Word treasure
The Lower Austrian government's plan to make German compulsory in the schoolyard made headlines at the end of March and showed again: Multilingualism is often seen as a shortcoming in Austria when it comes to people with a first language other than German. But the advantages outweigh the disadvantages if you know how to use them, explains Barbara Hinger.
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Dystopian visions
Books, monitors and screens are mirrors of reality: Fictional works have always shown "where we are as a society and where we might be headed if we carry on as before," says Stefan Brandt, a literature and cultural studies scholar at the Institute for American Studies.
And for the most part, these scenarios look pretty bleak. "From the second half of the 20th century on, there are hardly any positive images of the future in fiction," confirms Klaus Kastberger, director of the Franz Nabl Institute for Literary Research.
But why is that?
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Learning and teaching about democracy
There is no such thing as an ideal or correct democracy. Democracy is always in motion. Those who take up this challenge in the classroom must therefore not shy away from uncertainties, must relinquish interpretive sovereignty and power and the prerogative of interpretation, and must allow for a change of perspective.
"In Austrian textbooks, the subject of democracy is still presented as the educational project of a male, white elite from the Western world. It is depicted as a success story from the point of view of the victors," says historian and educator Christian Heuer. Others stories remain mostly unheard - there is hardly a word about or from migrants, workers or women.
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Fear of aging
An international research team shows how nationalists in Southeastern Europe profit from negative images of aging
Every country in southern Europe has its own challenges to contend with. But one collective fear unites them: the fear of aging. "Because people are living longer and longer and the young are increasingly migrating, the narrative has emerged that entire nations are threatened with extinction," says historian Florian Bieber.
Ulla Kriebernegg of the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research on Aging and Care adds, "Old age is often portrayed as a danger in this region as well. Not only in political contexts, but also in everyday language; in artistic representations, however, alternative images of old age often emerge."
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