Roland Benedikter

Dariusz Wojtaszyn

Football in Central-Eastern and Eastern Europe has long functioned as a carrier of the three “non-normal” socio-political drivers that were effective below the surface of modernity, including the official self-image of European political systems, since the second half of the 20th century: Tribal Politics, Imaginal Politics, and Contextual Politics. All three are trends that are currently surfacing prominently on an international and global level. Long before the return of the now proverbial “Political Tribes” by the means of populisms and neo-authoritarianisms in societies around the world, football in Central-Eastern and Eastern Europe worked as a subconscious vehicle of group instincts and political moods that represented, mirrored, informed and influenced political behavior and governmental decisions both in the post-WWII communist and then, after 1989, the neo-capitalist societies located east of the former iron curtain. Football has always been used by both governments and their opponents, including the dissident civil society, to further coherence and to symbolically represent specific readings of power relations, system ideologies and history. Football in Central and Eastern Europe was always able to attract and include large parts of the population, inducing them to symbolically express protest against the government or to sustain the “politics from above”. Through football politics, aspects of the area’s specific political mechanisms are introduced and explained.

A Study on the Geopolitical Area’s Tribal, Imaginal, and Contextual Politics

Football Politics in Central Europe and Eastern Europe

Mirjam Gruber

Ingrid Kofler

"Re-Globalization examines the changing face of globalization, with political, economic, and social balances in flux, and tensions increasing in many parts of the globe. This book discusses and problematizes the current transition phase of globalization - in response to issues such as inequalities, climate change, and health crises - offering a comprehensive collection of responses to the question "what is re-globalization?". The authors discuss the various definitions and forms of re-globalization, using a range of approaches, examples, and case studies in order to shed light on this process. The analysis of the phenomenon of re-globalization - understood as an economic, political, and social process - is both inter- and trans-disciplinary. This volume offers contributions from academic disciplines within the social sciences, as well as technology, global security, global studies, health, and climate and environmental sciences. Overall, the book analyzes and illustrates how globalization shifts are interconnected and how they relate to a transition in global society, proposing a framework for a series of future scenarios. This socio-geographically diverse book will be of great interest to students, scholars, and researchers across a broad spectrum of disciplines exploring the future of globalization"--

New Frontiers of Political, Economic and Social Globalization

Re-Globalization

Karim Fathi

Roland Benedikter and Karim Fathi describe the pluri-dimensional characteristics of the Coronavirus crisis and draw the pillars for a more “multi-resilient” Post-Corona world, including political recommendations on how to generate it.

Towards A More Multi-Resilient Post-Corona World

Corona: The Once-in-a-Century Health Crisis and Its Teachings

Katja Siepmann

The economic, political and social situation in Chile shows a country in transition. Some observers anticipate a broad “reboot” of the nation. While Chile is still seen by many as an example of progress in South America and of developmental potential in the global South, it faces a complex political constellation, particularly in the aftermath of the re-election of Michelle Bachelet. Many wonder how social and institutional innovations can be incepted without interrupting the country’s remarkable success over the past decades. This book provides an interdisciplinary analysis of Chile’s situation and perspectives. In particular, it addresses the questions: What is Chile’s real socio-political situation behind the curtains, irrespective of simplifications? What are the nation’s main opportunities and problems? What future strategies will be concretely applicable to improve social balance and mitigate ideological divisions? The result is a provocative examination of a nation in search of identity and its role on the global stage. Roland Benedikter, Dr. Dr. Dr., is Research Scholar at the Orfalea Center for Global and International Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara, Senior Research Scholar of the Council on Hemispheric Affairs Washington D.C., Trustee of the Toynbee Prize Foundation Boston and Full Member of the Club of Rome. Katja Siepmann, MA, is Senior Research Fellow of the Counc il on Hemispheric Affairs Washington D.C., Member of the German Council on Foreign Relations, and Lecturer at the Faculty of Interdisciplinary Cultural Sciences of the European University Frankfurt/Oder. The volume features a Foreword by Ned Strong, Executive Director of the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies, Harvard University, and a Preface by Larry Birns, Director of the Council on Hemispheric Affairs, Washington D.C., and Former Senior Public Affairs Officer of the United Nations’ Economic Commission for Latin America (Santiago, Chile).

Prospects and Challenges for Latin America’s Forerunner of Development

Chile in Transition

Verena Nowotny

​Das Buch zeichnet das Gesamtbild der Situation und Perspektiven Chinas. Die Machtübergabe von einer im vergangenen Jahrzehnt erfolgreichen an eine noch wenig bekannte und von zahlreichen Umbrüchen erschütterte Generation von Eliten innerhalb der herrschenden Einheitspartei in den Jahren 2012-13 weckt Hoffnungen auf Liberalisierung, wenn nicht gar Demokratisierung. Der Optimismus von Dissidenten, Zivilgesellschaftern und Politikern scheint heute so groß wie selten an neueren historischen Übergangspunkten des Landes. Doch gibt es dem entgegengesetzt auch Tendenzen zur Rückkehr zu einem neuen Konservativismus und Nationalismus sowie zu einer expansiveren Haltung Chinas, etwa im Pazifik oder in Afrika. Das Buch, geschrieben in der Kaderschmide der amerikanischen Diplomatie, der Stanford Universität im Zentrum von Silikon Valley, zeichnet ein einmaliges, interdisziplinäres Gesamtbild der aktuellen Situation des „mittleren Reiches“ im Spannungsfeld zwischen Innen- und Außenpolitik. Es bezieht dabei Politik, Wirtschaft und Kultur ebenso ein wie den Einfluss von Religion auf die Grundhaltung der Eliten. Anhand zahlreicher Beispiele der aktuellen Gesellschaftsentwicklung stellt es erstens die Frage, ob aus heutiger Sicht Demokratisierung oder Entwicklung zum Rechtsstaat die realistische Perspektive für Chinas Zukunft ist; und zweitens, wie sich Zukunftsoptionen auf heutige, konkret im Raum stehende Gesellschaftsphänomene des „Reichs der Mitte“ aufbauen können.

Situation und Perspektiven des neuen weltpolitischen Akteurs

China

Judith Hilber

This book describes what an “art of multiculturalism” could be and how in turn multiculturalism could be conceived as a form of art. It focuses on the early and middle work of Indian-born U.S. writer Bharati Mukherjee, in particular on her understanding of the “fusion” of literature and painting as a tool to inspire the creation of a “new global society” by empowering minorities through fostering and multiplying “differences in unity” and “unities in difference”. The book includes, in condensed ways, an explanation of Mukherjee’s use of ancient Indian painting techniques for postmodern writing; and it provides a short introduction to the relation between multiculturalism, postmodernity and “imaginal politics”. The book is written in an easy to read style accessible to all interested in the topic: high school and university students and teachers; those generally interested in the interface between literature, the arts and politics; and specialists in multicultural studies and global and international studies. The book is particularly suited to use in teaching.

Bharati Mukherjee’s Imaginal Politics for the Age of Global Migration

The Art of Multiculturalism

This book provides a concise introduction into twenty-one trends that are transforming the role of religion and spirituality in “re-globalizing” societies. In referring to processes of “re-globalization”, the book draws attention to profound ongoing changes in the patterns and mechanisms of contemporary globalization. Inter- and transdisciplinary in its approach, clearly structured, and easy to read, the book analyzes the impact of religious self-understanding, rhetoric, and practice on five core fields: economics, politics, culture, demography, and technology. In turn, it describes the effects of these five fields on religion and spirituality themselves. This book represents a broad, encompassing overview of the main transformations that religion is undergoing today. Roland Benedikter combines a “big picture” approach with a keen attention to the details of specific case studies. With its clear and accessible structure and timely examples, this book is ideally suited for students of international relations and religious studies, and will also appeal to researchers engaged in those fields and to interested general readers. The book is also apt to serve as an encompassing basis for contemporary debates in civil society, including both grassroots and expert discussions.

A Brief Introduction

Religion in the Age of Re-Globalization

For over 2,000 years, banks have served to facilitate the exchange of money and to provide a variety of economic and financial services. During the most recent financial collapse and subsequent recession, beginning in 2008, banks have been vilified as perpetrators of the crisis, the public distrust compounded by massive public bailouts. Nevertheless, another form of banking has also emerged, with a focus on promoting economic sustainability, investing in community, providing opportunity for the disadvantaged, and supporting social, environmental, and ethical agendas. Social Banking and Social Finance traces the emergence of the “bank with a conscience” and proposes a new approach to banking in the wake of the economic crisis. Featuring innovations and initiatives in banking from Europe, Canada, and the United States, Roland Benedikter presents an alternative to traditional banking practices that are focused exclusively on profit maximization. He argues that social banking is not about changing the system, but about improving some of its core features by putting into use the "triple bottom line" principle of profit-people-planet. Important lessons can be learned by the success of social banks that may be useful for the greater task of improving the global financial system and avoiding economic crises in the future.

Roland Benedikter

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