Sarhan Dhouib, editor: "Sprache und Diktatur. Formen des Sprechens, Modi des Schweigens."

Abstract

#13–2019 Book Reviewed. Velbrück Wissenschaft, 2018. ISBN 9783958320826 The book “Sprache und Diktatur – Formen des Sprechens, Modi des Schweigens“ („Language and Dictatorship – Forms of Speaking, Modes of Silence”), edited by Sarhan Dhouib, is the first volume in a series of publications entitled “Experiences of Injustice from a Transcultural Perspective”. As an Arab-German collaboration, the series takes an intercultural and interdisciplinary approach and focuses on the function and meaning of language in the context of authoritarian systems of rule, specifically the two German dictatorships of the 20th century and the postcolonial authoritarian systems in the Arab world. The fact that the volume as a whole appears as a coherent compilation of research can be attributed to the project’s own understanding of transculturality, which it defines as the result of intercultural work stemming from an open and patient dialogue among different theories and academic actors (10). In the light of the recent transformations in the course of the Arab Spring, it is one aim of this dialogue to explore the possibility of drawing on experiences and methodological and thematic approaches established for coming to terms with past experiences of injustice in the German context when dealing with such experiences in the Arab states (9). The editor considers the critical engagement with authoritarian structures a prerequisite for the establishment of democratic institutions and social systems (9). The 18 chapters of this volume are arranged in three segments that approach the use of language in a dictatorship from different perspectives: the first part lays out methods of language regulation employed by dictatorial regimes, the second part deals with counter-discourse and subversion, and the third part considers the role of language in the context of public protest. While a preface by the editor lays out the general aims and thoughts guiding the book, each segment also begins with an introduction summarizing its central ideas. With regard to the structure and length of the book, a general conclusion might have been sensible; instead, the volume ends with a transitional commentary linking the volume at hand to the next volume of the series, which is entitled “Experiences of Injustice from a Transcultural Perspective”. Though the focus of the following volume is on injustice and memory, the last chapter shows the proximity between the two subject areas by drawing attention to the ways in which art can accompany the critical reflection of experiences of injustice (13). In the first chapter, Bettina Bock outlines what could be described as an underlying theoretical framework, which is taken up and applied in several of the following REVIEW 96