On bridging the gap: the relevance of theory to the practice of conflict resolution

It is often claimed that policy makers and scholars inhabit different worlds and have little for each other. We challenge this perception and claim that there is a strong symbiotic relationship between the two. This relationship is particularly strong in the field of conflict where policy makers may be in desperate need of guidelines, advice and analysis on how to transform complex conflict situations into more peaceful ones. We suggest that policy makers may think in terms of macro and micro-level theories and ideas if they wish to embrace better strategies of conflict resolution.     

Humanitarian assistance and conflict management: the view from the non-governmental sector

As part of their efforts to intervene constructively in conflict-affected regions, non-governmental agencies and associated research centres publish different types of literature intended to improve performance. This article provides an overview of this material and assesses its significance for a wider constituency of scholars and policy analysts. The literature falls into three main categories: 1) reviews of issues that agencies must address when seeking constructive modes of intervention; 2) case-studies of particular conflicts; and 3) skills-development and training materials. The great value of the literature to the broader international relations community is the richness of the empirical material presented, and the consequent insights into conflict dynamics that come from the 'bottom-up/insider-out' community-level perspectives.     

Commercial conflict resolution across the religious divide in the thirteenth-century Mediterranean

Commercial conflict resolution in the medieval Mediterranean has been treated by a number of scholars in recent years, notably through the use of documents from the Cairo Geniza and the archives of the Italian port of Genoa. Recent research on this subject, and more specifically on contract enforcement, has focused on contract reinforcement within the Mediterranean Jewish community, largely because of the sources available. Parallels drawn with medieval Italian mechanisms of conflict resolution emphasize differences between public- vs. private-order responses, that is, the reliance on personalized groups in the Islamic world rather than on public institutions typical of the Italian port-cities. These studies do not, however, examine how commercial conflicts were resolved across religious and political lines, despite the growing role of Italian merchants in the trade networks of Islamic North Africa, a role that inevitably led to trade disputes and occasional uncollected payments. Through close textual analysis of 14 Latin and Arabic letters exchanged between Islamic Almohad Tunis and Christian Italian Pisa, this article explores how Almohad commercial agents and governmental authorities sought to maintain positive trade relations across the religious divide while protecting the interests of their own clients and citizens when disputes arose over commercial payments and debt collection. Rather than relying on commercial conflict resolution methods specific to one culture or the other, these documents reveal a middle ground of borrowed vocabulary and procedures. Through these letters, Almohad merchants and officials attempted to negotiate through the bonds of personal trust and reputation established with their Italian counterparts. However, they also appealed to Italian sensibilities with hybridized methods recognizable by the legal and public institutions of both cultures.     

试论大革命时期苏联对国民二军的援助

国民二军,是20世纪20年代重要的军事集团.北京政变后,在苏联政府的大力援助下,国民二军获得迅猛发展.它的发展壮大,不仅直接打击了北洋军阀的统治,使河南和陕西境内的革命运动迅速高涨,为国民军经营西北打下基础,同时也有力地配合了南方巩固革命政权的军事行动.     

论20世纪20年代的中国近代史研究

20年代的中国近代史研究呈现出一种畸形的发展状况。近代史研究不被时人看重,但却有不少近代史著述出版。到1928年,通过对近代史史料的整理工作,由斯而发,罗家伦明确提出了要科学地研究中国近代史,开启了近代史研究的新局面;从史学史的角度对这些近代史著述的特点作出总结,知人论世,可以窥见20年代近代史研究的状况。     

试析上古时期的历史记忆与历史记载

上古时期口耳相传的历史记忆是后世历史记载的源头.在相关的历史记载中还可以看到其某些影子.出现于早期历史记忆中的"人"多为"英雄"或"圣人",而非普通的人.逐渐剥落掉神的身影,而呈现出真正的"人"面貌,已经是野蛮与文明之际的事情.但是即使在这个时期,人--神之间仍然有着千丝万缕的联系.历史记忆是古代文明出现上升的阶梯.     

试论历史叙事中的想象问题

历史叙事中的想象至少有五种形式：有为叙事生动而加入的想象,有为借用文学虚构来补正史实的想象,有为联接史实节点、保持叙事完整的想象,有为运用反事实而进行的想象,有为架构历史情节的想象。各种不同类别、不同功用的想象,在历史叙事中都占有一席之地,同时也带来了各自不同的问题。     

On the shock of civil war: cultural trauma and national identity in Finland and Ireland

What role does national identity play after civil war? Is reconstruction possible on the basis of an existing identity, or does a new identity have to be found? Much depends on whether narratives of conflict are unifying. I use the tools of cultural sociology to explain why the Finnish Civil War of 1918 has become a unifying ‘cultural trauma’ for the Finns, whereas the Irish Civil War of 1922–23 never became the dominant referent in Irish national identity. The difference is explained by the greater shock civil war posed to Finnish national identity.     

关于红军长征史研究中的若干问题

本文对红军长征史研究中的若干问题,如"长征"一词最早是什么时候提出来的?红军长征的原因是什么?红军长征是不是"战略转移"?红一方面军是什么时候开始长征的?遵义会议是不是确立了毛泽东在党内军内的领导地位?陈云的《(乙)遵义政治局扩大会议》手稿是不是传达提纲?"四渡赤水"是不是"真如神"?关于张国焘的"密电"问题,其他几支红军的长征,红军长征的路程究竟有多长?三大主力会师后究竟有多少人?应该怎么理解长征精神等,提出了自己的看法.     

论民本思想在中国历史上的作用

文章对自先秦以来,特别是在中国漫长的封建社会中民本思想的形成,以及这种思想对调节、缓和社会矛盾,同时产生的消极影响和局限性,都作了较全面的论述;并对后来的民主思想的产生和发展也进行了一定分析。