Tag: history

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From A/H to P/E

The fashion world follows a rather strict bi-seasonal sequence every year. The French abbreviations of automne/hiver and printemps/été translate to fall/winter (F/W) and spring/summer (S/S) seasons in American English. This cycle has been repeated for a remarkable 125 years until 2026. Thanks to the Vitra Design Museum and the V & A Dundee the occasion has been celebrated with an exhibition and catalogue on the history and art of fashion show. The outstanding catalogue is organized in alphabetical order as the A-Z of fashion. The 4 curators Eisenbrand, Krawczyk, Hassard, Panova present a volume with a focus on keywords explaining major terms of the fashion world like “haute couture” as well as direct entries to specific designers and brands. The well curated choice of fabulous and iconic images from catwalks across time, locations and continents illustrate a world built on visual codes and communication. The “Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture” (1945) defined which fashion houses could use the label in France, a definition copied across countries. It works as a way to control access as well as a certain definition of quality. The scope of the exhibition catalogue includes also Anti-fashion under A, backstage photography (B), to the not so simple Walk under W.
With some additional social science framing and thanks to the curators, we have moved an important step towards a sociology of the visual, which comprises the world of fashion.

catwalk fashion shows catalog 2026 in library
Catwalk – fashion shows catalog 2026 in library
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Mitterrand literary

François Mitterrand is well remembered for his polititical leadership and of 14 years at the Presidency of France. He left behind a legacy of architectural highlights of which the 4 open books as the modern world idea about a cathedral size public library. The prolongation of the “Axe historique” to “La Défense” originated also in Mitterrand’s first term in office. However, only few would know about the literary ambitions and accomplishments of François Mitterrand. The Institut François Mitterrand organized a conference on the literary achievements of Mitterrand an his eloquent style and careful editing of speeches, his letters and journal writing (2026-10-16). The expert panel highlighted the literary sources of Mitterrand’s own reading and references to authors like Zola, Camus, Proust, Stendhal, Blum, Jaurès, Chateaubriand or also the letters of Simone de Beauvoir, to name but a few. The appreciation of the politician François Mitterrand by a German language author (Kimmel 2022) allows to get more familiar with an “external view” of a great politician, who ensured that also the enlarged Europe would still have a solid French foundation. Merci. Maybe Mitterrand has been the founder of a “literary leadership style”. Possibly in close resemblance to the antique or Roman vision to have philosophers as states(wo)man.

Institut François Mitterrand colloque 2026-10-16 Paris BNF
Institut François Mitterrand colloque 2026-10-16 Paris BNF
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Imagery of animals

The imagery of animals by humans is most likely the oldest art tradition that have left traces to our time. The oldest images of animals can be admired in caves, on pottery or jewellery. Since the early days there have always been a blend of reality and mythology when representing animals and the animal world. Beyond hunting of animals, the biological interest in animals has fascinated many artists as well. Just as we are about to redefine the borders between human and artificial intelligence, the history of depiction of animals and humans is full of examples of blending characteristics of each or ascribing characteristics of one species onto another one. The “Galerie Mazarin” of the BNF in Paris (2026-27) shows a fine selection of art work across centuries which exemplifies this co-evolution of artistic representations and the creation of mythical narratives through the imagery of animals. (Image: Albrecht Dürer, BNF Rhinocerus 1515)

Albrecht Duerer 1515 Rhinocerus BNF 2026-10
Albrecht Dürer 1515 Rhinocerus BNF 2026-10
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Death and rebirth of author

Over the long run there have always been times when the death of the author had been announced. With the arrival of the printing press and the ease to mass produce prints and books, previous authors’ books could flood the market. Obviously this could put new authors at the risk of finding no audience anymore as printers asked cash upfront before printing. The economic risks were solely on the author’s side. Ebooks became a risk to publishers as authors had an additional alternative way of publishing. Then the advent of the internet changed again the world of books and publishing. Global distribution became an option. Thousands of authors could have died because authors from around the globe became more accessible. None of these threats have materialized. Publishing on a global scale is fine, only European publishers are concerned about a shrinking market. AI facilitates entry in new markets and AI could kill already struggling authors. Instead, AI opens up lots of opportunities for authors as well. Editing and translation services become more accessible to low budget production. The next wave, some claim a tsunami, shall submerge the publishing industry. Quality, selection of innovative content and events associated with the content shall still make the difference. There is neither the death of the author nor of the publishing world due to AI. On a global scale many new voices can be discovered, probably assisted a great deal by AI who would never have dared to become an author and to enter into the world of publishing or self-publishing. (Image: Korea at Frankfurt book fair 2026-10)

Korea at Frankfurt book fair 2026-10

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Gaps in Mirror

The legendary figure of “Till Eulenspiegel” (name is a composition of “owl” and “mirror”) is still attracting attention, largely because of his way to reach and sometimes expose ordinary anomalies. We have mirrors all around us, as well as explicit historical details, but we tend to overlook or create voluntarily gaps into mirrored images of the past and their reflections into the present. The novel “The Gaps” (Die Lücken) by Shida Bazyar exemplifies, why dealing with history on a local level is of utmost importance for societies to be aware, deal and transmit fundamental human values. Till Eulenspiegel of the 21st century has a migration background and experience of care work, 2 fields at the cutting edge of humanity. Dealing with the gaps in narratives of locals enters visually into the novel as well. We ar caught t “automatic lly” read ov r the g__s before we realize how huge the gaps in narratives and our mirrors of the past can be. The novel is a great reminder to actively deal with our own gaps. Check the mirrors as well, there might be gaps that blur images of the past.

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Cultural Identities

The cultural identity of a cross-border region, like Tyrol, is subject to influences from several nation states. Historical developments have led to creation and reshaping of (internal) borders repeatedly. The exhibition in the “Museum of European Cultures” traces the many links the region and culture of Tyrol has to Austria, Italy and Bavaria, Germany. Specific crafts and designs of furniture (see below) or folk fashion have played a considerable role in the making and survival of Tyrol and its cultural identity despite globalization. Tourism has become the major source of revenue. The challenges of climate change, increase in transport across the Alps and over-tourism are hard to reconcile in this hot spot of the confrontation of traditional and modern values. The idyllic panorama of “Der Wilde Kaiser” appears frequently in cinema and photographs about the region. For some, such images may become a kind of second home or escape route. Literature on the region or dealing with the region complements the reflections about cultural identity or identities.

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Emotions in Politics

Rage or even hate count among the high emotional states in psychology. The presence in politics of these more extreme emotional states has been on the rise since the times of Covid-19 due to the necessary restrictions of the fundamental right of free mobility. A cost of living crisis might lead to similar emotional states as “Angst” about homes, commuting and heating put many people in existential crises. The rise of extreme right parties has gained on the basis of this basic social mechanism using hate speech and a continued rage as driving force. Established political parties across Europe and the Americas have been very slow to react to this. Just providing accurate information and correcting fake news is not enough. More emotions are called upon to counter such aggressive strategies used by political opponents, unfortunately. In the podcast “The 2nd thought” (Der zweite Gedanke in German!) Natscha Freundel together with Justus Bender and Heike Klüver we learn that an emotional response to rise of the extreme right is asked for. It is interesting to witness that 144 years after “Die fröhliche Wissenschaft” we still have not learned the lesson from Book 1 entry 38 by Friedrich Nietzsche: “with reason alone, thou shalt not convince those explosive minds” (own interpretative translation).

Quotation from Nietzsche Book1 Nr.38: Mit Gründen gewinnt man diese Pulverfässer nicht!

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Gothic Paris

At the “Conciergerie” in Paris you can really and virtually dive into the early medieval period. The royal meeting room and the huge kitchen with 4 impressive stoves brings to life what a royal feast had been like. A guide with virtual reality adds to the lively experience of history of French royalty. Some might like the later functions of some rooms in the annex, where prisoners of the “Palais de justice” where held. During the French Revolution even a Member of the Royal family was imprisoned and later executed there. A long evolution of historical facts is captured in a relatively small space. The weight and violence of history is an almost overwhelming experience there. The modern lighting is definitely more healthy and the smell of cooking next door is also just happening in our imagination or the animation on the tablet.

Conciergerie Paris 2026-8

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Learning moral sentiments

In school curricula and evaluations of pupils learning progress there has been little attention to pupils’ learning moral sentiments. Religion and comparisons of religious practices have entered educational programs, but even the big PISA studies have largely refrained from evaluations of learning achievements in ethical matters or moral sentiments. Adam Smith as proponent of the Scottish enlightenment had written about “The theory of moral sentiments” before embedding his market economy into the enlightened society. In the 2020s we realize that we have neglected this part of learning for far too long. This is the point where memorials can play a primordial role as a central part of learning not only about history, but moral sentiments in the broadest sense. Memorials “Gedenkstätten” operate as quasi-schools” in this respect for young and experienced learners at the same time considered that more than 50% of learners in memorials pupils, students or from teaching professions. However, outcomes of  learning in memorials could also be assessed in order to check what kind of learning goals and moral sentiments can be addressed in such historically charged learning environments. Such learning locations of moral sentiments have to balance the intended learning with the necessary decency of the commemoration in such learning environments. (Image: Topography of terror Berlin exhibitions) 

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Family Archaeology

The archaeology of family bonds is an interesting branch of both archaeology and genealogy. The mixing of hunter-gather populations with settled populations seems a rather ancient fact (study link). Analytical DNA comparisons reveal that nearby groups had indeed contact and even intermarriage occurred more than 5.000 years ago (Mattila et al. 2026). The evidence is based on data from a cemetery where several persons were buried in the same grave.
The study by Blöcher et al. (2026) demonstrates that in the late phases of the Roman empire along the Roman frontier in Germany a mixing of Romans with local populations a similar process took place. Whereas genetic structures persisted until the 6th century, the Central European genome as we know it today refers back to the 7th century. The inter-generational transmission seems to be an important driver of diversity. The high infant mortality together with an earlier mortality of women than men at that time show the accomplishments of modern medicine to safe infants and mothers from the hazards surrounding family formation and survival.