Carolin Emcke is an amazing contemporary author and publicist. She studied philosophy in London, Frankfurt am Main and Harvard. Her doctoral thesis was on the concept of "collective identities". From 1998 - 2014 she was a foreign editor and reporter with a focus on crisis regions (including Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, Gaza, Colombia, Haiti), since then she worked as a freelance journalist (including columns in the Süddeutsche Zeitung and El Pais). Her books ("Wie wir begehren", "Weil es sagbar ist", "Gegen den Hass/Against hate" have been published in over 10 languages ). For over 15 years Carolin Emcke has curated and presented the "Streitraum" at the Schaubühne Berlin. Since 2019 she is also famous for her lecture Performance "Ja heißt Ja und ..." at the Schaubühne Berlin. She was awarded several prizes for example the "Friedenspreis des Deutschen Buchhandels/Peace Prize of the German Book Trade", the "Johann Heinrich Merck" Prize for Essayistic, and the "Carl von Ossietzky Prize for Contemporary History and Politics". Carolin Emcke lives in Berlin.
In her engaging essay "Against Hate", published in 2018, Carolin Emcke expresses her views on the great themes of our time: racism, fanaticism, and anti-democratic attitudes. In the increasingly polarized and fragmented public sphere, thinking that allows doubt only about the positions of others, but not about one's own, dominates. Carolin Emcke counters this dogmatic thinking, which does not take any nuances into account, with a praise of the polyphonic, the "impure" - because in this way the freedom of the individual and also of the deviant is to be protected. Only with the courage to oppose hatred and the desire to endure and negotiate plurality can democracy be realized. Only in this way can we successfully counter the religious and nationalist fanatics, because differentiation and precision are what they reject most. This book is for all those who seek convincing arguments and food for thought in order to defend a humanistic attitude and an open society. This book is one of my all-time favorites. Ms. Emcke is able to put complex structures into simple words and explain the development of hate in all its forms through a compassionate lens. It is only focussing on Nationalist and Fundamentalists in Germany but rather explains the origins from an international perspective. Therefore, this book is important to read no matter your nationality.
The book is available in English under the title "Against Hate." If you are at a B2 level or higher you might want to read it in German. For all others, I recommend the English translation.
If you would like to participate in the Book Club post the answers to the questions (and all other comments) in the comments and hopefully we will have a fruitful discussion.
Questions:
Did you like the book and why did you like it or didn't like it?
Do you think you recognized something specific "German"?
Before reading this essay were you aware of the racist attacks against refugees in Germany or came that as a surprise?
Do you agree with Ms. Emcke that religious fanatism, racism, transphobia, and nationalism (and all the other "isms" for that matter are symptoms of the same disease? Why?
How did you feel about her "Praise of the impure?" Was that a surprising approach for you?
As an American: Was her view of the murder of Eric Garner surprising?
In your opinion, what should we do to counter hate in our societies? Must solutions always be regional or should we use an international approach?
When Ms. Emcke talks about worries she writes on page 38 :
"Die Sorge erlebt zur Zeit eine erstaunliche Aufwertung. In der Sorge, so die rhetorische Suggestion, artikuliere sich ein berechtigtes Unbehagen, ein Affekt, der politisch ernst genommen und keinesfalls kritisiert werden sollte. Als seien ungefilterte Gefühle per se berechtigt. Als kämen unreflektierten Gefühlen eine ganz eigene Legitimität zu. Als müssen Gefühle nicht nur empfunden, sondern unbedingt auch ungehemmt in der Öffentlichkeit ausgestellt und geäußert werden"" "The concern is currently experiencing an amazing revaluation. The rhetorical suggestion is that concern is an expression of justified unease, an emotion that should be taken seriously politically and not criticized under any circumstances. As if unfiltered feelings per se were justified. As if unreflected feelings had their own legitimacy. As if feelings not only have to be felt, but also have to be exhibited and expressed uninhibitedly in public."
For me, this is one of the most memorable quotes. What is yours?
9. Was there anything about the essay or writing that stood out to you?
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