Poetics of the Neighbour: Narrative, Ethics, and Vicinity

The Lisbon Treaty, signed by 27 EU Member States in 2009, commits the EU to the development of a special relationship with neighbouring countries [] and good neighbourliness. This rather open para- graph includes the objective to improve our understanding of the structural changes taking place in Eu- ropean society. And indeed, debates in Europe around what connects and what divides neighbours both in terms of individuals, of groups, and along cross-cultural boundaries have been undergoing a striking change over the last thirty years. In a period characterized by globalisation, increasing social and geographical mobility, an ongoing refugee crisis, as well as the alarming re-building of borders all over Europe, the question of just what constitutes our imaginations about our neighbours and about alternative ways of living together peacefully is more topical than ever. But how are we expected to implement such practices of good neighbourliness, and what kinds of stories do we read and tell about the boon and bane of being neighbours? This opens up the epistemological dimension of my inquiry which, by a close reading of exemplary German-language and Austrian literary texts, challenges the cultural construction of what it means to be neighbours by presenting us with conflicting versions of vicinity and neighbourliness. The results in the forms of conference papers, the launch of an internet platform featuring podcasts with Austrian intellectuals, and the completion of two-thirds of a book- length manuscript, provisionally entitled Poetics of the Neighbour: Narrative, Ethics, and Vicinity seek to both challenge and complement previous work in the field of Austrian literary studies. Given the fact that there is little pre-existing terminology for much of what will be discussed in my book, the methodological framework takes an explicitly multidisciplinary approach which combines more tradi- tional methods from poetics and classical rhetoric with critical approaches from fields like psychoanaly- sis (Anzieus concept of skin memory), traumatology (Caruths meditations on the neighbours pain), and jurisprudence (Rösslers investigations in the right to privacy), all of which are brought to bear on analyses of contemporary literary texts by Marlene Streeruwitz, Herta Müller, Terézia Mora, Sabine Gruber, Peter Handke, and Valerie Fritsch. By reconsidering various notions of being neighbours this, as Georg Simmel puts it, particular structure composed of distance and nearness, indifference and involvement the study throws new light on a series of highly significant global issues, offering an innovative and original rethinking of the cultural construction of just what it means to be neighbours.

The research project, conducted at the German Department of the University of Vienna, has provided compelling insights into the complex dynamics of the concept of "neighbor". Through a meticulous examination of a wide range of contemporary literary case studies from Northern European literature as well as from German, English, French and Georgian literature, the project successfully challenges conventional notions of proximity and neighbour-love. By adopting a transdisciplinary methodology that synthesizes perspectives from fields such as psychoanalysis, traumatology, and jurisprudence, the project has shed light on the complex interplay between spatial proximity and ethical responsibility inherent in the notion of neighborly love. The analysis of various literary narratives has effectively unraveled conflicting versions of the idea of "neighbor", prompting a re-evaluation of the fundamental Christian love imperative in the context of contemporary challenges. The research findings not only contribute to a deeper understanding of the multifaceted nature of interpersonal human relations, but also offer valuable insights into the broader societal implications of the concept of neighbor-love.