The Transformation of the Caspian Sea

The author reviews the problem of the level fluctuations of the Caspian Sea, particularly the steady drop since 1929. The drop in level is affecting many key sectors of the regional economy. Among several remedial schemes is a plan for diverting the rivers of northern European Russia to the Caspian, and a project for a localized regulation of the level of the Caspian Sea.     

Architectural rumors: unrealized megaprojects in Baku,Azerbaijan and their politico-economic uses

This article examines the agency of unrealized megaprojects in bolstering economic activity, legitimizing political regimes, and expanding designer’s portfolios. It argues that such proposals serve as a form of “Architectural Rumor,” providing politico-economic agency despite ultimate project infeasibility. Specifically, it looks at two case studies of proposed yet unrealized island megaprojects in the city of Baku, Azerbaijan: the 2009 Zira Island Master Plan and the 2010 Khazar Islands Plan. Spectacular urban design and architecture have long served as catalysts for development, investment attraction, and real estate speculation. As cities compete with one another to lure capital and boost their global status, many design proposals have become increasingly expensive, ostentatious, and technologically sophisticated. The high-risk financial nature of grand urban design proposals and their frequent associations with displacement or environmental destruction suggests that the megaproject model is becoming flawed. At the same time, there remain advantages for clients and politicians to proposing designs that are more spectacular than feasible. Using a mixed-methods approach, four key arenas in which unrealized proposals circulate are described. The various benefits and detriments of such an approach to architectural commodification are also discussed, foregrounding the broader societal costs.     

Khazaria and the Caspian (Landscape and Ethnos,Part I)

The author combines the techniques of historical geography, archeology, and paleogeography to investigate the distribution of the Khazars, a people settled in the Volga delta from the sixth to tenth centuries. Data on Caspian Sea level changes, obtained in part from study of the Derbent wall, are correlated with known political events in the history of the Khazars. A history of settlement of the Volga delta is reconstructed.     

Ethno-linguistic Materials from South Caspian Rainforests

This article includes part of the linguistic material we documented in 2002 from a galesh ranch in central-eastern Mazandaran. It transcribes, translates, and glosses two texts related by a patriarch on his long, eventful life: the dramatic elopement with the girl he married, his successful family life and career as a pastoral nomad, and his long resistance against the laws forcing the galesh families to evacuate the forest for good. Notwithstanding our dialectological purpose, namely documentation of the largely understudied language of Mazandaran within the long-standing tradition of Iranian philology, the article may also provide raw material for the anthropologist, sociologist, and historian, as it relays an unrecorded tradition just before its total disappearance.     

On the Question of Regulating the Level of the Caspian Sea

The author tries to show that the level of the Caspian Sea could be stabilized at relatively low cost at its present low level without further damage to the coastal economy. He denies the need for costly projects designed to increase the inflow into the Caspian or to separate the shallow northern section from the main body of the sea. He maintains that water gained by diverting the northern streams into the Volga basin should be used to irrigate the arid Southeast rather than to replenish the water supply of the Caspian Sea.     

大众传媒与日本当代文学——以梦枕貘的《阴阳师》系列为中心

后工业社会中的大众传媒,尤其是电子传媒极大地影响着文学的生产、传播和消费.文学传媒化、商业化、大众化的趋势使人们不得不重新思考文学的走向与未来.大众传媒不仅是文学的工具,它也是文学本身不可分割的一部分.本文通过对梦枕貘<阴阳师>系列的个案分析,阐明日本当代文学和大众传媒之间的互动关系.     

The Ob' will enter the Caspian: the Yenisey-Ob'-Aral-Caspian Water Connection and the Energy Problem

An early 1949 version of Davydov's grandiose scheme for diverting water from the Yenisey and Ob' Rivers to Kazakhstan and Central Asia via the Turgay Gates and the Aral and Caspian Seas in order to stabilize the level of the Caspian, expand the irrigated acreage of Kazakhstan and Central Asia, generate abundant hydro-electric power, provide a cheap water transport route between Siberia and Central Asia, eliminate sukhovei (dry winds) at their source, and ameliorate the continental climate of Western Siberia, Kazakhstan, and Central Asia. The plan reflects the anthropocentric “transformation of nature” and the large-scale “great projects of communism” drives of the late Stalinist period. The translation was prepared by James R. Gibson of York University, Toronto.     

Perspectives on the Caspian Sea Dilemma: Russian Policies Since the Soviet Demise

An American political scientist specializing in Soviet and post-Soviet foreign affairs outlines the highlights of Russian policy in the Caspian region from 1991 to late 2003. The paper discusses and analyzes the interaction among the five littoral states (Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan) in light of contentious disputes over the sea's demarcation, the routing of pipelines, and efforts to maximize oil and gas exports to the West. Noting instances of "gunboat diplomacy" used by Russia and Iran, as well as the American presence in the region after 9/11 and during the current war in Iraq, the author reflects on the Russian role as a stabilizing force in the region. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: O18, Q30, Q40. 1 figure, 74 references.     

The Problem of Transformation and Utilization of the Water Resources of the Volga River and the Caspian Sea

Abstract

The authors review expected water requirements within the Volga-Caspian basin for industry, agriculture, fisheries and municipal uses and plans for the diversion of the streams of northern European Russia to the south to support the level of the Caspian Sea. They suggest that the diversion of part of the flow of the northern streams and isolation of the natural evaporation basin of the Kara-Bogaz-Gol will be sufficient to maintain the Caspian Sea level at ?28 meters. Previous articles on the Caspian problem appeared in Soviet Geography, September 1961, January 1962, and June 1963.     

Factors Shaping the Hierarchical Structure of the System of Fishery Settlements in the Northern Caspian

A number of settlement systems in Astrakhan' Oblast are defined on the basis of technological, administrative and service linkages within the North Caspian fishery industry. The industry is broken down into four successive stages in the production cycle: (1) fish harvesting; (2) primary processing and (3) production of semifinished products; (4) canning and caviar production. The settlement systems of the fish industry are characterized in terms of the significance of each production stage in the total output and in terms of the types of linkages in the production and distribution process (linkages within settlement systems, between systems, and shipments outside the oblast). Five systems are distinguished within Astrakhan' Oblast, each focused on a major processing center. The linkages are mapped, and the parameters of the systems are presented in a table.     

The Caspian Forests of Northern Iran during the Qajar and Pahlavi Periods: Deforestation,Regulation, and Reforestation

Uniquely among the world’s temperate forests, much of the vegetation of the Caspian forests is now endangered. But while deforestation has accelerated in Iran, these processes were actually underway in the nineteenth century. This article offers a brief introduction to the history of forest exploitation and concessions during the Qajar and Pahlavi periods, addressing actions taken by the Iranian state to protect and extend forest cover, but also the deficiencies of that legislation and the reasons for its failure. Though it is one of the most forested countries in the Middle East, Iran’s forests remain understudied. Existing scholarship mostly addresses the contemporary period; this paper extends the scope of our knowledge, offering a deeper history of forest exploitation in Iran.     

《竹书纪年》与晋唐间的史学

西晋初年出土的《竹书纪年》不但补充了传世文献的记载,更因其内容与儒家经典在叙述与认识上的差异,激发了人们对史学自身的反思。晋唐之际的学者利用《纪年》核准文献、考证史实,同时也引起了关于经史关系、史体史例、疑古证经等一系列问题的探究,从而对晋唐间史学的发展带来了深刻的影响。     

汉唐受降城与胡汉交融

受降城地处胡汉分界,又为游牧、农耕民族经济交汇之要区,因而在汉唐时期的民族关系中发挥了重要作用。受降城在唐诗及汉唐文献中多有出现,因其独特的地理位置,中原王朝与西北少数民族或战或和的民族关系皆在受降城留下了历史烙印,因而利用唐诗及汉唐文献对其进行考证,以窥当时之民族关系,实有必要。     

张继与第一次国共合作

张继是中国近现代史上一位极其复杂与富于传奇色彩的历史人物。他是清末中国最早的留日学生,又是中国最早的无政府主义者。更为重要的是,他是最早投身辛亥革命的民主战士与同盟会的发起人,是中国国民党著名的元老,因而曾被毛泽东誉为“中国革命的老辈”~①。就是这样一个人,在１９２２－１９２７年国共两党第一次合作与破裂的过程中,曾起过非常重要又非常复杂、极富典型意义的作用。他先是积极倡导,奔走联络,鼓吹不遗余力;但曾几何时,他又带头发难,肆行破坏,锋芒毕露,变化迅速,前后判若两人。可以说,再没有一个人象张继那样…     

封还词头与北宋的封驳制度

封还词头这一封驳方式发端于唐代,形成于北宋仁宗朝,主要由中书舍人职掌。北宋的封驳制度发展为以中书舍人封还词头为主、给事中封驳为辅的模式,是三省制转变为一省制过程中封驳制度的必然转变。中书舍人封还词头,对于修正人事决策有着十分积极的意义,相较于单一的给事中封驳,无疑也是制度上的进步。但对于封还词头的作用仍不可高估,因为这一行政程序并不能从根本上左右决策。     

坚守立场 提升品位——贺《史学月刊》50周年

在我孤陋寡闻的印象中,一份学术刊物能坚持50年的,不说是绝无仅有,也应称凤毛麟角了。可喜可贺的是,《史学月刊》就是中国学坛上这样卓异的刊物之一。作为长期受惠于《史学月刊》的读者和作者,在这喜庆的日子,应该说点什么呢?我来到学校图书馆,看到的是宽宽一排饱经岁月沧桑的历年杂志,静静地立在期刊阅览室的书架上。将它们一一抽出,摩娑披览,一时间竟感怀良多。从一份省级史学分会内部交换研究心得的通讯,到在国内学术界有重要地位、在国际上也有一定影响的全国中文核心期刊,其间的曲折艰难,不说也罢;