European Cultural Foundation Research Articles

The Influence of Calvinism on European Legal Thought and Jurisprudence

According to Theodor Heuss, the spiritual and cultural unity of Europe is built on three hills, the Acropolis, the Capitol and Golgotha. The Capitolium is one of the foundations of European culture, and one of the pillars of Europe's entity that represents law. The Capitolium, as interpreted by Theodor Heuss, is Roman law. For centuries, the concept of law was understood to mean Roman law, codified and compiled in the Justinian Corpus Iuris in the 6th century AD. The fundamental tenets of Roman law are inseparable from European civilisation. The Calvinist Reformation is inextricably linked to Lutheranism. It should be emphasised that the work of John Calvin, compared with the Lutheran oeuvre, has a greater legal dimension. For Luther is essentially a theologian who considers all legal phenomena as negative. John Calvin, unlike Martin Luther, is a lawyer (iurisperitus, iurisconsultus).

Preliminary norms of Arabic to Spanish translations produced by twentieth-century academics

Abstract This article analyzes the preliminary norms (Toury 1995) governing the translation of Arabic works into Spanish produced by members of Spain’s academic community in the twentieth century. In particular, we study the ideological motives and objectives behind the choice of works to be translated. Translation was the ideological tool par excellence of Spanish Arabism. The Catholic Church; Spanish state, regional, and local government bodies; and the European Cultural Foundation were the principal patrons. The works translated served to endorse the pre-eminence of Christendom over Islam and to advance Spanish nation-building. They also contributed to the encouragement of emancipatory and feminist discourses, the commercial success of the Arab winner of the Nobel Prize, Najīb Maḥfūẓ, and the promulgation among the European public of a discourse opposed to the ‘clash of civilizations’. Thus, our analysis illustrates the capacity of translation to generate ideology in a specific socio-political context.

European Culture: Centripetal and Centrifugal Forces

The main features of the transformation of European culture in the modern world are explored. Chronologically, this study is based on the idea of the general humanistic foundations of European culture since the 1980s. The author describes its state during the Cold War, and then analyzes the search for its new meanings, including the concept of the “new Middle Ages” and the theme of fear. Another dimension of the research is the role of the Age of Enlightenment in the history of European culture and its later development in the context of liberalism, consumerism, and individualism. Contemporary European culture is characterized as an overlap of premodern, modern, and postmodern. The problem of Westernization and standardization of culture is dwelt upon together with the shift to different currents of postmaterialism and neo-avant-garde art.

Массовая музыка XX века в контексте диалога Востока и Запада

The article deals with the problem of understanding the iconic elements of musical language and thinking for mass music of the XX century in the context of the dialogue between East and West. The reasons and specifics of the meaning of melody for the essential foundations of European musical culture are noted. The peculiarity of the physiological rhythm of non-European, African and Latin American musical cultures, cultural, historical and artistic reasons for their expansion into European music at the beginning of the XX century are analyzed. The concept of «rhythmic emotions» and its understanding are proposed. The author concludes that the socio-psychological cataclysms of the epoch actualized the emergence and intensive development, the demand for «music for the body» in the mass musical culture of the XX century.

ПОЭТИЧЕСКИЙ ДИСКУРС ВСЕВОЛОДА НИКАНОРОВИЧА ИВАНОВА В КОНТЕКСТЕ ИСТОРИОСОФСКИХ ВОЗЗРЕНИЙ ПИСАТЕЛЯ-ЕВРАЗИЙЦА

The article is devoted to the consideration of the genre and thematic features of the poetic discourse of Vsevolod Nikanorovich Ivanov (1888-1971), a representative of the Far Eastern emigration (1920-1940s) in the context of the influence, on the one hand, of the traditions of Russian classical poetry and the philosophical and aesthetic searches of the Silver Age figures, on the other hand, the philosophy and culture of China, the country that received the exiles from Russia. The author of the article, revealing the commitment to the poetic discourse of Vs. N. Ivanov to ancient mythological culture, as one of the fundamental foundations of European culture and Russian classics, complements his characterization by considering the poetic heritage of Vs. N. Ivanov Eurasian in the context of the dialogue between the cultures of the West and the East.

Institutionalizing cultural Europeanism: between transnationalism and national identity (1948-1954)

Cultural Europeanism is a variant of the process of European integration attested within the framework of the Cold War. It will be mostly anti-communist, although it will couch elements favouring West-East dialogue. The governments will promote an intergovernmental model based on multilateral cooperation and national identity, and put into practice in institutions such as the Western Union or the Council of Europe. Non-governmental organizations, such as the European Movement, will be committed to a more transnational model based on the affirmation and promotion of the idea of Europe through institutions such as the College of Europe, the European Centre for Culture or the European Cultural Foundation. Within cultural Europeanism, networks of secondary institutionalization, such as educational seminars, ended up having as much or more impact than the primary entities from which they emerged.

Neoromantic Tendencies in the Ukrainian Piano Music of the Early 20th Century

The article focuses on the examination of neoromantic tendencies in the Ukrainian piano music of the turn of the 20th century by the example of the waltzes by Ya. Stepovyi and nocturnes by V. Kosenko. These musical pieces are viewed in the context of the stylistic findings of the Western European and Russian composers of the fin de siecle era. The research methodology incorporates general and specific scientific methods: historical method (to analyze social-political processes of the 20th century turn); historical-cultural method (to consider the artistic-aesthetical foundations of European musical culture of that period); theoretical method of modelling (to reveal the analogies of the embodiment of the neoromantic principles in the Ukrainian and foreign music); comparative (to definesimilar and distinct genre-stylistic features of the piano pieces of the Ukrainian and foreign composers). Basing on this comparative analysis, typologically common features of Neoromanticism are defined, foreign influences are determined, distinct genre-stylistic features are considered that demonstrate the uniqueness of the neoromantic thinking of the Ukrainian composers of the turn of the 20th century

«Назад к Аристотелю»: достоинство знания как проблема эпистемологии

Характеризуя интеллектуальную значимость трудов Христиана Вольфа, Г.В.Ф. Гегель заметил: «Вольф дефинировал мир сознания, как это можно сказать также и об Аристотеле» [Гегель 1994, 418]. Но Гегель уточняет приэтом: Вольфа отличает то, что он «мыслил только рассудочно, между тем как Аристотель мыслил предмет спекулятивно» [Там же]. Для авторов дан-ной статьи это уточнение принципиально важно: Аристотель сумел дефинировать сознание, которое было положено в основание европейской мысли, а стало быть, всякий раз, когда европейская мысль переживает достаточно серьезные изменения, возникает настоятельная потребность вернуться к Ари-стотелю, чтобы дефинировать возникающие при этом особенности созна-ния. По крайней мере, именно так, на наш взгляд, должен быть поставлен вопрос применительно к философско-методологическому сознанию совре-менной науки, которая является одним из оснований европейской культуры, ибо очевидными ныне становятся захватывающие ее сегодня весьма проти-воречивые процессы. Наука трансформируется и, соответственно, меняетсясоциокультурный статус научного познания, из понятия истины исчезает методологический смысл, оспаривается трактовка знания как блага (изначаль-но лежавшая в основаниях науки и имевшая экзистенциально-ценностный,а не ценовой смысл). В статье обосновывается тезис о том, что введенный Аристотелем концепт «достоинство знания» открывает новые перспективы для философско-методологического осмысления этих процессов.

From the Editors

The Bible is, next to the achievements of antiquity, one of the most im­portant foundations of European culture and has had a significant impact on people who encountered it. It is the holy book for Christians and for Jews, while also being a source of universal themes, inspiring various areas of our lives. For centuries, biblical themes are the inspiration for artists, and the Bible itself, following the words of Professor Anna Świderkówna, “has entered so deeply into our art, our literature, our mentality, our vo­cabulary that we cannot deny this heritage even if we tried.” In this con­text, as mentioned above, and the nature of this cultural studies journal, the theme in the current issue is the role the Bible has played in culture. A look at this issue has been taken from the perspective of Polish and for­eign (Ukrainian) researchers.

The Erasmus programme for postgraduate education in orthodontics in Europe: an update of the guidelines

In 1989, the ERASMUS Bureau of the European Cultural Foundation of the Commission of the European Communities funded the development of a new 3-year curriculum for postgraduate education in orthodontics. The new curriculum was created by directors for orthodontic education representing 15 European countries. The curriculum entitled 'Three years Postgraduate Programme in Orthodontics: the Final Report of the Erasmus Project' was published 1992. In 2012, the 'Network of Erasmus Based European Orthodontic Programmes' developed and approved an updated version of the guidelines. The core programme consists of eight sections: general biological and medical subjects; basic orthodontic subjects; general orthodontic subjects; orthodontic techniques; interdisciplinary subjects; management of health and safety; practice management, administration, and ethics; extramural educational activities. The programme goals and objectives are described and the competencies to be reached are outlined. These guidelines may serve as a baseline for programme development and quality assessment for postgraduate programme directors, national associations, and governmental bodies and could assist future residents when selecting a postgraduate programme.

Urban multilingualism in Europe: Mapping linguistic diversity in multicultural cities

The focus of this paper is on urban multilingualism in Europe. Crossnational and crosslinguistic perspectives are offered on both the distribution and the vitality of immigrant minority languages among primary school children in six multicultural cities across European nation-states. Going from North to South, these cities are Göteborg, Hamburg, The Hague, Brussels, Lyon and Madrid. The paper comprises eight sections. The first two sections offer the demolinguistic background against which the project was carried out. Section 1 deals with the European constellation of languages and population groups, section 2 with the importance of the language criterion for identifying population groups. The next sections focus on the rationale and goals of the Multilingual Cities Project, carried out under the auspices of the European Cultural Foundation (section 3), the method of research in the MCP (section 4), the distribution of languages across cities (section 5), the specification of language profiles and language vitality (section 6), crosslinguistic perspectives on language vitality (section 7), and conclusions (section 8).

Leges et in carmina redigendae sunt. Die Erfindung der Kodifikation als Konzept durch Melanchthon und deren Rezeption in katholischen Staaten bis 1811

Why was it the Englishman Jeremy Bentham - from a State without comprehensive legislation -, who shaped the decisive definition of codification?He derived this idea from Protestant Reformation, as it can be traced back to Melanchthon, whose teaching was spread in all Protestant churches. The history of codification has therefore to be written in a different way: it starts in Saxony with its electoral Constitutions of 1572, the first summit was achieved with the Danske Lov of 1681. This code served as the role model in Norway, Swedwn and Prussia. In this instance Protestant authors such as Pufendorf and Leibniz propagated only old convictions. With their reception in Catholic countries such as France, Austria and Northern Italy at least during the 18th century, this idea became one of the foundations of European legal culture.

The work of the Cornish organisation CERES

CERES is a not-for-profit organisation which provides cultural heritage links between Cornwall and the wider Europe. Cornwall possesses a vibrant cultural heritage stemming from Celtic origins; a heritage which has contributed significantly to the European mosaic. From the outset the policy of CERES was to establish links at working levels in the European Commission and Parliament, and similarly in the Council of Europe and with organisations such as the European Cultural Foundation. This policy has been maintained with success and the Secretariat's pioneering approaches laid foundations that led to a greater European awareness of Cornwall and to Cornish participation in a variety of heritage programmes and projects.

Sociolinguistic perspectives on emerging multilingualism in urban Europe

In this article, sociolinguistic perspectives on the status and use of immigrant minority (henceforward IM) languages are presented. After a general introduction to the theme we focus on multilingualism and European identity, paying special attention to the European discourse on IM groups and integration. Next, we present information on the rationale, design, and core results of large scale home language surveys in six major multicultural cities across Europe. The data were collected and analyzed as part of the Multilingual Cities Project, carried out under the auspices of the European Cultural Foundation, established in Amsterdam. Against this background, we deal with the need for changing language regimes at school as a consequence of processes of migration and minorization across European nation states.

News and Notes

News and Notes

News and Notes: 2

News and Notes: 2

Birth of a Programme

Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image size Additional informationNotes on contributorsOdile ChenalOdile Chenal is the director of programmes and grants at the European Cultural Foundation.

The European Cultural Foundation: building a sense of community in a culturally diverse Europe

The European Cultural Foundation: building a sense of community in a culturally diverse Europe

Not Just Play: an outline of the “Art for Social Change” programme

Not Just Play will introduce the reader to the European Cultural Foundation programme “Art for Social Change”. This programme is being carried out in partnership with the network of Soros Foundations, mainly in Central and Eastern Europe. The article offers some insights into the rationale behind the programme, its framework and the activities carried out within “Art for Social Change”. It will close with some information regarding the evaluation of the programme.

Thirty Years of Secondary Education

In his editorial to the European Journal of Education issue on Reform in Secondary Education in 1980, Gabriel Fragniere wrote: 'A few years ago ... several conferences were organised by the Council of Europe or by the OECD on the problems of education of the 16-19 age group and a lot of discussion has been generated, yet without very much success or very many ideas considered progressive enough to induce noticeable reforms.' Fragniere quotes the European Cultural Foundation's Education Without Frontiers (of which he was co-editor): 'Secondary education is being stretched between basic education, which is coming to include the whole of compulsory schooling, and higher education, which is beginning to encompass all post-compulsory education. It seems therefore that this intermediate form of education will by the end of the century no longer have much purpose.' Very provocative thinking indeed. As the end of the century approaches, it seems appropriate to raise the question of whether the above judgment and prophecy have been justified by developments since. In the following I will argue that, perhaps fortunately, Fragniere's views were too pessimistic, that 'secondary education' is more than ever a useful concept and that much reform has been initiated, most of it not spectacular in itself, but upon aggregation and with time leading to significant change. The greatest event that has occurred on the European educational scene is related to the collapse of the former communist regimes in Central and Eastern Europe. It has led to the virtual disappearance of a political ideology that was translated into educational paradigms, policies and programmes. It would be tempting to examine whether this demise of one of the world's most significant educational theories has had repercussions on educational thinking in the western world, e.g. about the relationship between education and the economy, about the role of common basic schooling, or about the relationship between teaching and research. The scope of this article does not allow me to go into these questions in any depth, but in the following text comparisons between the educational developments in Western and in Central and Eastern Europe will inevitably be drawn.