The article discusses the proposed enlargement of the European Union by the inclusion of the five Central European Countries, Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Estonia and Slovenia in terms of their history. In the past, they have been part of the West at times, but their recent economic history has not been encouraging. What will their prospects be when joining the European Union?

The discussion on the relationship of democracy and development has only become meaningful after being freed from a purely dogmatic approach. International law, in particular international human rights instruments, commit States' Parties to establish and sustain a government based upon democratic elections and which is politically accountable. Development requires a policy towards achieving conditions where human beings can enjoy freedom from want and fear. Both policies, on democratization and development, are meant to achieve conditions in which human dignity is fully respected and they are therefore mutually reinforcing.

This article illustrates some of the challenges faced in trying to do research on little-known languages, particularly tribal languages. It refutes the widespread stereotype that tribal people share a ‘primitive’ language type. Functional bilingualism or even multilingualism is a natural feature of tribal communities. The question may be raised whether mastery of alternative languages promotes language death. A comparison is made with ‘small’ languages in contemporary Europe.

Emile Zola (1840–1902) was one of the best known novelists of his time. In his work he gives a vivid description of French social and political life during the second Empire (1852–1870) and, in particular, of Paris. In this paper the author analyses the topography of the Paris of Emile Zola as described in one of his famous novels.

In the first years after World War I there was a strong reaction against science and technology in Germany that was backed by the Lebensphilosophie and Anthroposophie movements. This sudden change in public opinion was not the result of new concepts and convictions that did not exist before; rather, the spectrum of opinions in the Weimar Republic continued those of the Wilhelminian period. However, the strength of critical voices was increased substantially as a result of the defeat in the war and its consequences. It may be that the enfranchisement of women in Germany in 1918 at least indirectly influenced the substantial shift in opinion after 1918. The continuity of a critical attitude towards science and technology from 1870 to 1933 seems deeply rooted in the German educational system and among the leaders of society, stemming from the so-called Bildungsbürgertum.

Science is not taken for granted any longer. Society, politics and the media frequently pose critical questions tending to censorship or at least control of science. How does science react? On the one hand it cannot exist and develop without freedom: on the other hand this does not mean freedom to amass knowledge at any price and without restrictions. Thus, the scientist must balance freedom and ethical and social responsibility. This paper will reflect on the question of the limitations of science; who should control what and on which criteria

The science system of Western civilization is facing irreversible transformations. These transformations will affect the relationship between the public image of science and the actual practice within the sciences. In a situation in which scientists are increasingly asked ‘what have you lately done for us’, the alleged purity and objectivity of the sciences have to be reconsidered and we have to rethink the place of people in the knowledge produced by the sciences. Bringing together insights from social and historical studies of science, this article argues for the awareness of a more local, historically and socially contingent knowledge production, which – due to this local embeddedness – can lead to a socially more robust science.

Ten non-violent revolutions are considered, characteristic for the second half of the 20th century, that profoundly changed our world and our perception of it. Perhaps the most important of those, the demographic revolution, resulted in unprecedented changes both in population size and structure. An attempt is made to analyse the ‘big perhaps’, some of the incompletely comprehended economical, medical, social, ethical and political consequences of present and projected demographic changes.

Developments in biology have raised important questions concerning the ethical basis on which these developments can be applied to human life and to the ecology of the world. This article explores these questions.

The so-called New Biology has given us revolutionary insights into the nature of life and created an upsurge of popular interest in biology. However, it has also fostered an impression of ‘genetic determinism’ which been eagerly put to use in political ideology.

In the course of European integration, many transnational institutions representing national universities, research organizations and industrial research have been established over the last decades. The purpose of this article is to give an empirical account of the role of transnational organizations in European science policy.