David Imhoof Bücher

Exploring the cultural dominance of the West, this book delves into the historical influence of Europe and the USA over global trends. It examines the reasons behind the widespread use of English, the popularity of hip-hop, and the allure of luxury brands like Mercedes. By analyzing these phenomena, the author sheds light on the intricate dynamics of power, culture, and globalization that have shaped modern society and continue to impact the world today.

For two centuries, Gesamtkunstwerk-the ideal of the "total work of art"-has exerted a powerful influence over artistic discourse and practice, spurring new forms of collaboration and provoking debates over the political instrumentalization of art. Despite its popular conflation with the work of Richard Wagner, Gesamtkunstwerk's lineage and legacies extend well beyond German Romanticism, as this wide-ranging collection demonstrates. In eleven compact chapters, scholars from a variety of disciplines trace the idea's evolution in German-speaking Europe, from its foundations in the early nineteenth century to its manifold articulations and reimaginings in the twentieth century and beyond, providing an uncommonly broad perspective on a distinctly modern cultural form.

Local cultural activities played a key role in altering Germany’s political landscape between the world wars