Elizabeth Bronfen
'Culture is a valuable antidote to the supreme rule of materialism.'
Culture in the age of global challenge
Elisabeth Bronfen’s life spans two continents. At the University of Zurich she is Professor of English and American Studies. Her own family background and her own studies combine Western Europe and the United States. In her work she deals with culture in a very broad sense, combining various cultural expressions like literature, cinema and music. Her special emphasis and interest lies with gender studies, a subject that fascinates her, in particular, how it is dealt with in literature and other cultural media, especially film. In conversation, as in her writings, Bronfen impresses with her confidence in the role of women in
society and culture at the beginning of the 21st century. One cannot but agree with her when she maintains that the marginal position occupied by women may be their true ethical strength. Bearing in mind the austere and conservative values that have shaped and at times oppressed Zurich, the city of Zwingli, it may not be a bad thing to have someone who has a critical, both intellectually and culturally wide-ranging approach to gender issues at its university.
The interview was conducted by Urs Schoettli of the Neue Zürcher Zeitung.
The pictures were taken by Isolde Ohlbaum.
USCH: We live in a world where – under the guise of globalisation – materialism seems to rule supreme. The mega deals made by the captains of industry and banking are becoming ever bigger, reaching dimensions that are beyond the imagination of ordinary people, who feel that they are nothing but powerless bystanders or even victims of this new age. What role is there for culture?
EB: The all-pervasive importance of culture – art, literature and music, both high and low culture – is a valuable antidote to the supreme rule of materialism. It has always been so. Already in the early history of capitalism, particularly in bourgeois culture, there was a correlation between moral good and prosperity. There have always been inherent checks and balances, notably manifest in the bourgeois concept of doing good with one’s money. It was deemed appropriate that, not least in the field of art, the wealthy and prosperous should do good deeds. Social and cultural reform movements strengthened this spirit. Later on, literature and cultural life in general furthered the discussion about the moral values of materialism. Out of the capitalist value system emerged the concept of charity.
USCH: Can we learn from history?
EB: It is essential to look back when dealing with the new challenges that our societies face in the age of economic globalisation. For some time our societies have been under pressure to refocus everything along the criterion of economic efficiency. In the interest of a healthy balance, schools, universities, religion and the arts can and must resist the prevailing norm that the most important thing is to work and make a profit. Hence, pockets of culture that are not rewarding in a monetary sense may have an important impact. One can think of small publishing houses or independent filmmakers. While the big players are all subject to the principle of economic viability, the smaller entities provide the explanation why economics is not the all-decisive motive for culture.
USCH: Crass materialism on the one hand and a renewed obscurantism on the other. Apart from the IT section in bookstores, the shelves labelled ‘esoteric’ are the fastest growing section. Many people are turning to exotic cultures and religions in an attempt to invest their lives with new meaning. Out in the wider world religious fanatics are trying to bomb us back into the Stone Age. What role is there for culture?
EB: Let’s glance back to the 18th century, to the Age of Enlightenment. There was certainly much wrong with enlightenment too, but it is still the best thing we have. There was a happy-unhappy balance between the emotional and the rational.
USCH: Was it different from today?
EB: Yes, in today’s world I get rather nervous when certain forms of obscurantism take over. There is nothing wrong with turning to other cultures, to other religions, if you study them seriously. However, many who venture into new fields, rather than patiently working on them, want quick results. Many look for the thrill of exoticism, many simply follow a new fashion. The danger is that under the guise of a new obscurantism, everything that the Renaissance and the Age of Enlightenment fought against is coming back. Take for example the conspiracy theories that are spreading across the globe, from 9/11 to Dan Brown’s book The Da Vinci Code.
USCH: The bestseller of the year!
EB: Why has this book been such a success? In a world of ever-increasing complexity I think people want a reduction of complexity. We must be aware of this need and of this danger. It is a major task of our times that people be prepared, be educated to cope with increasing complexity. However, particularly in the most influential medium, television, we witness a strong tendency towards escapism, for example in ‘reality TV’ or in the endless chat shows, where infotainment and a vain celebrity cult have replaced serious debate. There is an increasing tendency to avoid commitment and to remain vague. The result is a world where everything goes, where neither strong guidelines nor distinct sets of values are available. Hence a general insecurity, hence the reluctance to deal with complex issues.
USCH: The gap between rich and poor not only between the developing and the developed world, but also within many industrialised societies continues to grow. Long-term unemployment, severe demographic imbalances and new ghettos of poverty and marginalisation threaten social peace in the most advanced Western democracies. What role is there for culture?
EB: The main problem is that we have made people redundant in the name of new economic theories. In a culture where only work defines you as a person, how do you position yourself when you are redundant? The second defining quality of our time is that you have to consume, that you must be able to buy things. We have to find our way into a culture that also has a code, a value system for people who do not have work or a career although they would like to. We also must find a value system for those who do not or cannot define themselves through consumption. We have to educate the Western industrialised societies so that they are able to recognise that people, even if they don’t work, have a right to values and to be valued. Equally, buying things, being able to consume is not the only thing that should define human beings. Furthermore, people have to understand the implications and the mechanisms of globalisation.
USCH: How does that affect our daily lives?
EB: We have to realise that by always buying the cheapest, we undermine the economic basis of our own society. To work more for less money is not the solution. It cannot be the solution since it is the lack of work, caused among other reasons by the shift of production to lower cost countries in Asia and elsewhere, that is the most important structural cause of the persistent unemployment that plagues many European countries. In this context it may be sensible to recall the extended families as well as the bourgeois values of the 18th and 19th centuries. Siblings and servants were maintained without recourse to strict principles of efficiency and profitability. Certainly, there is no way we can or should go back to the past, but there are certainly areas where we have to rethink our priorities. One thing is clear: the solution cannot lie with the idea that the state should take total care of you. This is neither economically feasible nor is it really desirable. We have to rethink how people can function with each other and take care of each other.
USCH: Global warming and the continuing over-exploitation of scarce raw materials and energy resources are threatening peace and stability in many parts of the world. Profound changes in our way of life and our modes of production and consumption are required if the development of modern civilisation is to become sustainable. What role is there for culture?
EB: The answer to this challenge lies with a new modesty. The subject of balancing between different aspirations, between different interests is a central theme in 19th century literature. George Elliott’s Middlemarch comes to mind as one of the most significant examples. It is not just about the conservative approach of finding the right measure for people. The concept of modesty means that there is a value in what you do, even if you do not reach the apex, be it in your professional or your private life. To negotiate the problem of failure is also part of the American Dream.
USCH: I never looked at the American Dream in that light.
EB: The American Dream is bound to fail if you do not negotiate your aspirations with the means that are available to you. In the world of the 18th and 19th centuries, peoples’ right to self-definition was of growing importance. This development was opposed to the extremely rigid social systems that had existed in the Middle Ages and beyond, before the Age of Enlightenment. There are those who see the emancipation of modern women and men as the main reason for the ensuing destruction of the environment and the rapacious plunder of the world’s scarce resources. Some claim that before the Age of Enlightenment and the subsequent liberation of the forces that made industrialisation possible, man lived in a certain harmony with nature. To refute that and correct the excesses that have, and continue to take place, we have to reconsider the concept of modesty.
USCH: What do you mean by a new modesty?
'Switzerland lets you be what you want to be.'
EB: Modesty plays a key role in the very difficult balance between the right to self-definition and the opportunity of self-realisation. Not that everyone must always stay in his place, but, equally, we cannot expect to do everything we want. This requires a process of constant renegotiation between what is possible, what is achievable and what is desirable from the standpoint of both the individual and the larger unit. Within the context of environmental challenges, modesty implies the recognition that complete freedom without any awareness of the consequences of one’s actions is not possible. It is up to the individual to lead a life which is in itself consistent in terms of its social as well as environmental implications. Flying to Tenerife should not be the ultimate dream when you could just as well enjoy your holiday in nearby Appenzell. In this challenge to redefine or promote modesty in our times, culture has a definite role to play. However, the key actors with the biggest influence are the advertising industry, the media and the politicians. They have to spread the message of a need for balance and modesty in individual aspirations. If they fail in this task, people will fall for all kinds of escapism, just in order to overcome their frustration. There is life even if you have failed to realise your very own American Dream. This you may learn through the values of modesty and self-restraint. But there is also the need for the larger community to maintain and provide alternatives in lifestyles and achievements, which are both ecologically and socially sustainable.
USCH: Developments in today’s world are stormy and fast moving. Both new powers and new dangers are emerging. Long-cherished beliefs and customs are in danger of losing relevance if they haven’t already lost it. For an ever-growing part of the population, the way of life they have been used to is rapidly changing. Is academia a welcome refuge from all that?
EB: University offers you time. We don’t have to produce within a short time. Our work is not bound by the terror of the clock or by newsworthiness. We certainly have to deal with the contemporaneous. We do not work or live in an ivory tower, but we are definitely outside the everyday pressures that are the hallmark of the media, of the journalist profession. However, the time when you could just be a teacher belongs to the past. There is clearly a growing emphasis on publishing. People expect you to have a long list of published papers, articles and books. This is time consuming but it is also a useful part of academic discourse, part of our job.
USCH: Are you complaining?
EB: No, it would be wrong to complain. The flip side might be that one would be forced to do more teaching. In terms of teaching obligations, we are privileged. We have the time to think things through. Some politicians attack all this as too academic, as too esoteric and irrelevant for society as a whole. However, this is exactly what academia should be about. It is our duty to be complex, to assess and investigate the complexity of our respective subjects. One other important privilege academia has, compared with, say, the media, is that we can test ourselves before we publish. We can test our thoughts and deliberations in class before going out to a wider public. This is the very specific freedom of academia.
USCH: War in Iraq, terror in the Middle East, natural disasters in Asia, poverty and disease in Africa – Switzerland as a paradise for the lucky few, as a privileged island in a sea of misery?
EB: Today, Switzerland is much more colourful, more diverse than it was fifteen years ago. On the one hand, the country is strangely isolated in Europe by not being a member of the European Union. On the other, Switzerland has incredibly good connections with many other cosmopolitan places. For its size Switzerland has many sectors that can pride themselves on a considerable international presence, something that many Swiss people don’t seem to notice. It often needs a foreigner to make them aware of this complexity. It may be useful to compare the cosmopolitan character of Switzerland with other European countries of a similar size, for example Denmark. Such a comparison makes one immediately aware of the significant differences that exist. It seems that the Swiss are always nervous about being Swiss. Often they show a greater openness of heart to others, to foreigners, than amongst themselves. There is a particular element of distance and perspective in Swiss society. The place lets you be what you want to be. You can live in Switzerland and choose to be on your own with impunity. In Germany or in the United States there is much more emphasis on integration, on being part of the host country. On the other hand, in my social life my main contacts are with Swiss people, I know very few Germans outside the university.
The interview was conducted in English.
Elisabeth Bronfen was born in Germany. She is an American citizen. On her father’s side she is a descendant of second generation German immigrants to America. She did her first academic degree at Harvard University and her PhD at the University of Munich. Since 1993 she has been professor of English and American studies at the University of Zurich. She is a well-known specialist of 19th and 20th century literature and has published extensively. One of her most remarkable books is entitled Over Her Dead Body. Death, Feminity and the Aesthetic. Looking through her list of publications one is struck by the breadth of her interest. Her publications include a monograph on Sylvia Plath in the ‘Writers and their Work’ series, a collection of essays on gender studies entitled Feminist Consequences. Theory for a New Century and other works published in German only, including a treatise on celebrity culture Die Diva. Geschichte einer Bewunderung, an essay Eurydikes starke Schwestern. Gedanken zur Krise der Männlichkeit im Hollywood Kino der 90er Jahre in which she skilfully takes issue with Woody Allen and Michel Houellebecq, as well as a collection of essays Liebestod und Femme Fatale. Der Austausch sozialer Energien zwischen Oper, Literatur und Film.