Books published by ibidem-Verlag, Jessica Haunschild u Christian Schon

In this stunning biography, Josette Baer re-traces the eventful life of the Slovak politician Vavro Srobár, the principal figure in the implementation of Czechoslovak democracy in Slovakia. Spanning from his student days and his fight for Slovak civil rights in Upper Hungary via his ministerial positions during the First Czechoslovak Republic to his active resistance against German fascism, Baer¿s research paints a most comprehensive picture.Based on rich archive material available to the English-reading public for the first time, Baer shows how Srobár¿s political thought and activities shaped the turbulent history of Czechoslovakia in the first half of the 20th century. Offering unique insights into the political past of a country whose history remains largely under-researched, this book is a must-read for anyone interested in the region.

This timely collection offers fresh perspectives on the analysis of the ''New Great Game'' - the fight for access to the former Soviet Union''s energy resources. Thus far the export of crude oil and natural gas has only been assessed through a geopolitical lens, which oversimplifies the political dynamics of the region and neglects to acknowledge the post-Soviet countries as actors in their own right.Broadening the scope of analysis, this volume brings together insights from various different angles, including the securitization of energy issues, the formation of post-Soviet energy policies, and the motives of local business and political actors.

The so-called Democratic Antifascist Youth Movement "Nashi" represents a crucial case of a post-Orange government-organized formation whose values have broad support in Russian society. Yet, at the same time, in view of the movement''s public scandals, Nashi was also a phenomenon bringing to the fore public reluctance to accept all implications of Putin''s new system. The Russian people''s relatively widespread support for his patriotic policies and conservative values has been evident, but this support is not easily extended to political actors aligned to these values. Using discourse analysis, this book identifies socio-political factors that created obstacles to Nashi''s communication strategies. The book understands Nashi as anticipating an "ideal youth" within the framework of official national identity politics and as an attempt to mobilize largely apolitical youngsters in support of the powers that be. It demonstrates how Nashi''s ambivalent societal position was the result of a failed attempt to reconcile incompatible communicative demands of the authoritarian state and apolitical young.

This important book analyzes the dubious role of the so-called Democratic Antifascist Youth Movement ''Nashi'' in contemporary Russia. Part and parcel of the Putinist project of political stabilization, Nashi dominates state-sponsored youth politics in Russia, communicating demands from official discourse to a young audience. Idealizing the past, present, and future of Putin''s Russia, Nashi mobilized young Russians through its emotional appeal, skillful use of symbolic politics and the promise for professional self-realization. However, the movement''s impact remains limited - mostly due to its internal contradictions.Based on original and meticulous research, Ivo Mijnssen skillfully picks apart the dynamics underlying Nashi''s influence and furthers a deeper understanding of state-sponsored youth politics in early 21st century Russia.

Emily Hobhouse, 1860-1926, was one of the first great women of the twentieth century. She was a feminist, a pacifist and an internationalist, and above all a humanitarian. She worked tirelessly for the disadvantaged and, in the case of the South African women and children who were herded into concentration camps by Lord Kitchener, was relentless in expound­ing their cause. This took great courage. She was deported from Cape Town, and was unable to get legal redress. Emily Hobhouse's young life was spent in a tiny village in east Cornwall where her father was Rector and it was only when he died that she was able to expand her horizons. She was 35 and untrained. She went to Minnesota, U.S.A., to do welfare work for Cornish miners and formed an unfortunate relationship with a man who became Mayor of the town. They planned to marry and live in Mexico. Emily spent a trying time until the engagement was broken off just before the Boer War started. After the war she travelled through the ravaged areas of South Africa and devised a successful scheme of home industries for young girls on isolated farms. Illness forced her to seek refuge in Italy where she remained almost to the beginning of World War I, and began her famous corre­spondence first with J.C. Smuts and then with Isabel Steyn. Her comments on the events of the day show unusual foresight. She was loved by the people of South Africa and admired by those like Mahatma Gandhi who asked for her help. She was a bit of a painter, a writer and an entertainer, and in spite of ill-health travelled easily between countries, even in the midst of the first World War when she went to Germany, and hoped to obtain peace. Returning to Europe after that war Emily Hobhouse put into a place a number of schemes to help the impoverished, but the cry of the children of Leipzig won her particular sympathy, and with the help of the Save the Children Fund and later the South Africans she devised a feeding scheme for them. The South Africans so admired her that they clubbed together to buy her a little house in Cornwall, at St. Ives. Later Emily moved to London where she died, 8th June 1926. Her remains were cremated and the ashes buried at the foot of the memorial for the women and children who died in the Anglo Boer War for whom she had worked so hard. This book contains an outline of Emily Hobhouse's life and work including much new material; official and un-official records of the Concentration Camps set up by Lord Kitchener in the Anglo Boer War; many letters, and correspondence with J.C. Smuts and Isabel Steyn, wife of the ex-President of the Orange Free State.

In this remarkable book, David-Emil Wickström traces the transcultural flow of popular music production emanating from St. Petersburg, a central hub of the Russian music scene. With a specific focus on the post-Soviet emigrant community in Germany and their event 'Russendisko', Wickström ¿ himself a trumpet player in two local bands ¿ explores St. Petersburg's vibrant music scene, which provides an electrifying platform for musical exchange.The findings shed a new light on Soviet and post-Soviet popular music history and even Russia's relationship to Ukraine. Wickström demonstrates the filtering processes embedded in transcultural flows and how music is attributed new meanings within new contexts. This innovative book not only promotes a deeper understanding of the role of popular music in society, it also enables a better comprehension of cultural processes in the second decade after the fall of the Soviet Union.