EMMA is a German feminist magazine. Its print edition is published every two months in Cologne, Germany.

EMMA
September 1998 cover: Romy Schneider, Alice Schwarzer
Editor-in-ChiefAlice Schwarzer
CategoriesWomen's magazine
FrequencySix times per year
First issue26 January 1977; 47 years ago (1977-01-26)
CountryGermany
Based inCologne
LanguageGerman
Websitewww.emma.de
ISSN0721-9741

History and profile

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The first issue of EMMA was published on 26 January 1977.[1][2] The founder of the magazine was Alice Schwarzer,[1] who is still publisher and editor-in-chief. The magazine was modelled on the American magazine Ms. in terms of content, targeted audience and layout.[3] It has its headquarters in Cologne.[4] In December 2002, the EMMA website was launched.

The name of the magazine is a wordplay of the term emancipation (German: Emanzipation).[2]

Since its foundation, EMMA has been the leading feminist magazine in Germany, and the only political magazine in Europe entirely run by women.[4]

The magazine has often been criticised for its opinionated and activist stance. However, it has affected German society, creating awareness for and instigating debates on social and women's issues.[5]

Until 2010 the magazine was published every two months.[2] It began to come out quarterly in 2010, but in 2013 it again began to be published every two months.[2]

The estimated circulation of the magazine was 60,000 copies in 2012.[2]

Open letter on German position on Russian invasion of Ukraine

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Alice Schwarzer published an open letter to Chancellor Olaf Scholz in her magazine Emma at the end of April 2022.[6] In it, she and 27 others from the culture and media industry warned of a further escalation of the Ukraine war. They called on Chancellor Scholz not to supply offensive weapons to Ukraine and to do everything he could to end the war. A victory for Ukraine is unlikely, and the military situation must be accepted in order to prevent further deaths, the authors wrote.[7] They wrote: "A Russian counter-attack could then trigger the case for assistance under the NATO treaty and thus the immediate danger of a world war."[8]

Some of the first signers were actor Lars Eidinger, singer-songwriter Reinhard Mey, controversial comedian Dieter Nuhr, satirical cabaret artist Gerhard Polt, former politician Antje Vollmer (A90/Greens), writer Martin Walser, social scientist Harald Welzer, TV-scientist Ranga Yogeshwar, and writer Juli Zeh.[9]

The open letter amplified a public debate about the position of the German government on the war. The letter attracted a lot of opposition. Political scientist Thomas Jaeger said Schwarzer was factually incorrect. It is covered under international law that a defending state can also support itself with weapons. No distinction is made between defensive and offensive weapons. Also, the Russian president's interpretation can turn anything into a reason for war. Putin's actions are arbitrary.[10]

The journalist Antje Hildebrandt accused the letter signers of selfishness. She compared their demands to people in a burning house who are left on their own because the owner could report this as trespassing.[11]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Catherine C. Fraser; Dierk O. Hoffmann (1 January 2006). Pop Culture Germany!: Media, Arts, and Lifestyle. ABC-CLIO. p. 201. ISBN 978-1-85109-733-3.
  2. ^ a b c d e Kristina Wydra. "For women, by women – Alice Schwarzer and the feminist magazine EMMA". Alumni Portal. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  3. ^ Patricia Melzer (2009). "'Death in the Shape of a Young Girl': Feminist Responses to Media Representations of Women Terrorists during the 'German Autumn' of 1977". International Feminist Journal of Politics. 11 (1): 35–62. doi:10.1080/14616740802567782.
  4. ^ a b Hanifa Deen (1 January 2006). The Crescent and the Pen: The Strange Journey of Taslima Nasreen. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 186. ISBN 978-0-275-99167-8.
  5. ^ "Happy Birthday, Emma: German Feminist Magazine Turns 30", Deutsche Welle, 25 January 2007. Retrieved 22 June 2010.
  6. ^ Oltermann, Philip (6 May 2022). "German thinkers' war of words over Ukraine exposes generational divide". The Guardian. London, United Kingdom. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  7. ^ tagesschau.de. "Schwarzer verteidigt offenen Brief an Scholz". tagesschau.de (in German). Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  8. ^ "Brief an Olaf Scholz - Dieter Nuhr, Alice Schwarzer & Co. warnen vor drittem Weltkrieg". www.fr.de (in German). Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  9. ^ Schmitz, David (1 May 2022). "„Zynismus pur": 100.000 unterzeichnen Brief an Scholz – viel Kritik an Promi-Aktion". Kölnische Rundschau (in German). Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  10. ^ deutschlandfunk.de. "Offener Brief an Bundeskanzler Scholz - Politikwissenschaftler: "Eine schlicht unzureichende Analyse der Lage im Krieg"". Deutschlandfunk (in German). Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  11. ^ "Empörung über offenen Brief an Scholz - Warnung vor dem 3. Weltkrieg". euronews (in German). 29 April 2022. Retrieved 4 May 2022.

Literature

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  • Alice Schwarzer: Emma. Die ersten 30 Jahre. München 2007: Kollektion Rolf Heyne. (in German)
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