Karen Horn - Böcker

Equally skilled in different trades than in the art of love, the Italian prisoners-of-war (POWs) who were incarcerated in South Africa during the Second World War are a source of great fascination to this day. The first Italian POWs arrived in the Union of South Africa in early 1941, most of them being held in Zonderwater Camp outside Cullinan or in work camps across the country. The government of Jan Smuts saw them as a source of cheap labour that would contribute to harvesting schemes, road-building projects such as the old Du Toit’s Kloof Pass between Paarl and Worcester and even to prickly-pear eradication schemes. Prisoners of Jan Smuts recounts the stories of survival and shenanigans of the Italian POWs in the Union through the eyes of five prisoners who had documented their experiences in memoirs and letters. While many POWs seemed to appreciate the opportunities to gain new skills, others clung to the Fascist ideas they had grown up with and refused to work. Many opted to remain in South Africa once the war had ended, forging quite a legacy. These included sculptor Edoardo Villa, who left an important mark in the local and international art world, and businessman Aurelio Gatti, who built an ice-cream empire whose gelato was to delight generations of South Africans.

Books on World War II abound, yet there are remarkably few publications on South Africas role in this war, which had such an influence on how we live today. There is even less written about those who participated on the margins of the war, especially those who were physically removed from the battlefields through capture by enemy forces. South Africas prisoners of war during World War II, their experiences and recollections, are largely forgotten. That is until now. Historian Karen Horn painstakingly tracked down a number of former POWs. Together with written memoirs and archival documents, their interviews reveal rich narratives of hardship, endurance, humour, longing and self-discovery. Instead of fighting, these men adapted to another war, one which was fought on the inside of many prison camps. It was a war against hunger and deprivation, at times against ever-encroaching despondency and low morale amongst their companions in captivity. In their interviews, all the POWs expressed surprise at being asked to share their experiences. The author found it astonishing that almost all of them claimed not to be heroes of any kind.This is not surprising when one considers that they returned to a country which soon tried its utmost to promote national amnesia with regard to the countrys participation in the war. With great insight and empathy, Karen Horn shines a light on a neglected corner of South African history.

Populism has taken root almost everywhere in the West. It is crucial to understand how it has come about, where its antagonistic worldview, its nativism, its illiberalism and its anti-pluralism will take us, and how we should seek to fend off this threat to liberal democracy. In particular, what could liberal answers look like? This book is a collection of essays written by young and senior scholars in various fields from philosophy to economics. Part I explores populism’s nature and causes, shedding light on the lure of sovereignty, the perceived representation gap and the process of radicalization, and human psychology. Part II is dedicated to observations inside the political arena, pitting liberalism and populism in a historical perspective, analyzing the risk of democratic backsliding, and asking how liberals should navigate the political need to make compromises. In Part III, the focus turns to liberal responses such as rules-based public deliberation, a liberal ethics attending to civic virtues, improved representation through the blockchain, and polycentric migration policies. Part IV, finally, houses critical engagements with influential relevant authors such as Foucault, Laclau, Berlin, and Harrington. Liberal Responses to Populism is a rich and thought-provoking read for scholars and students in political economy, political science, and political philosophy.

Der Autor behandelt Wesen, Ziele, Konflikte, Konzeptionen und Institutionen der Wirtschaftspolitik, den Beitrag der Ökonomik und insbesondere der Wohlfahrtstheorie.

Es vereinigt die Erkenntnisse volkswirtschaftlicher Theorie und wirtschaftspolitischer Praxis, die der Autor in eineinhalb Jahrzehnten der universitären Lehre und Forschung sowie der Tätigkeit als akademischer Berater für sich erschlossen und weitergegeben hat.