To
belong or not to belong? The answer to this question is not necessarily provided by the person asking it, but rather it is
usually others who draw, consolidate and shift the boundaries of belonging. The fact that the question of who belongs and
who does not has more than just sentimental value is evident in the successful political mobilisation of belonging: political
parties use the rhetoric of belonging to include or exclude individual groups.
How this mobilisation of belonging
works, where the overlaps with the everyday culture of the voters can be found, was the subject of the research project "Living Rooms: The Art of Mobilizing Belonging(s)" (2010-2012),
which was conducted in living rooms in Viennese municipality buildings from a social and cultural studies, historical and
artistic perspective. The contributions of the participating scientists and artists are joined by renowned guest authors.
In
addition to the interdisciplinary approach, the volume is based on a well-founded theoretical and conceptual examination of
belonging as well as artistic and empirical results on the mobilisation potential on both the everyday and political level.
With
contributions by Florian Bettel, Eve Blau, Simonetta Ferfoglia, Heidrun Holzfeind, Ed Moschitz, Julia Mourão Permoser, Heinrich
Pichler, Aleksandra Ptaszyńska, Christoph Reinprecht, Julia Rosenberger, Sieglinde Rosenberger, Franz Schuh, Ernst Strouhal.
Florian Bettel, Department of Cultural Studies, Institute of Art Studies, Art Education and Art Mediation,
University of Applied Arts Vienna
Julia Mourão Permoser, Institute of Political Science, University of Vienna
Sieglinde Rosenberger, Institute of Political Science, University of Vienna
The volume has been awarded
four (inter)national prizes:
- German
Design Award 2015: "Excellent Communications Design"
- European
Design Awards 2014: Gold in the category "Book Layout"
- Joseph
Binder Award 2014: Gold in the category "Editorial Design"
- Die
schönsten Bücher Österreichs 2013
