Exile and the Demos: Leo Strauss in America

This article explores the political, as opposed to the philosophical, impact of Leo Strauss’s exile in America on his thought. After a consideration of anti-Semitism and the importance Strauss attached to being a Jew, I argue that the fact that in America he no longer wrote in his Muttersprache but in English was central to his becoming a political theorist rather than a philosopher. Whereas as a philosopher he was unable to speak to the demos, as a political theorist what he needed was a group of “rhetors” who would carry a particular message to the demos.     

Hierarchical households and gendered migration in Latin America: feminist extensions to migration research

In this review essay, the author argues that migration theory can be advanced by analyzing gender differences in migration processes. The author brings together feminist empirical work from diverse settings within Latin America in order to illustrate and discuss theoretical extensions to migration research. In particular, the discussion focuses on the centrality of intra-household power relations and dynamics for understanding who migrates, and with what consequences. The author further argues that these theoretical understandings emerge from the culturally and historically specific operation of processes in particular places within Latin America.     

近代旅美华侨华人与中美文化的双向交流

鸦片战争强制性地拉开了中西文化交流的序幕。1848年以后,随着北美至中国航线的开通,一部分居住在珠江三角洲的广东人在多种原因的驱使下,远渡重洋来到北美。在美国西部形成了一个又一个的华侨华人社区,使中国的古老文明渐次播散到美国西部各州。随着北美华侨华人的不断扩展,不同类型的华侨华人在不同的领域里(商业、建筑、科技教育、宗教伦理、风俗习惯等许多文化领域里)对中华传统文化进行了被动和主动传播。被动的传播形成了美国多元文化的文化飞地,主动的传播使中国传统文化在美国文化的大熔炉里形成了一种鲜明的、交叉式的边缘文化。文化的传播是一个双向互动的过程。随着大批旅美华侨华人陆续返回故乡,他们也把西方文明带回侨乡。它们与本土文化发生碰撞、冲突、融合,从而在珠江三角洲一带的侨乡形成了新鲜的、西方式的边缘文化。     

侵害他人名誉与言论自由:司法观念在美国的演变和发展

在美国宪法第一修正案的框架内,对侵害他人名誉的诽谤言论的界定和相关论点和争议经历了一个不断发展的调整的过程,这一过程既继承传统,又不断突破传统,对我们在这一领域的思考具有借鉴意义。