Eastern Europe – On costumes, conflicts, and cultural spaces (02/2015)
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For a long time, it seemed as if Eastern Europe, with its diverse languages and cultures, remained an alien place to the West. Yet at the same time the region – often seen only through the prism of political conflicts – has moved very close to us in many ways. This special feature to mark the tenth anniversary of Eastern European Studies at Basel University highlights the close connections between East and West.
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Dossier“The war in Ukraine has deeply divided Switzerland, too”
Interview: Ivo Mijnssen / Frithjof Benjamin Schenk, Professor of East European History, on the roots of the conflict in Ukraine and how it is affecting Switzerland’s university landscape.
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DossierA founding myth: the Soviet Union’s Rütli
Till Hein / In September 1915, Lenin, Trotsky, and around three dozen other left-wing politicians and activists from twelve European countries met at Zimmerwald near Bern. They dreamed of uniting the workers’ movement internationally and stopping the First World War. A hundred years later, Eastern European historians in Basel are shedding light on this secret meeting – and its strange afterlife in the memory cultures of East and West.
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Dossier
Altersbetreuung aus dem Osten
Christoph Dieffenbacher / Tausende von Frauen aus Osteuropa arbeiten bei Betagten in der Schweiz und betreuen sie in ihrem Zuhause oft rund um die Uhr – vermittelt von kommerziellen Agenturen, meist zu prekären Bedingungen und tiefen Löhnen.
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DossierLittle quiet on the eastern front
Urs Hafner / In the West, we see Eastern Europe as a place mired in backwardness, where nationalism, corruption, and chauvinism are rife. Yet, the recent history of the East offers some pioneering models of co-existence between different cultures.
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Dossier
The Ukraine conflict and international law
Yannik Sprecher / In March 2014, Moscow admitted Crimea to the Russian Federation, shortly after the peninsula had declared independence, having been occupied by Russian troops. Does this annexation contravene international law? In what ways can Crimea and eastern Ukraine exercise their right to self-determination? And what role did Russia play?
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In conversationImmunotherapy – A revolution in cancer treatment.
Interview: Matthias Geering / Professor of Oncology Alfred Zippelius conducts research at the University Hospital of Basel in the field of immunotherapy as a means of treating cancer. As deputy director of medical oncology, Professor Zippelius applies this new therapy in treating patients. He is convinced that we are about to experience a revolution in dealing with certain types of cancer.
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In picturesIn Darwin’s footsteps
Christoph Dieffenbacher / Zoologists and evolutionary biologists of the University of Basel are diving for cichlids in the great lakes of Eastern Africa to examine them morphologically and genetically. (Images: Robert Huber, Adrian Indermaur)
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OpinionJoseph and the speculators
Professor Heinz Zimmermann / Commodity futures trading is often the subject of public debate: To what extent can it be called enterprising commercial trade, and when does it become speculation?
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Opinion“Big public data” as an opportunity
Ulrich Matter /
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Opinion“Big public data” as a danger
Professor Markus Schefer /
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ResearchLittle appetite for study on an empty stomach
David Herrmann / Malnutrition and worm infections negatively affect the performance of schoolchildren in South Africa. The effi cacy of simple countermeasures is now the subject of research.
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ResearchFinding new solutions in medicine with the art of engineering
Martin Hicklin / The latest department to be established at the University of Basel is the first of its kind in the canton of Basel-Landschaft: In Allschwil, directly adjacent to the Swiss Innovation Park in Northwestern Switzerland, 60 researchers are creating innovative solutions to medical problems.
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ColumnCaterina is proud to be a cleaning lady and would like a Ferrari
Professor Ueli Mäder / My book: Ueli Mäder, Professor of Sociology, recommends the report “Caterina” by Erwin Koch.
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PortraitFrom Biozentrum to Silicon Valley
Matthias Geering / Nico Ghilhardi’s career has rocketed over the past 16 years – thanks to hard work and academic excellence.
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ResearchTracing transformations in the city
Olivia Poisson / Cities are constantly changing. Mechtild Widrich studies these changes closely and understands what they mean for the broader public.