The new refugees and the “old ethnicity”

Haines, David W., ed. Refugees in the United States: A Reference Handbook. Westport, Connecticut: Westport Press, 1985. viii + 243 pp. including chapter references, annotated literature guide, and index. $39.95 cloth.     

Introducing the Real Tibet to the World—Speech by Radi at the China's Tibet Meeting

AdiscussionmeetinqwasheldinLhasaonthemorningofJuly25tomarktheeighthanniversaryofthelaunchingofChina'sTibetAttendingthediscussionmeetingwereleadersoftheTibetAutonomousRegion,Radi,chairmanofthePeople'sCongressoftheTibetAutonomousReqion,deliveredaspeechatthe…     

Learning from history? From Soviet collapse to the ‘new’ Cold War

Many moments in what we now rather lamely call the ‘end of the Cold War’ have been examined in detail. However, within the extraordinarily rich literature that has arisen over the past 25 years, little attention has been paid thus far to one very important problem: the part played by ‘history’ in shaping the way different actors tried to make sense of what was going on around them in a time of rapid transition.     

Goodbye to all that (again)? The Fischer thesis,the new revisionism and the meaning of the First World War

What is the truth about the nature of the First World War and why have historians been unable to agree on its origins? The interpretation that no one country was to blame prevailed until the 1960s when a bitter international controversy, sparked by the work of the Hamburg historian Fritz Fischer, arrived at the consensus that the Great War had been a ‘bid for world power’ by imperial Germany and therefore a conflict in which Britain had necessarily and justly engaged. But in this centennial year Fischer's conclusions have in turn been challenged by historians claiming that Europe's leaders all ‘sleepwalked’ into the catastrophe. This article, the text of the Martin Wight Memorial Lecture held at the University of Sussex in November 2014, explores the archival discoveries which underpinned the Fischer thesis of the 1960s and subsequent research, and asks with what justification such evidence is now being set aside by the new revisionism.     

Russia’s Accession to the World Trade Organization

Two noted British economists survey a range of issues linked to Russia’s forthcoming accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and its implications for the Russian economy. They describe the far-reaching commitments Russia has undertaken in the realm of tariffs, non-tariff barriers, and openness to inward investment, identifying factors that tend both to support and challenge realization of these commitments. They follow with a brief historical account of the reasons why the accession process for Russia was so protracted and an assessment of the likely medium- and long-term economic impacts of accession for the country as well as for its particular regions and social groups. The arguments suggest that the likely direct impacts of accession will overall be modest (at least over the near- to medium-term), and focused in spheres in which a foreign presence may enhance the productivity of Russian firms in the domestic market (e.g., business services). Potentially, more substantial indirect benefits will largely depend on the scale and seriousness of domestic reform policies launched in support of WTO compliance (i.e., effects of accession on Russia’s political economy). Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: F130, F500, P330. 3 figures, 6 tables, 54 references.     

Intersectionality: old and new endeavours?

This short comment on intersectionality raises three points for further thought and discussion: The first has to do with the rich tradition of feminist interventions in academe and in political struggles which adopted intersectional approaches before a field of ‘intersectionality studies’ was developed. The second is a note about the difficult and complex passage from individual subject formation to the constitution of collective identities, following the logic of intersectional analysis and theorizing, Finally, the third point puts forward some thoughts on positionality as ‘perspective’ from which to interpret the complexities of intersectional analyses and seek to forge solidarities and alliances beyond individual identification.     

Did Cecil Rhodes Really Try to Control the World?

A twentieth-century American historian claimed, in a posthumously published book, that Cecil Rhodes and Lord Milner plotted to take over the world by establishing secret societies, conniving with key British politicians, various lords of the realm and influential publicists. The Rhodes Scholarships are supposedly but one example of the long hand of their cabal. That both Rhodes and Milner favoured imperialism, and believed the world the better for inculcated British values, there can be no question. But were they conspiracists, as alleged? Or are the accusations based too much on suspicion and circumstantial evidence to be taken seriously?     

The Colonial (Dis)order and the (Im)possibility of Redemption: Jeong,Abolition, and Living from the “End of the World”

This article develops the oppositional edge of postcolonial theologies by way of Frantz Fanon’s anti-colonial desire for the “end of the world.” It connects W. Anne Joh’s elaboration of jeong – the living in excess of (neo)colonial violence – to Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s anti-fascist critique of the godlike desires of European humanism (the sicut deus). The overall aim of the article is to clarify and assess what is at stake in a project of eschatological decolonialism. What might it mean to think theologically about salvation as abolition? And what might it look like to live from the “end of the world?”     

The phase switched correlation polarimeter—a new approach to the partial reflection experiment

A polarimeter is described with which all of the properties of an elliptically polarized electro-magnetic field may be measured. Relationships are developed for use of the polarimeter in connection with the D-region partial reflection experiment. It is shown that the use of the polarimeter in this application removes the necessity for phased antennas, automatically provides gain- and phase-calibration data for the receiving antenna, and yields simultaneously data for differential absorption and differential phase. Furthermore it is shown that, within the limitations imposed by magneto-ionic mode coupling and off-vertical angles of arrival, there are no restrictions on geomagnetic location for the use of the polarimeter and the partial reflection experiment.     

Which Benjamin Franklin—Yours or mine? Examining responses to a new story from the historical archaeology site of Franklin court

Resumen La reciente revisión de las campa?as arqueológicas llevadas a cabo en la mansión de Benjamín Franklin en Filadelfia (excavada entre 1953 y 1975) revelan una nueva hístoría muy significativa para las comunidades que viven en la actualidad en Estados Unidos. La historia de Franklin, inicialmente poseedor de esclavos y posteriormente abolicionista da un giro completo cuando, en sentido figurado, los descendientes de la comunidad Afro-americana, por cuya libertad Franklin luchó, excavan la historia de Franklin para crear un lugar de culto para la memoria histórica nacional. Así mismo se ha encontrado una nueva historia relevante para los Nativos Americanos, el Movimiento de los Trabajadores, las mujeres y los colectivos de gays y lesbianas. A la luz de un contexto más amplio que engloba varias temas colectivos se analizan las diversas respuestas a estas nuevas interpretaciones.

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Résumé Une récente évaluation de l'archéologie effectuée sur le site de la demeure de Benjamin Franklin à Philadelphie (déterrée 1953–1975) révèle l'interprétation d'une nouvelle histoire d'intérêt aux communautés modernes des Etats-Unis. L'histoire de Franklin, d'abord propriétaire d'esclaves puis devenu abolitioniste est révolue lorsque les descendants de la communauté afroaméricaine que Franklin s'est évertué à libérer, fouillent l'histoire de Franklin pour la création d'un monument à la mémoire nationale historique. On trouvera aussi des faits nouveaux d'intérêt pour les Américains natifs, sur le mouvement travailliste, sur les femmes et les homosexuels. On examine de nouvelles réponses sur ces sujets à la lumière des contextes plus ouverts à la base des programmes communautaires.

     

Earliest known echinoderm — a new Ediacaran fossil from the Pound Subgroup of South Australia

Arkarua adami gen. et sp. nov., a small disc-like animal with a pentameral arrangement of grooves on its oral surface, is preserved as an external mould on the base of sandstone beds within the Ediacaran (Late Precambrian) Ediacara Member of the Pound Subgroup, in the Flinders Ranges. While the limitations of preservation do not allow identification of some important organs, the pentameral symmetry and resemblance to Early Cambrian edrioasteroids enable the recognition of Arkarua as the earliest known echinoderm.     

Eratosthenes’ Contribution to Ptolemy’s Map of the World

This article attempts to shed some light on the origins of Ptolemy’s map of the world, which remains a mystery. The premise is that Ptolemy and other ancient geographers largely drew on the same or a similar pool of sources and common beliefs. Similarities between them can, therefore, give us a key to understanding the prehistory of Ptolemy’s map. Comparison of distances on his map with those given by other sources leads to the conclusion that a large area of the map, approximately from the Bosporus to the Indus, reproduced Eratosthenes’ geographical system, with linear distances converted to angular degrees according to Eratosthenes’ own scale. It is argued that this area represents a remnant of an earlier version of Ptolemy’s map. Analysis of latitude and longitude reveals notable differences between Ptolemy’s map and Eratosthenes’ ideas concerning the latitude of Babylon and the Alexandrian prime meridian, and the impact this seems to have had on the shape of neighbouring regions is noted.     

From the Atlantic to the Bug,from the Arctic to the Tigris? The Transformation of the EU and NATO

Both the European Union and NATO are now committed in principle to substantial enlargement. It remains doubtful, however, how far member governments are making a success of further enlargement, let alone thinking through its strategic implications. Yet the process of dual enlargement will define the future security, political and economic structures of the European region. During the past year west European governments have extended promises of eventual membership to the western Balkan states and to Turkey; while the future positions of Ukraine, Russia, the Caucasus states and the southern Mediterranean associates all raise delicate policy issues. Hard choices remain to be made about the adaptation of these organizations to eastern enlargement, and about the management of relations with the near neighbours who will remain outside.     

How are old places different from new places? A psychological investigation of the correlation between patina,spontaneous fantasies,and place attachment

Abstract

What is ‘age value’? Or conceptualised slightly differently, what is the fundamental difference in the experience and affect of old and new places? In order to answer this question, this study compares historic Charleston, an authentically ‘old’ place and I’On, a ‘new’ place designed on new urbanist principles; both places share essentially the same design but differ in age by over 150 years. A sequential mixed-method approach, consisting of a phenomenology (interviews) followed by a measure of four dimensions of place attachment provided the data for this study; both methods employed photo elicitation techniques. Age value is only associated with patina and spontaneous fantasy in historic Charleston; both of these variables correlate with increased levels of general attachment or dependence. Residents of both neighbourhoods exhibit very high levels of general attachment, dependence and identity, but rootedness is higher in Charleston. Place attachment is correlated with more environmental variables in historic Charleston than it is in I’On. It is important to protect masonry patina because of its association with place attachment. This study lends evidence for why we need to understand the values, perceptions and experiences of civil experts in balance with the objective art/historical values of conventional experts.