From labelling to social aid for immigrants in the 21st Century

Migration is as old as humanity, but since the 1990s migration flows in Western Europe have led to societies that are not just multicultural but so-called «super-diverse». As a result, Western towns now have very complex social structures, with amongst others large amounts of small immigrant communities that are in constant change. In this paper we argue that for social workers to be able to offer adequate professional help to non-native residents in town, they will need balanced view of ‘culture’ and of the role culture plays in social aid. Culture is never static, but is continually changing. By teaching social workers about how to look at cultural backgrounds of immigrant groups and about the limitations of then role that culture plays in communication, they will be better equipped to provide adequate aid and will contribute to making various groups grow towards each other and to avoid people thinking in terms of ‘out-group-homogeneity’. Nowadays, inclusion is a priority in social work that almost every social worker supports. Social workers should have an open attitude to allow them to approach every individual as a unique person. They will see the other person as the person they are, and not as a part of a specific cultural group. Knowledge about the others makes them see the cultural heterogeneity in every group. The social sector, though, must be aware not to fall into the trap of the ‘inclusion mania’! This will cause the social deprivation of a particular group to be forgotten. An inclusive policy requires an inclusive society. Otherwise, this could result in even more deprivation of other groups, already discriminated against. Emancipation of deprived people demands a certain target-group policymaking. Categorized aid will raise efficiency of working with immigrants and of acknowledging the cultural identity of the non-natives group. It will also create the possibility to work on fighting social deprivation, in which most immigrants can be found.

Quintus Curtius before his sources: the episode of Alexander and the Scythians on the Tanais

Quintus Curtius found in his sources a speech where a Scythian censured Alexander, followed by the King’s reply. Curtius drastically abridged this second discourse in order to highlight the criticism of the Macedonian. The Scythian’s words have a striking rhetorical language and some allusions taken from Greek literature, in addition to possible indirect references to Caligula. Curtius declares that he follows his source word-for-word aiming to justify these inconsistencies, but also trying to hide the manipulations he has done to achieve his own narrative purposes.

Maximilian’s Journeys through Spain and Brazil: The Long Way to the Mexican Empire

In May of 1864, Maximilian of Austria reached the Mexican coast, being this journey his last, ending three years later with his execution. Much has been written about the reasons that prompted his acceptance of the crown of Mexico, a country so distant in every sense of his cultural environment. However, years ago Maximilian had traveled to Spain and Brazil (to Spain twice) and these experiences, although not determinant, greatly influenced the decision of the Archduke, who saw the chance to realize a dream he had conceived on his trip to Spain and that was consolidated during his stay in Brazil, as we can extract from his travel memoirs.

„Welch werthvolle und kunstreich geschmiedete kleine Sache.“

Richard Schaukal (1874-1942) wurde als Dichter ignoriert, als Übersetzer geschätzt und als Literaturkritiker geachtet. Es ist erstaunlich, dass dieses Tätigkeitsfeld unvollständig aufgearbeitet ist, zumal bedeutende Exponenten der Zeit wie Thomas Mann, Hermann Hesse oder Rainer Maria Rilke Schaukal um Besprechungen ihrer Werke baten. Er verfasste für zahlreiche Publikationsorgane meist unbequeme Essays, die sich − mehr noch als seine dichterischen Arbeiten − in den Diskurs der kulturkonservativen kritischen Moderne einschrieben. Mit Blick auf seine frühe Phase als Literaturkritiker werden Richard Schaukals ästhetische Positionen, Einflüsse und Funktionen untersucht. Abschließend wird sein Aufsatz über Ferdinand von Saar (1899) einer exemplarischen Analyse unterzogen.

La imagen de España en la novela de viaje "Cabo de Gata" de Eugen Ruge

Este artículo presenta un análisis de la imagen de España trazada en la novela Cabo de Gata (2013). Con ello se toma en consideración un género que, hasta ahora, ha recibido poca atención en la investigación de la imagen de España en la literatura de viajes alemana. El foco del análisis lo constituyen tanto el motivo del viaje como la percepción y representación de lo ajeno español. Por último, el análisis narratológico de los diversos aspectos seleccionados de la técnica narrativa nos servirá para delimitar la repercusión imagológica de la novela.