ON FUTURES AND ENDINGS: NARRATOLOGICAL REFLECTIONS ON CONTEMPORARY FORMS OF CRISES*

The article examines the changing relationship of the present to the future from a narratological perspective. It argues that three dominant narrative schemas structure the contemporary experiences of temporality in the Western social imaginary: the modern crisis narrative, the apocalyptic narrative, and the chronic crisis narrative. In its first part, the article shows how the modern sense of crisis, which emerged in the late eighteenth century, sedimented into a powerful narrative template by knitting together the past, the present, and the future into a unified plot. The second part focuses on the resurgence of apocalyptic stories in the Western social imaginary and humanities discourse. The final part highlights the special contribution of aesthetics of precariousness to the Western imaginary of time and temporality. It argues that the “chronic crisis narrative” deflates the teleological narrative arc of the modern crisis paradigm while also shunning the end-time discourse of the apocalyptic narrative.     

Tomorrow’s Country: Practice-oriented principles for Indigenous cultural fire research in south-east Australia

First Nations peoples are revitalising diverse cultural fire practices and knowledge. Institutional and societal recognition of these practices is growing. Yet there has been little academic research on these fire practices in south-east Australia, let alone research led by Aboriginal people. We are a group of Indigenous and settler academics, practitioners, and experts focused on cultural fire management in the Victorian Loddon Mallee region. Using interviews and workshops, we facilitated knowledge sharing and discussion. In this paper, we describe three practice-oriented principles to develop and maintain collaborations across Aboriginal groups, researchers, and government in the Indigenous-led revitalisation of fire on Country: relationships (creating reciprocity and trust), Country (working with place and people), and power (acknowledging structures and values). Collaborations based on these principles will be unique to each temporal, social, cultural, and geographic context. Considering our findings, we acknowledge the challenges that exist and the opportunities that emerge to constructively hold space to grow genuinely collaborative research that creates change. We suggest that the principles we identify can be applied by anyone wanting to form genuine collaborations around the world as the need for social–ecological justice grows.     

A nineteenth-century case of carcinoma of the prostate,with a note on the early history of the disease

A case of prostatic carcinoma is described in the skeleton of a named individual who died in 1834. The tumour was recognized from widespread periosteal new bone throughout the skeleton and by the presence of sclerosing metastases in many bones, including the pelvis and all the vertebrae. A number of features of the disease present here are said to be uncommon in modern patients, including spiculated periosteal new bone and some degree of spinal stenosis. In two previous cases of prostatic carcinoma described in the literature, periosteal new bone was a prominent feature and was probably responsible for the disease being recognized. It is likely that if skeletons from mature males were routinely X-rayed, considerably more cases would be noted and a more accurate estimate of the prevalence of this disease in the past would thus be ascertained. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

市内激励源对古建筑振动的影响

为了分析在不同激励下振动对古建筑的影响,选择苏州市省级文物保护单位——玉涵堂古建筑进行振动测试。记录了环境振动、地下轨道交通激励、人群社会活动激励和音响激励四种工况时一座两层砖木阁楼的振动信号。发现经过严格振动控制的地下轨道交通激励对古建筑振动的贡献可以忽略;环境振动和音响激励时段古建筑横向振动速度达标,而人群社会活动激励时段横向振动速度超标。从古建筑的建筑结构和功能区域划分以及人的激励形式三个方面对通常被忽视的人的因素进行了探讨,并提出了相应的减振措施。研究成果为其它类似两层砖木阁楼古建筑防护提供依据。     

大足石刻千手观音造像三维展示系统设计与实现

为了更好地发挥采集的千手观音造像海量数据在保护工程及后续研究中的作用,需要进一步对这些数据进行有效的管理、查询及展示。本研究基于Open GL设计并实现了大足石刻千手观音造像的文物三维展示系统。该系统通过多分辨率模型构建、三维模型数据简化及轨迹球旋转等关键技术的应用,实现了主要针对文物保护修复过程中所需的三维数据、工程图件、虚拟修复模型及相关资料等多源海量数据的显示浏览、交互量测及检索查询等功能。该系统不仅满足了文物保护修复工程的需求,而且为研究人员及游客详细了解文物现状提供了可能,具有较好的应用价值。     

从CSSCI旅游研究文献看旅游学学科发展

文章通过对中文社会科学引文索引1998-2005年度8年间旅游研究论文的统计分析,力图从发文和引文两个方面考察旅游学学科的研究现状及发展趋势,从而为本学科的教育、人才培养、学科建设提供帮助,为制定科学研究发展规划、科研政策提供科学合理的决策参考。     

江苏史前考古的发现和研究

近50年来,江苏境内发现了许多旧石器时代和新石器时代的文化遗址,对这些史前文化遗址按文化区域阐析文化性质、文化时代和年代,并提出江苏史前考古今后需要探索的问题。     

探析贾湖骨笛承载的社会信息

前人对骨笛、骨哨的研究大多将其作为一种乐器,单纯从音乐的角度探讨当时的音乐水平。尝试从另一个角度即年代、种类和材料等方面,对中外出土的史前骨笛、骨哨进行比较,分析出国内具有代表性的贾湖骨笛的发展历程和选料上鲜明的偏好性。     

当代中国史研究中的文献史料问题

当代中国史研究需要搜集、整理、考证和利用文献史料。搜集史料要求“全”,整理史料要求“实”,考证史料要求“真”,利用史料要求“准”,这些直接关系到所出研究成果的科学水平和学术质量。当代中国史文献史料类型多种,既包括有关的文件和档案、文集和文稿、报纸和新闻稿、定期刊物、纪实和回忆、资料汇编,又涉及地方史志、史学史料、国外资料、批判研究资料。就此文献史料进行马克思主义的历史考察和具体分析,可加深对其真实性、政治性和现实性的认识。建国后,学术界十分重视当代中国史文献史料工作:搜集相当广泛,整理比较系统,考证多有创新,利用成效显著。倘能对此丰富实践继续给予理论上的总结,无论对于当代中国史文献史料学的学科建设,乃至当代中国史研究的深入和发展,都具有一定的理论意义和实践价值。     

中国社会地理学发展综述

在中国人文地理学众多分支学科中,社会地理学属于发展较慢的一个分支,但近年来出现了较快的发展势头,研究内容日益广泛,研究人员对社会地理学的诸多领域开展了研究,包括:
1.社会地理学的性质与内容。在吸收西方社会地理学成果的基础上,结合中国实际,认为要重点研究社会集团的空间活动,也有人认为要研究社会集团、社会文化、社会生态、社会问题。
2.社区地理研究。主要内容包括社区地理的理论、城市社会区域的划分、农村社区、社会集团等方面的研究。
3.社会问题的研究。主要有犯罪现象、贫困问题等。
随着人文地理学在中国的全面复兴,地理学出现了明显的人文化、社会化趋向,人文地理工作者从原先注重经济活动转而关注社会问题,特别是进入九十年代以来,社会转型加快,社会问题愈加突出地显现出来,迫切需要建立中国的社会地理学理论体系,加强对现实社会问题的研究,开拓新的研究领域,如生活水平与生活方式、生活空间、社会变迁等,为我国制定有关方针政策提供依据。