Heritage and separatism in Barcelona: the case of El Born Cultural Centre

This paper explores the ways in which heritage sites at the crux of neighbourhood renewal and redevelopment initiatives in Barcelona have been manipulated to advance Catalan separatist agendas. We focus specifically on El Born Cultural Centre which was officially opened in September 2013 amid heightened calls for Catalan independence from Spain. A former market site, the centre’s key attraction is its archaeology which has been re-imagined and presented to communicate the horrors of war inflicted on the citizens of Barcelona following the War of Succession in 1714. Narratives that emphasise the historical degradation of Catalan political or cultural identity and/or work to reaffirm the distinct and separate nature of Catalan nationalism resonated strongly with the political reawakening of Catalonians in the run up to the 2014 November referendum on independence. The referendum which was subsequently deemed illegal by the Spanish government, and subsequent regional elections were held in 2015. In considering the negotiation of El Born during this drive for independence, this paper suggests that an examination of heritage sites and the ways in which they engage with, or are received by multiple stakeholders, can offer insights into the complexity of separatist campaigns in ethno-nationalist societies.     

‘The Bombay Debt’: Letter Writing,Domestic Economies and Family Conflict in Colonial India

Between 1856 and 1861 Minnie Blane and her husband, Captain Archibald Wood, wrote dozens of letters from India to the Minnie's mother in England. These letters and those associated with a military investigation into the couple's relationship in the 1860s detail the connections between the breakdown of the East India Company's rule in India and Minnie Blane's marriage. In particular, this correspondence shows some of the ways in which bourgeois identities were constructed in relationship to money and objects, place and race. It also exposes the fissures between family members, allowing us to see the gender, generational and cultural conflicts within such imperial families. The article raises concerns about the ways in which personal letters have been used as documents in the study of European women's imperial history.     

Physik und Politik in der frühen Bundesrepublik Deutschland. Max Born,Werner Heisenberg und Pascual Jordan als politische Grenzgänger

Physics and Politics in the Early Federal Republic of Germany. Max Born, Werner Heisenberg and Pascual Jordan between Scientific and Political Discourse. – Contrasting the historiography of two major developments in 20th century German history, the creation of quantum mechanics in 1925 and the dispute on the nuclear armament of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1957, the question is raised to which extent the scientific culture was able to bridge political disagreement within the German physicists' community. A twofold story of the private and public exchange between Max Born, Werner Heisenberg and Pascual Jordan among others on the scientists' position to nuclear armament on the one hand and the writing of the history of quantum mechanics on the other hand displays different types of relating scientific work and moral responsibility. Neither politics nor science went on unaltered after the disputes between physics and politics in the early Federal Republic of Germany.     

信访工作在建国初期社会建设中的作用

建国后人民群众通过来信来访的方式向党和政府反映大量的社会问题,主要集中在失业问题、干部的官僚主义和违法乱纪问题以及三农问题。信访工作在建国初期对于化解各种社会矛盾和推动社会建设起了重要作用。     

Ettore Majorana (1906—1938): Eine Bestandsaufnahme 64 Jahre nach seinem Verschwinden

Ettore Majorana probably belongs to the most mysterious and most fascinating personalities of the recent physics history. Majoranas work shows also nowadays more than 60 years after its appearance an amazingly fresh reference to present physics problems. A short representation of Ettore Majoranas life and scientific work will be given in this article.     

Yoshikatsu Sugiura's Contribution to the Development of Quantum Physics in Japan

Previous research in the history of physics has led us to believe that Yoshio Nishina (1890–1951) virtually single‐handedly imported quantum physics into Japan. However, there are first‐hand accounts that Yoshikatsu Sugiura (1895–1960) also played an important role. Sugiura made his name in quantum chemistry with his contribution to the Heitler‐London theory of the chemical bond. Yet, historians of physics have paid scant attention to him. This paper brings forward information on Sugiura from his letters, his scientific papers, and his own recollections until ca. 1930. By examining this material, the present paper studies Sugiura's accomplishments in Europe and his contributions to the development of quantum physics in Japan. We conclude that Sugiura was one of the most important physicists when it comes to the arrival of quantum physics in Japan. In addition, we assess why he has been under‐appreciated in the history of physics in Japan. Our historical study on Sugiura suggests that, in addition to the position Nishina and his students rightfully occupy, there still are important unexplored aspects in the history of Japanese quantum physics.     

The persistence of family: a study of a nineteenth-century Canadian family and their correspondence

Beginning in the 1850s, the struggling farming family of Elijah Dunham (1810-1893) and Anna Maria Briggs (1813-1899) ceased to function as a single economic and social unit. The children left the family home to establish lives and families of their own in various parts of Canada and the United States. As the family dispersed, however; they continued to maintain contact through letters. In the letters, the family shared news, sought advice, received comfort, and, at times, vented their frustrations and exposed internal family tensions. The letters provided a means of requesting and extending financial assistance, especially as it came to maintaining the elderly parents back in Ontario. Although the family would never again inhabit the same geographic location, they continued to function as a kinship network even though separated by time and space.     

中国当代信访史基本问题探讨

当代信访史是中华人民共和国政治史、社会史和政治体制改革史的重要组成部分。当代信访史的研究已取得了一些进展,但就总体而言,研究依然处于较低水平。随着研究的不断深入,各种分歧也随之出现。由于在信访史研究中一些基本问题尚未得到解决,如信访史的基本概念至今尚不明确、信访史的历史分期亦存在分歧等,从而阻碍了这一新兴学科的健康发展。因此,有必要加强对基本问题的研究和探讨。     

Briefe im 19. Jahrhundert als wissenschaftshistorische Quelle. Dargestellt am Beispiel des Briefwechsels des Apothekers A. P. J. Du Menil (1777–1852)

The aim of this article is to demonstrate the importance of scientific communication of pharmacists in the 19th century. 89 letters were analysed both written received by August Peter Julius Du Menil (1777–1852). In the paper also a summary is given about the importance of extensive activity of the pharmacist Du Menil. He was be in correspondence with 39 scientists, for instance 13 physicans and 12 pharmacists. The letters are an interesting document about scientific community in the 19th century.     

中国专业村研究的新近进展

专业村是近年来得到学术界普遍关注的领域,其对农区经济发展有着重要的促进作用。本文基于对国内专业村文献的梳理,论述了专业村的概念以及专业村形成的影响因素,总结了专业村研究中出现的一些新动向:基于社会网络联系的专业村研究、农户自主发展能力的研究、专业村和金融地理研究等。在以下领域尚需加强:专业村研究适当关注地域广阔的中西部地区;除加强专业村经济效益评估外,应注重专业村对农区经济、政治、文化建设的整体推进;加强多尺度综合研究,如微观的农户,中尺度的农区,宏观尺度的国家和国际层面等。     

SELF-TAUGHT WRITERS,FAMILY CORRESPONDENCE,AND SOCIAL MOBILITY IN THE 19TH-CENTURY FINNISH ARCHIPELAGO

How can the private, everyday letters written by two literate members of a rural community be used as historical sources? How can they enhance understanding of the process of upward social mobility which took place in Finland in the latter part of the 19th century and produced a new, Finnish-speaking and nationally oriented university-educated gentry? A collection of nearly 150 letters written from 1858 to 1887 by country skipper Simon Jansson and his wife Wilhelmina document in great detail their daily life and thoughts as well as the news and the social life of their seafaring community. They attest to how non-elite families were able to grasp the opportunities that were opening up for them and to give their sons a university education. For a country skipper, the favourable economic conditions for peasant seafaring after the Crimean War were decisive. The process of social mobility and the rise of the new educated elite have been studied with the social status and occupation of the students’ fathers as a starting point. The Jansson letters show that the social and cultural capital brought into the family by the mother could be crucial.     

Le Poète Évêque, Le Moine, Le Financier et L’Académicien

This article aims to analyze together several kinds of XVII ^th century correspondence which usually are studied separately: business letters, devotional letters, «literary» letters sent and received within a network of friends. In order to understand a strategy of epistolary writing, these letters and the various forms of their publication including scribal publication are here considered as tools used within the social world. This strategy implies, for every writer, an effort to gain social recognition for excellence in the art of writing. Literary institutions are indeed involved here, but put to use to further careers and various other operations. We see, for example, a conflict within a religious order settled, a man of letters recognized in the eyes of the law, a pious individual making his way in society, and the shaping of a bishop’s career grounded on influential social circles. These case studies allow us to grasp how social networks function, and to understand the specific role played by men of letters.     

Dominican and Jesuit Formal Education in the First Years of Spanish Manila (c. 1571–1621)

In the sixteenth‐century explorations of the Far East, the Dominicans and the Jesuits had different attitudes to the indigenous peoples they encountered, while the peoples of China and the Philippines also had very different cultures. In this article I consider three pairs: Dominicans and Jesuits and their approaches to education, their attitudes to China and the Philippines, and to indigenous and non‐indigenous students in the earliest years of Spanish Manila.     

袁世凯朋僚信函六通考释

袁世凯朋僚信函反映了清末这一世纪变革时期的社会状况,特别是1909年初袁世凯被摄政王载沣罢去一切职务,回籍养疴的三年期间的通信往来展示了袁世凯及其同僚在这一时期的蛰伏状况。这组信函为研究清末历史、袁世凯及其朋僚提供了宝贵的实物资料。     

Community of Practice in the Kuwaiti Medical Sector: An Exploratory Study

Community of Practice (CoP) is a relatively new concept in the Middle East and North Africa. The concept has been used for a number of years in the business sector; however, the use of CoPs in the health sector has not been as widespread. The aim of this study is to provide insights into the status of CoPs in the health sector and the knowledge sharing practices that take place among members of such CoPs in Kuwait. Ninety‐eight questionnaires were distributed among medical practitioners. Results showed that the majority of members perceived the CoP as a source of increasing professional knowledge. Respondents focused mainly on the COPs fostering social interactions at the workplace or during task‐oriented activities. They mostly discussed specific problems and immediate concerns. The desire to learn and the desire to help others were the main motivators for doctors to share their knowledge. Lack of time and lack of technology and knowledge transfer mechanisms were reported as the primary obstacles to sharing knowledge. Nearly 65 percent of the CoP members responding to the survey stated that they did not receive any financial support from their management. In recent years the role of communities in learning and knowledge sharing has attracted much attention among those interested in knowledge as a situated practice. The concept of Communities of Practice (CoP) was originally developed by Lave and Wenger (1991 ), who suggested that learning took place in social relationships rather than the simple acquisition of knowledge. Lave and Wenger's observations have formed the basis of the “situated learning theory,” which describes that learning takes place in a setting functionally identical to a space where the knowledge is applied ( Lave & Wenger, 1991 ). The CoP concept has been used in the business sector for over 20 years, but the use of CoPs in the health sector has been recent ( Li et al., 2009 ). In addition, results of two studies, conducted by Traboulsi (2002 ) and Johnson and Kalidi (2005 ), revealed that the CoP is a relatively new phenomenon in the Middle East and North Africa. This article aims to provide insights into the status of CoPs in the health sector and their knowledge‐sharing practices in Kuwait.     

‘Questo cor che tuo si rese’: the private and the public in Italian women's love letters in the long nineteenth century

Love letters are attracting increasing scholarly attention, especially from historians of scribal culture and historians of emotions. This article brings these two strands together to explore the unpublished love letters of four Italian women in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Their letters, spanning a period from the 1840s up to the First World War, provide insights into the genre, and into women's lives and emotions in this period. Three of them were from the bourgeoisie or piccola borghesia and one, in slightly contrasting mode, was a peasant. Women of the middle class lived a secluded life, and writing was essential to express themselves, to construct an identity and to become visible. Their love letters were anything but private: they were continually supervised and scrutinised by their families, so that their letters inevitably had a public quality and were sometimes multi-authored. Single young women needed to subvert social rules in order to establish their independence and claim private space for their love correspondence.     

‘British India on trial’: Brighton Military Hospitals and the politics of empire in World War I

During the early years of the First World War, wounded Indian soldiers were treated at hospitals in southern England. Focussing especially on the hospital created within the Royal Pavilion complex in Brighton, this article examines the implications of an episode in which thousands of colonised subjects were located and managed within a metropolitan province. We show how the Indian hospitals became sites of concentrated imperial anxiety, with the potential to destabilise British rule in India itself as well as the English localities in which they were created. In particular, we argue that the agency expressed in Indian soldiers’ letters home generated an acute consciousness among British officials of the need to bear in mind subaltern subjects’ own networks when managing those hegemonic imperial networks that come more readily to historians’ attention.     

俞樾“门下士”、“群经”二札考释

故宫所藏俞樾“门下士”.“群经”二札.被定为是俞樾写给曾国藩的.通过考证.笔者认为是写给祁隽藻的。其内容涉及了《群经评议》的刊刻。《群经评议》为俞樾经学的代表作。“门下士”,“群经”二札反映刊刻过程的艰辛。     

The Middle Stone Age of East Africa and the beginnings of regional identity

The history of research into the Middle Stone Age of East Africa and the present state of knowledge of this time period is examined for the region as a whole, with special reference to paleoenvironments. The known MSA sites and occurrences are discussed region by region and attempts are made to fit them into a more precise chronological framework and to assess their cultural affinities. The conclusion is reached that the Middle Stone Age lasted for some 150,000 years but considerably more systematic and in-depth research is needed into this time period, which is now perceived as of great significance since it appears to span the time of the evolution of anatomically Modern humans in the continent, perhaps in East Africa.     

Sarah and Her Sisters: Letters,Emotions, and Colonial Identities in the Early Modern Atlantic World

This article uses letters by indigenous converts to explore how early modern Moravian missions in the Atlantic imagined themselves as emotional communities. Moravian missions were the most successful Protestant mission enterprise in the Atlantic and established numerous missions across several empires and vastly different indigenous cultures. By comparing the letters from indigenous converts across the Atlantic rim (North America, Caribbean and Greenland) I argue that indigenous people used the medium of the written letter to participate in an imagined emotional community of Moravians while at the same time they negotiated inescapable social and gendered differences in very specific colonial contexts.