DISH and the monastic way of life

Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) is common condition and its prevalence increases markedly with age. This paper describes the pathology and aetiology of the condition; DISH seems to be related to obesity and type II diabetes and is probably a multisystem hormonal disorder. DISH occurs frequently in human skeletal remains, particularly in those recovered from monastic sites. Evidence is presented to confirm this association and the causes are discussed. We also present criteria for the diagnosis of DISH in human remains, which we suggest would permit valid inter‐study comparisons. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Post‐totalitarian national identity: public memory in Germany and Russia

Through a comparative analysis of Germany and Russia, this paper explores how participation in the memorialization process affects and reflects national identity formation in post‐totalitarian societies. These post‐totalitarian societies face the common problem of re‐presenting their national character as civic and democratic, in great part because their national identities were closely bound to oppressive regimes. Through a comparison of three memorial sites—Sachsenhausen concentration camp memorial in Germany, and Lubianka Square and the Park of Arts in Russia—we argue that even where dramatic reductions in state power and the opening of civil society have occurred, a simple elite–public dichotomy cannot adequately capture the nature of participation in the process of memory re‐formation. Rather, mutual interactions among multiple publics and elites, differing in kind and intensity across contexts, combine to form a complex pastiche of public memory that both interprets a nation's past and suggests desirable models for its future. The domination of a ‘Western’ style of memorialization in former East Germany illustrates how even relatively open debates can lead to the exclusion of certain representations of the nation. Nonetheless, Germany has had comparatively vigorous public debates about memorializing its totalitarian periods. In contrast, Russian elite groups have typically circumvented or manipulated participation in the memorialization process, reflecting both a reluctance to deal with Russia's totalitarian past and a emerging national identity less civic and democratic than in Germany.     

The New World and the ‘New Turks’: the American-Turkish Claims Commission and Armenian-Americans’ contested citizenship in the interwar period

The flourishing of nativist political sentiments during the recent United States presidential election has resulted in popular speculation about who is, and who is not, a ‘real’ American. Foreign-born citizens’ struggles to forge a sense of civic belonging amid fears of national disloyalty have significant precedent. This article examines one such historical episode, which centres on a claims commission established between the United States and Turkey during the interwar period. The American-Turkish Claims Commission was intended to aid the resumption of diplomatic relations between the two nations through the resolution of private claims. For the hundreds of Armenian-Americans who filed claims, the Commission provided an unparalleled opportunity to seek their new government’s assistance in claiming compensation from the Republic of Turkey for losses incurred during the Armenian genocide. However, such faith was unwarranted, as the United States excluded from consideration all of the claims made by American citizens who were former Ottoman subjects. This article examines the reasons behind the exclusion of these claims and raises questions as to how immigrant communities can overcome the narrowing of what it means to be American both on the world stage and at home.     

Inter-observer variation in coding osteoarthritis in human skeletal remains

Thirty-eight participants at the VIIIth European Meeting of the Paleopathology Association took part in a study of inter-observer variation in scoring osteoarthritis in human skeletal remains. Ten specimens representing different joints were used and five criteria of osteoarthritis were scored. Eleven of the 38 participants ranked themselves as beginners, 13 as experienced and six as very experienced; the data were subsequently examined using the results from these 30, comparing beginners with experts. Agreement as to whether or not changes were present on the specimens and on the degree of change was seldom complete but was greater when scoring eburnation and the presence of new bone on the joint surface than for the three other criteria. There was little difference between beginners and experts. Although all the specimens were chosen to meet our published criteria for osteoarthritis, the experts were unanimous is agreeing the diagnosis in only three cases and the beginners in only one. These results suggest that more work needs to be done to develop operational definitions for the classification of disease in palaeopathology and that great care must be taken when comparing disease frequencies between studies.