Professor Dr. Hans Köchler

Institut für Philosophie der Universität Innsbruck
 

Lehrveranstaltung im Sommersemester 1998

 

www.hanskoechler.com

hans.koechler@uibk.ac.at

Seminar, Tuesday, 15-17 hrs, Department of Philosophy, Innrain 52B, 8th floor

In co-operation with Prof. Dr. Gudrun Grabher, Dept. for American Studies

Languages: English / German

PHILOSOPHICAL AND HERMENEUTICAL ASPECTS OF CULTURAL DIALOGUE:
HUNTINGTON'S "CLASH OF CIVILIZATIONS" IN THE AMERICAN AND INTERNATIONAL DEBATE

PHILOSOPHISCHE UND HERMENEUTISCHE ASPEKTE DES KULTURDIALOGES:
HUNTINGTONS "CLASH OF CIVILIZATIONS" IN DER AMERIKANISCHEN UND INTERNATIONALEN DEBATTE

Descriptionr:

American Studies:

The seminar will address fundamental questions of cultural encounter in general as well as in particular by taking a closer look at the U.S. from within and without, at the self-definition of America as a multicultural/uniform nation, and at America within the global constellation of cultural encounters. Topics for Americanists will be based on various ethnic examples of American literature. A one-day international symposium on "Civilizations: Conflict or Dialogue?" will be part of the seminar.

Philosophy:

In philosophischer Hinsicht sollen die Grundlagen des kulturellen Selbstverständnisses - im Zusammenhang mit der Subjekt-Objekt-Dialektik - herausgearbeitet werden. Die Rolle der Kulturhermeneurik im globalen System soll kritisch reflektiert werden. Ebenso wird die ideologische Bedeutung des Paradigmas eines "Konfliktes der Zivilisationen" in der aktuellen weltpolitischen Konstellation zu untersuchen sein.

 

Schedule:

    • 10 March:
      Introduction / Organizing Session

    • 17 March:
      General discussion of Clifford Geertz, The Interpretation of Cultures (introductory chapter)

    • 24 March:
      General discussion of Samuel Huntington,       The Clash of Civilizations

    • 31 March:
      Walter Anyanwu: "Das polemische Paradigma des Zivilisationskonfliktes bei Samuel Huntington"
      Mag. Jörg Luther: "Die universale Kultur" (aus Huntingtons Clash of Civilizations)

    • 21 April:
      Susan Kilty: "Jewish Americans: The Chosen (Chaim Potok)"
      Marc O'Brien: "Schlesinger: The Disuniting of America"

    • 28 April:
      Jürgen Peschina: "Die Wiederbelebung des Freund-Feind-Schemas in der politischen Theorie einer 'Neuen Weltordnung': Carl Schmitt im neuen Kleid?"
      Benjamin Griffith: "Die Bedeutung der Kultur in den internationalen Beziehungen: Kultur als Faktor der Machtpolitik?"

    • 5 May:
      Kathrin Hölzl: "Chinese Americans: The Woman Warrior (Maxine Hong Kingston)"
      Sabine Delmarko: "Mexican Americans: Hunger of Memory (Richard Rodriguez)"

    • 12 May:
      Jürgen Pfeifer: "African Americans: Invisible Man (Ralph Ellison)"
      Ruth Feichtner & Cornelia Totschnig: "African Americans: Beloved (Toni Morrison)"

    • 19 May:
      Daniel Dratele: "Der Topos vom Konflikt der Zivilisationen: Fallbeispiel Islam-Christentum"
      Stephen Valdes: "Diversity without Division?"

    • 26 May:
      Mag. Irenaeus Anyanwu: "Die Kontroverse um 'afrikanische Werte' in der Debatte über Eurozentrismus und die Universalität der Menschenrechte"
      Nedeljko Vuckovic: "Gadamers 'Wahrheit und Methode' als Grundlage einer universalen Kulturhermeneutik?"

    • 8 June:
      International Roundtable: Civilizations: Conflict or Dialogue? (in co-operation with the International Progress Organization)

    • 23 June:
      Andreas Exenberger: "Richard Falk: False Universalism and the Geopolitics of Exclusion: The Case of Islam, and Farish A. Noor (ed.), Terrorising the Truth: The Shaping of Contemporary Images of Islam and Muslims in Media, Politics and Culture"

    Selected literature (for philosophy students):

    • Mariano AGUIRRE, "D'un 'ennemi total' - Guerre des civilisations?" in: Le Monde Diplomatique, December 1994.

    • Fouad AJAMI et al., "Responses to Samuel P. Huntingtons 'The Clash of Civilizations?'" in: Foreign Affairs, Vol. 72, No. 4 (1993), pp. 2-26.

    • Pedro BRIEGER, Towards a New Clash of Civilizations? [Belgrano University] no date. Internet URL: http://people.kfem.or.kr/macbride/paper18.html.

    • Robert D. CRANE, "The Clash of Civilizations: A Vision for a New Cold War," in: Shaping the Future: Challenge and Response. Internet homepage of the MIT/Muslim Students' Association (1997).

    • Fred DALLMAYR, Beyond Orientalism. Essays on Cross-Cultural Encounter. Albany 1996.

    • Richard FALK, False Universalism and the Geopolitics of Exclusion: The Case of Islam. Internet homepage of Princeton University, 1997.

    • Hans-Georg GADAMER, Hermeneutik I: Wahrheit und Methode. Grundzüge einer philosophischen Hermeneutik. Tübingen 51986.

    • Samuel HUNTINGTON, "The Clash of Civilizations?" in: Foreign Affairs, Summer 1993, pp. 22-49.

    • Samuel HUNTINGTON, The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order. New York 1996.

    • Anwar IBRAHIM, The Asian Renaissance. Singapur/Kuala Lumpur 1996.

    • Hans KÖCHLER (ed.), Cultural Self-Comprehension of Nations. Studies in International Relations, Vol. I. Tübingen/Basel 1978.

    • Hans KÖCHLER, Cultural-Philosophical Aspects of International Cooperation. Lecture held before the Royal Scientific Society. Amman/Jordan [1974]. Studies in International Relations, Vol. II. Vienna 1978.

    • Hans KÖCHLER, "Kulturphilosophische Aspekte internationaler Kooperation," in: Zeitschrift für Kulturaustausch, Vol. 28 (1978), pp. 40-43.

    • Hans KÖCHLER (ed.), The New International Information and Communication Order: Basis for Cultural Dialogue and Peaceful Coexistence among Nations. Studies in International Relations, Vol. X. Vienna 1985.

    • Hans KÖCHLER, "Zur Problematik des Eurozentrismus. Bemerkungen zum afrikanisch-europäischen Dialog aus kulturphilosophischer Sicht," in: Gemeinschaft afrikanischer Studenten in Österreich, GAS?Bericht, Innsbruck 1990, pp. 11-23.

    • Hans KÖCHLER, "The Concept of the Nation and the Question of Nationalism. The Traditional ‚Nation State' Versus a Multicultural 'Community State'," in: Michael Dunne und Tiziano Bonazzi (eds.), Citizenship and Rights in Multicultural Societies. Keele 1995, pp. 44-51.

    • Hans KÖCHLER, Muslim-Christian Ties in Europe: Past, Present and Future. Second Inter-Civilizational Dialogue, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 1996.

    • Hans KÖCHLER, Philosophical Foundations of Civilizational Dialogue. The Hermeneutics of Cultural Self-Comprehension versus the Paradigm of Civilizational Conflict. Third Inter-Civilizational Dialogue, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 1997.

    • Panajotis KONDYLIS, "Globale Mobilmachung: Konflikt der Kulturen oder Konflikte ohne Kultur?," in: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 14 July 1996.

    • Ali A. MAZRUI, Cultural Forces in World Politics. London/Nairobi/Portsmouth (NH) 1990.

    • Farish A. NOOR (ed.), Terrorising the Truth: The Shaping of Contemporary Images of Islam and Muslims in Media, Politics and Culture. Penang 1997.

    • Edward SAID, Covering Islam. How the Media and the Experts Determine How We See the Rest of the World. London/Henley 1981.

    • Edward SAID, Orientalism: Western Conceptions of the Orient. With a New Afterword. London 1995.

       

Modus:
Each participant will make an oral presentation on a topic to be chosen in co-ordination with the moderator. A research paper will have to be prepared until the end of June 1998. The detailed working program of the seminar will be established in the course of the preparatory meeting.

Preparatory session: 10 March 1998.

Joint course for students of Philosophy and American Studies.