Internet-Zeitschrift für Kulturwissenschaften |
0. Nr. | 1. Nr. | 2. Nr. | 3. Nr. | 4. Nr. | 5. Nr. | 6. Nr. | 7. Nr. | 8. Nr. | 9. Nr. | 10. Nr. |
11. Nr. | 12. Nr. | 13. Nr. | 14. Nr. | 15. Nr. |
Herbert Arlt, Donald G. Daviau, Gertrude Durusoy, Andrea Rosenauer (eds.):
TRANS. Dokumentation eines kulturwissenschaftlichen Polylogversuchs im WWW (1997-2002).
Röhrig Universitätsverlag: St. Ingbert 2002.
Contents
Introduction
Main themes, WWW-addresses, and abstracts
In the following the 11 main themes of TRANS (published in 14 numbers, of which the conference "European Literary Studies and Linguistics" comprises four numbers) (1), will be presented in three languages. The information will include (in each case in German, English and French): title of the main theme, the WWW-address, the origin of the contribution (whether for the development of the program or from various meetings) and the main theme of the text. A list of authors and contributions (themes) can be found also in this book (note: this is also the list of the contents of the accompanying CD). The date of preparation of each number is also indicated. The date of the actual publication of the contributions you can find in the Update-Info of TRANS (http://www.inst.at/trans/updateinfo.htm).
0-Nr.
Discussion: The Program of the Institute
The 0-Number does not contain the actual INST program but rather programmatic reflections, considerations and deliberations on the work of the INST. This number is to be understood as a "Cultural Collaboratory" (a concept that was developed only later in connection with the preparation of the virtual exhibit "Cultural Sciences and Europe.") (2)
The proposals presented in the framework of this number concern such topics as how to write an Austrian literary history, power/war/culture, transformations in a postcolonial world, forms of discourse (with special consideration of the importance of terminology), conflict management, the possibilities and necessities of data collections and their structures, structures of societies and states as well as characterizations of art and culture.
The nature of the proposals is also diverse: while those of Arlt (history of Austrian literature), Roloff and Rosenauer are intended as concrete proposals for implementation, others by Arlt (culture and the threat of destruction), Bhatti, Dusche, Galinski, Hess-Lüttich, Turk und Veltman contribute mainly to the general advancement of the INST discourse, which has resulted in the development of numerous INST projects.(3)
Nr. 1-4
European Literature Studies and Linguistics
It is a basic thesis of the INST that contemporary processes are usually profoundly shaped by cultural events, without this occurrence being perceived in politics, economy, technology, tourism and in other areas. Rather, power, the military, security agencies and money seem to be the deciding factors. This has led in recent years globally to serious mistakes, which for the most part were accompanied by the exercise of power against people and nature. The new research programs of the European Union show that greater attention and more financial means are being devoted to the investigation of cultural processes.
On the premise that a new designation (for example, Cultural Sciences) does not of itself result in new research, but that rather it is a question of bringing the most diverse viewpoints into a dialog, of recognizing diversity as a productive event in contemporary processes, a conference program was prepared, taking into consideration the most diverse scholarly viewpoints.
The first number of TRANS began with contributions by Alexander Honold (Berlin), Hans-Joachim Müller (Innsbruck), Silvia Tschörner (Innsbruck), Eckhard Höfner (Frankfurt/Oder) und Gertrude Durusoy (Izmir). These articles preceded the conference and could be included in the discussion about the conference. Their themes concerned understanding, the writing of literary history, the methodology of interdisciplinarity as well as examples of these developments in universities in Germany and Turkey.
The following three numbers included contributions from this conference, but TRANS Nr. 4 also contained additional articles.
The four numbers are characterized by various "disciplinary" approaches: Ethnography, Romance Languages, German, Theater, Archive Studies, Slavic Studies, Media Studies, Media Practice, Linguistics, Comparative Literature, Literary Theory, Communication, Philosophy, Hungarian Studies, which in some cases are further divided (for example, Slavic Studies). And already at this conference something began to crystalize, namely, the concept "cultural science," which signified not only a university subject, like other fields, but also a methodology which has become necessary because of the new developments. This can be seen in the articles that cut across disciplines as well as in the direct thematization of cultural science as a method.
Thus the results of the conference go far beyond the Innsbruck resolution. (4) In the succeeding years they have been reflected not only in lectures, publications and projects, but also in a number of new institutions. In addition they have contributed to expanding the parameters for research on the processes of art and culture.
Nr. 5
Internationalisation, Conflicts, Cultural Sciences
The Symposium "Internationalization, Conflicts, Cultural Sciences" followed directly upon the Conference in Innsbruck. Here the disciplines no longer stand in the foreground, but all of the contributions are shaped by elements of cultural science. Nevertheless these aspects reveal diverging factors - not only from the material (the cultural background), but also from the outline of the processes. Although the UNESCO-Document "Our Creative Diversity" (1995) serves as an authoritative basis, nevertheless interests refer to inter- and transcultural questions. The very formulations of the intercultural questions make reference to potential commonalities and are not limited to the representation of diversity. Thematically in Europe (including the intercultural conflicts between Islam and Europe), world processes as well as regional areas of conflict such as Eastern Europe, Turkey, South Africa stand in the center. Proceeding from these thematic and methodological reflections, the attempt is made to develop also a new form of scholarly communication, based on the most modern techologies.
Nr. 6
Cultural Sciences, Data Banks and Europe
As central as the manner of formulating questions and methodologies are in scholarship and research, just as significant are also the sources on which they are based. After demarcating contextual and methodological fields, it was important to address also the question of data banks. Thus the conference in Debrecen expanded the field of the use of the most modern technology to the complex of data banks/Internet or research supported by the Internet, respectively (particularly: Arlt, Boudourides, Czipin, Hess-Lüttich, Hima, Kovács, Kraml, Lévay, Maier-Rabler, Rosenauer, Rovny, Schmidt, Weber). At the same time, however, a number of contributions also dealt with the internationalization/transnationalization of research and Europe (Durusoy, Peter Horn, Katschthaler, Kronsteiner, Lazarescu). Others extended the topic beyond Europe (Anette Horn, Kirsch, Kiss, Scholl, Skowron-Nalborczyk, Simo, Sippl, Sturm-Schnabl, Thorpe). These latter contributions particularly emphasized the role of the arts (Cellbrot, Birbaumer, Fiskowa, Löser) as well as that of university and non-university research (Gutu, Schulak).
Nr. 7
The Beginning of a Polylog on Austrian Literature
This number contains aspects of various projects and meetings. Among others, the INST organized the following conferences and Symposia: History of Austrian Literature (University of California at Riverside, 18 to 20 April 1995), Austrian Literature in International Perspective (Vienna, September 1996), Intercultural Research in Austrian Literature (St. Petersburg, 15 to 19 September 1996), Mediating Austrian Literature (New Delhi, October 1996) along with several cultural seminars (above all, one dealing with the relationship of Film and Literature). Some contributions were published from the journal Jura Soyfer, which has been investigating the nature of Austrian Literature since the beginning of the 1990s. (5) In addition there are contributions from a seminar on Robert Schindel that took place in Japan.
The articles on Austrian Literature were arranged as follows: under the title "On Processes of Austrian Literature" new aspects are presented (Multilingualism, Identity in International Understanding, Language, Interpretation, Representation and, above all, also the results of new research in Childrens' and Youth Literature as well as in Exile and Women's Literature and Censorship). There is also a historical contribution by Alfredo Bauer from his exile in Argentina. He describes the defense of Austria in the struggle against Hitler in which he played a significant role. Finally, Andrea Rosenauer introduces a completely new field: contemporary Austrian Literature on the WWW.
There follow contributions on Austrian authors by scholars, some of whom have been investigating Austrian Literature for decades. Several of the articles are by colleagues, who are represented by volumes in the INST book series (Alessandra Schininà, Penka Angelova, Alexandr W. Belobratow). A second series of books to document the worldwide research on Austrian Literature is in preparation.
Next to the multilingualism of Austrian literature, it is above all an important aspect that it is not considered as a closed or concluded literature. In this connection there is a series of articles on the topic "Intercultural Dialog" with contributions from Africa and Asia as well as from a number of European countries (Germany, the Ukraine, France, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Poland).
The contributions on Robert Schindel, who was featured at a conference in Japan, represent a special case.
In short, Austrian literature hat proved itself to be a field of research that offers itself to all those scholars in countries which themselves reveal traditional, multicultural structures or, as the case may be, repressive forces, which fight against their existence (Australia, India, Cameroon, Russia, South Africa, USA, etc.). But there are also a number of other processes that can be studied by means of Austrian literature as a multilingual literature (the role of literature in a society with partly modern structures, gender issues, the relation to the past, to name only a few themes that have been treated again and again in recent years). Therefore the polylog on Austrian literature can and will be expanded and extended.
Nr. 8
Cultural Sciences - Transdisciplinary, Transnational, online. Contributions to a Multimedia Presentation on the Occasion of the Fifth Anniversary of the Founding of the INST
The content of this TRANS number is not identical to that of volume 6 of this series, which bears the same title (but with a different subtitle). Both originated on the occasion of the 5 th anniversary of the founding of INST. The contributions of Arlt, Durusoy, Kronsteiner, Thorpe, Budin, Czipin, Pfeiffer and Rosenauer focus on the question of transnationality and new approaches in scholarship and research. Thus the basis for the multi- year program "The Unifying Aspect of Cultures" was established (on WWW: http://www.inst.at/kulturen).
Nr. 9
Processes in Theatre, Art and Literature: The Questions of Contextual Theory
With the conference in Bergen an attempt was made to utilize the structure of the cultural capitals of Europe. Indeed, the conference was introduced by several representatives of the nine cultural capitals of Europe in the year 1999 (among them the city of Bergen). Yet, in contrast to the artistic processes, city politics seem hardly suitable for transnationalism.
The conference was prepared in four Working Groups: "Context/function vs. Autonomous Art" (Chair: Siren Leirvåg/Oslo und Elin Nesje Vestli/Halden), "The Praxis of Transdisziplinarity: Towards a Global Aesthetics" (Stuart Sillars/Bergen), "Performance Art at the End of the Millenium. Artists Speak Theory" (Veronica Diesen/Bergen), "The Arts in the World Wide Web (WWW)" (Herbert Arlt/Vienna).
At the latest with this conference the barrier between theory and practice was breeched. No longer were theoretical proposals discussed, but - in an attempt to enter into a reciprocal relationship with real transnational processes - practical experiences were also related, whereby not only scholars, but also artists spoke and thus expanded the transdisciplinary beginning.
This conference was also distinguished by its thematic richness. Most important was the fact that the most varied arts, which had appeared to have substantially lost their importance in the 1990s, again stood at the center of attention. In Bergen their (virtual) vitality was revealed and restored.
Nr. 10
Knowledge Networking in Cultural Studies
The conference "Knowledge Networking in Cultural Studies" also served as an interim report on new working methods. It had been prepared with abstracts via the WWW and displayed a definite structure. The first group discussed "Theory and Reality." The presentations dealt with the importance of knowledge (Arlt), different presuppositions for the utilization of the newest technology (Simo), problems of the media world (Angelova), die problematization of usefulness (Eisele) and the connection of data banks and narrative structures (Hrachovec).
While theoretical contributions were totally divided in judging the possibility and limitations of the newest developments, numerous advantages were shown in the practical sphere. Agata Skowron-Nalborczyk (Working with Internet Resources), Nathenson (Scientific Institutions, Projects and Scholarly Publishing on the Web), Anca Neamtu, Michael Nentwich (Scientific Communication), Anette und Peter Horn, Gabriella Hima, Gerhard van der Linde (Knowledge Production and Knowledge Transfer), Alois Pichler, Aleksandra Uzelac (Encoding and Construction of Databases) and Andreas Rauber as well as Andreas Aschenbrenner (Archiving Web Pages and Sites) presented new approaches, resources, communication structures, projects and perspectives. This conference demonstrated that the WWW had become a "normal" and recognized field, while the INST in the middle of the 1990s still had to struggle against the odor of exoticism.(6)
Nr. 11
Nation, Language and Literature
The opportunity offered itself to hold a conference on the topic "Nation, Language and Literature" in Cameroon. On the one hand, Cameroon has for some time been part of an African monetary union, which has tied its currency to the French franc and now to the Euro (showing that transnationality already existed in this area before the European Union). On the other hand, however, a system of barter exists now as before (something that is developing anew in Europe, too, in connection with services).
The communication structures are just as splintered as the economic conditions. There are about 235 languages (according to other sources up to 300), but almost no documentation, practically no archive (Cameroon newspapers are to some extent archived in Hamburg) and also completely different accesses to art and culture than exist in Europe and the USA (for example, theater).
Against this background it was possible to hold a successful international meeting, in which approximately 150 colleagues from ten African countries as well as from Europe and the USA took part. A number of the contributions could with some difficulty be published in TRANS. They show completely different approaches to the reality of multiculturalism and represent a great store of experience in connection with the evaluation of transnational processes. In Cameroon the questions of transkontinentalism ("long" before the historic meeting in Durban in 2002) and of contemporary African efforts to create common institutions were raised. However, these matters were greeted with some skepticism in the context of African efforts. Consequently, a follow up conference is planned for September 2004 in Cape Town, South Africa.
Nr. 12
Multiculturalism, Communities, Concepts of Tourism
Tourism originated with the industrial society, the Enlightenment and the growing prosperity. In the beginning tourism was still connected to cultural discoveries and also with the construction of virtual Worlds by means of reproductions (for example, portrayals of the baths, which made it possible to maintain their everyday habits even in colder areas). Yet the beginning of mass tourism has resulted in a process of recycling, from which the Humanities stand apart in isolation, despite the fact that fundamental cultural processes are connected with tourism in many ways.
Trins was offered as the location of the meeting, because for years the INST has held cultural seminars, and the concept of tourism there created great interest (it was so successful, that in 2002 Trins received the European Prize for ecological tourism).
The Trins meeting turned to a theme, which even universities no longer treated only from the standpoint of hard facts (investments, infrastructure) or negatively. The plan was to present projects (Kurt Wallasch, Anette and Peter Horn, Kurt Luger, Gertrude Durusoy, Dagmar Oswald) as well as also theoretical considerations (Herbert Arlt, Leander Petzoldt, Birgit Weiss).
Building on this discourse (cultural seminars/film festivals in the context of the International Shepherd and Dairy Farmer Forums and the Conference), a virtual Museum for Shepherds, Dairy Farmers and Farmers will now be developed.
Nr. 13
Multilingualism, Transnationality, Cultural Sciences
The Conference "Multilingualism, Transnationality, Cultural Sciences" was the prelude for the project "The Unifying Aspect of Cultures" (http://www.inst.at/kulturen). The background of this Conference was the fact that at the latest since the conference "International Cultural Sciences," held in the UNESCO Center in Paris from 15 to 19 September 1999 (7) , the INST had presented its events in three languages (German, English, French), while in fact its members speak far more than 50 languages. It was a question, therefore, of reflecting this multilingualism - as a reality of scientific communication, but also in its manifold other forms. In addition, also as preparation for the conference, an Encylopedia of Multilingual Cultural Sciences was introduced (http://www.inst.at/ausstellung/enzy/index.htm).
As background Wodak analyzed the reality of multilingualism and Arlt the virtuality of constructions of transnational living together. Durusoy, Mosidze, Trotsenburg, Timofeev, Dewulf, Schubnell, Blumenkrants and Sebaa treated "Cultural Sciences and Multilingualism" in terms of personal biography, future oriented university models, the relevance of cultural scientific studies, semantics, philosophy and cultural realities. The "Polyphony of Language" (its non-identity as national construct, but also as a construct in discourses and texts) was discussed by Herbert Eisele, Stuart Sillars, Naoji Kimura, Hans-Friedrich Müller und Rekha Kamath or directed toward aesthetic models (Anette Horn).
Again and again the questions of European processes and language communication were taken up anew - here primarily by Kostalova, Gutu und Kronsteiner (implicitly or explicitly) with respect to the expansion of the European Union.
The question of minority languages is a lively topic worldwide. Fritz Peter Kirsch, Susanne Binder und Roxana Nubert, on the basis of examples from different countries, demonstrated the actuality of this problem.
Language - whether understood now in its polyphony or reduced to a construct - lives in real communication relationships. Language usage and language developments in these new processes were investigated by Kim H. Veltman, Peter Horn and Alessandra Schininà.
The arts are also always a central theme of the INST meetings. Donald G. Daviau, Birgit Mersmann, Elena Bogatyreva and Daniel Winkler devoted their contributions to the topic "Language and the Arts."
The Encyclopedia of Multilingual Cultural Sciences as well as also the publishing of the contributions to the conference on this theme are intended to contribute to increasing sensitivity to the importance of multilingualism (even if only in one or a few conference languages) for the real multilingualism. Only through awareness of these realities, at least to some degree, could transnational cultural elements in the sense of "shared histories" be recognized and developed in a polylog.
1 On the method of organizing TRANS-numbers see also the Introduction, p.9.
2 In the WWW: http://www.inst.at/ausstellung/collab.htm. Last use: 31 July 2002.
3 The presentation of the actual INST work followed in volume 6 in this series. (Cultural Science - Transdisciplinary, Transnational, Online. On 5 Years of INST Work and Perspectives of Cultural Scientific Research. On Problems of Realization will appear as volume 19 in this Series: Herbert Arlt: Slaughtering and Other Uncompleted Projects. On Contemporary Parameters of Cultural Scientific Research (working title).
4 Resolution in: Herbert Arlt (ed.): Cultural Science - Transdisciplinary, Transnational, Online. Röhrig University Press: St. Ingbert, 2001. 2nd revised and expanded edition, pp.127-128.
5 Cf. the books with the same titles in this series as well as in the journal "Jura Soyfer. Internationale Zeitschrift für Kulturwissenschaften". On the WWW: http://www.soyfer.at/zs/content.htm
6 Cf. also Cultural Science, loc cit., p. 90. There you will find cited the Internet-Seminars, by means of which the INST (Andrea Rosenauer) introduced working with the Internet to parts of the Science Community in different lands.
7 Together with the conference an Online-Research Cooperation was developed. On the WWW: http://www.inst.at/studies/index.htm
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Last update of this page: 5.9.2002