Paul Hockenos

An exhilarating journey through the subcultures, occupied squats, and late-night scenes in the anarchic first few years of Berlin after the fall of the wall Berlin Calling is a gripping account of the 1989 "peaceful revolution" in East Germany that upended communism and the tumultuous years of artistic ferment, political improvisation, and pirate utopias that followed. It’s the story of a newly undivided Berlin when protest and punk rock, bohemia and direct democracy, techno and free theater were the order of the day. In a story stocked with fascinating characters from Berlin’s highly politicized undergrounds--including playwright Heiner M�ller, cult figure Blixa Bargeld of the industrial band Einst�rzende Neubauten, the internationally known French Wall artist Thierry Noir, the American multimedia artist Danielle de Picciotto (founder of Love Parade), and David Bowie during his Ziggy Stardust incarnation--Hockenos argues that the DIY energy and raw urban vibe of the early 1990s shaped the new Berlin and still pulses through the city today. Just as Mike Davis captured Los Angeles in his City of Quartz, Berlin Calling is a unique account of how Berlin became hip, and of why it continues to attract creative types from the world over.

A Story of Anarchy, Music, the Wall, and the Birth of the New Berlin

Berlin Calling

an alternative history of postwar Germany

Joschka Fischer and the making of the Berlin Republic

"Paul Hockenos, a Berlin-based American journalist and political analyst, has traveled through several continents and interviewed scores of key figures, many of whom had never previously talked about their activities. Hockenos investigates the borderless international networks that diaspora organizations rely on to export political agendas back to their native homelands - agendas that at times blatantly undermined the foreign policy objectives of their adopted countries."--BOOK JACKET.

Exile Patriotism & the Balkan Wars

Homeland Calling

Mikhail Minakov

Jerome Krase

Matthew Worley

Gavin Watson

Ross Haenfler

Phil Cohen

Massimo Introvigne

Douglas Kellner

Athina Karatzogianni

Steve Gennaro

Derek Ridgers

Simon McGregor-Wood

Bernardo Attias

Marco Andreacchio

Lucien Oulahbib

Liudmyla Fylypovych

Frederick Lawrence

Nick Ienatsch

Elizabeth Haas-Edersheim

Paul Rhoads

Sanjay Soekhoe

Maxim Lepskiy

Avi Nardia

Iryna Lopatiuk

Marco Trovato

Costantino Slobodyanyuk

Vitalii Lunov

Vladimir Skvorets

Federico Roso

Igor Kaprysin

Eduard Boyko

Maria Kulyk

Aimar Ventsel

Oleg Maltsev

Collected Papers of the International interdisciplinary conference “Sketch a subculture” Subcultures can be so tightly integrated into the contemporary person's daily life that they have become almost indispensable and ubiquitous. Family, job, agreements, responsibilities and negotiations are one thing, but, let us say, skydiving, or riding a bike in the company of motorcycle enthusiasts is a different thing—no less an important part of one's life. The current state of affairs is that almost everyone on this planet belongs to some subculture in one way or another. This another, natural part of one's lifestyle for pleasure is not always considered a "subculture," but the heart of the matter does not change because of this. To the point, a person might be a part of more than one subculture, and at the same time know nothing about what it may lead to; they may know nothing about the possible scenarios, goals and intentions of this environment. Even the most attractive and "mysteriously" formulated idea (for example, attaining Nirvana) remains something inconceivable, for what is "Nirvana," and how to understand that this state has been achieved is unknown. The idea has no explanations, no criteria and no parameters. And yet, this does not stop people from pursuing ideas as such. Many voluntarily strive for something they know practically nothing about. Why are subcultures so attractive? Why have they become magnets to researchers, professionals and business persons, among all others? These and many other questions require innovative approaches and an unbiased dialogue in an understandable scientific language. The International interdisciplinary conference “Sketch a subculture” united leading experts, scientists, researchers, practitioners, journalists, photographers and thinkers for this discussion on 6 different online panels, where the following questions were discussed: 1. Problems of choosing a research path in studying a subculture. 2. Plan of researching a subculture: from the idea to the completion of the research, from mythological and religious to scientific and philosophical worldviews. 3. From mythologemes to ideas as foundational elements of subculture formation. Approaches for researching mythologemes that underlie the philosophy of a subculture. 4. Approaches for studying the hierarchy of subcultures. Can we claim that the hierarchical structure of all subcultures is identical? 5. Ways to explore the attributes and symbols of subcultures. 6. The phenomenon of “Subculture in Subculture” and characteristics of its study. The synthesis of ideas in the subculture, reasons for the existence of subcultures, invisible internal mechanisms that maintain their continuance. 7. Frederick Lawrence’s drawing as the purpose of subculture research. 8. Can we consider a subculture as a machine that shapes a personality? The idea of death and different ways of implementing this idea by subcultures in daily life. 9. Frederick Lawrence’s drawing, the theory of subculture formation, application of prototype method to understand phenomena. 10. Is it true that one idea forms a whole subculture? The pathway in subculture: fatal and successful. 11. The difference between subculture and religion. What are specific elements that shape each institution? 12. Use of religion by other social institutions (business, politics, etc.) for their own purposes. Religion transformation: from divine transcendence to the universal society based on techno-ideological principles.

International interdisciplinary conference “Sketch a subculture”

Over the last ten years, many commentators have tried to explain the bloody conflicts that tore Yugoslavia apart. But in all these attempts to make sense of the wars and ethnic violence, one crucial factor has been overlooked—the fundamental roles played by exile groups and émigré communities in fanning the flames of nationalism and territorial ambition. Based in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia and South America, some groups helped provide the ideologies, the leadership, the money, and in many cases, the military hardware that fueled the violent conflicts. Atypical were the dissenting voices who drew upon their experiences in western democracies to stem the tide of war. In spite of the diasporas' power and influence, their story has never before been told, partly because it is so difficult, even dangerous to unravel. Paul Hockenos, a Berlin-based American journalist and political analyst, has traveled through several continents and interviewed scores of key figures, many of whom had never previously talked about their activities. In Homeland Calling, Hockenos investigates the borderless international networks that diaspora organizations rely on to export political agendas back to their native homelands—agendas that at times blatantly undermined the foreign policy objectives of their adopted countries. Hockenos tells an extraordinary story, with elements of farce as well as tragedy, a story of single-minded obsession and double-dealing, of high aspirations and low cunning. The figures he profiles include individuals as disparate as a Canadian pizza baker and an Albanian urologist who played instrumental roles in the conflicts, as well as other men and women who rose boldly to the occasion when their homelands called out for help.

Exile Patriotism and the Balkan Wars

Combining first-hand reporting, original documentation, and political analysis, Free to Hate is the first major work in English to investigate the rise of the ultra-nationalist and radical right-wing movements that have been sweeping Central and Eastern Europe since 1989. In this powerful volume, Paul Hockenos provides an account of the emergence and contemporary relevance of far right movements in countries including Germany, Hungary, Romania, and Poland. In addition, he discusses neo-Nazi youth subculture, anti-Semitism, racism, minority issues, and the revision of history in the post-communist states.

The Rise of the Right in Post-Communist Eastern Europe

Free to Hate

Paul Hockenos

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