Dystopian visions
Books, screens and cinema screens are mirrors of reality: fictional works have always shown "where we stand as a society and where we could be heading if we continue as before," explains Stefan Brandt, literary and cultural scholar at the Institute of American Studies.
And most of the time, these scenarios look pretty bleak. "From the second half of the 20th century onwards, there are hardly any positive visions of the future in fiction," confirms Klaus Kastberger, director of the Franz Nabl Institute for Literary Research.
But why is that?
To the Unizeit article (2023)
Fear of ageing
An international research team shows how nationalists in South-Eastern Europe are capitalising on negative perceptions of old age
Every country in southern Europe faces its own challenges. But they are united by a collective fear: the fear of ageing. "Because people are living longer and younger people are increasingly emigrating, a narrative has emerged that entire nations are threatened with extinction," explains historian Florian Bieber.
Ulla Kriebernegg from the Centre for Interdisciplinary Ageing and Care Research adds: "Age is often portrayed as a threat in this region too. Not only in political contexts, but also in everyday language; however, artistic representations often show alternative images of ageing."
To the article (2023)
Learning and teaching democracy
There is no such thing as an ideal or correct democracy. Democracy is always in flux. Anyone who takes on this challenge in the classroom must not shy away from uncertainties, must relinquish interpretative authority and power, and must allow for a change of perspective.
"In Austrian schoolbooks, the topic of democracy is still presented as an educational project of a male, white elite in the Western world. As a success story from the perspective of the victors," describes historian and history educator Christian Heuer. Others usually remain unheard – hardly a word about or from migrants, workers or women.
To the Unizeit article (2022)