The Indo‐European mirror: Monotheism and polytheism (J.G. Herder,E. Renan,A. Pictet,F.M. Müller and R.F. Grau)

Some authors assigned the Indo‐Europeans a mirror‐like role which allowed them to understand their own position with respect to contemporary Christian values. After dealing briefly with the writings of J.G. Herder, I shall evoke a certain number of questions which oriented the research of E. Renan, F.M. Müller, A. Pictet and R.F. Grau. The works of the latter authors expounded fabulous genealogies, organizing them into explanatory systems that radically opposed Hebrew monotheists to Indo‐European polytheists. Thus, depending on whether they had used the Semites or the Indo‐Europeans as their starting‐point, they concluded that monotheism or polytheism, respectively, was the archaic source of human thought. The goal on their horizon was a ressuscitated West, forever in the forefront of progress, often simultaneously Christian and scientific. If this type of historiographic analysis is urgently needed at the present time, its purpose is not to provide a grid for distinguishing “truth”; from “falsehood,”; but rather to grasp a set of scholarly traditions within its own channels of transmission.     

Matters of Sex and Gender in F. J. Gall’s Organology: A Primary Approach

The originator of phrenology, F. J. Gall (1758–1828), saw himself as a natural scientist and physiologist. His approach consisted of brain anatomy but also of palpating skulls and inferring mental faculties. Unlike some of the philosophical principles underlying Gall’s work, his conception of sex/gender has not yet been examined in detail. In this article, I will focus on Gall’s treatment of men and women, his idea of sex differences, and how far an assumed existence of dichotomous sexes influenced his work. In examining his primary writings, I will argue that Gall held some contradictory views concerning the origin and manifestation of sex/gender characteristics, which were caused by the collision of his naturalistic ideas and internalized gender stereotypes. I will conclude that Gall did not aim at deducing or legitimizing sex/gender relations scientifically, but that he tried to express metaphysical reasons for a given social order in terms of functional brain mechanisms.     

Alvis,J. David,Jeremy D. Bailey,and F. Flagg Taylor,IV. The Contested Removal Power, 1789–2010.

Abstract

In this article, we use legislative correspondence to determine who gains access to key staffers in a congressional office. To evaluate our theory of the office power hierarchy, we test hypotheses using an original dataset of more than 3,000 correspondence records from the office of former member of Congress James R. Jones. Our empirical analysis is supplemented by an e-mail interview with Representative Jones. We find that key senior staffers are more likely to pay attention to powerful individuals and nonroutine matters. Letters from women and families and those dealing with routine legislation are more likely to be answered by lower-ranked staffers. These results are important because they reveal that even something as simple as constituent correspondence enters a type of power hierarchy within the legislative branch where some individuals are advantaged over others.     

俄罗斯学者关于那乃人历史文化的研究历程

俄罗斯境内的那乃人和我国境内的赫哲族是同宗同源的一个民族,只因19世纪中期<中俄瑷珲条约>和<中俄北京条约>的签订,使之分属于中俄两国,成为跨界民族.俄罗斯学者对那乃人的民族学和人类学的调查与研究有150余年的历程,大体可以分为二个阶段,本文将按此进行分述,以期有助于赫哲等东北民族的研究.     

俄罗斯学者关于埃文人的历史文化研究历程

埃文人是俄罗斯西伯利亚东部和远东地区的少数民族,属通古斯语族北支部分.随着俄国对东北亚地区土地的占领和统治的进程,俄国学者对埃文人的考察与研究也随之展开,本文概述了沙俄、苏联和俄罗斯时期学者的考察与研究工作,并介绍了埃文人历史文化的主要特点.     

历史思想作为政治思想:J.G.A.波考克的政治思想史研究

通过分殊人们表达政治观点采用的不同语言模式,波考克尝试对政治思想提供一种真正历史的研究。他尤其关注由对历史的论述构成的语言模式,考察它和其他语言模式是如何连接与互动的。以在时间中存在的社会这一概念为媒介,波考克既强调任何表达社会自我理解的政治思想都包含一种涉及时间的含义结构,也表明意在叙述社会起源和延续性的历史思想内蕴强烈的政治属性。波考克的思想史研究由此致力于沟通政治思想和历史思想的关系,通过将后者重构为一种政治思想,有效地扩展了政治思想史的研究空间和书写模式。     

论清代浙江学者的数学研究及其成就

数学在我国具有悠久的历史.公元前一世纪的《九章算术》表明我国的数学水平已经远远超过世界上其他国家.宋、元两代,是我国古代数学极盛时期,在13世纪中叶到14世纪初叶短短数十年时间里,相继产生了秦九韶、李冶、杨辉和朱世杰四大数学家,他们的研究成果一般要比西方早四、五百年之久.但14世纪至明初的130多年中我国数学几乎处于中断或停滞的状态,没有出现高水平的数学著作.相反,那时的欧洲由于对数、解析几何学和微积分的产生,使我国的数学远远落于其后.清代学者为赶超世界先进水平,虚心学习西方先进的科学文化知识,深入钻研数学,勇于探索,成就卓然.据统计,有清一代,大约有557人写了1148种数学著作.人数之众多,著述之宏富,超过了以前任何一个朝代.他们的研究成果总的说来比当时西方的数学水平要低得多,时间也晚,但这些成果大都是他们独立地取得的,而且有些成果在当时还居于世界前列.本文试就清代浙江数学家的主要成就,治学特色及其兴盛的原因,谈谈自已的一些粗浅的看法.     

清代学者对于西北史地之研究及其著述

抗日战争爆发后,中国边疆问题日趋严重。史念海先生与他的老师顾颉刚先生十分重视对边疆史料特别是西北史料的搜集和整理,史先生写下了这篇文章,旨在揭示中国疆域沿革的历程,以激发国人的抗日热情。史先生认为: 清代学者十分关注西北史地问题,早在乾嘉时期,即有人致力于西北史地之研究;乾嘉之后,西北边疆多事,探讨西北史地的人日益增多。他们或整理史地文献,或撰写史地专著,或记述清廷在西北的武功,或记载中俄在西北的界务,产生了一批重要的著述。这些著述,大都仍然具有重要学术价值。     

俄罗斯学者关于奥罗奇人历史文化的研究进程

奥罗奇人(Орочи)属北亚人种的贝加尔类型,是西伯利亚和远东地区人数最少的民族之一.17世纪至今,俄罗斯Л·И·施伦克等众多学者经过深入民族地区进行调查,对于奥罗奇人的起源和历史已经有了相对成熟和完备的研究成果.本文通过对俄罗斯学者关于奥罗奇人研究的学术专著的译介,来介绍俄罗斯对于该民族研究的历史进程和观点,以期加强中外学术交流并促进中国学者对东北亚地区民族的研究.     

俄罗斯学者关于科里亚克人历史文化的研究历程

科里亚克人(коряги)属古亚洲族,是俄罗斯堪察加地区的土著居民,与通古斯族长期紧邻而居,是研究通古斯族的民族交往,文化传播的首要对象.科里亚克语与楚科奇语、伊杰里门语同属古亚细亚语族.据2002年全俄人口普查,其人口数为8743人.[1]目前中国学界对该民族知之甚少,研究工作远远不足.本文通过译介俄罗斯学者关于科里亚克人的研究成果,以期对中国民族学研究有所帮助和贡献.     

“The Kind Cooperation of Many Local Friends”: Deemster J. F. Gill's Search for Manx Folk Singers (1895–1898)

The activities of the Gill brothers—W. H. Gill (1839–1923) and Deemster J. F. Gill (1842–99)—as folksong collectors and editors in the Isle of Man in the 1890s have been largely overlooked to date. Instead, it is the other collectors of folksong in this period, namely Dr John Clague (1842–1908) and A. W. Moore (1853–1909), who have received the greater attention and acclaim. However, the recently released private papers of Deemster J. F. Gill allow for a reassessment of the work of both brothers in the area of folksong collecting and publishing. This paper deals with the preparations the brothers made for their collecting trips about the island in 1895 and 1898. It is evident from Deemster Gill's correspondence discussed here that he built up a network of helpers who were willing to find potential singers for him and his brother, besides affording them other kinds of assistance in the work of collecting. The members of the Demester's circle of helpers can all be clearly identified, allowing us to see just who was supporting folksong collecting in this period in the Isle of Man.