoderne). The guiding principle is not the loss of the past, but of the future, which is distilled in the figure of right-wing populist chiliasm. Rhein’s analysis thus offers an important insight into the temporal perception of the right-wing electorate.</span></p>2024-04-29T07:50:17+00:00Copyright (c) 2024 Henning Tauchehttps://journals.ub.uni-giessen.de/kult-online/article/view/1460Inside or Outside the Village?2024-05-23T09:26:52+00:00Katharina HackerKatharina.Hacker@gcsc.uni-giessen.de<p class="frontpageabstracttext"><span lang="EN-GB">The logic and patterns of interpretation of the processes of remembering and forgetting Nazi forced labor are empirically researched in the 2024 study presented by Angelika Laumer. The study area is located in Bavaria and is restricted to rural areas. Using a combination of qualitative interviews and grounded theory, she identifies everyday, interaction-based logics of remembrance that are theoretically categorized using cultural studies and sociological concepts of memory</span><span lang="EN-US">.</span></p>2024-05-02T12:13:49+00:00Copyright (c) 2024 Katharina Hackerhttps://journals.ub.uni-giessen.de/kult-online/article/view/1429How Well Prepared Are We for the Next Pandemic?2024-06-03T09:32:09+00:00Ievgen BilykIevgen.Bilyk@gcsc.uni-giessen.de<p class="frontpageabstracttext"><span lang="EN-US">Since COVID-19</span><span lang="SR-LATN-RS">, p</span><span lang="EN-US">andemic preparedness has become an urgent global issue. Carolin Mezes’ dissertation addresses key issues in the monitoring of past pandemic preparedness, such as establishing accountability practices and strengthening health system capacity. The author analyzes public health emergencies from a cultural and infrastructure perspective, which helps clarify what went wrong in the past in order to pave the way for a safer future.</span></p>2024-04-29T12:12:44+00:00Copyright (c) 2024 Ievgen Bilykhttps://journals.ub.uni-giessen.de/kult-online/article/view/1428Imagined Migrations, Transmitted Knowledges2024-06-03T09:32:17+00:00Mortada Haidarmortada.haidar@gcsc.uni-giessen.de<p class="frontpageabstracttext"><em><span lang="EN-US">Configurations of Migration</span></em><span lang="EN-US">, edited by Jennifer Leetsch, Frederike Middelhoff, and Miriam Wallraven, links media representations of migration with knowledge about migration. In the form of a selection of articles, interviews, short stories, and personal essays collected from an online conference in 2021, the book presents a wide range of perspectives on migration. It enriches the field of migration studies by giving voice to a diverse range of writers, scholars, and artists from around the world.</span></p>2024-04-25T08:27:27+00:00Copyright (c) 2024 Mortada Haidarhttps://journals.ub.uni-giessen.de/kult-online/article/view/1423Temporary Cities2024-05-23T09:26:55+00:00Reiqa Salem Qubailatreqqa.salem-qubailat@gcsc.uni-giessen.de<p class="frontpageabstracttext"><span lang="EN-GB">Refugee camps, even if they were established 75 years ago, are still considered temporary settlements. What if these camps were planned as permanent cities, designed to meet the needs of displaced populations? </span><em><span lang="EN-US">War Victims and the Right to a City</span></em><em><span lang="EN-GB">:</span></em><em><span lang="EN-US"> From Damascus to Zaatari </span></em><span lang="EN-US">by</span><a name="_Hlk156137972"></a> <span lang="EN-GB">Hind Al-Shoubaki </span><span lang="EN-GB">is an attempt to approach this question by applying the concepts of “temporary cities,” “urbiside,” and “urban emergency integrated planning” to a cross-case synthesis. The book uses interviews and historical analysis in Syria and Jordan to reflect on the camp-city relationship in a variety of spheres</span><span lang="EN-US">.</span></p>2024-05-02T07:23:30+00:00Copyright (c) 2024 Reiqa Salem Qubailathttps://journals.ub.uni-giessen.de/kult-online/article/view/1439“Who Are the Rightful Inhabitants of this Earth?”2024-06-03T09:32:20+00:00Janina Schlüsselburgjanina.schluesselburg@gcsc.uni-giessen.de<p class="frontpageabstracttext"><span lang="EN-US">Lilie Chouliaraki and Myria Georgiou critically explore the complexities of migration, power relations, and technology. They challenge dominant rationalities surrounding migration, proposing a nuanced understanding of borders as both territorial and symbolic. The authors’ self-reflexive approach and inclusion of migrant voices adds depth to the study. The book critiques recent theories on dehumanization and victimization, offering a multi-layered perspective on border practices.</span></p>2024-04-25T08:02:57+00:00Copyright (c) 2024 Janina Schlüsselburghttps://journals.ub.uni-giessen.de/kult-online/article/view/1438Do We All Arrive in the Same State of Mind?2024-06-03T09:32:22+00:00Anjuli TrautmannAnjuli.Trautmann@gmail.com<p class="frontpageabstracttext"><em><span lang="EN-US">Psychosocial Experiences and Adjustment of Migrants</span></em><span lang="EN-US"> provides an accessible overview of the different types of migration in relation to mental health and adjustment. Using a psychological approach to shed new light on recent migration dynamics, the volume serves as a valuable resource for professionals working in migration-related fields. Consisting of case studies, geographic analysis, and personal narratives, it is a multifaceted work with applicability to various professional fields.</span></p>2024-04-25T07:15:44+00:00Copyright (c) 2024 Anjuli Trautmannhttps://journals.ub.uni-giessen.de/kult-online/article/view/1459Pop Avatars2024-05-23T09:26:53+00:00Helene Elisabeth Heuserhelene.heuser@gcsc.uni-giessen.de<p class="frontpageabstracttext"><span lang="EN-US">The volume <em>One-Track Mind: Capitalism, Technology, and the Art of the Pop Song</em>, edited by historian Asif Siddiqi, brings together 16 essays by scholars of history, media studies, musicology and music journalists, each of which tell the (fragmented) history of popular music from the 1960s to the 2010s. Using the song as a lens, the essays illuminate both the political agency of songs and the contexts that shape them.</span></p>2024-05-02T09:24:56+00:00Copyright (c) 2024 Helene Elisabeth Heuserhttps://journals.ub.uni-giessen.de/kult-online/article/view/1454Jesus, Why Does the Body Matter? Connecting the Passion of Christ and Peruvian Transgender Women through the Body2024-06-03T09:32:20+00:00Ana Marija Spasojevicana.spasojevic@gcsc.uni-giessen.de<p class="frontpageabstracttext"><span lang="EN-US">The theologian Elke Pahud de Mortanges analyzes the depiction of the Passion of Jesus in terms of memory, body and identity. Gaby, a transgender person and an inconstant guide in the book, leads us through the culture of memory of Christianity as well as through her own history and that of the LGBTQ community in Peru. The author opens up new multidisciplinary perspectives for Christian-oriented memory and gender studies, as well as for the concept of embodiment in the present.</span></p>2024-04-25T07:43:11+00:00Copyright (c) 2024 Ana Marija Spasojevichttps://journals.ub.uni-giessen.de/kult-online/article/view/1443Microbial Thinking2024-06-03T09:32:19+00:00Siyu LiSiyu.Li@gcsc.uni-giessen.de<p class="frontpageabstracttext"><em><span lang="EN-US">Gut Anthro: An Experiment in Thinking with Microbes</span></em><span lang="EN-US"> provides an opportunity and case study to bridge the gap between anthropology and human microbial ecology. Through fieldwork in laboratories, Bangladeshi hospitals, and the homes of families, the book gives insight into the connection between microbiomes and race as tangible expressions of society, environment, and biology. Amber Benezra examines how the biological-social disruptions cause problems, as well as the frictions of disciplinary collaboration, to rethink the meaning of relationship.</span></p>2024-04-25T08:11:55+00:00Copyright (c) 2024 Siyu Lihttps://journals.ub.uni-giessen.de/kult-online/article/view/1432Sufi (Women) in Ritual2024-06-03T09:32:13+00:00Burcu Bacanak Sahinburcu.bacanak.sahin@germanistik.uni-giessen.de<p class="frontpageabstracttext"><span lang="EN-US">In <em>Sufi Women, Embodiment, and the ‘Self’: Gender in Islamic Ritual</em>, Jamila Rodrigues discusses the Sufi ritual <em>hadra</em> as an embodied experience of selfhood and religious symbolism. Taking the female members of the Naqshbandi community in Cape Town and Lefke as an ethnographic case study, the author considers – with mixed success – the gendered dimensions of the ritual. Ultimately, Rodrigues argues that <em>hadra</em> allows Sufi women not only to embody a pious identity, but also to learn about themselves through body movement expressions.</span></p>2024-04-26T13:32:12+00:00Copyright (c) 2024 Burcu Bacanak Sahin