In the lure of Geistesgeschichte: the theme of decline in Hungarian historiography and historical thinking in the first half of the twentieth century

Decline was the fundamental issue in Hungarian historiography and historical thinking between the two world wars. This article primarily analyses the views of historian Gyula Szekf?, the writers and essayists Dezs? Szabó and László Németh, and those of philosophers Lajos Fülep and György Lukács. In this period, the so-called spiritual history (Geistesgeschichte) prevailed in Hungarian intellectual circles, in which the themes of decline and even fall were fundamental. Of the most important representatives of Geistesgeschichte, Spengler, Ortega, Huizinga, Croce and Maritain had significant influence on the authors mentioned above. Historians were ready to reject the ideas of these thinkers regarding the criticism of culture, and rather followed the power- and state-centred streams of Geistesgeschichte, conceived by Ranke, Troeltsch and Meinecke. At the same time it is also true that the decline and generation theory developed by the historian Gyula Szekf? (e.g., in his book Three Generations), is one of the most original interpretations of modern Hungarian history. It was shared by many Hungarian intellectuals of the period. Paradoxically, the theme of decline also appeared in the views of the so-called ‘Századok’ (Centuries) circle, mainly in the writings of the historians István Hajnal and István Szabó. They rather followed the social-history-oriented French Annales School, and even attempted to offer a solution to the problems of the so-called ‘third way’ alternative. Almost all of the above-mentioned concepts were tied in the later political discourse to the so-called right-wing tradition of Hungarian political–historical thinking, but the author also touches briefly upon the notion of decline in the leftist (Marxist) tradition of György Lukács, whose ideas had an impact on the beginnings of the Frankfurt School. The article also offers a brief overview of the main ideas of spiritual history/Geistesgeschichte, since the author suggests that this was a common feature in all the interpretations of decline in the period treated here.     

Application of Particle Motion Technique to Structural Modal Identification of Heritage Buildings

Determining the behavior of a structure estimated by means of finite elements analysis requires not only an in-depth knowledge of its geometry and dynamic properties but also an experimental validation to corroborate the adequacy of the characteristics of the structure. Most of the current structural identification techniques are based on linear methods that call for many measurement points and/or a relative simple structure. Complex structures are somewhat still an unexplored field due to the difficulties with the finite element method and the experimental corroboration of its results. This study presents the use of particle motion computation applied to each structural vibration mode to improve the identification of its dynamic properties, and its application to the Gothic Cathedral of Palma de Majorca (Spain).     

In Situ Characterization of Rammed Earth Wall Renders

The Algarve region in southern Portugal has one of the most significant rammed earth construction legacies in the country. This construction method is characterized by its high susceptibility to water damage and external renderings are essential to the longevity of these constructions. This study collects and organizes data that provides the basis for the conservation and repair of renderings. Five earth buildings from western Algarve were selected to represent this heritage and its diversity of composition and susceptibility to water damage. Some of their commonest anomalies result from the interaction between the earth substrate and the traditional external renderings, given their distinct characteristics and behavior. The selected sample is described and the mechanical strength of the rammed earth walls and their renderings are evaluated through in situ tests. Samples of the external renderings and earth substrate of the five buildings comprising the sample were also collected and characterized in the laboratory. The characteristics of these two materials and their behavior as an assembly were analyzed. The results of the in situ and laboratory tests are compared and the viability of using a method based on in situ tests for the wider characterization of the type of construction under analysis evaluated.     

The Status Problem of Iberian Holocene Equids: New Data from Cueva de El Mirador (Sierra de Atapuerca,Spain)

Equid remains are scarce and very fragmented in Iberian Neolithic and Bronze Age sites. Evidence suggesting that horses were domesticated does exist, but it is often inconclusive, thus leaving the question unanswered. Today, DNA analyses have provided information about a, most likely Iberian, nucleus of horse domestication, making it crucially important to expand the database. The Holocene sequence (6^th and 3^rd millennium cal bc ) of the Cueva de El Mirador (Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain) has yielded 92 equid remains distributed in 12 Neolithic and Bronze Age levels. In this paper, we present the study of the equid remains from the Cueva de El Mirador from an archaeozoological perspective, giving indirect evidence of horse domestication. Our results vary widely and lead to open interpretations about horse domestication and how humans used these animals. This study of horse remains focuses on species identification and on determining how humans economically used these animals. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

瑞士周末华文学校——一种全球性的社会迁移策略

本文根据对瑞士华文学校和华文夏令营的观察和对瑞士华人和台湾教师的访谈,描述了华人移民瑞士的主要情况及其多样化的网络和社会性;介绍了传授华文的组织机构概况和大陆与台湾在支持华文教育举措上的异同;分析探讨了在不同背景下认同类型的变化;意图反映受访者对＂文化＂和＂语言＂这两个概念的不同理解和阐释。主要观点是,保持这种被认定为统一的＂华人＂认同,是一种全球性的社会迁移策略,有助于他们更好地融入瑞士或者中国。     

Testing technological practices: neutron activation analysis of neolithic ceramics from Valencia,Spain

Using instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) of prehistoric pottery, daub, and modern clay samples from Valencia, Spain, we tested expectations on changes in raw material use with socio-economic shifts during the Neolithic (ca. 5600–2800 BC). Elemental analysis identified three distinctive clay source groups used by Neolithic potters. Contrary to expectations, a shift in raw material use was identified between the Early and Middle Neolithic despite general similarities in technological practices. In the Late Neolithic, pottery production became more specialized, but potters used the same range of clay sources documented earlier. This study illustrates the utility of INAA for testing hypotheses of prehistoric craft production.     

Indispensable Sons: Negotiating reproductive desires in rural Vietnam

The decline in fertility that has taken place in most countries of Asia over the past few decades has presented a challenge to demographic theory. While most families have shrunk considerably in size and the desire for only a few children is shared by most, the importance of producing a male child has persisted in some regions and strata of many Asian societies. The clash between the desire for only a few children and for a male child causes many individuals to experience conflicting reproductive aspirations, particularly women, who are generally held responsible for the sex of their children and whose status depends on their production of male heirs. Based on ethnographic material, I document the different strategies women in rural northern Vietnam use throughout their reproductive years in their quest to have a son. I discuss the construction of reproductive desires with special attention to the need for a son, as such need was the most central element of discourses on reproductive desire in the narratives collected. The article also elaborates on how women maneuver to negotiate these desires between different scales: the local, particularly family, kin and community members; the national, more specifically Vietnam's two-child family planning policy; and the global, with its notions of a good family and of ‘good quality’ children.

Hijos Indispensables: Negociando los deseos reproductivos en Vietnam rural

La disminución de fertilidad que ha ocurrido en la mayor parte de países asiáticos durante las últimas tres décadas ha planteado un desafió a la teoría demográfica. Mientras que la mayoría de familias se ha reducido el tamaño y desean menos hijos, en algunos regiones y estratos de las sociedades asiáticas la importancia de producir un niño masculino ha persistido. El choque entre el deseo de tener menos hijos y un niño masculino resulta en que muchos individuos tengan aspiraciones contradictorias de reproducción, en particular las mujeres quien se responsabilizan generalmente del sexo de sus hijos y también quien depende en la producción de herederos masculinos para su posición social. Haciendo uso de material etnográfica, documento las estrategias distintas que utilizan las mujeres del campo de Vietnam del Norte en sus búsquedas de tener un hijo durante sus años reproductivos. Discuto la construcción de deseos reproductivos, fijándose en la necesidad de un hijo, ya que aquella necesidad era el elemento más central de los discursos de deseos reproductivos en las narraciones recopiladas. Este artículo elabora también en cómo las mujeres manejan negociar estos deseos entre diferentes escalas: la local, especialmente la familia, parientes, y miembros de la comunidad; la nacional, mas específico, la política vietnamesa de dos hijos por familia; y el global, con sus ideas de la familia buena y de niños ‘bien educados’.