Symposium on Pope Pius XII and the Holocaust in Italy

The articles published in this section of JMIS were given at a symposium held early in 2001 on the role of Pope Pius XII in the rescue of Jews in Italy during the Holocaust. The discussion focuses on recent books on the subject by Susan Zuccotti and Ronald J. Rychlak. In the articles published here the authors and the panelists discuss the historical record (sources, facts and interpretations) and the nature of the obligations of the Papacy and the Catholic Church in the circumstances of the Second World War and the German occupation of Italy after the fall of Fascism.     

Pius XII: Romanita,prophesy and charisma

The modern popular cult of the Pope, which originated with the ‘disinherited’ papacy of Pius IX, reached its acme with Pius XII. Phases of intensification of this cult, which was linked to other ‘devotions’, those of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and of the Virgin Mary, served to mobilize the Catholic masses at critical junctures for the Catholic Church and in the face of what were perceived as political threats. Pius XII had to animate ‘movement’ in an age proclaimed to be one of a unique crisis of civilization. The projection of him as a charismatic figure was linked to that of Rome as a sacred centre and as the very fulcrum of world history. The Catholic activist ethos of ‘movement’ and also the presentation of the interchange between Pius XII and the Crowd had features in common with Fascist rhetorics, but ultimately the cult of the ‘victim‐Pope’ represented an inversion of the crasser forms of power‐imagery.     

意大利“南方问题”的缘起和发展

一、“南方问题”的渊源 重视发展问题已经成为关注明和未来的一种方式。我国现阶段世界历史研究中,比较关注发展中国家的发展问题,对发达国家中的发展问题注意不够。意大利“南方问题”作为意大利近现代史中最重要的问题之一,早已引起意大利史学界的重视,可能成为同一时期研究最多的问题①。从该问题产生以后到墨索里尼时期,有关“南方问题”的论有20多种②。     

Liudprand of Cremona's papa monstrum: the image of Pope John XII in the Historia Ottonis

In the Historia Ottonis Liudprand of Cremona demonstrates his skills as a writer, depicting Pope John XII as the ultimate monster. This article explores how this feat was accomplished, investigating both the accusations levelled against the pope, and the ways the story was constructed to lead up to his death.     

汉代的“发兵”制度

汉代发兵有四种信物：虎符、节、羽檄、诏书。王朝设有符节台管理符、节、玺印。虎符要与诏书同时使用。节的使用没有地域限制。羽檄曾一度独立作为发兵信物,表示情况紧迫,请求援助的信物。西汉中央对地方控制力强,调兵权掌握在皇帝手中,东汉地方统兵权与调兵权逐渐合一,虎符发兵之制很大程度上被破坏,节不断流行起来。     

殷商政治领域中的性别差异与“王妇领兵制”

甲骨刻辞显示,殷商时期,贵族妇女拥有较高的政治权力与地位,她们可以直接参与国家政治事务的管理,对此学者多有文章述及,本文主要从性别角度入手,通过分析“王妇领兵”等现象,来探讨殷商政治领域中的性别差异,并进一步剖析性别差异形成之根源与影响,错误之处,祈请方家指正。     

The Nation as a Problem: Historians and the "National Question"

How is it that the nation became an object of scholarly research? As this article intends to show, not until what we call the “genealogical view” (which assumes the “natural” and “objective” character of the nation) eroded away could the nation be subjected to critical scrutiny by historians. The starting point and the premise for studies in the field was the revelation of the blind spot in the genealogical view, that is, the discovery of the “modern” and “constructed” character of nations. Historians’ views would thus be intimately tied to the “antigenealogical” perspectives of them. However, this antigenealogical view would eventually reveal its own blind spots. This paper traces the different stages of reflection on the nation, and how the antigenealogical approach would finally be rendered problematic, exposing, in turn, its own internal fissures.     

Coloured Cabinets: A Reflection on Material Culture as a Marker of Coloured Identity in Cloetesville,South Africa

In coloured neighbourhoods of the Western Cape in South Africa, there are objects in people's homes that live in a unique historical and cultural moment. This article reports on an examination, in the neighbourhood of Cloetesville, Stellenbosch, of how these objects inside residents’ homes tell a story of a creolised people and the locations in which they are situated. In the case of Cloetesville, as in many neighbourhoods that arose from a history of forced removals, many people experience various social and economic problems. Coloured people's identities are commonly thought to rest in these problems. This article, however, seeks to suggest an alternative way of exploring coloured identity through looking at objects in households and broader living environments. Thus, I hope to provide insight into different yet distinct experiences by contributing new perspectives through looking at nostalgic and ordentlike (respectable) sentiments of belonging. Specifically cabinets in living rooms are conceptualised as repositories of such sentiments in the home, and how the objects residing in the home have the power/ability to symbolically ground their owners in the neighbourhood of Cloetesville.