How should we analyse the patriotism of the populist Left: A response to Josep Lobera and Juan Roch

In a recent article in this journal, Josep Lobera and Juan Roch formulate a thoughtful critique of scholarly works on the nationalist dimension of left-wing populist discourses, and, in their analysis on Podemos, they engage especially with my works on the subject. They argue that not only do Podemos supporters express lower levels of national identification than the rest of the Spanish population, but also that, coherently with its electorate, Podemos avoids talking about issues related to Spanish identity and exhibits a non-nationalist or even anti nationalist narrative. Contrarily, in my studies I found that Podemos has made extensive use of nationalist rhetoric. In this article I briefly respond to their critique, further clarifying the findings of my works and explaining why they do not match with the findings of Lobera and Roch. More broadly, I see this response as a chance to contribute to the further development of the recent and vibrant scholarly debate on the Left and its relation to nationalism.     

Houses,Objects, and the Politics of Inheritance in Josep Maria de Sagarra's Vida privada

Josep Maria de Sagarra's novel Vida privada (1932) portrays an upper-class Catalan family, the Lloberolas, as unable to adapt to the new economic and political situation taking place in the city of Barcelona at the end of Primo de Rivera's dictatorship and at the beginning of the Second Republic in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Through a close reading of this family's houses, furniture, and personal belongings, I argue that material elements in this novel are central to the narrator's ethical critique and moral judgment of Barcelona's elite. The Lloberolas treat humans as objects and objects as humans, and I contend that, in an ironic emulation, the narrator also objectifies the Lloberolas and equates them with their objects. This comparison elucidates the family's superficiality and corrupted morals. Objects are also essential in destabilizing public and private boundaries because they often transcend the private domain and expose—to the readers and to the other inhabitants of Barcelona—the protagonists’ personality. Moreover, in Vida privada, houses, furniture, and surnames are understood as an inheritance that transfers very specific ideals of social status from parents to children. By presenting this material heritage with the exemplifying case of the Lloberola family, Sagarra offers a sharp critique of the Catalan upper classes and their superficial values. Their necessity to cling to an inherited world centered on material possessions finally results in their loss of power and evidences their economic and moral decline.     

Researching the Medieval Past between Catalonia and Romania. Josep Puig i Cadafalch,Nicolae Iorga,and the Transnational Writing of National History (1921‐1935)

This paper analyses knowledge transfers between Catalonia and Romania in the interwar period, in order to cast new light on the nature of national history writing in early‐twentieth‐century Europe. To do so, it discusses the historiographical works of the Catalans Josep Puig i Cadafalch (1867–1956) and, to a lesser extent, Antoni Rubió i Lluch (1856–1937) and of the Romanians Nicolae Iorga (1871–1940) and Constantin Marinescu (1891–1970). It pays particular attention to Iorga's and Marinescu's contributions on the history of medieval Catalonia in the Eastern Mediterranean and to Puig's studies on Moldavian painted churches. In doing so, the paper challenges the view that the historiography of foreign scholars regarding one's own national history was often disregarded as incompetent. At the same time, the paper also responds to the debate on the creation and validation of cultural knowledge across borderlands, outside of cultural cores. It builds on recent work on the creativity of cultural peripheries and argues that, while France continued to operate as a reference in the exchanges between Catalans and Romanians, their historiographical exchanges responded to local research and political agendas.     

Train Ready to Climb to Lhasa

On July 1, express trains starting from Beijing and other cities will pass through Xining and Golmud and finally reach Lhasa. On that date, Tibet＇s long history of having no access to railway transportation will come to an end.     

Rom to Rom/Rom to Gaje

Rena C. Gropper. Gypsies in the City. Princeton: The Darwin Press, 1975. xi + 235 pp. Tables, figures, maps, illustrations, appendix, glossary, bibliography and index. $9.95

Farnham Rehfisch, ed. Gypsies, Tinkers and Other Travellers. London and New York: Academic Press, 1975. x + 303 pp. Figures, tables, glossary and index. $15.25.

Anne Sutherland. Gypsies: The Hidden Americans. New York: The Free Press, 1975. x + 330 pp. Tables, figures, appendices, glossary, bibliography and indices. $13.95.     

Algonquin Revisited: Biography to Hagiography to Label

Entitled “Canada and the United States: Principles for Partnership” and prepared at the behest of American President Lyndon Johnson and Canadian Prime Minister Lester Pearson, the so-called Merchant–Heeney report set out a series of guiding principles for the smooth conduct of bilateral relations. Drawing on their vast experience at managing this relationship, Arnold Heeney and Livingston Merchant, two former ambassadors, devised their guidebook by tracing the nature of Canada–US relations, examining areas where problems commonly arose, and offering suggestions towards building a more successful partnership. “Principles for Partnership” may have been their swansong but it was not Merchant and Heeney's sole statement on the Canadian–American relationship. Drawing on speeches, memoranda, and diplomatic cables, this article shows how Merchant and Heeney each conceived of the partnership between their two countries and how they viewed the influence of factors such as Canadian nationalism and the United States' preponderant power.     

注重继承努力创新--读《惠州志·艺文卷》

首轮新方志的编修出版,在广东省乃至全国已接近尾声.首轮志书设艺文志的极少,造成这种情况的原因,固然有首轮志书编修过程中对人文重视不够的氛围,更有着面对汗牛充栋的古代的乃至当代的著述,如何选择记载的难题.于是,付之阙如不失为权宜之计,但因此也就使首轮修志留下了一个普遍的遗憾.近日,<惠州志*艺文卷>一卷付梓惠州市惠城区地方志编纂委员会编,邹永祥、吴定球编纂:<惠州志*艺文卷>,中华书局2004年版.,笔者阅后感到耳目一新.     

志于道 据于德 依于仁 游于艺

志于道、据于德、依于仁、游于艺是古人圣贤对一个有着整全修养的日常生活比较全面的概括.志于道是向远处的企望引导,志于天道,使生活有超出日常繁琐事务的眼界;据于德是向近处的落实出发,据于人道,修行以达远方;依于仁是友人互相讲习促进,以明道修德;游于艺则是在六艺的领域中悠游自乐,在优游涵泳中成德达道.这些思想在中国的绘画、书法中也有充分的体现.     

故土旧邦 文献以征——《江苏文库·史料编》前言

<正>《江苏文库·史料编》(以下简称《史料编》)收录有关江苏的地方史料类文献。按照一般的界说,地方文献有广义和狭义之别。广义的地方文献包括内容涉及本地区的文献、地方人士的著述和地方出版物等;狭义的地方文献仅指内容与本地区有关的文献。《史料编》收录的地方文献,是指狭义的地方文献,即今江苏省所管辖地区的地方史料类文献。具体说是指专门记述江苏历史、地理、政治法律、社会、家族、经济、军事、教育、科举、人物、金石、语言、艺术、宗教、文学、藏书及出版     

续志编纂应避免年鉴化倾向

续志工作存在着年鉴化倾向,令人担忧。章从续志出现年鉴化倾向的原因、表现及应采取的对策进行了阐述,以期引起志界的重视,否则将会影响志书的整体质量。