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The current sense of crisis seems to be omnipresent these days. As Nancy Fraser vividly illustrated during the Patočka Memorial Lecture 2013, the present crisis has political and economic, as well as ecological and social dimensions. Given the growing tendencies of commercialization and bureaucratization, an international conference in Vienna discussed the question whether scholarly knowledge itself is in a time of crises. The contributions by Agata Lisiak, Wendy Hui Kyong Chun and Stefan Collin in this issue are thus devoted to the challenges traditional media and knowledge institutions are facing today.

Ongoing protests in Russia and the Ukraine, increasingly restricted democratic rights in Hungary, the NSA spying scandal and growing inequality as a result of the economic crises—2013 was a year of change and dramatic developments. This was also true for the IWM, as well as for the regions of (South-)Eastern Europe which have been important foci of the Institute’s work since its foundation. Themes of the current issue of the IWMpost include looking at what became of past visions of the future and what political or social realities replaced them, and the challenges which are facing the old and the new EU-member states today. While Katherine Lebow and Leon Botstein tackle issues of historical relevance, Jan-Werner Mueller, Balázs Trencsényi and Mykola Riabchuk focus on some of today’s most pressing questions. Aleš Debeljak und James Dodd in turn write about individuals whose influence shaped their lives.

The (dis)integration of the European Union, the loss of confidence in democratic institutions, the close interlinking of power and business in Russia and the Ukrainian Extreme Right—these are the focal themes of IWMpost 111. Work on this issue—indeed the work of the whole Institute—were overshadowed, however, by a sad and unexpected event, to which we devote an additional section. Krzysztof Michalski, founder and Rector of the IWM, passed away in Vienna on February 11, 2013, at the age of 64. He was buried in Warsaw on February 22. His work and memory were celebrated at an academic Commemoration Ceremony in Vienna on April 5. This edition brings together selected obituaries as well as some personal recollections by friends and companions. We would like to use this opportunity to express our gratitude for the numerous condolences and expressions of solidarity we received. Due to spatial restrictions, we can only publish a selection in this issue, but a full list of all condolences is available on our website.

Twenty years ago, the finance ministers of the eu member-states agreed in Maastricht on founding a monetary union. On new year’s day ten years ago, the euro was introduced. Anniversaries all round, then. Still, few have felt like celebrating. The euro crisis has the continent firmly in its grasp. This issue of IWMpost looks at the state of the EU present and future (p. 16–18).

The IWM is a place where people and ideas meet“—that’s how we like to describe ourselves. This issue of the IWMpost shows that we really mean what we say. Following an international debate at Vienna’s Akademietheater on the condition of democracy in Europe and in the world today (see page 4), Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor and Polish journalist Sławomir Sierakowski met to exchange their ideas on the subject. Taylor is Permanent Fellow at the IWM, Sierakowski currently Visiting Fellow at the Institute. You can read their discussion about democratic challenges such as the eurocrisis, populism and nationalism on pages 5 to 7.

Everything you always wanted to know about gender (but were afraid to ask)—in this issue you can find the answers.

What we know about the world we live in, we know through the media. 9/11, climate change or the financial breakdown—we watched it on tv, heard it on the radio or read about it in the newspapers and on websites. But the media is not merely a passive recorder of events, it is rather the public’s eyes and ears. Watergate and Wikileaks are just two examples of the media’s crucial role as a „watchdog“ that monitors governments and exposes wrongdoings. The press as the „fourth estate“ is therefore an essential part of democracy. However, press freedom has increasingly been exposed to pressure. On the political level by Berlusconian or Murdoch-style media moguls or—as recently in Hungary—by restrictive new media laws; on the economic level by steadily dropping circulations and a culture of freebie journalism. How the media influence our democracies and how they, in turn, are influenced by political and economic interests was at the center of a debate held at the Vienna Burgtheater and an international conference. You can find reports of what was discussed there on pages 4 onwards. The good news: independent journalism will not disappear. The bad news: its independence cannot be taken for granted anymore.

Disputes about the Muslim headscarf and about crucifixes in classrooms, the Ground Zero mosque debate—religion is back on the scene of secular society, where it is perceived primarily as a form of public controversy. Cultural globalization and transnational migration have increased religious diversity in the West and raised the potential for tension and conflict between different religious as well as non-religious groups. Has religion become a threat to social solidarity in the 21st century? Or can it also build bridges? These questions were at the heart of a public debate in Milan and an international conference in Vienna, organized by the IWM (see pages 7 and 9). Both events were heavily influenced by the thought of Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor, who directs the Institute’s research focus on “Religion and Secularism”. Taylor counters the demagogic and divisive slogans of an emergent international Islamophobia by arguing that religious diversity in particular can be a valuable source of solidarity—if dialogue and mutual understanding take the place of confrontation and self-segregation (see page 8).

“United in Diversity”—this is the motto of the European Union. Today, its meaning extends beyond the variety of national cultures. Europe has become a preferred destination for migrants. This not only leads to greater ethnic, religious, and cultural diversity: discrimination, xenophobia, and right-wing populism are also on the rise. The debate “The Others Among Us” at the Burgtheater (p. 4) made clear that this trend cannot be stopped by raising the walls around “fortress Europe” still higher. European societies need to develop an understanding of themselves as societies of immigration.

We all know what 9/11 stands for. But what is the meaning of 9/15? On September 15, 2008, the major American bank Lehman Brothers went bankrupt; its collapse marked the beginning of the economic crisis. One year after Lehman, the IWM invited researchers and politicians to discuss the societal consequences of the crash. During a Tischner Debate in Warsaw it became clear that while the financial crisis is unlikely to end capitalism, it may undermine the economic model of self-regulating markets. Roman Frydman and Michael Goldberg argue that this model has failed, on page 13 of this iwmpost. Not just the market’s “invisible hand” has lost credibility, but also the policies of moderate leftists in Europe. The conference “Social Solidarity and the Crisis of Economic Capitalism” asked for the reasons behind this development. Robert Kuttner’s article on pages 1, 4 and 5 provides some answers.

“Managing diversity” is the formula used by the Canadian philosopher and permanent fellow of the IWM, Charles Taylor, to describe a desirable form of secularism. It encompasses an accepting stance towards the diversity of religions. The IWM’s program during the second quarter of 2009 was largely devoted to this theme and heavily influenced by the lengthy stay of Charles Taylor in Vienna. The conference “Modes of Secularism” was held under his direction. You can read about it on page 4 and also in the guest contribution by Tariq Modood. During the course of these discussions it became clear that religion would play an increasingly significant role in the 21st century, not only in the sense of a return to spirituality but also as a tangible political element in the formation of a multi-ethnic society.

That this edition of the IWMpost literally looks different from all previous ones is obvious: twice as big and in full-colour – thanks to the work of graphic artists Philipp Steinkellner and Gerri Zotter. It is not necessary to spend much time talking about the new layout here, as a complete history of how everything started with the newsletter and how and why it turned into what it is now, can be read in detail on page 3.