What is Bastard?

is an ARKZIN-joined-i.e. visiting and occasional-supplementfor theory, art, literature and cultural criticism. Its Mother-Nation wasgiven the first issue of Bastard at the end of December 1994 as aCHR NOSHADEistmas present. The last issue of Bastard could be the very nextand every next one. Bastard exists as long as it is possible to existas a bastard of one's own Nation. Bastard itself - or to put it moreprecisely, the self -allowed connection between the fatherless childrenof philosophical theories and cultural criticisms and the idea of a still-possibleand non-obsolete critical thinking - aims at a moment of truth and cognitionof one's own. Hence, it stands for a moment of history in its political,social, and cultural environment. The very name Bastard stems fromthe concept of impurity of the race - a counterpoint to all cult-based families(races, classes, nations), performing rituals in front of their home-madealtar-pieces.


As a counterpoint, Bastard stands for an idealism of "usingreason publicly". But it also stands for a realism which says thatone cannot prevent Nature from doing its work. Hence Bastard feelscommitted to the consequences of being a raceless species. Furthermore,Bastard is not pre-elected or given a high cultural racial heritage.Instead, it legitimates itself over and over again and forces others todo the same. Now the Culture-Bastard is about to disperse and realize itself.The only difficulties it encounters concerns questions about authenticities.For what it always has to represent is the paradoxical mixture of Enlightenmentand Criticism on Modernity. And its very concern - the criticism of culture,theory, art and literature - aims both at the analysis of individual eventsin the field of culture and at their deconstruction based upon heterogeneoustheories of ideologies.


2 be an intellectual means:

2 stand for public interests;

2 expose violation of human rights and supressed truth;

2 believe in public opinion sensitive 2 rational argumentation;

2 support sistematically the culture of contradictions;

2 be open towards the phenomena of mass culture.

That means 2 constantly question the privileged position of an intellectualand 2 take responsibility 4 a democratic development of the society.

There is no way by which all of these traits can be inherited fromthe Croatian cultural and political tradition. So, 2 B an intellectual inCroatia today means 2 B illegitimate child of Croatian tradition and thepresent Croatian circumstances which are dominated by fear of using one'sown reason!

Therefore, 2 B an intellectual in Croatia today means 2 B an outcast, 2 B the


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