Mixed Messages: The Heterogeneity of Historical Discourse

If, as many historians and theorists now believe, narrative is the formproper to historical explanation, this raises the problem of the terms in which such narratives areto be evaluated. Without a clear account of evaluation, the status of historical knowledge (both initself and in all those social, political, and other contexts in which appeal to historical explanationis made) remains obscure. Beginning with the view, found in Hayden White and others, thathistorical narrative constitutes a meaning not reducible to the factual content it engages, thisessay argues that such meaning can arise only through a synthesis of cognitive and normativediscourses. Narrative combines "heterogeneous" language games in such a waythat neither appeal to "truth content" nor to "justice" suffices todecide the question of which of two competing historical explanations is, as a whole, superior.Examining in critical detail the opposed positions on this issue articulated by two recenttheorists—Frank Ankersmit ("narrative idealism") and David Carr("narrative realism")—the paper concludes that the debate between thosewho hold that historical narratives should be judged in essentially cognitive terms and those whohold that they should be judged in essentially political terms cannot be resolved and that aphilosophical view of historical narrative that is neither realist nor idealist needs to be developed.     

Messages from the field

This editorial poses the question of how the development of 'pervasive' communication technologies are impacting on the way in which fieldwork might now be conducted? It explores pessimistic and optmistic responses both of which illuminate the way that the production of contemporary anthropological knowledge undergoing significant change.     

The Clacton Spear: The Last One Hundred Years

In 1911, an eminent amateur prehistorian pulled the broken end of a pointed wooden shaft from Palaeolithic-age sediments at a seaside town in Essex. This artefact, still the earliest worked wood to be discovered in the world, became known as the Clacton spear. Over the past one hundred years it has variously been interpreted as a projectile weapon, a stave, a digging stick, a snow probe, a lance, a game stake and a prod to ward off rival scavengers. These perspectives have followed academic fashions and as the popular views of early hominins have altered. Since discovery, the Clacton spear has also been replicated twice, has undergone physical transformations due to preservation treatments, and has featured in two public exhibitions. Within this article the changing context of the spear, its parallels, and all previous conservation treatments and their impacts are assessed.     

中洞苗寨 亚洲最后的穴居部落

<正>女作家杜虹在她的一篇文章中,曾有过这样一段描述:"没有通车的简易公路上,一辆汽车带着我们七弯八拐地沿着深深峡谷穿行,路的尽头有一个巨大的溶洞,里面住着起码上万只燕子……在这里,走路就是地地道道的‘爬’,两脚加上两手,扯着枝条,攀着岩石,才敢往上挪步。沿乱石堆积出的陡坡向上攀登,仿佛置身于人类文明进程的时间隧道。"想象中,这种地方应该出现在荒无人烟的原始深山之中,可实际上,这只是通往贵州     

蒙古国最后的驯鹿部落

在蒙古国与俄罗斯的接壤处库苏古尔省的查冈努尔地区,辽阔的大草原上散布着牛、羊、马儿和各种野生动物,一汪碧翠深邃的库苏古尔湖宛若一颗坠落草原的明珠,2700平方千米的宽阔湖面被茂密的针叶松林所围绕,不远处是海拔3000多米的峰峦,     

The First Circle and the Last Man: Solzhenitsyn's Political Science

The author examines David Hume's History of England to elucidate his thoughts on the subject of education. He argues that education's ability to improve moral judgments drives Hume's interest. With this in mind, the idiosyncratic review of English literature scattered throughout Hume's History can be seen in its proper light. Finally, the author suggests History represents Hume's best effort to develop a literary style capable of improving morals.