Press Release: 'Kekekalan Laten Fasisme', the Essay by Philosopher Rob Riemen

Front cover of 'Kekekalan Laten Fasisme'.

KEKEKALAN LATEN FASISME

Original title: De eeuwige terugkeer van het fascisme
Author: Rob Riemen
Price: IDR 55,000
Softcover: 64pp
ISBN: 978-979-15417-8-7

 

 

Rob Riemen: European Civilization in Crisis

Tangerang Selatan – November 11, 2015 – The latest to come out from Pionir Books, a publishing house located in the suburbs of Jakarta, Indonesia, is Kekekalan Laten Fasisme (KLF), an Indonesian translation of an essay penned by Dutch philosopher Rob Riemen. The book, titled originally De eeuwige terugkeer van het fascisme, is available at select online outlets.

KLF addresses the return of fascistic sentiments in the Netherlands and in Europe as a whole. In the Netherlands this is notably spearheaded by far-right politician Geert Wilders and his Party for Freedom movement, which Riemen in his book calls the prototypes of contemporary fascism. Fascism, according to Riemen, arises when objective or universal values are replaced by subjective or personal values to consequently produce a mass-society.

This will then give way to nihilism as spiritual values gradually give way to a kitsch culture that permeates this mass-society which, if confronted with a crisis and injected with a good dose of nationalism, will result in fascism. Fascism, in short, is the politicization of a mass-society.

According to Riemen, because of this loss of universal values, the European civilization is presently undergoing a crisis, now more apparent than ever by the way European countries, including the Netherlands, are handling the migrant crisis. While migrants and refugees are arriving in Europe – fleeing conflict, political and economic instability, human rights violations and poverty – politicians like Geert Wilders are calling for halting the 'Islamic invasion'.

Although the author is talking from a European point of view, it would be interesting to know whether Indonesia is a kitsch culture and, if so, whether it is prone to politicization.

Riemen concludes his book by providing the solution to overcoming fascism: Rediscover our love for life and devote ourselves to what truly gives life – truth, goodness, beauty, friendship, justice, compassion, wisdom. In short, his solution is to give universal values a chance.

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For further information, please contact:
(Mr) Laurens Sipahelut
info [et] pionirbooks [dot] co [dot] id
Tel.: +62-21-74863255
Fax: +62-21-74868267