| EMMA | |
| Editor: | Alice Schwarzer |
| Editor Title: | Editor-in-Chief |
| Frequency: | Six times per year |
| Country: | Germany |
| Based: | Cologne |
| Language: | German |
| Website: | www.emma.de |
| Issn: | 0721-9741 |
EMMA is a German feminist magazine. Its print edition is published every two months in Cologne, Germany.
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. In December 2002, the EMMA website was launched.
The name of the magazine is a wordplay of the term emancipation .
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]
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]