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Der Suezkanal im Fadenkreuz kolonialer und weltpolitischer Interessen (II) : Die Suezkrise 1956
(1996)
Sängers Glück
(2020)
The German singer-songwriter Reinhard Mey, although not pretending to be a second Orpheus, nevertheless appears to be very familiar with classical myth.
The German writer Wilhelm Marr is known as the father of modern antisemitism. Little attention has been paid to the fact that Marr did not coin the term “antisemitism” in his influential pamphlet Der Sieg des Judenthums über das Germanenthum published in March 1879. The neologism first appeared in the name and programme of the “Antisemiten-Liga” which came to existence in September 1879. Even less attention has been paid to the fact that it was not Marr, but the Berlin chemist and engineer Hector de Grousilliers who was the initiator of this political organisation. Although Marr attended the founding meeting and joined it as a member, he played no active role in it. Grousilliers, paradoxically, first had the idea of founding a “Lessing-Verein”, before his “Antisemiten-Liga” came into being in an absurd volte-face. Carrying out a bizarre revaluation of Lessing’s Ring Parable, Grousilliers attributed antisemitic semantics to the concept of tolerance. He delivered several speeches on tolerance in the “League” before turning his attention to the publication of the antisemitic humorous-satirical magazine Die Wahrheit. Humoristisch-satirisches Wochenblatt.
Zum Hundertsten nichts Neues
(2017)
Zum Hundertsten nichts Neues
(2016)
The empire in 1871 - 1914
(2006)
The roots of evil : the foundation years of anti-semitism : from the time of Bismarck to Hitler
(2004)
Come si crea l'antisemitismo
(2020)
The dispute between social versus religious interpretations of anti-Semitism pervaded the whole history of scholarly research. Whereas socio-historical interpretations had underlined the social aspects, current studies on anti-Semitism focus on religious motifs. The thesis that anti-Semitism was a result of a religious conflict, however, is far more alleged than substantially proved by the sources. So it seems necessary to go back to the sources. Therefore this paper analyzes the language of the Venetian Catholic newspaper Il Veneto Cattolico/La Difesa from the foundation of the newspaper in 1867 up to the First World War. Just a few years before the term anti-Semitism was coined, Catholic journalists of Venice had created the new semantic of secular anti-Semitism. They turned back to religious issues when they tried to systematize their anti-Jewish sentiments. Thus one can observe in the coverage of the Venetian Catholic journals the invention of an anti-Semitic tradition.
Soldatenbriefe
(2014)
In Königstein im Taunus gründeten vertriebene katholische Priester aus den ehemaligen Ostgebieten nach 1945 eine Bildungsstätte, in der die Frömmigkeitskultur an die nächsten Generationen weitergegeben werden sollte. Hier entwickelte sich in den 1950er Jahren ein Kommunikationszentrum, in dem eine Hochschule Priester für den Osten ausbildete und vielfältige Medien über die Lage hinter dem Eisernen Vorhang informierten. Von Königstein ging die Kapellenwagenmission aus, die katholische Gläubige in der westdeutschen Diaspora aufsuchte. Nostalgische Rückbesinnung verband sich mit der Errichtung eines modernen Tagungsbaus. Seit den 1970er Jahren gerieten die Königsteiner Unternehmungen in eine grundlegende Krise. Mit der Gründungsgeneration starben die auf den Osten bezogene Mentalität und letztlich auch die Königsteiner Anstalten. Das Ende des Kalten Kriegs verschob die Nachkriegszeit der katholischen Vetriebenen endgültig in die Erinnerungskultur.
This article analyses, as an example of the advertising of cosmetic products, a campaign launched by the US-American company “Johnson Soap” for their product, the facial soap “Palmolive”. Examining its ads of 1911 in which certain ancient exempla are employed, it becomes clear that the Palmyrene queen Zenobia and with her the semi-historical Semiramis and the more mythical Dido are aligned to the “1001 Nights” character Scheherazade. Since they are jointly labelled as “historically famous oriental queens” and because of the reference to Zenobia’s white skin, they fall into the fantasy of fair-skinned harem women and evoke thoughts of all the pleasures and comforts of the luxurious Orient. To the modern female customer of 1900 (well steeped in the knowledge of those ancient characters) Zenobia and the other exempla should serve as celebrities worth emulating. Above all they are deemed to be beautiful, and experts in cosmetics which would guarantee the effect of the product they are standing for. A finding that proves to be valid even in an advertising concept of today for the Syrian-German “Zhenobya-soap”.
Die abgetrennte Zunge by Katharina Wesselmann deals with gender and power relations in ancient literature and beyond. It has received widespread attention, particularly in popular media. In this interview, thersites examines the book from an academic perspective. We talk to Katharina Wesselmann about the reactions to her work, her methodology and her conclusions. The primary focus of this interview is on what ancient texts may tell us about today’s gender issues and vice versa – it, thus, entails a broader discussion about modern Classics.
Theocritus’ id. 4 has been considered by some scholars as an example of rural mime; the fact that the poem, a unique case in the Corpus Theocriteum, does not contain any pastoral song or contest contributes to the impression of ‘realism’. This lack could be an obstacle for the poetological approach to the bucolic genre in antiquity, which considers metapoetry as its main feature. Our reading of the idyll shows that this limitation is only apparent.
This work journal recounts the experiences of a project undertaken with students of the University of Trier over the course of two semesters. The project attempted to design and produce an innovative audio guide pertaining to the cultural heritage of the Roman city, with students gauging market opportunities, writing a business plan, researching information and producing content for the audio guide. The work created, „Talking Stones“ (https://www.talking-stones.de/), takes the listener on a tour of Roman Trier embedded in a literary narrative and is available via download on Google Play and the Apple App Store.
Application areas and drugs of Egyptian, Greek and Roman medi-cine are popular references of research in the field of recent aes-thetic dermatology. There, Cleopatra VII is referred to as “mother of chemical peeling” because she is said to have bathed in donkey’s milk. Although extremely popular, there is no ancient source sup-porting Cleopatra’s bath in milk. Nevertheless, Poppaea Sabina, the second wife of Emperor Nero, is said to has bathed in donkey’s milk to beautify her skin. The aim of the paper is to reconstruct the genesis and develop-ment of the modern myth of Cleopatra bathing in donkey’s milk. The origin of this myth can be traced back to the cinema of the 1930s. The result is that in the person of the actress Claudette Colbert her two roles as Cleopatra and Poppaea converged. This convergence was the basis for the popularization of the milk bath by the Cleopat-ra movie of 1963 with Elizabeth Taylor.
Erinnerung als Argument
(2018)
This article proposes several conceptual frameworks for examining the widespread use of classical intertexts depicting the supernatural in popular media. Whether the supernatural is viewed as reality or simply a trope, it represents the human capacity and desire to explore worlds and meanings beyond the obvious and mundane. Representations of classical gods, heroes, and monsters evoke the power of mythic stories to probe and explain human psychology, social concerns, philosophical questions, and religious beliefs, including belief about the paranormal and supernatural. The entertainment value of popular media allows creators and audiences to engage with larger issues in non-dogmatic and playful ways that help them negotiate tensions among various beliefs and identities. This paper also gives an overview of the other articles in this journal issue, showing overlapping themes and patterns that connect with these tensions. By combining knowledge of classical myths in their original contexts with knowledge about contemporary culture, classical scholars contribute unique perspectives about why classical intertexts dominate in popular media today.
Aspekte des Zitat : Überlegungen zur Anwendung eines modernen Konzepts auf antike lateinische Texte
(2010)
Chapter 1, 2 of the Noctes Atticae reports how the orator and politician Herodes Atticus silences a boastful young Stoic by citing a diatribe of Epictetus. The article shows that Gellius - unlike his own assertion - does not describe a real experience. Instead he dramatizes the text (Epict. diss. 2, 19), which is the origin of the citation. Comparing both texts one finds details of the scenery described, the characterizations of the protagonists as well as the themes discussed quite similar in both the non-cited parts of Epictetus and the text of Gellius. Particularly interesting in that respect is how Gellius takes up citing and its various aspects as it can be found in his model. Epictetus deals with this theme in a critical way, because in his opinion citations of authorities say nothing about the philosophical qualities of the person who uses them. While Gellius' praxis of citation is formally modelled very closely on Epictetus' speech, regarding the content he by no means rejects the use of philosophical citations as weapon to beat an opponent in discussion.
Globalität versus Regionalität : was zeigt der Koreakrieg für die Geschichte des kalten Krieges?
(2008)
Gustav Heinemann
(1998)
Der Fall Otto John
(1998)
Die Debatte über den Fall Otto John in der politisch-kulturellen Auseinandersetzung in Deutschland
(1999)
G. B. Smith’s “Elzevir Cicero” and the Construction of Queer Immortality in Tolkien’s Mythopoeia
(2022)
Following the death of J. R. R. Tolkien in 1973, an obituary appeared in The Times quoting Tolkien as having said that his “love for the classics took ten years to recover from lectures on Cicero and Demosthenes.” This contentious relationship between Tolkien and the Greco-Roman past contrasts with the work of unabashedly classicizing poet Geoffrey Bache Smith, a school friend of Tolkien’s who was killed in the Great War. When Tolkien collected Smith’s poems for posthumous publication, this paper shows, Smith’s engagements with the ancient world became part of Tolkien’s own philosophy of immortality through literary composition. Within his 1931 poem “Mythopoeia,” and his 1939 speech “On Fairy-Stories,” Tolkien articulated a unified method of mythmaking by looking back to his lost friend’s understanding of mythology as a type of ancient story-craft that enabled poets to preserve the dead against the ravages of time. By tracing a triangular path through the relationships between Tolkien, Smith, and the classical past inhabited by figures like Cicero, this paper argues that Tolkien not only recovered a “love for the classics,” but used classical texts to “recover” his lost friend, granting Smith a queer, classical immortality in return.
The Persistence of Memory
(2023)
The 2017 Pixar film Coco and the 2021 Disney film Encanto form a small part of an increasing modern wave of media focused on parent-child conflicts caused by intergenerational trauma and rejection. Other recent works in this genre include the video game Hades, the films Turning Red and Everything Everywhere All At Once, and the television series Ms. Marvel. The traumas in all these films, some directed explicitly at a younger audience and some pitched more broadly, serve as a distinct set of meditations on the immigrant experience, even while not necessarily focusing on literal immigration. They also all invoke imagery of ghosts and death, both echoing specific classical Mediterranean motifs and tropes and incorporating a wide variety of other cultures’ supernatural traditions. These works’ concern with familial traumas of separation, culture shock, and loss of ancestral memories and connections contrasts sharply with the individual-focused myth of the American Dream common to earlier generations of American media, in which a lone individual typically emigrates, assimilates, and succeeds in a new culture, forming a new family and set of myths. However, themes of assimilation and questions of cultural imperialism also form a bridge between ancient Roman and modern North American anxieties and traditions.
For more than thirty years, collecting oral histories has been recognized as an effective teaching strategy in the West. Although it is rare in Gulf Cooperative Council (GCC) countries, the authors adopted it to bridge knowledge gaps they observed in their Saudi Arabian students. The reclamation of familial stories and tribal information using oral history methodologies reconnected students to their past while facilitating a unique learning experience. This paper describes how an oral history project was created for female undergraduate students in Saudi Arabia to help them move beyond the hard science approach supported in the Arabian world to one that embraces a narrative-based methodology. Historically, oral histories - an important pillar of Arabian society - were used to transfer significant tribal information, customs, traditions, and stories from one generation to the next. Since the discovery of oil, the kingdom has undergone dramatic societal and lifestyle transformations resulting in the loss of some traditions. The fundamental goal for this project was to improve the students' comprehension of humanities and social science courses by reconnecting them to their past using historical methods.
Zwischen Idylle und Alptraum : eine Reise durch das krisengeschüttelte Italien (Horaz, Satiren 1,5)
(2002)
In den Jahren 1930 und 1931 erschütterten zwei Revolten des SA-Führers Walter Stennes die im Dauerwahlkampf stehende NS-Bewegung. Die schnelle Niederschlagung beider Parteikrisen reklamierte die ostdeutsche Schutzstaffel unter Kurt Daluege für sich und verbreitete die Erzählung, Hitler habe die aufstrebende SS mit dem Leitspruch „Meine Ehre heißt Treue“ ausgezeichnet, um ihr für den aufopferungsvollen Einsatz gegen die Rebellen zu danken. Sascha Steger stellt dieses bis heute wirkmächtige Narrativ auf den Prüfstand, analysiert den tatsächlichen Verlauf der Stennes-Revolten und kommt zu dem Ergebnis, dass die SS unter Daluege zwar treu zum „Führer“ stand, aber keine entscheidende Rolle bei der Beendigung der Auseinandersetzung spielte.
Ruhm, Ide(ologi)e, Macht
(2021)
The first Hollywood film adaptation of Alexander the Great is Robert Rossen’s 1956 movie. Classicists have primarily been concerned with errors of historicity, Alexander’s assumed tragic traits, and rather associative conclusions concerning the movie’s political implications.
This paper raises the question of Rossen’s depiction of Alexander's motives and aims. His assessment of the king is surprisingly complicated. Therefore, for the first time, Rossen's interview comments on Alexander are analysed comprehensively and systematically. Furthermore, it is shown that neglected sources are central to the plot. Finally, the film is interpreted against the backdrop of Rossen’s oeuvre.
It can be demonstrated that Rossen’s issue is the problem of ideology. He seeks a redefinition of glory. Military success is only an excuse for the pursuit of mere power. For Rossen, however, the true fame is nothing but the benefit of the people. It took a long time for Alexander to realize that his rule was inane, and to reshape his policy. This interpretation is due to fundamental convictions reflected in Rossen’s oeuvre as well as to his personal experiences in politics. It is a plea for de-ideologization in times of the Cold War.
‘Crazy Man-Killing Monsters’
(2023)
The Amazons have a long legacy in literature and the visual arts, extending from antiquity to the present day. Prior scholarship tends to treat the Amazons as hostile ‘Other’ figures, embodying the antithesis of Greco-Roman cultural norms. Recently, scholars have begun to examine positive portrayals of Amazons in contemporary media, as role models and heroic figures. However, there is a dearth of scholarship examining the Amazons’ inherently multifaceted nature, and their subsequent polarised reception in popular media.
This article builds upon the large body of scholarship on contemporary Amazon narratives, in which the figures of Wonder Woman and Xena, Warrior Princess dominate scholarly discourse. These ‘modern Amazon’ figures epitomise the dominant contemporary trend of portraying Amazons as strong female role models and feminist icons. To highlight the complexity of the Amazon image in contemporary media, this article examines the representation of the Amazons in the Supernatural episode ‘Slice Girls’ (S7 E13, 2012), where their portrayal as hostile, monstrous figures diverges greatly from the positive characterisation of Wonder Woman and Xena. I also consider the show’s engagement with ancient written sources, to examine how the writers draw upon the motifs of ancient Amazon narratives when crafting their unique Amazon characters. By contrasting the Amazons of ‘Slice Girls’ to contemporary figures and ancient narratives, this article examines how factors such as feminist ideology, narrative story arcs, characters’/audience’s perspectives and male bias shape the representation of Amazons post-antiquity.
This article interrogates the application of a transnational perspective to the study of exile in the Age of Revolutions. The purpose is two-fold: 1) to acknowledge the benefits of the transnational approach for studying the phenomenon of exile in Europe and the Americas in this period, especially in order to understand the parallel formation of international liberalism and European counterrevolution; 2) to question some of the limitations of this approach, especially if it means neglecting the national framework in a context of intense nation-building, like the late 18th- and early 19th-centuries. An interpretation that understands exiles merely as transnational agents misses how important for them the nation was, for it shaped both their politics and their identities.
This bibliographical essay seeks to evaluate the impact that the historiographical trend known as Atlantic history, which emerged in the Anglo-Saxon academia, has had on the Spanish-American one. It also considers the criticisms and reticence that it has triggered. The analysis focuses on the applicability and relevance as an analytical tool for the Spanish case of the concept of Atlantic revolutions. It also wants to assess the benefits that geographically broad approaches -even beyond the Atlantic- present to nineteenth-century Spanish historiography.
In Hellboy (2004, Sony Pictures), Guillermo del Toro presents a mythic hero (half human/half demon) seemingly made from the same mold as the classical hero Heracles (Hercules). Hellboy’s modern world is shaped by a cosmology not unlike that of Greek mythology, and as is true for Heracles, his unique pedigree and superior physicality empower him to mediate between the forces of supernaturality and humanity. Hellboy’s experiences evoke comparison with most characters and exploits in the Heraclean mythological corpus; his good character precludes comparison with others. Hellboy must contend with his own versions of Hera, Eurystheus, and a Nemean Lion/Hydra-like monster. He, too, relies on his own superhuman strength, innate cunning and an Athena-like protector to be successful at his job. Both heroes navigate a difficult path to their very different destinies. But in the end, Hellboy’s compassion, humility, unerring moral compass, and genuinely altruistic motivations make him both a better man and a better mythic hero, one worthy even of being loved.
The analysis of the German support associations provides new insights into the changing nature of the Franco- Prussian war of 1870/71, stylised into a national war, over the course of the campaign. Although the German states under the leadership of Prussia had prepared themselves for the operational requirements of a war against France in the years following 1866, they had underestimated the need for a mobilisation of their home country in order to achieve a successful outcome. Therefore private help had to be activated to fulfil important tasks at home coordinated by the states. A central requirement German governments faced at home was the care for the Wounded, the family members of drafted soldiers and French POWs. Since the states were able to provide neither money nor personnel for these tasks, they endeavoured systematically to acquire and exploit the necessary support of the population through the foundation and centralisation of patriotic relief associations. In the process, the authorities tried to gain maximum control over the associations through the state; to achieve this, they even accepted a partly reduced efficiency of the relief actions. The costs explosion and the declining support for the relief associations at home clearly indicate that in the course of the campaign, the war against France was seen more and more critically, and an initial war euphoria - if it had existed on a large scale at all - wore off quickly. Voluntary activities in medical orderly detachments, which had been stylised as a selfless patriotic sacrifice were often based on social pressure and sensation-seeking and thus can hardly be used as evidence for an alleged war euphoria. This, is illustrated by the work of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem which in general was rather counterproductive. The practice of collecting donations for support associations, increasingly enforced in the course of the war, and the growing involvement of women in the war effort on the home front demonstrate that the Franco-Prussian war had a much greater effect on Germany's social structures than had been recognised by research until now
Träume statt Theurgie
(2020)
In his work De insomniis (On Dreams), Synesios adopts a rather critical view of theurgy, resembling Porphyry’s attitude; his wording shows polemical exaggeration. His insistence on the usefulness of dream revelation for hunting might be read as a (not too serious) claim to the divine inspiration of his work κυνηγετικαί.