Towards an encompassing perspective on nationalisms: the case of Jews in Turkey during the Second World War, 1939–45

ABSTRACT. This article focuses on the plight of the Jews in Turkey during the Second World War, with the intention of analysing specific historical events through the lenses of leading theories of nationalism. First we review recent developments in historiography that contribute the framework for understanding both the hermeneutical possibilities and limitations when addressing historical texts. Then we employ three theories of nationalism – the ethno‐symbolist, instrumentalist and social constructivist – as a means of analysing and interpreting the historical events of the Jewish predicament vis‐à‐vis the Republic of Turkey. We conclude by suggesting what impact our findings may have on the narratives from this time period, and the way in which we can understand narratives today.     

Earthquake Risk Scenarios in Urban Areas: A Review with Applications to the Ciutat Vella District in Barcelona,Spain

ABSTRACT

The vulnerability index and capacity spectrum-based methods used to assess the expected physical damage in dwellings are revisited, and their main advantages and shortcomings are analyzed and discussed. Then, a vulnerability index-based method is used to assess the expected damage in the oldest district of Barcelona, Spain. The risk analysis is performed for earthquake scenarios defined by macroseismic intensities of V, V-VI, VI, VI-VII, and VII to design seismic emergency plans. According to the Spanish Seismic Code, the basic peak ground acceleration for a 475-year return period is 0.04 g, which corresponds to an intensity of VI. Thus, the expected physical damage is quantified and its impact on population and other quantities, such as debris and economic cost, are studied. In spite of the low-to-moderate seismic hazard in Barcelona, the results show that the risk is high, due to the high exposure and vulnerability of the built environment.     

Modernist Unreinforced Masonry (URM) Buildings of Barcelona: Seismic Vulnerability and Risk Assessment

The main objective of this work is to assess the vulnerability and seismic risk of typical existing modernist unreinforced masonry (URM) modernist buildings and aggregates situated in the Eixample district of Barcelona, part of the architectural heritage of the city. The context of the analysis is the methodology proposed by the Risk-UE project. The buildings are characterized by their capacity spectrum and the earthquake demand is defined by the 5% damped elastic response spectrum, considering deterministic and probabilistic earthquake scenarios. A discussion addresses the basis of the seismic damage states probabilities and the calculated damage index. An important research effort has been focused on the buildings modeling. All the architectural elements and their mechanical properties have been studied and evaluated accurately. It has been evidenced that a detailed and complete knowledge of all the structural elements existing in this type of buildings influence directly their behavior and hence the calculations and the results. The analysis of the isolated buildings and of the aggregate building has been performed for both mentioned seismic scenarios. Finally, a complete discussion of the results is included.