Putting Religion First

Abstract

This paper examines a version of the religious violence thesis drawn from William Cavanaugh's critical diagnosis of it, and particularly the characterization of some of its proponents that religion is uniquely divisive and, consequently, a unique cause of conflict and violence. According to one representative model advanced by Martin Marty, Mark Juergensmeyer, and others, religion is an inherently disunifying phenomenon because it uniquely enables sacred and exclusive bonds that nurture antagonistic proclivities toward those outside that bond. This paper presents some viable counterexplanations for this kind of phenomena that provide a sufficient basis for questioning the core thread of the thesis.     

Putting Clinton in Context

Kurtz, Howard. Spin Cycle: How the White House and the Media Manipulate the News. New York: Touchstone Press, 1998. Pp. xxii, 346. $14 softbound.

Morris, Dick. Behind the Oval Office: Getting Reelected Against All Odds. Los Angeles: Renaissance Books, 1999. Pp. xxxii, 646. $16.96 softbound.

Reich, Robert B. Locked in the Cabinet. New York: Vintage Books, 1998. Pp. xv, 348. $13 softbound.

Shogan, Robert. The Double-Edged Sword: How Character Makes and Ruins Presidents, from Washington to Clinton. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1999. Pp. xii, 284. $25 hardbound.     

Putting Geography in its Place

Work on the history of geographical knowledge and practice frequently draws inspiration from theoretical insights developed elsewhere in the academy. After briefly touching on some of these historiographical matters, I argue that geographers might make some telling interventions into this debate by attending to some of their own key concepts – space, site, location – and disclosing their significance for elucidating the history of intellectual traditions. The fact that historians of science have begun to remark on the role of ‘place’ in knowledge production and consumption further confirms the value of this ‘geographical turn’. Subsequently I dwell on the implications of a spatialised historiography for work on the history of geography itself, and urge that ‘the history of geography’ might profitably be reconceptualised as ‘the historical geography of geography’.     

Putting People Back into Networks

This article argues that political scientists should spend more time observing policy networks, using ethnographic tools to capture the meaning of everyday activities. The first section reviews briefly the literature on policy networks, arguing for an ethnographic approach. To show how individual actors construct networks, the second section looks at the experience of consumers, managers and permanent secretaries of living and working in networks. The final section comments on what the fieldwork tells us about both network theory and ethnographic methods.     

对地方志工作法制化的一点思考

地方志工作法制化是地方志事业可持续发展最重要的保障。地方志工作法制化主要体现为三方面：具有较完善的地方志法律与地方志工作法规、规章;地方志法律与地方志工作法规、规章切实得到执行;违反地方志法律与地方志工作法规、规章的行为被依法纠正与处罚。地方志工作法制化目前存在与需要解决的主要问题是：地方志法律与地方志工作法规、规章尚不健全;现有地方志工作法规、规章尚未得到很好执行。进一步推进地方志工作法制化,首先要完善地方志立法,积极推动《地方志法》的制定和地方志工作地方立法;同时要将地方志工作法制化纳入依法行政范畴。