Democracy and The Public Square Editor ’s note: This post has been adapted from an essay that appeared in the book “Der Wert Der Freiheit — The Value of Freedom” that accompanied the International Exhibition at the Belvedere Museum in Vienna under the same title (German, English). Verlag fur Moderne Kunst, Vienna, 2018 “Democracies are not going to defend themselves. It is we the citizens who have to defend …
Fascism’s advance in education On February 7, The Guardian published a very important Open Letter, signed by more than 2000 artists, intellectuals, and journalists — among then Caetano Veloso, Noam Chomsky, Nancy Fraser, and Julian Schnabel — to denounce the attacks perpetrated by Bolsonaro’s government against Brazilian democracy and freedom of expression. This open letter was ignited by a Facebook live video by Roberto Alvim — at that moment, federal minister …
And its limits in fractured society I have long been impressed by the positive power of inertia in social life. But in the fractured society we now live in, I worry that this power has diminished. * In 1973 and 1974, I traveled from city to city around Poland, observing extraordinary theater, Polish Student Theater, so-called, though many, if not most, of its makers were not students. Aesthetic …
Taking a broader historical view Editorial Note: This post is a response to an essay by Andrew Arato which can be found here. The events in Bolivia continue to arouse sharp controversy over the ways political power can change (Arato, Peruzzotti and Avritzer). The so-called “transitional government” of Jeanine Añez claims legitimacy for having deposed a dictator, while the ousted government of President Evo Morales says it has been victim of a …
