Monks on the move? An assessment of mobility at the medieval Nubian monastery of Ghazali,Sudan (ca. 680–1,275 CE)

The location of Ghazali monastery away from the Nile valley within the relatively isolated environs of the Bayuda desert presents a landscape suggestive of mobility toward the monastery by those who chose to reside there as monks. To assess this potentiality, a sample of 37 individuals from the monastic cemetery (Cemetery 2) were analysed for ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and δ¹⁸O to assess residency during dental enamel formation. The data generated bring into question the nature of mobility to Ghazali monastery, particularly in regard to the potential movement of people from the Nile valley, adjacent desertic landscapes, and further afield.     

The Making(s) of an Alternative Urban Policy: What Happens When Free Fares Come to Town?

While many urban policies and practices claim to offer an “alternative” to the “mainstream” of urban entrepreneurialism, they remain under-theorised and prone to alignment with entrepreneurial agendas. In this paper I examine fare-free public transport (FFPT) as a salient example of an alternative urban policy. Looking at Aubagne (France) and Tallinn (Estonia), I explore what happens when an alternative policy “comes to town”. I detect how FFPT enters local urban regimes, and study the (non-)participation of public transport passengers and workers in the decision-making process about whether and how to abolish public transport fares. My analysis reveals that albeit alternative policies such as FFPT seem to oppose entrepreneurialism, they may hinge on urban regimes that span across institutions, leave the local configurations of power unchallenged, and strenghten local elites. The adaptability of alternatives to diverse political and intellectual positions explains their resilience. Consequently, their radical character cannot be taken for granted and remains an object of political struggle.     

宋代富弼家族墓志史料价值刍议

2008年,宋代名臣富弼家族墓葬发掘出土了14方墓志,其中有12方墓志为传世文献所无,是迄今为止发现的墓主人惟一的传记资料;有7方墓志铭文又是迄今为止发现的墓志铭作者的惟一作品。富弼家族墓志不仅有数量多、价值大、保存完好的特点,而且有正史、补史的文献价值。     

四川早期崖墓及相关问题探讨

东汉时期前后,四川盆地及其周边的一些地区流行崖墓这一独特的墓葬形式,本文仍沿用"四川崖墓"这一传统概念统称分布于四川、重庆及相邻地区的崖墓[1]。与同时期的砖石墓相比,四川崖墓的形制更加复杂多样。目前,学术界对四川崖墓的形制演变还缺乏足够认识[2],对四川崖墓的分区研究也尚     

简论薛尚功的金石学研究

宋代金石学家薛尚功著有《历代钟鼎彝器款识法帖》二十卷和《广钟鼎篆韵》七卷。《款识法帖》以摹录铭文为主,并做释文和考说,逐一对器物的制作年代进行断定,开创了后世考释类金文著作的通例。考释文字方面,基本使用了对照法、推勘法和偏旁分析法,已经能释出大部分常用金文,对金文构形特点和古文字发展的一些普遍规律也有所认识。古器物学方面,提出了器物断代的几个标准,对器物的用途也有比较准确的认识,表现出了比较高明的识见。     

袁世凯与民初“党争”

从表面观之,民初党争运动发生在立宪派和革命派之间,居于幕后操纵的却是袁世凯。民初党争,与其说是西式的“政党政治”,不如说是中式的“派系政治”。在中国,最高权力一直掌握在君主手中,无论是西式的三权,中式的中央与地方,都是在下面分,最高权力则不能分。辛亥革命后,虽然没有了君主制,如何集权则是袁世凯面临的主要问题。袁的“不党主义”,及其他凌驾于党争之上的举措,似乎均与此有关。进言之,袁之后的中国最高统治者都面临这个问题：一方面是掌握了话语霸权的西式民主、选举、分权、权力制衡,另一方面是对不可分割的最高权力的“路径依赖”。