The institutionalisation of ‘colonial geography’ in France, 1880-1940

Between 1880 and 1900, the conjunction of the development of higher education in France with the renewal of colonial expansion resulted in the creation of the ‘colonial sciences’. ‘Colonial geography’ played a key role in the development of these new disciplines, alongside ‘colonial history’, ‘ethnology’, ‘colonial economics and legislation’ and ‘colonial psychology’. This paper considers the social history of this field and of the institutions in which colonial geography was formed. This involves examination of the study of the teaching of ‘colonial geography’ in the universities and French grandes écoles, the gradual professionalisation of scholarship, and the increase in the number of doctoral theses and book publications, which all serve to demonstrate the vigour of the subdiscipline, leading to the emergence of a veritable research community. Under the Third Republic, ‘colonial geography’ in the universities was characterised by great diversity, irreducible to a single or homogenous ‘colonial discourse’.     

从"蛮族"首领到"圣徒"国王——论克洛维在中世纪法国的形象及其演绎

对于某一特定的历史人物或历史现象来说,随着时间的推移和时代的需要,后人对之描述和诠释往往会呈现出与其原始形象相距甚远的状况,而且这种异化过程又往往是以历史学的名义进行的。在中世纪法国,克洛维的形象便经历了这样一个转变过程。在图尔主教格雷戈里的笔下,克洛维尚是一个充满蛮性的凡人国王;但到了中世纪中后期,在法国王室的推动下并在御用文人的协助下,克洛维却成为一位尽善尽美的“圣徒”国王。对于这种转变的动因和效果以及中世纪历史学在其中所发挥的作用,人们当然应当给予充分的理解。但是,理解并不意味着认可。从维护历史学基本伦理准则角度出发,对于中世纪历史学的形态扭曲必须持批判态度。     

柏克政治思想述评

柏克的政治思想内容庞杂,学界争论也较多,尽管一般地他被看做保守主义的教父,但同时也具有自由主义的面相。要完整地把握柏克的思想,似需从两方面着手：（1）在英国及其殖民地政治事务上,他常常表现出自由主义的一面。不过,从英格兰政治思想史角度来看,则背离了洛克所奠基的自由主义原则。（2）在法国革命问题上,他的思想表现出更多的保守主义成分,且这一思想直接导致了辉格党的分裂,却也砥砺了后来的保守党;这种保守主义思想应用于英国及其殖民地的政治事务也许是适当的,但若用来指导其他国家则是荒谬的,甚或是“反动的”。     

法国大革命时期关于非婚生子女生父搜索的争论

生父搜索指非婚生子女或其生母为了获得抚养费或提出财产要求而公开指认其生父的诉请权。18世纪法国的法理、习俗与法律鼓励生父搜索。法国大革命时期对此进行了激烈的争论,最终导致生父搜索的取消。为了强化这一点,保护合法的父家长制的家庭及其财产的安全,1804年《法国民法典》完全禁止生父搜索。     

近代上海法租界“越界筑路区”城市化空间过程分析(1895-1914)

本文运用法租界公董局档案、上海道契等文献资料,运用GIS空间分析的方法,复原了上海法租界越界筑路区洋人地产的空间分布。在此基础上,以1900年新扩展区为例,进一步分析了城市化的具体过程。研究证明,在越界筑路之前,洋人便开始了越界购地,但洋人租地并不等同于土地开发,筑路等基础设施建设才是土地开发的最重要因素,因为筑路不仅重新划分了土地,而且导致地块被不断分割出售,最终使土地利用方式由农业用地转变为居住和商业用地。     

Late Holocene Neotropical agricultural landscapes: phytolith and stable carbon isotope analysis of raised fields from French Guianan coastal savannahs

This paper summarizes phytolith analyses from four pre-Columbian agricultural raised-field sites of the coastal savannahs of French Guiana—Savane Grand Macoua, Piliwa, Bois Diable and K-VIII—and carbon isotope analyses from the first-named site. The combined phytolith and ¹³C isotope analyses evidence the transformation of the landscape from a relatively homogeneous wetland vegetation comprised of a mixture of C4 and C3 plants (the latter including Cyperaceae and other herbaceous monocots such as Marantaceae and Heliconia, Oryzoideae grasses, and other plants typical of frequently flooded areas) to the construction of raised fields that were dominated by C4 plants (maize and other Panicoideae grasses). Our analysis proves the utility of phytoliths for tracing the agricultural history of landscapes, showing that, as in other parts of the Central and South American lowlands, maize (Zea mays) was one important crop cultivated in raised fields. We also estimated the productivity of raised-field agriculture, showing that in combination with other subsistence activities, it certainly had the capacity to sustain sizeable populations.     

THE CONCEPT OF TRANSPARENCY,ITS HISTORY,AND THE THEORY OF BEGRIFFSGESCHICHTE

In this review essay, I examine the theoretical assumptions required in order to reconstruct an understanding of another historical period. Stefanos Geroulanos has produced a masterful history of mid‐twentieth‐century French thought, and he argues for a significant difference between that period and our own based on the values and ideas associated with the concept of transparency. The book is innovative in both its method and interpretation of the period of 1945–1984. However, despite the suggestive theoretical framework announced at its start, Geroulanos prefers to explore the theoretical content of conceptual history more than to explain how one might go about identifying, understanding, and translating the concepts of a different epoch. In order to contribute to what is already a successful project, I endeavor to extend some of Geroulanos's theoretical sketches through a comparison with Reinhart Koselleck's theory of Begriffsgechichte. Despite some muted criticism of Koselleck from Geroulanos, I argue that the projects share similar commitments, although Geroulanos needs to develop his theoretical premises at greater length, both for a full comparison and in order to complete the critical project that Transparency appears to be undertaking.     

From Battleship to Breakwater: post‐military adaptive reuse of the Australian warship Protector

The light cruiser Protector, built 1884, served as an Australian naval asset for 40 years. Decommissioned from the Royal Australian Navy in 1924, it was subsequently converted into a lighter. The vessel re‐entered military service during the Second World War, but was involved in a collision, condemned, and ultimately installed as a breakwater on Australia's Great Barrier Reef. While much of Protector's military career is well documented, little is known of its conversion and adaptation to civilian roles. What follows is a discussion of efforts to archaeologically document Protector's surviving hull and identify signatures of adaptive reuse indicative of its post‐military career.     

A Single Thread of Meaning: Esperanza Ortega's Hilo solo

Scholarship on Marie de France's Lai de Lanval has long held Guinevere's accusation of homosexuality against Lanval to have been motivated by hurt feelings: it is made, in the words of one commentator, "in the fury of a woman scorned." This article suggests that subtler motives may have been apparent to the text's earliest audiences. By the twelfth century, sodomy was increasingly categorized by ecclesiastical legislation as a kind of treason. Accordingly, it is likely that Guinevere's charge is meant to counter Lanval's insinuation that, in attempting to seduce him, she has tried to lure him into an act of treason as well.     

Historical Archaeology of France in the New World

The author introduces this special issue of the journal that is focused on the historical archaeology of French colonial and post-colonial settlements in the New World. Case studies from widely separated regions reveal both the similarities and differences that existed in French colonial and descendant communities.