American Historical Demography: A Review Essay

Abstract

American historians of modern art routinely assume that after World War II New York replaced Paris as the center of the western art world. An analysis of the illustrations in French textbooks shows that French art scholars disagree: they rate Jean Dubuffet as the most important painter of the era, ahead of Jackson Pollock, and they consider Yves Klein's anthropometries of 1960 as the greatest contribution of a single year, in front of Andy Warhol's innovations in Pop Art. Yet the French texts also show that the French artists' practices and conceptions of art paralleled those of the Americans. Thus, whereas French and American scholars disagree over the relative importance of their nations' artists, there is no disagreement that the most important art of the 1950s was produced by experimental seekers, and that of the 1960s by conceptual finders.     

Quantitative Methods in Archaeology: A Review of Recent Trends and Developments

This paper reviews recent developments in the application of quantitative methods to archaeological research and focuses upon three major themes: the development of so-called designer methods, which are quantitative methods created to solve specific problems; the resurgence of whole-society modeling through a variety of formal and mathematical approaches; and trends in the the teaching of quantitative methods at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Not surprisingly, different subfields have had greater success than others in the development of useful methods, and the causes of this are explored. Finally, suggestions for improving training in the use of these methods are offered.     

近十年来生态环境变迁史研究综述

近十余年来,环境变迁史研究取得丰硕成果。人们从不同学科、不同视角展开广泛探讨,涉及到区域经济发展与环境变迁之关系、古代都城与生态环境之关系、动植物变迁与区域沙漠化、灾害与疾疫问题、气候变迁等方面,有力地推动了与环境变迁密切相关的中国生态环境史学研究在中国的形成和发展。     

西方人口史研究新进展述评

20世纪中叶以来 ,西方在人口史研究方面取得了巨大进展 ,还采用了新的研究方法。这些成果不仅提供了对近代人口普查前的各国人口数量和结构等基本状况的描述 ,而且增进了历史学对一些重大问题的理论探讨 ,拓宽了历史学的视野和领域。     

Some Recent Writings on Women and the Environment: Review Essay

New Space for Women , edited by Gerda Wekerle, Rebecca Peterson and David Morley. Westview Press, 1980.
Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society , Special Issue: "Women and the American City," Spring 1980, Volume 5, Number 3, Supplement.
Women in Housing: Access and Influence , by Marion Brion and Anthea Tinker. The Housing Centre Trust, 1980.
"A Woman's Place: A Feminist Approach to Housing in Britain," by Helen Austerberry and Sophie Watson. Feminist Review, Number 8, Summer 1981: 49–62.     

当代西方史学理论的特点与趋向——评邓京力等著《近二十年西方史学理论与历史书写》

一2013年7月,笔者参加了在比利时根特大学召开的“历史理论与历史哲学的未来”国际学术研讨会,此次研讨会也是“国际历史理论网络”的第一次大会。“国际历史理论网络”(International Networks for Tlieoiy of Hissy,INTH)2012年由根特大学的几位青年学者成立,该组织虽然新成立不久,但发展势头强劲,聚集了世界范围内大多数从事历史理论、史学理论和历史哲学的专家,迄今已经举办三次学术研讨会,第四次研讨会计划于2020年在墨西哥的普埃布拉自治大学召开笔。     

Later Historical Archaeology in Iceland: A Review

This paper offers a general review of past and present archaeological work on the later historic period of Iceland, i.e. from the sixteenth century to the present day. Introduced by a brief sketch of the nature of Iceland??s history and archaeology, a chronological approach is taken in presenting previous and current research on sites and material of the later historic period. Starting in the mid-twentieth century, with minor work focused on a single ordinary farmstead, the 1970s and 1980s witnessed a growth of excavations largely on elite residences. Since the 1990s and into the present, such a focus has continued while also seeing a rise in development-led projects. Despite this, lack of publication or even general discussion of the archaeology of this period dominates the field in Iceland, problems which are only now being addressed.     

The Neologistic Imagination. A Review of Some Recent Books On Translation

Mintz, Jerome R. Carnival Song and Society: Gossip, Sexuality and Creativity in Andalusia. New York: Berg, 1997. XXXV + 267 pp. including index. $50.00 cloth, $19.50 paper.

Douglass, Carrie B. Bulls, Bullfighting, and Spanish Identities. Tucson: University of Arizona Press. XII + 245 pp. including notes, literature cited, and index. $35.00 cloth.     

Recent Developments in the Archaeology of Southwestern China

Archaeology of ancient China’s periphery has traditionally been examined through the historiographic lens of Chinese textual sources. Social developments in the periphery are often explained in relation to accounts of migration from “core” regions of China. Setting conventional paradigms and textual sources aside, this article examines prehistoric developments in southwestern China in conjunction with broader trends in Southeast Asia. This comparative approach reveals that the development of bronze metallurgy in southwestern China parallels trends observed among Neolithic communities in Southeast Asia. Using recent data and a reassessment of radiocarbon dates for the Bronze Age, I propose that sociopolitical complexity emerged in southwestern China as part of a multiregional phenomenon that had its beginning with the formalization of trade networks during the Neolithic period.     

吉鸿昌与察哈尔抗日的几个史实问题

吉鸿昌(1895—1934),字世五,河南扶沟县人。早年加入西北军。1933年5月察哈尔民众抗日同盟军组成,吉鸿昌任第二军军长兼北路前敌总指挥。同盟军在张家口失败后,吉鸿昌与方振武合作,带领抗日士兵坚持斗争。此后,吉又在天津继续从事反蒋活动。被捕以后,吉鸿昌不为国民党的威逼利诱所动,拒绝说出中共地下党员及其活动情况,直到最后英勇就义,年仅39岁。察哈尔抗日是吉鸿昌一生中的亮点,最为研究者所关注,但迄今仍存在一些疑点有待澄清。一、察哈尔抗日时的吉鸿昌不是中共党员吉鸿昌作为西北军旧部参加同盟军,在察哈尔抗战中是起了重要作用的。参…     

Quality Challenge in Iran's Higher Education: A Historical Review

Higher education at Iran's state-run universities is not supported by a deeply-rooted tradition of quality assessment. For several decades, Iranian universities have not been able to monitor themselves and develop efficient, internal structures of quality assurance. The academics' attempts at internal monitoring have failed, giving way to a system of bureaucratic supervision and control. Recent changes in Iran have given rise to new concepts, including the principle of universities' self-evaluation, based on academic autonomy and scientific freedom. But the dominant tendency in Iran's political structure and administration is still toward external, bureaucratic control. The conflict between more or less advanced texts and typically solid structures is a reflection of inconsistencies within the Iranian society, pursuing its transitional stage.     

历史传说与历史研究--《揭开淇澳历史之谜》书后

广东省有个珠海市。市里有个淇澳岛。岛上有个淇澳村。村里有条用花岗岩石板铺成、全长约两公里的白石街。由这条街留下一段当地居民抗击“番鬼佬”的历史传说。说法多种多样,细节各有不同,基本内容则是：清道光年间(有的说十三年,有的说十六     

The Provenance of Historical Gunpowder from South‐Western Japan: A Stable Isotopic Approach

Stable isotopic analysis was undertaken for the gunpowder ingredients from crude saltpetre and propellants from several types of gun that prevailed during the late 19th century in south‐western Japan. Stable isotopic signatures for δ¹⁵N_{saltpetre nitrogen}, δ³⁴S_{native sulphur} and δ¹³C_{charcoal carbon} in crude saltpetre, gunpowder magazines bearing the trademark of mills from southern Scotland and cartridges for an improved Sharps rifle (with a US trademark) all imply common assemblages from the same source (saltpetre and native sulphur from British India and Sicily, respectively) in the United Kingdom (UK). One Pritchett patron is common for muzzle‐loading Enfield rifles, while the other suggests a four‐allied lead bullet for an unidentified hand gun. Propellants in the Pritchett patron from the same institution also suggest a common source of these rifles. On the contrary, the ingredients for an unidentified rifle and time fuse for a Paixhans gun with unique stylistic devices showed distinctive isotopic signatures, indicating a local Japanese origin. The Pritchett patron from the Kumamoto Museum involved a mixed provenance from the UK and Japan. The stable isotopic analysis provides direct evidence for the ultimate origin of the propellant.     

Truth-Telling in the Wake of European Contact: Historical Investigation of Aboriginal Skeletal Remains from Normanton

This study heeds the call for a ‘truth-telling’ of injustices carried out on Aboriginal communities during the colonial acquisition of Australia as stated in the Uluru Statement from the Heart 2017. Here, we discuss the lives of eight Indigenous people buried in Normanton in north-west Queensland (QLD) who died and had their remains collected in the late 1890s as scientific specimens. The remains were later repatriated to the community before being further exposed by erosion in 2015. With the consent and participation of local traditional owners—the Gkuthaarn and Kukatj people—this assessment utilised bioarchaeological, historical and anthropological methodologies to gain a better understanding of Indigenous life and health on the Australian colonial frontier. Gkuthaarn and Kukatj people were engaged throughout the investigation, and statements throughout this piece made by them illustrate how bioarchaeology can inform on past injustices in Australia’s history, bringing them into the public consciousness and aiding the transition to reconciliation through ‘truth-telling’.     

Community Engagement in Historical Site Protection: Lessons from the Elmina Castle Project in Ghana

Abstract

Engaging communities in the protection of heritage means that the communities living around the heritage sites are involved in the process of identifying issues that affect the conservation of these sites and can propose ways by which they can be addressed. In Ghana, the Elmina Castle project shows close collaboration between the communities living around these slave forts and castles, the legal custodians, and other stakeholders. This case study unpicks the process to show how the existing traditional systems were approached and involved. The result of this participatory collaboration is a strategic document which will be implemented to ensure proper protection of these sites in the wake of development and modernization.     

A Tale of Two Cities: A Decomposition of Recent Fertility Changes in Shanghai and Hong Kong

In the past 20 years, Hong Kong and Shanghai's total fertility rates (TFR) have undergone drastic changes: first declining and then rebounding. We use a decomposition method to assess changes in the TFRs of these two cities during the period 1990–2010. During the period of decline from 1990 to 2000, the decrease in marital fertility rate (MFR) was the major cause behind Shanghai's TFR decline; the decrease in nuptiality and MFR were equally responsible for the decline in Hong Kong's TFR. During the 2000–2010 period, although the decline in nuptiality exerted downward pressure on TFR, both cities experienced an increase in TFR mainly due to an increase in the MFR. Analysis of the difference in TFR between the two cities in 2010/2011, also reveals that Hong Kong's marriage delay has a negative impact on fertility and it is the higher MFR that leads to a higher TFR than Shanghai's TFR. It also shows that a reduction of first- and second-order births is equally responsible for Shanghai's lower MFR. Despite the one-child policy in Shanghai, some couples continue to postpone their first births, while others have even chosen to be childfree (a preferred term to ‘childless’). The tempo distortion is diminishing more prominently in Hong Kong, while the decline in fertility aspiration adds much uncertainty to future fertility trends in Shanghai.