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
