Imperial versus National Discourse: The Case of Russia

Abstract. It is inaccurate and misleading to apply the term ‘nationalism’ to Russia prior to the present day. Both Tsarist and Soviet leaders sought to maintain an empire and not a nation‐state, and their national consciousness was imperial rather than national. The lack of Russian nationalism was crucial for Russian history since it explains the failure of both Tsarist Russia and the Soviet Union. Modern societies cannot be successfully constructed upon the basis of imperial thinking. The absence of Russian nationalism also has significance for nationalism theory. Russia possessed the social, political and cultural characteristics that have been adduced as ‘causes’ of nationalism by a wide variety of scholars, yet Russia failed to develop a nationalist movement. This suggests that what is crucial to modem nationalism is the appearance of a particularist, secular ideology, since the most notable aspect in which Russia differed from Europe was Russia's universalistic, religious and imperialist discourse of national identity.     

19世纪高卢主义滞留和衰落的启示——以1801年政教协约为个案

自中世纪晚期以来,法国的政教关系长期处在政教协约体制的语境中,即便在1789年的大革命以后,教会重建的法律和政治保障仍然是拿破仑与教宗庇护七世签订的1801年协约。法国同时又具有所谓的高卢主义传统,强调地方教会的权利和国家对教会的控制。在法国,由1801年协约签订到1905年协约被废除、政教分离法颁布,高卢主义传统有一个逐渐衰落的过程,现代意义上的政教分离逐渐取代了政教协约体制。这一时期的美国天主教徒早已接受了美国宪法的政教分离原则,他们对法国宗教政治的看法有趣而深刻,有助于我们认识法国特色的政教关系。高卢主义的式微是西方国家政教关系现代化的一个代表性事件,其结果是政教关系之法国模式与美国模式的趋同。     

Understanding Saudi Arabia's Influence on Pakistan: The Case of the Islamic Military Alliance to Fight Terrorism

The launch of the Saudi‐led so‐called Islamic Military Alliance to Fight Terrorism (IMAFT) in 2015 tested the strong strategic alliance between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. In light of concerns about the positioning of the coalition of 41 states against Iranian interests in the Middle East, Pakistan's initial response to the Saudi demand to join the war in Yemen was a polite refusal by means of a unanimous decision of the parliament. However, under tremendous pressure from Riyadh and other Gulf States, Islamabad later capitulated and backtracked from its initial decision. This paper analyses the unique nature of the relationship between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia through a dissection of the various dimensions of the Kingdom's cultural and political influence on Pakistan. It also illuminates Saudi hegemonic strategies and the manner in which Islamabad adjusts and is influenced as well as coerced to revise its foreign policy choices. This paper argues that Saudi's diplomatic strategies, political pressure and pledges of generous financial assistance ensured Pakistan's participation in IMAFT.     

Somalia and Yemen: The Links between Terrorism and State Failure

The scope of this study is to demonstrate that the failed state scheme of Somalia has not been and is not a safe haven for the al‐Qaeda, an issue that has been already displayed in Ken Menkhaus's excellent study (2004 ). Within this context, the article will consider the Somali Islamist political landscape in contrast and in relation to the current situation in Yemen, and thus, it aims to support the premise that weak states, such as Yemen, rather than “collapsed” states, can be incubators of international terrorism. In addition, while studying the interactions between Somalia and Yemen, we will attempt to answer some other important questions arising from this relationship: (1) does the emergence of al‐Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and al‐Shabaab have potential convergence; and (2) why is piracy a cross‐border phenomenon and how is it connected to radical Islamism?     

本土史学与中国话语:《清代山东经营地主的社会性质》的对外流播及其影响

在马克思主义唯物史观指导之下,1959年山东大学青年教师景甦和罗仑出版《清代山东经营地主的社会性质》一书,探讨了中国农业资本主义萌芽问题。该书从生产关系的研究角度,着眼山东乡村并专注农民阶级,从内部提炼区域社会发展的历史方向,彰显了近代中国区域发展的差异性以及乡村历史的独特性,在利用本土史学资源的基础上形成了具有中国特色的学术话语。该书还借用田野调查扩充史料来源,重视计量分析在史学上的运用,朴素地显示出史学与社会科学相结合的跨学科研究趋向。该书外译英文后,为西方学者推重,并对后者产生涵容互摄的学术影响。该书所体现出的立足本土史学并形成中国学术话语的治学风格,在中外学术交流频仍的当今富有借鉴意义。     

Minding Civilisation and Humanity in 1867: A Case Study in British Imperial Culture and Victorian Anti-Slavery

As this analysis of press debate in 1867 finds, Victorian opposition to slavery defies any simple classification as universal humanitarianism or imperial reform. British anti-slavery sentiment, in very different contexts, might claim the mantle of Christendom, the empire or human civilisation. By considering such a porous area of international and colonial policy in public discussion, this article highlights some surprising commonalities between Bernard Porter's ‘absent-mindedness’ thesis and its critics. In doing so the piece suggests some possible directions for the new imperial history, as British historians reject an impenetrable national story and yet appreciate the sheer breadth of Victorian narrow-mindedness about the wider world.     

The Geopolitics of Terrorism: Russia's Conflict with Islamic Extremism

A British specialist on the Russo-Chechen wars and international terrorism examines Russia's role in the Global War on Terror and, in particular, its long-term campaign against both separatists and Islamic extremists in Chechnya and elsewhere in the North Caucasus. The author advances the argument that Russia's Eurasian (as opposed to European) mode of governance, equating self-determination with separatism and cultural/religious differences with extremism, has generated societal pressures conducive to heightened political violence and terrorism. The implications of such pressures for the future incidence of terrorism in Russia are explored. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: H770, O180, P300. 2 figures, 52 references.     

The Geopolitics of Terrorism: A Commentary on Flint and Radil's Approach

An American political geographer and prominent specialist in electoral geography presents a measured and informative critique of the preceding paper by Colin Flint and Steven M. Radil (2009) on "Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism: Situating al-Qaeda and the Global War on Terror within Geopolitical Trends and Structures." Among the issues explored are the extent to which the observed patterns of terrorism might differ depending on whether "international" or "domestic" incidents are the focus of attention, and whether fatalities associated with incidents might prove a better metric of terrorism's psychological impact than per capita incident frequency alone. A deeper issue debated in the critique involves the thorny question of whether a singular focus on relative economic deprivation (and on its variations between countries rather than also within countries) offers an adequate explanation for the incidence of terrorism given the complexity of cultural (including ethnicity and religion), social, economic, and political factors that motivate terrorist acts in diverse settings across the world. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: I390, O100, Y900. 32 references.     

王化与山险——中古早期南方诸蛮历史命运之概观

中古早期,中国南方社会、文化及政治面貌发生巨大变化,其中最深刻的变化是以苗瑶语为主的土著族群以空前的速度和广度所进行的华夏化,这方面留下史料最多的是长江中游的所谓蛮族。深入观察诸蛮社会华夏化的历史过程,会发现在相当长一个时期内,这些多样性极端突出的诸蛮族群,都经历了在霑沐王化与依阻山险之间的艰难选择,其结果是越来越多的土著族群被吸纳进华夏政权的政治秩序之中。南方各土著族群的华夏化主要是一个政治过程,而且这个政治过程通常都与华夏政权的国家意志和利益紧密相关。因此考察国家在这一过程中的能动角色,是解释南方社会历史命运的重要途径之一。