Cosmopolitanism in Twenty-First Century Fiction

Abstract

translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

The social imaginary of precarious Europeans: the cultural representation of European socio-economic precarity in Tascha and Bande de Filles

“…If artistic imagination precedes political action, as Mircan and Staal claim, then the cultural and aesthetic representation of precarious living and relative depravity amid contexts of affluence (Western Europe) and as part of that reality is a powerful cultural critical tool to help us pose questions concerning the common good of Europeans. It also affords us the possibility of contemplating a common future in Europe of various kinds of Europeans (see Shaw, 2017) and the implications this diversity might have for social policy and projects of social justice, for example. Finally, it asks for the critical reconsideration of the narratives about that reality and the public deliberation about how to shape that European reality in a way that is good to all of those Europeans who hold it in common.…”

Clandestine migrant mobility, European peripheries, and practical cosmopolitanism in Fabienne Kanor’s Faire l’aventure

“…54 In other words, if cosmopolitanism is above all 'a process of creative engagement between peoples and cultures in developing an openness to forms of alterity and the negotiation of a more interdependent world', as Kristian Shaw formulates it, it is necessary to undo the taken-for-granted link between mobility and cosmopolitanism: because of its ethical engagement with the world, the self, and the other, the concept of cosmopolitanism is 'so much more than a condition of transnational mobility'. 55 In a similar vein, Galin Tihanov argues against the tendency of liberal cosmopolitanisms to romanticize exile and equate mobility with cosmopolitanism. Tihanov posits that the difficult material realities of exiles only rarely enable them to 'develop the toolkit of a cosmopolitan' and to become 'reliably enriched, unfailingly energized and dependably cultivated and tolerant citizens'.…”

The Quest for Solidarity in a Failed Prescriptive and Aspirational Cosmopolitanism: African Travel Narratives and Duality of Cross-Cultural Encounters

“…The concept of solidarity has long been regarded as a fundamental element in understanding and interpreting cosmopolitanism (Derpmann, 2009). Solidarity, whether expressed through moral obligations or legal instruments, serves as a foundational factor that promotes the benefits of a borderless world, where the freedom to move and interact contributes to and nurtures existential tolerance (Ossewaarde, 2007;Pensky, 2007;Shaw, 2017). Treaties between nations and communities have been established to enable individuals to pursue their cosmopolitan dreams and ambitions through the principles of free movement.…”