The Journal of Religious History 1960–2010: The Changing Face of Religious History over Fifty Years

The fiftieth anniversary of this journal offers an opportunity to reflect on both its history and that of the larger field of religious history. At its foundation, the journal drew inspiration from the approach to the history of religion taken by Lucien Febvre and other French Annalistes, with their emphasis on including religion as an integral part of the analysis of the past. Though the journal continued to publish a good deal of ecclesiastical history as more traditionally understood, these founding ideals have continued to shape the character of the journal. The increasing interest in the history of mentalities (partly due to the decline of Marxist historiography) has heightened an interest in the history of religion in ways which have proved increasingly congruent with the journal's founding ideals.     

The Changing Face of Neolithic and Bronze Age Ireland: A Big Data Approach to the Settlement and Burial Records

This paper synthesizes and discusses the spatial and temporal patterns of archaeological sites in Ireland, spanning the Neolithic period and the Bronze Age transition (4300–1900 cal BC), in order to explore the timing and implications of the main changes that occurred in the archaeological record of that period. Large amounts of new data are sourced from unpublished developer-led excavations and combined with national archives, published excavations and online databases. Bayesian radiocarbon models and context- and sample-sensitive summed radiocarbon probabilities are used to examine the dataset. The study captures the scale and timing of the initial expansion of Early Neolithic settlement and the ensuing attenuation of all such activity—an apparent boom-and-bust cycle. The Late Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods are characterised by a resurgence and diversification of activity. Contextualisation and spatial analysis of radiocarbon data reveals finer-scale patterning than is usually possible with summed-probability approaches: the boom-and-bust models of prehistoric populations may, in fact, be a misinterpretation of more subtle demographic changes occurring at the same time as cultural change and attendant differences in the archaeological record.     

The Changing Brazilian Language

This article analyzes two female Bildungsromane published by nineteenth-century authors, Las dos Gracias by Fernán Caballero (1867) and La vida íntima by Pilar Sinués (1876). The female Bildungsroman in Spain explores different educational and developmental opportunities open to women since the middle of the nineteenth century. Fernán Caballero and Pilar Sinués, who have been—and still often are—dismissed as anti-feminist and conservative, created a very nuanced vision of female Bildung in their novels. Far from being mere propaganda pieces aimed at keeping women in subjection, these novels discuss the obstacles that society places in the way to female development and offer ways of overcoming these obstacles.     

The Modern Face Of TIBETAN MEDICINE

In traditional Tibetan society, Tibetan medicine and pharmacy mainly existed in monasteries. Generally, a comparatively sizable monastery would often be equipped with a medical school. The Tibetan Medical College is one of the biggest schools for the study of Tibetan medicine and pharmacy in the monastery. Its curriculum consists of Tibetan medicine, pharmacy,     

The Public Face of Post-Tridentine Italian Confraternities

Catholic reforming policies and Council of Trent rules encouraged and expanded the more public roles and responsibilities of lay confraternities, changing the nature of some old brotherhoods, and promoting new ones. The public images became more important for members, the wider church institutions including associated religious orders, and the public. This article considers some significant aspects of the "public face": processions, Forty Hour devotions, philanthropy. Confraternities contributed to the theatricality of post-tridentine, "baroque" religion in cities like Bologna, Naples and most especially Rome, where the Spanish national confraternity played a spectacular role.     

评析满族骑射之变迁

“骑射”是满族的旧俗,源于射猎,由来已久,已有三、四千年的历史。“骑射”在狩猎和军事战争中发挥了极大的威力,清代满族统治者将“骑射”作为“国策”定为“恒制”,以保持“马上民族”、“国语骑射”的本色。从而增强民族的内聚力,维护统治地位。后来由于自然环境和社会环境的变化,“骑射”在军事上的作用的减弱,并非它的衰落,而是进步的表现,作为体育活动,其文化娱乐,健体强身的功能,继续保留、传承下来,并有所发展。     

The Changing and Unchanging Barkor Street of Lhasa

Whenever I encounter friends who haverecently been to Tibet,I always seize the opportunity to catch up with them on recent change in the the Barkor Street of Lhasa.From 1956 to 1972,I was working in the Tibetan branch of Xinhua News Agency stationed in Lhasa where I formed many unforgettable memories.To answer my questions,people always tell me that in the Barkor Street,change is happening every day.     

成都满族社会历史文化变迁

康熙六十年（1721年）,清政府在成都设立驻防八旗,满族定居成都,到今天已有280多年的历史了。其间经历了清朝、民国和中华人民共和国三个时期。从清朝时期的统治阶级,到民国时期的受剥削、受压迫、受欺凌的被统治阶级,再到成为新中国享有民族平等的主人。他们在政治、经济、文化科技、风俗习惯等方面均发生了巨大而又深刻的变化。