Journal articles on the topic 'Kosmas Politis'

<p>Τό 1922 είναι τομή στήν ιστορία τής ελληνικής πεζογραφίας. Ή νέα<br />γενιά πού πρωτοεμφανίστηκε μετά τή Μικρασιατική Καταστροφή (ή λεγάμενη<br />Γενιά τοΰ Τριάντα) έβαλε ώς στόχο τήν άνανέωση τοΰ έλληνικοΰ μυθιστορήματος.<br />Πέρα άπό τήν άνανέωση τών εκφραστικών μέσων, ένα άπό τά<br />κυριότερα στοιχεία τής νέας θεματολογίας ήταν ή ίδια η Μικρασιατική<br />Καταστροφή καί οί επιπτώσεις της.<br />Ή παρούσα ανακοίνωση περιορίζεται σέ μυθιστορήματα μέ θέμα τήν<br />Καταστροφή γραμμένα άπό συγγραφείς πού γεννήθηκαν ή/καί μεγάλωσαν<br />στή Μικρά ’Ασία ή στήν Κωνσταντινούπολη. Οί έντεκα άντιπροσωπευτικοί<br />συγγραφείς πού συμπεριέλαβα στον κατάλογό μου προήλθαν ε’ίτε άπό τήν<br />Κωνσταντινούπολη ε’ίτε άπό τά δυτικά μέρη τής Μικράς ’Ασίας. Μετά τήν<br />Καταστροφή (ή λίγο πρίν), σχεδόν όλοι τους εγκαταστάθηκαν στήν ’Αθήνα.<br />Τό θέμα τής Καταστροφής εμφανίζεται στο μυθιστόρημα μέ τρεις κυρίως<br />μορφές: (α) τήν άνάπλαση τής ζωής στή χαμένη πατρίδα· (β) αφηγήσεις τοΰ<br />πολέμου, τής αιχμαλωσίας καί τών διωγμών- (γ) τήν απεικόνιση τών προβλημάτων<br />πού αντιμετώπισαν οί πρόσφυγες κατά τήν έγκατάστασή τους<br />στήν Ελλάδα. </p><p>Τέλος, εντάσσω τό «προσφυγικό μυθιστόρημα» καί ιδίως τό μυθιστόρημα<br />τοϋ Κοσμά Πολίτη Στοΰ Χατζή φράγκου (1963) — στή λεγόμενη «λογοτεχνία<br />τής εξορίας». 'Ο όρος «λογοτεχνία τής εξορίας» δημιουργήθηκε άπό<br />τούς μελετητές των λογοτεχνιών οί όποιες αναπτύχθηκαν στήν έξορία, π.χ.<br />τής γερμανικής λογοτεχνίας τοϋ εξωτερικού στήν εποχή τοϋ Χίτλερ. Παρ’<br />όλες τίς διαφορές που ξεχωρίζουν τήν έλληνική περίπτωση άπό τίς άλλες,<br />παρατηρούμε τήν ίδια θεματολογία (νοσταλγία, αφηγήσεις βιαιοτήτων, δυσκολίες<br />προσαρμογής στό καινούριο περιβάλλον) καί πολλές ομοιότητες<br />στή λογοτεχνική παρουσίασή της. Ό Πολίτης άναπλάθει μέ τή μνήμη καί<br />τή φαντασία του τή ζωή σέ μια λαϊκή γειτονιά τής Σμύρνης τό 1901-2, άλλά<br />παρενθέτει καί άναφορές στή μετέπειτα πορεία των προσώπων του κατά τή<br />διάρκεια τής Καταστροφής καί μετά τήν εγκατάστασή τους στήν Ελλάδα.<br />Γιά τά πρόσωπα αύτά — καθώς καί για τον συγγραφέα, ή Ελλάδα δεν είναι<br />καταφύγιο άλλα τόπος εξορίας (ξενιτιά).</p>

BACK TO KOSMOS | In the decades following World War II, the utopia of a future communist state in the Soviet Union became linked to the tech nological conquest of cosmos through space travel. This relation found a primary expression in the heroic myths created in the popular visual culture surrounding the Soviet space program. After the collapse of the Soviet regime, the aesthetics and politics of its space ideology have been subjected to critical evaluation as part of a wider struggle over the legacy of the communist era. This article discusses three recent art works dealing with this issue: Victor Pelevin’s novel Omon Ra (1992), Adam Bartos’ photo book Kosmos – A Portrait of the Russian Space Age (2001) and Aleksei Fedorchenko’s film First on the Moon (2005). The article argues that the three works illustrate a development in the relation to the space myth from critical denunciation and even ridicule to ambivalent nostalgia. It is further suggested that this development is symptomatic for a wider change in the attitude towards utopic projects, which is not only expressed in the changing assessment of the legacy of the SovietUnion in Russia, but also in the aesthetic and political imaginary in our post-political era.

Michał Kosman’s book is worthy of attention not just within the context of the ongoing discussions regarding deteriorating Polish-German relations. It deserves to be read for a number of reasons, in order to verify widespread opinions on the role of Germany in European politics in the final decade of the twentieth century. The most important of these reasons are: high competence of the young researcher (affiliated with universities in Bydgoszcz and Poznań), his balanced opinions and comments formulated on the basis of German-language publications and magazine articles, and thorough factographical presentation.

Michał Kosman’s book is worth attention not just in the context of the ongoing discussions regarding deteriorating Polish-German relations. It deserves to be read for a number of reasons – in order to verify widespread opinions on the role of Germany in European politics in the final decade of the twentieth century. €The most important of these reasons are: high competence of the young researcher (affiliated with universities in Bydgoszcz and Poznań), his balanced opinions and comments formulated on the basis of Germanlanguage publications and magazine articles, and thorough factographical presentation.

Periode lahirnya naskah babad di Jawa dan Bali sekitar abad ke-18, tetapi lebih banyak ditulis sekitar abad ke-19. Pada masa-masa tersebut, Lombok berada di bawah kekuasaan Bali. Kekuasaan Bali di Lombok bahkan telah terjadi sejak abad sebelumnya, yakni akhir abad ke-17 dan bertahan hingga akhir abad ke-19. Tradisi babad berkembang juga di Lombok. Salah satu di antaranya adalah Naskah Babad Lombok. Di antara Naskah Babad Lombok, salah satunya sudah ditransliterasi dan diterjemahkan ke dalam Bahasa Indonesia oleh Lalu Gde Suparman. Naskah hasil transliterasi dan terjemahan ini akan menjadi objek dalam penelitian ini. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan wacana sejarah. Penelitian ini menghasilkan strategi dan fungsi linguistik kekuasaan dalam naskah Babad sebagai berikut. Pertama, dengan membangun garis generasi elit Lombok dengan Nabi Nuh. Kedua, dengan pencitraan negatif garis generasi terakhir penguasa Pejanggik dan Selaparang. Ketiga, munculnya Mitos Arya Banjar Getas sebagai pemegang “wahyu kekuasaan” terakhir di Lombok dari Generasi Majapahit. Fungsi kekuasaan di dalam Naskah Babad Lombok sebagai berikut. Pertama, untuk membangun legitimasi kekuasaan dengan simbol raja sebagai pusat kekuasaan dan kosmos. Kedua, sebagai dasar legitimasi sosial politik atas pemberontakan dan penggulingan kekuasaan yang dilakukan oleh Arya Banjar Getas terhadap Raja Pejanggik dan Selaparang; berikutnya adalah usaha elit Lombok untuk menjaga status sosial yang telah menempatkan mereka pada kedudukan politik yang lebih tinggi dari masyarakat pada umumnya. Ketiga, sebagai wacana perlawanan untuk menempatkan elit Politik Lombok dan Bali sejajar secara politik; berikutnya adalah sebagai bentuk perlawanan untuk menunjukkan tingkat status sosial mereka sebagai kelompok arya.

Die Fragestellung „Auf dem Weg zur Comeniologie als Wissenschaft - Diskussionen - Polemik - Dilemmata" beinhaltet wissenschaftliche Analysen, Diskussionen, Stellungnahmen zu aktuellen Forschungsfragen und zur wissenschaftlichen Anwendung der wissenschaftlichen Werke des Theologen, Philosophen und Pädagogen Jan Amos Komenskỳ. Die „Comeniologie“ integriert und verwendet die Forschungserkenntnisse wissenschaftlicher Fachdisziplinen in Bezug auf die Erforschung, Dokumentation und Anwendung im Hinblick auf die Biographie, Familiengeschichte, Ideengeschichte, auf die die Bezugspunkte zu Ländern, Persönlichkeiten aus Wissenschaft, Politik, Gesellschaft, auf die geistigen Tendenzen, Positionen und Einflüsse und auf die Einordnung und Auswer-tung der Schriften und Werke von Jan Amos Komenskỳ als Quellen für die Erforschung der Entwicklung von Kultur, Wissenschaft und Gesellschaft. Die Begründung einer menschli-chen Allweisheit »Pansophia Humana« als Befähigung des Menschen zur Vervollkomm-nung seiner wahren Menschlichkeit stellt für Jan Amos Komenskỳ eine notwendige Voraussetzung zur Verbesserung der Welt dar. Das Zusammenwirken von »Wissen, Han-deln, Glauben« besteht in der Zielsetzung durch das Erkenntnis der Zusammenhänge der Ordnung des ganzen Kosmos universale Weisheit zu erlangen, durch gutes Handeln ein Leben in Tugend und Sittlichkeit zu führen und durch einen lebendigen Glauben das eigene Leben in Frömmigkeit und im Vertrauen auf die Liebe und Gnade Gottes sinnvoll zu gestal-ten. Der Theologe, Philosoph und Pädagoge Jan Amos Komenskỳ erklärt das Zusammen-wirken von »Wissen – Handeln – Glauben« in den menschlichen Aufgabenbereiche und Handlungsfelder Wissenschaft/Philosophie – Religion – Politik, als Voraussetzung für die Gewinnung von philosophischer Erkenntnis bei der wissenschaftlichen Suche nach Weisheit und Wahrheit, als Grundlage in Bezug auf religiöse Frömmigkeit und christliche Lebensführung bei der menschlichen Verantwortung für die göttliche Schöpfung und als Wirkungskraft für das politische und gesellschaftliche Handeln des Menschen zur Beratung, Verbesserung und Lösung aller Probleme, Schwierigkeiten und zum Nutzen der ganzen Menschheit. Komenskỳ fordert, dass alle Menschen Zugang zum Wissen erhalten, um Erkenntnisse über den Menschen und die Welt zu gewinnen, das Wesen und den Sinn aller Dinge in der Grundordnung des Kosmos zu verstehen und ein friedliches Zusammenleben mit anderen Menschen zu erlernen. Für die Verbesserung der Welt ist ein gutes Handeln erforderlich, deshalb sollen Menschen befähigt werden, Verantwortung für die Welt zu übernehmen, friedlich miteinander umzugehen und für alle Probleme und Schwierigkeiten durch sachkundige Gespräche und gemeinsame Beratungen miteinander gute Lösungen zu finden. Durch den Glauben besteht die Hoffnung, dass die Welt zum Guten verbessert werden kann. Gott, als der Ursprung, Grund und Ziel allen Seins, hat bei der Erschaffung der Welt eine Idealordnung, vollzogen hat. Durch sein Streben nach Macht, Herrschaft, Gewinn, Einfluss, Geltung und die dadurch entstehenden Konflikte, Streit, Hass, Neid, Kriege zerstört der Mensch diese Idealordnung der Welt. Für Jan Amos Komenskỳ besteht die Hoffnung, dass die Welt als Ganzes wiederhergestellt werden kann.

In contrast to land, sea routes are exposed to many dangers due to certain conditions on the surface of the water. In the wake of the Sewol ferry disaster in April, 2014, ferry and other ship-related systems were improved. Experts from related organizations have since conducted safety inspections on passenger ships, excursion ships, and ferries in accordance with the National Security Agency and individual laws. These inspections were introduced after the public's attention was raised from not only the Sewol incident but also from the sinking of the cruise ship Hableány, which happened in Budapest, Hungary on May 29, 2015. Accordingly, this study presents measures to improve the safety management of passenger ships, excursion ships, and ferries such as facility standards, inspection regulations, and safety management regulations. These tasks will be accomplished by comprehensively analyzing problems through on-site inspections combined with safety management initiatives which will identify safety issues regarding passenger ships, excursion ships, and ferries.

In recent years, the frequent occurrence of extreme weather due to climate change has increased the possibility of potential danger across the world. Additionally, South Korea has been consistently exposed to disaster risk. Studies on the prediction of damage from natural disasters are critical for the government and local governments to formulate disaster recovery policies. However, the scope of risk analysis evaluation indicators currently utilized by the relevant organizations comprises limitations, as there are no consistent standards for indicator selection. From this viewpoint, this study selected 118 surrogate indicators, including indicators frequently used in previous studies, and conducted a survey with 52 experts in the disaster field to examine the possibility of use of these indicators. As a result of the expert survey, 37 indicators were analyzed as “very appropriate” and 54 indicators were analyzed as “appropriate” regarding their possibility of use. Finally, we suggested four natural disaster risk assessment methods, which can be used in policymaking by the government and local governments in the future.

32,000 fire fighters from 451 fire departments in 41 prefectures were mobilized to support and assist fire extinguishing and lifesaving in the Hyogo Prefecture Nanbu Earthquake that occurred on January 17, 1995. Based on this experience, the emergency fire response team for disaster response (EFRT) was established by the Fire and Disaster Management Agency (FDMA) on June 30, 1995. When large scale disasters occur over wide areas, EFRTs in Japan are dispatched to the disaster places to assist fire fighting on demand or by the order of the commissioner of the FDMA. This study analyzed the background required for establishing the EFRT; the process and details of the legislation; the establishment of basic plans, organizations, and operation plans; and assistance dispatch along with the plan for receiving outside support; registration and the plan for reinforcing equipment; the status of training for preparing assistance dispatch; and activity results in order to provide basic information to prepare large scale disasters and establish coping policies in Korea.

As the types of disaster diversity and the occurrence of disaster became more frequent, complex damage is also increasing. The nation is making various efforts, including creating an emergency management system and supporting crisis management research, to minimize damage to property, facilities and lives that are caused by disasters. However, the practical system for those who have a disadvantage in terms of disaster awareness and early evacuation due to their physical limitations is still insufficient. In this study, the vulnerability of people with disabilities when it comes to disaster safety was analyzed by visiting the living facilities tailored for each type of disability by examing each facility's disaster resonse manual and observing the facilities. In addition, through surveying and interviewing employees and users of facilities, we analyzed the recognition of evacuation. Finally, this study proposed strengthening related disaster response policies to establish an inclusive society and a social safety net by analyzing behavioral patterns for each type of disability in the initial disaster situation.

This article has been produced from an investigative network which is linked to the interlocution between research groups in relation to the studies they develop. GPFOPE, GTFORMA and KOSMOS groups, in quest of contributing for the area of teacher formation, have produced contributions for implementing and improving educational and institutional policies, seeking the qualification of classroom and distance learning courses. The purpose of this reflection is to offer alternatives to rethink the formation processes promoted by the IES and their repercussion in the organization of the pedagogical activities they develop. In this sense, we consider that the focus of teacher formation cannot be restrict to thinking and discussing the organization of teaching and its divisions but, most of all, it is to mobilize the subjects to continue learning in the different contexts of activity. This includes reflecting upon and about the pedagogical practice, understanding the problems within the teaching, analyzing curriculums, recognizing the influence of the didactic materials in the pedagogical choices, socializing the constructions and experiences exchange in order to advance in direction to new learning, within a constant exercise of reflexive, collaborative and collective practice. It is about a process that is characterized by tensions and challenges in unknown contexts in which the trainers seek professional balance. So that it happens, teachers need to be conscious that they are subjects in permanent evolution and professional development of teachers.

The rising heatwave occurrences in recent times due to climate change have resulted in increased mortalities and socio-economic damage. Consequently, several studies have been conducted to examine heatwave vulnerability in Korea. However, most of these studies used the IPCC vulnerability framework and weighting techniques, such as the equal weight and AHP methods, which lacked objectivity in the process of calculating vulnerability. This study employed socio-economic data to measure the heatwave vulnerability index for individual local governments in Korea using the principal component analysis and entropy weighting methods. These techniques ensure that the aggregation of proxies and the weighting process remain objective, unlike previous studies. According to the obtained results, rural areas such as Jeollanam-do, Jeollabuk-do, Gyeongsangnam-do, and Gyeongsangbuk-do, and relatively decrepit urban areas demonstrated high vulnerability scores. In addition, a positive correlation was found between the calculated vulnerability index and mortalities from the recent heatwaves. The heatwave vulnerability index developed in this study can therefore be used to form effective heatwave response policies suited to the conditions of each local government.

There are approximately 290 million blind people worldwide. Among them, approximately 40 million people are severely blind. Although systems and policies have been improved to enhance the convenience of the visually impaired, the standards related to evacuation safety in the case of fire have not been sufficiently improved. Therefore, in this study, to ensure the safe evacuation of the visually impaired in case of fire, domestic fire safety standards were derived by analyzing the development status of a domestic barrier-free system and related manuals based on the characteristics of evacuation behaviors of the visually impaired, as well as by reviewing the cases in the United States and the United Kingdom. As a result, the following measures were derived: 1) improving the display method for landmark elements, 2) customized fire safety education and training for employees, and 3) a plan to develop a personal emergency evacuation planning manual in accordance with the characteristics of a building. It is expected that these objectives can be used to improve fire safety standards and manuals and to develop related technologies for the visually impaired.

Recently, various factors such as climate change, watershed environment change, and, socio-economic change, have been shown to have a major impact on the hydrological water cycle and on available water resources in agricultural watersheds. Therefore, it is necessary to identify the water cycle elements of watersheds accurately and to quantify them objectively. Agricultural watersheds can be divided into the basin, irrigation facilities such as reservoir and pumping stations, irrigation areas, and water cycle elements such as rainfall and evapotranspiration water supply and demand. A systematic management system of agricultural water cycle should be established through element analysis, module development, and modeling techniques for comprehensive interpretation of agricultural watersheds. This study involved the monitoring and modeling of inlet, outlet, and reservoir to analyze and quantify water cycle elements in the Madun reservoir (located in Anseong, Gyeonggi-do) and Heungeop reservoir (located in Wonju, Gangwon-do). The watershed runoff, water supply and drainage of irrigation canal, and return flow were estimated using the Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) based on analysis of canal networks and hydraulic calculations. These results can be utilized to ensure stable supply of agricultural water resources and to inform water management policies.

Since it was recognized as a UNDRR international safety city in 2020, Incheon Metropolitan City has been promoting policies aiming to strengthen resilience strategies for the next 10 years. For the resilience assessment, a Quick Risk Estimation (QRE), which is a risk assessment tool for various disasters, can also be used to support the decision-making of experts on strengthening resilience strategies. However, QRE is unable to provide a detailed risk assessment of a specific disaster such as flood. Therefore, in this study, a flood risk assessment was performed from 2016 to 2019 using the Indicator Based Approach for the 10 cities and counties in Incheon city. The aforementioned method can also support the decision-making of experts for disaster management alongside QRE results. The flood risk assessment in this study consists of four items (hazard, exposure, vulnerability, and capacity) and 11 detailed indicators. The details for each index, item, and flood risk indices were calculated for each evaluation stage. As of 2019, the flood risk index had been calculated for Ganghwa-gun (county), Michuhol-gu (district), Jung-gu, Seo-gu, and Ongjin-gun, among others. The flood risk assessment conducted in this study is believed to be beneficial for a rational decision-making that can support the strengthening of resilience strategies by identifying changes in city- and county-specific situations and risk-exposed indicators in response to flood risks.

Politically-themed stocks mainly refer to stocks that benefit from the policies of politicians. This study gave the empirical analysis of the politically-themed stocks in the Republic of Korea and constructed politically-themed stock networks based on the Republic of Korea’s politically-themed stocks, derived mainly from politicians. To select politically-themed stocks, we calculated the daily politician sentiment index (PSI), which means politicians’ daily reputation using politicians’ search volume data and sentiment analysis results from politician-related text data. Additionally, we selected politically-themed stock candidates from politician-related search volume data. To measure causal relationships, we adopted entropy-based measures. We determined politically-themed stocks based on causal relationships from the rates of change of the PSI to their abnormal returns. To illustrate causal relationships between politically-themed stocks, we constructed politically-themed stock networks based on causal relationships using entropy-based approaches. Moreover, we experimented using politically-themed stocks in real-world situations from the schematized networks, focusing on politically-themed stock networks’ dynamic changes. We verified that the investment strategy using the PSI and politically-themed stocks that we selected could benchmark the main stock market indices such as the KOSPI and KOSDAQ around political events.

The African Diaspora: A History Through Culture, by Patrick Manning (reviewed by Joseph C. Miller) Atlas of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, by David Eltis & David Richardson (reviewed by Ted Maris-Wolf) Abolition: A History of Slavery and Antislavery, by Seymour Drescher (reviewed by Gregory E. O’Malley) Paths to Freedom: Manumission in the Atlantic World, edited by Rosemary Brana-Shute & Randy J. Sparks (reviewed by Matthew Mason) You Are All Free: The Haitian Revolution and the Abolition of Slavery, by Jeremy D. Popkin (reviewed by Philippe R. Girard) Fighting for Honor: The History of African Martial Arts in the Atlantic World, by T .J. Desch Obi (reviewed by Flávio Gomes & Antonio Liberac Cardoso Simões Pires) Working the Diaspora: The Impact of African Labor on the Anglo-American World, 1650-1850, by Frederick C. Knight (reviewed by Walter Hawthorne) The Akan Diaspora in the Americas, by Kwasi Konadu (reviewed by Ray Kea) Tradition and the Black Atlantic: Critical Theory in the African Diaspora, by Henry Louis Gates Jr. (reviewed by Deborah A. Thomas) From Africa to Jamaica: The Making of an Atlantic Slave Society, 1775-1807, by Audra A. Diptee (reviewed by D.A. Dunkley) Elections, Violence and the Democratic Process in Jamaica 1944-2007, by Amanda Sives (reviewed by Douglas Midgett) Caciques and Cemi Idols: The Web Spun by Taino Rulers between Hispaniola and Puerto Rico, by José R. Oliver (reviewed by Brian D. Bates) The Latin American Identity and the African Diaspora: Ethnogenesis in Context, by Antonio Olliz Boyd (reviewed by Dawn F. Stinchcomb) Reconstructing Racial Identity and the African Past in the Dominican Republic, by Kimberly Eison Simmons (reviewed by Ginetta E.B. Candelario) Haiti and the Haitian Diaspora in the Wider Caribbean, edited by Philippe Zacaïr (reviewed by Catherine Benoît) Duvalier’s Ghosts: Race, Diaspora, and U.S. Imperialism in Haitian Literatures, by Jana Evans Braziel (reviewed by J. Michael Dash) Mainland Passage: The Cultural Anomaly of Puerto Rico, by Ramón E. Soto-Crespo (reviewed by Guillermo B. Irizarry) Report on the Island and Diocese of Puerto Rico (1647), by Diego de Torres y Vargas (reviewed by David A. Badillo) Land Reform in Puerto Rico: Modernizing the Colonial State, 1941-1969, by Ismael García-Colón (reviewed by Ricardo Pérez) Land: Its Occupation, Management, Use and Conceptualization. The Case of the Akawaio and Arekuna of the Upper Mazaruni District, Guyana, by Audrey J. Butt Colson (reviewed by Christopher Carrico) Caribbean Religious History: An Introduction, by Ennis B. Edmonds & Michelle A . Gonzalez (reviewed by N. Samuel Murrell) The Cross and the Machete: Native Baptists of Jamaica – Identity, Ministry and Legacy, by Devon Dick (reviewed by John W. Pulis) Swimming the Christian Atlantic: Judeoconversos, Afroiberians and Amerindians in the Seventeenth Century, by Jonathan Schorsch (reviewed by Richard L. Kagan) Kosmos und Kommunikation: Weltkonzeptionen in der südamerikanischen Sprachfamilie der Cariben, by Ernst Halbmayer (reviewed by Eithne B. Carlin) That Infernal Little Cuban Republic: The United States and the Cuban Revolution, by Lars Schoultz (reviewed by Antoni Kapcia) Voice of the Leopard: African Secret Societies and Cuba, by Ivor L. Miller (reviewed by Elizabeth Pérez) Guantánamo: A Working-Class History between Empire and Revolution, by Jana K. Lipman (reviewed by Barry Carr) Packaged Vacations: Tourism Development in the Spanish Caribbean, by Evan R. Ward (reviewed by Polly Pattullo) Afro-Greeks: Dialogues Between Anglophone Caribbean Literature and Classics in the Twentieth Century, by Emily Greenwood (reviewed by Gregson Davis) Caribbean Culture: Soundings on Kamau Brathwaite, edited by Annie Paul (reviewed by Paget Henry) Libertad en cadenas: Sacrificio, aporías y perdón en las letras cubanas, by Aída Beaupied (reviewed by Stephen Fay) The Trickster Comes West: Pan-African Influence in Early Black Diasporan Narratives, by Babacar M’baye (reviewed by Olabode Ibironke) Cheddi Jagan and the Politics of Power: British Guiana’s Struggle for Independence, by Colin A. Palmer (reviewed by Jay R. Mandle) A Language of Song: Journeys in the Musical World of the African Diaspora, by Samuel Charters (reviewed by Kenneth Bilby) Man Vibes: Masculinities in Jamaican Dancehall, by Donna P. Hope (reviewed by Eric Bindler)

Review of Secret Feminist Agenda, Season 4 By Andi Schwartz and Morgan Bimm The Secret Feminist Agenda podcast was first encountered by then-graduate student Andi Schwartz as assigned ‘reading’ in a Queer Pedagogies seminar. The seminar was part of a student-run initiative facilitated by co-reviewer, Morgan Bimm, who started the seminar series as a critical response to a lack of teaching resources available to graduate students. The podcast’s aims and sensibilities spoke to our experiences and values both then, as first-generation university students and now, as emerging feminist media scholars. Secret Feminist Agenda is recorded and produced by Dr. Hannah McGregor, an Assistant Professor of publishing at Simon Fraser University. Secret Feminist Agenda is McGregor’s second podcast, which she began in 2017 with the aim of bridging academia and feminism and forging connections between feminists.[1] In addition to producing the Secret Feminist Agenda podcast, podcasting has become an integral part of McGregor’s pedagogy[2] and research; she co-founded the SSHRC-funded Amplify Podcast Network to develop guidelines for peer reviewing podcasts. The original goals of the podcast, bridging academia and feminism and forging connects with feminists, remain the driving force behind season four, which is further organized around the principle of “keeping it local.” Season four consists of 30 episodes, half of which offer long-form interviews with feminists in academia, art, sex therapy, podcasting, Canadian literature, comedy, and more, which effectively highlight the various forms that feminism can take and offer a window into feminist friendships and community. While the theme “keeping it local” was challenged by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic (interviews could no longer be conducted in person), the podcast consistently succeeded in prompting listeners to think about space and place as they relate to feminism and community. In our review, we were struck by the following three themes: 1) critiquing the expert(ise); 2) the spaces and places of feminist thought; and 3) the politics and affects of community space. In form, the scholarly podcast acts as a critique of the existing structures of academia. Through interviews with feminists like Dawn Serra and Khairani Barokka, the notion of expertise is critiqued alongside academia’s role in perpetuating myths of excellence through citational and syllabi-building practices. Such critiques highlight the importance of DIY media, like podcasts, as spaces through which expertise can be critiqued and other points of view are circulated. Solo-recorded “minisodes” often engage with more personal or affective topics; though we debated the merits of these episodes, we came to the conclusion that introducing affect and the personal into scholarship is both an important feminist project and a vital challenge to existing ideas about academic rigour.[3] Through interviews with feminists across fields, including sex therapy (Episode 4.2), comedy (Episode 4.6), podcasting (Episode 4.8), and art (Episode 4.4), the podcast demonstrates the many places and spaces in which feminist thought is fostered; indeed, that feminist thought and critique does not belong solely to the academy. The complexities of public intellectualism or public feminism are compellingly discussed in Episode 4.7: Trans Rights are Human Rights through the lens of cancelled and protested “gender identity debates” scheduled for public spaces across Canada. Campaigns to cancel these events are framed by some as an attack on ‘free speech’ and thus, perhaps, an attack on healthy public intellectual exchange, but these activist efforts are themselves an example of public modes of feminist thought. This and other discussions throughout season four of Secret Feminist Agenda highlight the multiple spaces of feminist thought and the multiple complexities of thinking feminism in public. In the spirit of “keeping it local,” season four offers rich discussions of the politics and affects of community space. A favourite example is episode 4.14 with Hilary Atleo of Iron Dog Books in Vancouver, which explores the connection between small business and housing costs as well as the power of systems to foster or destroy community and communal affinities. Episode 4.15, a minisode about World Obesity Day, further demonstrates the malleability of (virtual) space via political intervention, and how the political occupation of space can foster solidarities and positive, communal feelings. The COVID-19 pandemic hit Canada midway through the season, around episode 4.16 with Kai Cheng Thom, whose work frequently engages with notions of disposability, accountability, and harm within queer communities. The intersection of Thom’s work and COVID-19 serves as an acute reminder of both the affective and material significance of community, and the potential devastation of losing it. In addition to these themes, the podcast incites interesting questions about the feminist and scholarly potential of the podcasting form. McGregor and colleagues have developed podcast peer review guidelines as a mechanism for folding podcasts into the institutional understanding of rigour, and we further understand Secret Feminist Agenda as rigorous in its feminist politics of accessibility and the feminist practice of critique. Podcasts can be understood as a feminist medium in that they often feature grassroots and DIY production, have a wider reach than more sanctioned forms of scholarship, and have the capacity to bolster women’s, feminized, and otherwise marginalized voices. The feminist and scholastic merits of podcasting were explicitly discussed in episode 4.20 with Stacey Copeland and minisode 4.21, “Introducing the Amplify Podcast Network.” As Copeland and McGregor discuss, women’s voices have long been interpreted as unintelligent and unauthoratitive. Podcasting, with its grassroots and DIY sensibilities, has the potential to instill confidence in women, feminized and otherwise marginalized folks through building a practice of speaking; McGregor notes how podcasting has bolstered her own confidence in both academic and non-academic spaces.[4] Oriented toward low theory and feminist media scholarship, we are perhaps already primed to welcome podcasts into the scholarly fold. In our view, Secret Feminist Agenda is exemplary of the benefits wrought by bridging traditional academic knowledges with low theory, community, and collaborative practices. It is our hope that, as academia becomes better acquainted with podcasts, they retain their radical potential, rather than become another research output taxing already overburdened academics. [1] McGregor started her first podcast, Witch, Please, as a collaboration with her friend and former colleague, Marcelle Kosman, in 2015. [2] In a review of season two of SFA, Anna Poletti suggests that the work done through the podcast is more akin to teaching than research (Poletti, 2019). [3] In a review of season two of SFA, Carla Rice noted that the minisodes are where the podcast “shines,” writing with admiration of McGregor’s ability to address these more affective topics from both a personal and “big picture” perspective (Rice, 2019). [4] Similar arguments have been made by podcaster-academics, Raechel Tiffe and Melody Hoffman, who hosted the podcast, Feminist Killjoys, Phd, among others (Tiffe & Hoffman, 2017).

Disciplinary behavior increases children's responsibility and self-control skills by encouraging mental, emotional and social growth. This behavior is also related to school readiness and future academic achievement. This study aims to look at read aloud with the media of large books in improving disciplinary behavior during early childhood. Participants were 20 children aged 5-6 years. By using qualitative methods as a classroom action research, data collection was carried out by observation, field notes, and documentation. The results of pre-cycle data showed that the discipline behavior of children increased to 42.6%. In the first cycle of intervention learning with ledger media, the percentage of children's discipline behavior increased to 67.05%, and in the second cycle, it increased again to 80.05%. Field notes found an increase in disciplinary behavior because children liked the media which was not like books in general. However, another key to successful behavior of the big book media story. Another important finding is the teacher's ability to tell stories to students or read books in a style that fascinates children. The hope of this intervention is that children can express ideas, insights, and be able to apply disciplinary behavior in their environment. Keywords: Early Discipline Behavior, Read aloud, Big Book Media References Aksoy, P. (2020). The challenging behaviors faced by the preschool teachers in their classrooms, and the strategies and discipline approaches used against these behaviors: The sample of United States. Participatory Educational Research, 7(3), 79–104. https://doi.org/10.17275/per.20.36.7.3 Anderson, K. L., Weimer, M., & Fuhs, M. W. (2020). Teacher fidelity to Conscious Discipline and children’s executive function skills. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 51, 14–25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2019.08.003 Andriana, E., Syachruroji, A., Alamsyah, T. P., & Sumirat, F. (2017). Jurnal Pendidikan IPA Indonesia Natural Science Big Book With Baduy Local Wisdom Base. 6(1), 76–80. https://doi.org/10.15294/jpii.v6i1.8674 Aulina, C. N. (2013). Penanaman Disiplin Pada Anak Usia Dini. PEDAGOGIA: Jurnal Pendidikan, 2(1), 36. https://doi.org/10.21070/pedagogia.v2i1.45 Bailey, B. A. (2015). Introduction to conscious discipline Conscious discipline: Building resilient classrooms (J. Ruffo (ed.)). Loving Guidance, Inc. Brown, E. (1970). The Bases of Reading Acquisition. Reading Research Quarterly, 6(1), 49. https://doi.org/10.2307/747048 Clark, S. K., & Andreasen, L. (2014). Examining Sixth Grade Students’ Reading Attitudes and Perceptions of Teacher Read Aloud: Are All Students on the Same Page? Literacy Research and Instruction, 53(2), 162–182. https://doi.org/10.1080/19388071.2013.870262 Colville-hall, S., & Oconnor, B. (2006). Using Big Books: A Standards-Based Instructional Approach for Foreign Language Teacher CandidatesinaPreK-12 Program. Foreign Language Annals, 39(3), 487–506. https://doi.org/doi:10.1111/j.1944-9720.2006.tb02901.x Davis, J. R. (2017). From Discipline to Dynamic Pedagogy: A Re-conceptualization of Classroom Management. Berkeley Review of Education, 6. https://doi.org/10.5070/b86110024 Eagle, S. (2012). Computers & Education Learning in the early years : Social interactions around picturebooks , puzzles and digital technologies. Computers & Education, 59(1), 38–49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2011.10.013 Farrant, B. M., & Zubrick, S. R. (2012). Early vocabulary development: The importance of joint attention and parent-child book reading. First Language, 32(3), 343–364. https://doi.org/10.1177/0142723711422626 Galini, R., & Kostas, K. (2014). Practices of Early Childhood Teachers in Greece for Managing Behavior Problems: A Preliminary Study. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 152, 784–789. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.09.321 Ho, J., Grieshaber, S. J., & Walsh, K. (2017). Discipline and rules in four Hong Kong kindergarten classrooms : a qualitative case study. International Journal of Early Years Education, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669760.2017.1316242 Hoffman, L. L., Hutchinson, C. J., & Reiss, E. (2005). Training teachers in classroom management: Evidence of positive effects on the behavior of difficult children. In The Journal of the Southeastern Regional Association of Teacher Educators (Vol. 14, Issue 1, pp. 36–43). Iraklis, G. (2020). Classroom (in) discipline: behaviour management practices of Greek early childhood educators. Education 3-13, 0(0), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1080/03004279.2020.1817966 Kalb, G., & van Ours, J. C. (2014). Reading to young children: A head-start in life? Economics of Education Review, 40, 1–24. https://doi.org/doi:10.1016/j.econedurev.2014.01.002 Kemmis, S., & McTaggart, R. (1988). The action research planner (3rd ed.). Deakin University Press. Ledger, S., & Merga, M. K. (2018). Reading aloud: Children’s attitudes toward being read to at home and at school. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 43(3), 124–139. https://doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2018v43n3.8 Longstreth, S., Brady, S., & Kay, A. (2015). Discipline Policies in Early Childhood Care and Education Programs : Building an Infrastructure for Social and Academic Success Discipline Policies in Early Childhood Care and Education Programs : Building an Infrastructure. Early Education and Development, 37–41. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2011.647608 Mahayanti, N. W. S., Padmadewi, N. N., & Wijayanti, L. P. A. (2017). Coping With Big Classes: Effect of Big Book in Fourth Grade Students Reading Comprehension. International Journal of Language and Literature, 1(4), 203. https://doi.org/10.23887/ijll.v1i4.12583 Martha Efirlin, Fadillah, M. (2012). Penanaman Perilaku Disiplin Anak Usia 5-6 Tahun di TK Primanda Untan Pontianak. Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini, 1–10. Merga, Margaret K. (2017). Becoming a reader: Significant social influences on avid book readers. School Library Research, 20(Liu 2004). Merga, Margaret Kristin. (2015). “She knows what I like”: Student-generated best-practice statements for encouraging recreational book reading in adolescents. Australian Journal of Education, 59(1), 35–50. https://doi.org/10.1177/0004944114565115 Merga, Margaret Kristin. (2017). Interactive reading opportunities beyond the early years: What educators need to consider. Australian Journal of Education, 61(3), 328–343. https://doi.org/10.1177/0004944117727749 Milles;, M. B., & Huberman, M. (2014). Qualitative Data Analysis. Sage Publications. Moberly, D. A., Waddle, J. L., & Duff, R. E. (2014). Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education The use of rewards and punishment in early childhood classrooms The use of rewards and punishment in early childhood classrooms. Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, 37–41. https://doi.org/10.1080/1090102050250410 Mol, S. E., & Bus, A. G. (2011). To Read or Not to Read: A Meta-Analysis of Print Exposure From Infancy to Early Adulthood. Psychological Bulletin, 137(2), 267–296. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0021890 Pegg, L. A., & Bartelheim, F. J. (2011). Effects of daily read-alouds on students’ sustained silent reading. Current Issues in Education, 14(2), 1–8. Penno, J. F., Wilkinson, I. A. G., & Moore, D. W. (2002). Vocabulary acquisition from teacher explanation and repeated listening to stories: Do they overcome the Matthew effect? Journal of Educational Psychology, 94(1), 23–33. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.94.1.23 Septyaningrum, A., & Mas’udah. (2015). Pengaruh metode bercerita berbasis dongeng terhadap kedisiplinan anak. Fakultas Ilmu Pendidikan, 1–5. Swanson, E., Vaughn, S., Wanzek, J., Petscher, Y., Heckert, J., Cavanaugh, C., Kraft, G., & Tackett, K. (2011). A synthesis of read-aloud interventions on early reading outcomes among preschool through third graders at risk for reading difficulties. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 44(3), 258–275. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022219410378444 Turan, F., & Ulutas, I. (2016). Using storybooks as a character education tools. Journal of Education and Practice, 7(15), 169–176. Turuini Ernawati, Rasdi Eko Siswoyo, Wahyu Hardyanto, T. J. R. (2018). Local- Wisdom-Based Character Education Management In Early Childhood Education. The Journal Of Educational Development. Westbrook, J., Sutherland, J., Oakhill, J., & Sullivan, S. (2019). ‘Just reading’: the impact of a faster pace of reading narratives on the comprehension of poorer adolescent readers in English classrooms. Literacy, 53(2), 60–68. https://doi.org/10.1111/lit.12141 Yılmaz, S., Temiz, Z., & Karaarslan Semiz, G. (2020). Children’s understanding of human–nature interaction after a folk storytelling session. Applied Environmental Education and Communication, 19(1), 88–100. https://doi.org/10.1080/1533015X.2018.1517062 Zachos, D. T., Delaveridou, A., & Gkontzou, A. (2016). Teachers and School “Discipline” in Greece: A Case Study. European Journal of Social Sciences Education and Research, 7(1), 8. https://doi.org/10.26417/ejser.v7i1.p8-19

Heraclides of Pontus (c. 388–310 BCE), a Platonic philosopher, worked in various literary genres and wrote on such topics as psychology, politics, literature, history, geography, astronomy and the philosophy of nature. Nothing is preserved. The present publication contains a collection of the testimonies about Heraclides’ astronomical writings. He thought of an infinite universe, in fact believing that every star is a kosmos, located in the infinite either. He famously advanced the theory of terrestrial rotation, hypothesizing that the apparent diurnal rotation of the heavens is better explained by the rotation of the Earth, and in this context correctly observed that, unlike other planets, Venus as morning and evening star has the maximum elongation from the Sun’s position (that is to say is never located far from the Sun). The evidences are translated and numbered according to a new edition by Schütrumpf et al. 2008.

Sejarah manusia adalah sejarah bertahan hidup. Bertahan dari kelaparan, wabah dan perang. Tiga masalah tersebut selalu berada di puncak daftar dan telah menjadi bagian integral dari rencana kosmis Tuhan. Secara historis wabah telah menjadi masalah yang banyak menelan korban. Pada abad ke-21 ini kumat manusia dikagetkan dengan munculnya tiga wabah dalam dua dekade terkahir. Wabah terbaru ditemukan di Wuhan, China pada akhir 2019 yang disebut dengan Novel Coronavirus atau Corona Virus Desease 2019 (Covid-19). Organisasi Kesehatan Dunia menetapkan status covid-19 sebagai pandemi global, yang dalam waktu relatif cepat telah menyebar ke berbagai mancanegara. Tentunya covid-19 telah berdampak pada berbagai lini kehidupan seperti ekonomi, sosial-budaya, politik, psikologi dan pendidikan. Tujuan studi ini ialah untuk memberikan gamabaran tentang implikasi pandemi terhadap pendidikan. Jenis studi ini adalah studi pustaka yang bersumber dari buku-buku, makalah ilmiah, artikel dan literatur digital lainnya. Studi ini mendeskripsikan bagaimana covid-19 bisa memepengaruhi dan menata ulang pendidikan baik di level dunia maupun Indonesia. Yang mana covid-19 telah menjadi katalis pada sektor pendidikan sekaligus juga merubah paradigma dalam dunia pendidikan. Setidaknnya ada tiga tren yang muncul dalam dunia pendidikan global ditengah pandemi. Pandemi ini juga merangsek masuk ke Indonesia dengan berbagai dampaknya. Sudah saatnya dunia pendidikan keluar dari status quo dan berbenah diri menuju edukasi 4.0Kata Kunci: Corona, Pendidikan, Perubahan

Pembaca Yang Budiman,Jurnal Filsafat Volume 31 Nomor 1 Februari 2021 menyajikan enam artikel dengan tema beragam. Artikel pertama ditulis oleh Armaidy Armawi dan Raharjo yang berjudul “Evaluasi Program Sosialisasi Civic Literacy dalam Pembentukan Etika Warganegara Muda”. Dalam artikel ini Armaidy Armawi dan Raharjo menunjukkan bahwa sosialisasi civic literacy dilakukan secara informal dengan pembiasaan, pengembangan, dan pembelajaran secara berkelanjutan memiliki tujuan untuk membentuk etika warganegara berperspektif ketahanan pribadi. Sebagai hasil kajiannya, kedua penulis menawarkan suatu model civic literacy sebagai perencanaan dalam proses pembelajaran yang berisi informasi tentang bagaimana menjadi warganegara yang beretika, paham hak dan kewajibannya, memiliki rasa tanggung jawab dan rasa cinta tanah air yang diimplementasikan dalam kehidupan bermasyarakat, berbangsa dan bernegara. Artikel kedua berjudul “Panic Buying: Konsumerisme Masyarakat Indonesia di Tengah Pandemi Covid-19 Perspektif Psikoanalisis Jacques Lacan”, yang ditulis oleh Astrid Veranita Indah dan Awal Muqsith. Menurut kedua penulis, perkembangan teknologi di era kontemporer menimbulkan berbagai masalah krisis kemanusiaan, yang salah satu penyebabnya adalah perkembangan ideologi, teknologi, dan sains kapitalis yang terlalu pesat. Pembelian massal dalam kurun waktu singkat di tengah pandemi Covid-19 membuat subjek mengonsumsi barang yang tidak dibutuhkan. Subjek mengalami perpecahan dalam memahami kenyataan. Psikoanalisis Lacan menjadi penting dalam memahami gaya hidup masyarakat konsumerisme di tengah pandemi Covid-19. Trilogi Lacan mampu menganalisis manusia sebagai subjek. Kedua penulis menyimpulkan bahwa subjek yang saat ini hadir adalah subjek dalam interaksi dengan realitas murni yang diterjemahkan ke dalam kode simbolis. Subjek yang mencari kebahagiaan dengan keinginan untuk menjadi orang lain dan untuk menenangkan kecemasan dalam ketidakstabilan keadaan. Subjek menganggap pembelian panik adalah jawaban atas gejala kecemasan di tengah pandemi Covid-19.Penulis selanjutnya, Dian Agung Wicaksono, menyajikan artikel berjudul “Penormaan Hukum Islam Dalam Sistem Hukum Indonesia Ditinjau Dari Ajaran Teologi Hukum Thomas Aquinas. Menurut Wicaksono, justifikasi penormaan substansi hukum Islam dalam sistem hukum Indonesia memiliki pijakan yang kuat karena tertuang dalam Pancasila Sila “Ketuhanan yang Maha Esa” dan Pasal 29 UUD NRI Tahun 1945. Adapun penormaan substansi hukum Islam dalam sistem hukum Indonesia bila ditinjau dari ajaran teologi hukum Thomas Aquinas menunjukkan bahwa penormaan substansi hukum Islam dalam peraturan perundang-undangan tidak serta merta menurunkan derajat hukum Islam, karena penuangan substansi hukum Islam dalam peraturan perundang-undangan tidak kemudian mentransformasikan lex aeterna menjadi lex humana.Artikel keempat, berjudul “Runtuhnya Marxisme-Leninisme di Uni Soviet dalam Teori Ashabiyah Ibnu Khaldun”, ditulis oleh Emil Dwi Febrian, Susanto, dan Sri Kusumo Habsari. Artikel ini menyimpulkan bahwa runtuhnya Marxisme-Leninisme di Uni Soviet dikarenakan pendogmaan terhadap ajaran filosofis ini yang dilakukan untuk menciptakan hak istimewa Partai Komunis yang menjadi rezim otoriter, yang akhirnya dianggap tidak relevan dan ditentang oleh masyarakat. Otoritarianisme di Uni Soviet terjadi karena eksklusivisme dan kultus. Simpulan lainnya, bahwa otoritarianisme bisa terjadi di negara non-komunis, termasuk Indonesia di era Orde Baru, hal ini menunjukkan bahwa bukan ideologi yang berpengaruh dalam terciptanya rezim otoriter, tetapi praktik politik di negara tersebut.Penulis kelima, Kosmas Sobon dan Timoteus Ata Leu Ehaq, menghadirkan artikel berjudul “Implikasi Etika Solidaritas Knud Ejler Løgstrup terhadap Korban Virus Covid-19 di Indonesia”. Dalam kajiannya, Kosmas Sobon dan Timoteus Ata Leu Ehaq, menunjukkan bahwa pemikiran solidaritas Løgstrup menjadi dasar untuk solider terhadap korban Covid-19, solidaritas atas korban Covid-19 bukan sekedar perasaan, tidak bersifat normatif, selalu bersifat asimetris, sebuah fenomena moral dan ciri khas dari cinta.Artikel terakhir, keenam, berjudul “Hubungan Filsafat dengan Ilmu Pengetahuan dan Relevansinya d Era Revolusi Industri 4.0 (Society 5.0)”, oleh Muhammad Rijal Fadli. Menurut Fadli, filsafat dan ilmu pengetahuan sangat diperlukan kehadirannya di tengah perkembangan IPTEK yang ditandai dengan menajamnya spesialisasi ilmu pengetahuan. Sebab, dengan mempelajari filsafat, para ilmuwan diharapkan akan dapat menyadari atas keterbatasan dirinya agar tidak terperangkap ke dalam sikap arogansi intelektual. Counter discourse terhadap perkembangan IPTEK tidak dapat dilakukan, melainkan untuk dapat mengurangi dampak negatif dari adanya teknologi itu sendiri. Sementara itu, era Revolusi Industri 4.0 dan Society 5.0 memiliki karakter kelompok masyarakatnya heterogen, sehingga menyebabkan timbul masalah-masalah sangat kompleks yang terkait berkembangnya teknologi dan dapat mengubah pola pikir kehidupan manusia ke pola kehidupan yang lebih canggih dengan tenaga teknologi seperti robot dan internet. Penulis artikel meyakini, bahwa keilmuan yang dijadikan sebagai tonggak aksiologis dalam mengarahkan, mengendalikan perkembangan IPTEK secara positif untuk kepentingan umat manusia dan lingkungannya adalah filsafat dan ilmu pengetahuan {ESHA}.

Clauss, Martin / Christoph Nübel (Hrsg.), Militärisches Entscheiden. Voraussetzungen, Prozesse und Repräsentationen einer sozialen Praxis von der Antike bis zum 20. Jahrhundert (Krieg und Konflikt, 9), Frankfurt a. M. / New York 2020, Campus, 496 S. / Abb., € 52,00. (Jörg Rogge, Mainz) Scheller, Benjamin (Hrsg.), Kulturen des Risikos im Mittelalter und in der Frühen Neuzeit (Schriften des Historischen Kollegs. Kolloquien, 99), Berlin / Boston 2019, de Gruyter Oldenbourg, IX u. 278 S. / Abb., € 69,95. (Christian Wenzel, Marburg) Eisenbichler, Konrad (Hrsg.)‚ A Companion to Medieval and Early Modern Confraternities (Brill’s Companions to the Christian Tradition, 83), Leiden / Boston 2019, Brill, XVI u. 475 S. / Abb., € 215,00. (Nikolas Funke, Münster) Das, Nandini / Tim Youngs (Hrsg.), The Cambridge History of Travel Writing, Cambridge [u. a.] 2019, Cambridge University Press, XVIII u. 639 S. / Abb., £ 135,00. (Michael Maurer, Jena) Baumann, Anette / Sabine Schmolinsky / Evelien Timpener (Hrsg.), Raum und Recht. Visualisierung von Rechtsansprüchen in der Vormoderne (Bibliothek Altes Reich, 29), Berlin / Boston 2020, de Gruyter Oldenbourg, VIII u. 183 S. / Abb., € 59,95. (Falk Bretschneider, Paris) Carpegna Falconieri, Tommaso di, The Militant Middle Ages. Contemporary Politics between New Barbarians and Modern Crusaders, übers. v. Andrew M. Hiltzik (National Cultivation of Culture, 20), Leiden / Boston 2020, Brill, XI u. 281 S., € 138,00. (Martin Clauss, Chemnitz) Kitapçı Bayrı, Buket, Warriors, Martyrs, and Dervishes. Moving Frontiers, Shifting Identities in the Land of Rome (13th-15th Centuries) (The Medieval Mediterranean, 119), Leiden / Boston 2020, Brill, X u. 259 S. / Karten, € 99,00. (Mihailo Popović, Wien) Cristea, Ovidiu / Liviu Pilat (Hrsg.), From Pax Mongolica to Pax Ottomanica. War, Religion and Trade in the Northwestern Black Sea Region (14th-16th Centuries) (East Central and Eastern Europe in the Middle Ages, 450 – 1450, 58), Leiden / Boston 2020, Brill, VI u. 321 S., € 105,00. (Markus Koller, Bochum) Jones, Linda G. / Adrienne Dupont-Hamy (Hrsg.), Christian, Jewish, and Muslim Preaching in the Mediterranean and Europe. Identities and Interfaith Encounters (Sermo, 15), Turnhout 2019, Brepols, VI u. 337 S. / Abb., € 90,00. (Sina Rauschenbach, Potsdam) Catlos, Brian A., al-Andalus. Geschichte des islamischen Spanien, München 2019, Beck, 491 S. / Abb., € 29,95. (Matthias Maser, Erlangen) Glick, Thomas F. / Antonio Malpica / Félix Retamero / Josep Torró (Hrsg.), From Al-Andalus to the Americans (13th–17th Centuries). Destruction and Construction of Societies (The Medieval and Early Modern Iberian World, 65), Leiden / Boston 2018, Brill, XIII u. 471 S. / Abb., € 127,00. (Ludolf Pelizaeus, Amiens) Hamilton, Tracy Chapman / Mariah Proctor-Tiffany (Hrsg.), Moving Women Moving Objects (400 – 1500) (Maps, Spaces, Cultures, 2), Leiden / Boston 2019, Brill, XXIX und 346 S. / Abb., € 149,00. (Sabine Klapp, Kaiserslautern) Makowski, Elizabeth, Apostate Nuns in the Later Middle Ages (Studies in the History of Medieval Religion, 49), Woodbridge 2019, The Boydell Press, XIV u. 227 S., £ 60,00. (Christine Kleinjung, Münster) Dickason, Kathryn, Ringleaders of Redemption. How Medieval Dance Became Sacred (Oxford Studies in Historical Theology), New York 2021, Oxford University Press, XV u. 369 S. / Abb., £ 64,00. (Gregor Rohmann, Frankfurt a. M.) Clauss, Martin / Gesine Mierke / Antonia Krüger (Hrsg.), Lautsphären des Mittelalters. Akustische Perspektiven zwischen Lärm und Stille (Beihefte zum Archiv für Kulturgeschichte, 89), Wien / Köln / Weimar 2020, Böhlau, 340 S. / Abb., € 65,00. (Karl Kügle, Oxford / Utrecht) Geßner, Kerstin, Die Vermessung des Kosmos. Zur geometrischen Konstruktion von urbanem Raum im europäischen Mittelalter, Wien / Köln / Weimar 2020, Böhlau, 341 S. / Abb., € 45,00. (Felix Rösch, Göttingen) Hirbodian, Sigrid / Andreas Schmauder / Petra Steymans-Kurz (Hrsg.), Materielle Kultur und Sozialprestige im Spätmittelalter. Führungsgruppen in Städten des deutschsprachigen Südwestens (Schriften zur südwestdeutschen Landeskunde, 82), Ostfildern 2019, Thorbecke, IX u. 148 S. / Abb., € 25,00. (Gerald Schwedler, Kiel) Liening, Simon, Das Gesandtschaftswesen der Stadt Straßburg zu Beginn des 15. Jahrhunderts (Mittelalter-Forschung, 63), Ostfildern 2019, Thorbecke, 245 S., € 34,00. (Klara Hübner, Brno) Serif, Ina, Geschichte aus der Stadt. Überlieferung und Aneignungsformen der deutschen Chronik Jakob Twingers von Königshofen (Kulturtopographie des alemannischen Raums, 11), Berlin / Boston 2020, de Gruyter, X u. 297 S. / Abb., € 99,95. (Carla Meyer-Schlenkrich, Köln) Urkundenregesten zur Tätigkeit des deutschen Königs- und Hofgerichts bis 1451, Bd. 17: Die Zeit Ruprechts 1407 – 1410, hrsg. v. Bernhard Diestelkamp, bearb. v. Ute Rödel (Quellen und Forschungen zur höchsten Gerichsbarkeit im Alten Reich. Sonderreihe), Wien / Köln / Weimar 2018, Böhlau, XCIX u. 531 S., € 90,00. (Jörg Schwarz, Innsbruck) Van Dussen, Michael / Pavel Soukup (Hrsg.), A Companion to the Hussites (Brill’s Companions to the Christian Tradition, 90), Leiden / Boston 2020, Brill, XI u. 453 S., € 199,00. (Christina Traxler, Wien) Kaar, Alexandra, Wirtschaft, Krieg und Seelenheil. Papst Martin V., Kaiser Sigismund und das Handelsverbot gegen die Hussiten in Böhmen (Forschungen zur Kaiser- und Papstgeschichte des Mittelalters. Beihefte zu J. F. Böhmer, Regesta Imperii, 46), Wien / Köln / Weimar 2020, Böhlau, 387 S. / Abb., € 55,00. (Gerhard Fouquet, Kiel) Regesten Kaiser Friedrichs III. 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There is an expression, in recent Marvel superhero films, of a social anxiety about genetic science that, in part, replaces the social anxieties about nuclear weapons that can be detected in the comic books on which these films are based (Rutherford). Much of the analysis of superhero comics – and the films on which they are based – has focussed its attention on the anxieties contained within them about gender, sexuality, race, politics, and the nation. Surprisingly little direct critique is applied to the most obvious point of difference within those texts, namely the acquisition, display, and use of extra-ordinary abilities. These superhero films represent some of the ways that audiences come to understand genetics. I am interested in this essay in considering how the representation of genetic mutation, as an error in a bio-chemical code, is a key narrative device. Moreover, mutation is central to the way the films explore the social exclusion of characters who acquire super-abilities. My contention is that, in these Marvel comic films, extra-ordinary ability, and the anxieties expressed about those abilities, parallels some of the social and cultural beliefs about the disabled body. The impaired body thus becomes a larger trope for any deviation from the “normal” body and gives rise to the anxieties about deviation and deviance explored in these films. Impairment and illness have historically been represented as either a blessing or a curse – the source of revelation and discovery, or the site of ignominy. As Western culture developed, the confluence of Greek and Judeo-Christian stories about original sin and inherited punishment for parental digression resulted in the entrenchment of beliefs about bent and broken bodies as the locus of moral questions (and answers) about the abilities and use of the human body (Sontag 47). I want to explore, firstly, in the film adaptations of the Marvel comics X-Men, Spiderman, Fantastic Four, and The Hulk, the representation of changes to the body as the effect of invisible bio-chemical states and processes. It has been impossible to see DNA, whether with the human eye or with technical aid; the science of genetics is largely based on inference from other observations. In these superhero films, the graphic display of DNA and genetic restructuring is strikingly large. This overemphasis suggests both that the genetic is a key narrative impetus of the films and that there is something uncertain or disturbing about genetic science. One such concern about genetic science is identifying the sources of oppression that might underlie the, at times understandable, desire to eliminate disease and congenital defect through changes to the genetic code or elimination of genetic error. As Adrienne Asch states, this urge to eliminate disease and impairment is problematic: Why should it be acceptable to avoid some characteristics and not others? How can the society make lists of acceptable and unacceptable tests and still maintain that only disabling traits, and not people who live with those traits, are to be avoided? (339) Asch’s questioning ends with the return to the moral concerns that have always circulated around the body, and in particular a body that deviates from a norm. The maxim “hate the sin, not the sinner” is replaced by “eradicate the impairment, not the impaired”: it is some kind of lack of effort or resourcefulness on the part of the impaired that is detectable in the presence of the impairment. This replacement of sin by science is yet another example of the trace of the body as the site of moral arguments. As Bryan Turner argues, categories of disease, and by association impairment, are intrinsic to the political discourse of Western societies about otherness and exclusion (Turner 216). It is not surprising then, that characters that experience physical changes caused by genetic mutation may take on for themselves the social shame that is part of the exclusion process. As genetic science has increasingly infiltrated the popular imagination and thus finds expression in cinema, so too has this concern of shame and guilt become key to the narrative tension of films that link changes in the genetic code to the acquisition of super-ability. In the X-Men franchise, the young female character Rogue (Anna Paquin), acquires the ability to absorb another’s life force (and abilities), and she seeks to have her genetic code resequenced in order to be able to touch others, and thus by implication have a “normal” life. In X2 (Bryan Singer, 2003), Rogue’s boyfriend, Iceman (Shawn Ashmore), who has been largely excluded from her touch, returns home with other mutants. After having hidden his mutant abilities from his family, he finally confesses to them the truth about himself. His shocked mother turns to him and asks: “Have you tried not being a mutant?” Whilst this moment has been read as an expression of anxiety about homosexuality (“Pop Culture: Out Is In”; Vary), it also marks a wider social concern about otherness, including disability, and its attendant social exclusion. Moreover, this moment reasserts the paradigm of effort that underlies anxieties about deviations from the norm: Iceman could have been normal if only he had tried harder, had a different girlfriend, remained at home, sought more knowledge, or had better counsel. Science, and more specifically genetic science, is suggested in many of these films as the site of bad counsel. The narratives of these superhero stories, almost without exception, begin or hinge on some kind of mistake by scientists – the escaped spider, the accident in the laboratory, the experiment that gets out of control. The classic image of the mad scientist or Doctor Frankenstein type, locked away in his laboratory is reflected in the various scenes in all these films, in which the scientists are separated from wider society. In Fantastic 4 (Tim Story, 2005), the villain, Dr Von Doom (Julian McMahon), is located at the top of a large multi-story building, as too are the heroes. Their separation from the rest of society is made even more dramatic by placing the site of their exposure to cosmic radiation, the source of the genetic mutation, in a space station that is empty of anyone else except the five main characters whose bodies will be altered. In Spiderman (Sam Raimi, 2002), the villain is a scientist whose experiments are kept secret by the military, emphasising the danger inherent in his work. The mad-scientist imagery dominates the representation of Bruce Bannor’s father in Hulk (Ang Lee, 2003), whose experiments have altered his genetic code, and that alteration in genetic structure has subsequently been passed onto his son. The Fantastic 4 storyline returns several times to the link between genetic mutation and the exposure to cosmic radiation. Indeed, it is made explicit that human existence – and by implication the human body and abilities – is predicated on this cosmic radiation as the source of transformations that formed the human genetic code. The science of early biology thus posits this cosmic radiation as the source of what is “normal,” and it is this appeal to the cosmos – derived from the Greek kosmos meaning “order” – that provides, in part, the basis on which to value the current human genetic code. This link to the cosmic is also made in the opening sequence of X-Men in which the following voice-over is heard as we see a ball of light form. This light show is both a reminder of the Big Bang (the supposed beginning of the universe which unleased vast amounts of radiation) and the intertwining of chromosomes seen inside biological nuclei: Mutation, it is the key to our evolution. It has enabled us to evolve from a single celled organism to the dominant species on the planet. This process is slow, normally taking thousands and thousands of years. But every few hundred millennia evolution leaps forward. Whilst mutation may be key to human evolution and the basis for the dramatic narratives of these superhero films, it is also the source of social anxiety. Mutation, whilst derived from the Latin for “change,” has come to take on the connotation of an error or mistake. Richard Dawkins, in his celebrated book The Selfish Gene, compares mutation to “an error corresponding to a single misprinted letter in a book” (31). The language of science is intended to be without the moral overtones that such words as “error” and “misprint” attract. Nevertheless, in the films under consideration, the negative connotations of mutation as error or mistake, are, therefore, the source of the many narrative crises as characters seek to rid themselves of their abilities. Norman Osborn (Willem Dafoe), the villain of Spiderman, is spurred on by his belief that human beings have not achieved their potential, and the implication here is that the presence of physical weakness, illness, and impairment is the supporting evidence. The desire to return the bodies of these superheroes to a “normal” state is best expressed in_ Hulk_, when Banner’s father says: “So you wanna know what’s wrong with him. So you can fix him, cure him, change him.” The link between a mistake in the genetic code and the disablement of the these characters is made explicit when Banner demands from his father an explanation for his transformation into the Hulk – the genetic change is explicitly named a deformity. These films all gesture towards the key question of just what is the normal human genetic code, particularly given the way mutation, as error, is a fundamental tenet in the formation of that code. The films’ focus on extra-ordinary ability can be taken as a sign of the extent of the anxiety about what we might consider normal. Normal is represented, in part, by the supporting characters, named and unnamed, and the narrative turns towards rehabilitating the altered bodies of the main characters. The narratives of social exclusion caused by such radical deviations from the normal human body suggest the lack of a script or language for being able to talk about deviation, except in terms of disability. In Spiderman, Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) is doubly excluded in the narrative. Beginning as a classic weedy, glasses-wearing, nerdy individual, unable to “get the girl,” he is exposed to numerous acts of humiliation at the commencement of the film. On being bitten by a genetically altered spider, he acquires its speed and agility, and in a moment of “revenge” he confronts one of his tormentors. His super-ability marks him as a social outcast; his tormentors mock him saying “You are a freak” – the emphasis in speech implying that Parker has never left a freakish mode. The film emphasises the physical transformation that occurs after Parker is bitten, by showing his emaciated (and ill) body then cutting to a graphic depiction of genes being spliced into Parker’s DNA. Finally revealing his newly formed, muscular body, the framing provides the visual cues as to the verbal alignment of these bodies – the extraordinary and the impaired bodies are both sources of social disablement. The extreme transformation that occurs to Ben Grimm (Michael Chiklis), in Fantastic 4, can be read as a disability, buying into the long history of the disabled body as freak, and is reinforced by his being named “The Thing.” Socially, facial disfigurement may be regarded as one of the most isolating impairments; for example, films such as The Man without a Face (Mel Gibson, 1993) explicitly explore this theme. As the only character with a pre-existing relationship, Grimm’s social exclusion is reinforced by the rejection of his girlfriend when she sees his face. The isolation in naming Ben Grimm as “The Thing” is also expressed in the naming of Bruce Banner’s (Eric Bana) alter ego “Hulk.” They are grossly enlarged bodies that are seen as grotesque mutations of the “normal” human body – not human, but “thing-like.” The theme of social exclusion is played alongside the idea that those with extra-ordinary ability are also emblematic of the evolutionary dominance of a superior species of which science is an example of human dominance. The Human Genome Project, begun in 1990, and completed in 2003, was in many ways the culmination of a century and a half of work in biochemistry, announcing that science had now completely mapped the human genome: that is, provided the complete sequence of genes on each of the 46 chromosomes in human cells. The announcement of the completed sequencing of the human genome led to, what may be more broadly called, “genomania” in the international press (Lombardo 193). But arguably also, the continued announcements throughout the life of the Project maintained interest in, and raised significant social, legal, and ethical questions about genetics and its use and abuse. I suggest that in these superhero films, whose narratives centre on genetic mutation, that the social exclusion of the characters is based in part on fears about genetics as the source of disability. In these films deviation becomes deviance. It is not my intention to reduce the important political aims of the disability movement by equating the acquisition of super-ability and physical impairment. Rather, I suggest that in the expression of the extraordinary in terms of the genetic within the films, we can detect wider social anxieties about genetic science, particularly as the representations of that science focus the audience’s attention on mutation of the genome. An earlier film, not concerned with superheroes but with the perfectibility of the human body, might prove useful here. Gattaca (Andrew Nicol, 1997), which explores the slippery moral slope of basing the value of the human body in genetic terms (the letters of the title recall the chemicals that structure DNA, abbreviated to G, A, T, C), is a powerful tale of the social consequences of the primacy of genetic perfectibility and reflects the social and ethical issues raised by the Human Genome Project. In a coda to the film, that was not included in the theatrical release, we read: We have now evolved to the point where we can direct our own evolution. Had we acquired this knowledge sooner, the following people may never have been born. The screen then reveals a list of significant people who were either born with or acquired physical or psychological impairments: for example, Abraham Lincoln/Marfan Syndrome, Jackie Joyner-Kersee/Asthma, Emily Dickinson/Manic Depression. The audience is then given the stark reminder of the message of the film: “Of course the other birth that may never have taken place is your own.” The social order of Gattaca is based on “genoism” – discrimination based on one’s genetic profile – which forces characters to either alter or hide their genetic code in order to gain social and economic benefit. The film is an example of what the editors of the special issue of the Florida State University Law Journal on genetics and disability note: how we look at genetic conditions and their relationship to health and disability, or to notions of “normalcy” and “deviance,” is not strictly or even primarily a legal matter. Instead, the issues raised in this context involve ethical considerations and require an understanding of the social contexts in which those issues appear. (Crossley and Shepherd xi) Implicit in these commentators’ concern is the way an ideal body is assumed as the basis from which a deviation in form or ability is measured. These superhero films demonstrate that, in order to talk about super-ability as a deviation from a normal body, they rely on disability scripts as the language of deviation. Scholars in disability studies have identified a variety of ways of talking about disability. The medical model associates impairment or illness with a medical tragedy, something that must be cured. In medical terms an error is any deviation from the norm that needs to be rectified by medical intervention. By contrast, in the social constructivist model, the source of disablement is environmental, political, cultural, or economic factors. Proponents of the social model do not regard impairment as equal to inability (Karpf 80) and argue that the discourses of disability are “inevitably informed by normative beliefs about what it is proper for people’s bodies and minds to be like” (Cumberbatch and Negrine 5). Deviations from the normal body are classification errors, mistakes in social categorisation. In these films aspects of both the medical tragedy and social construction of disability can be detected. These films come at a time when disability remains a site of social and political debate. The return to these superheroes, and their experiences of exclusion, in recent films is an indicator of social anxiety about the functionality of the human body. And as the science of genetics gains increasing public representation, the idea of ability – and disability – that is, what is regarded as “proper” for bodies and minds, is increasingly related to how we regard the genetic code. As the twenty first century began, new insights into the genetic origins of disease and congenital impairments offered the possibility that the previous uncertainty about the provenance of these illnesses and impairments may be eliminated. But new uncertainties have arisen around the value of human bodies in terms of ability and function. This essay has explored the way representations of extra-ordinary ability, as a mutation of the genetic code, trace some of the experiences of disablement. A study of these superhero films suggests that the popular dissemination of genetics has not resulted in an understanding of ability and form as purely bio-chemical, but that thinking about the body as a bio-chemical code occurs within already present moral discourses of the body’s value. References Asch, Adrienne. “Disability Equality and Prenatal Testing: Contradictory or Compatible?” Florida State University Law Review 30.2 (2003): 315-42. 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Citation reference for this article MLA Style Mantle, Martin. "“Have You Tried Not Being a Mutant?”: Genetic Mutation and the Acquisition of Extra-ordinary Ability." M/C Journal 10.5 (2007). echo date('d M. Y'); ?> <http://journal.media-culture.org.au/0710/10-mantle.php>. APA Style Mantle, M. (Oct. 2007) "“Have You Tried Not Being a Mutant?”: Genetic Mutation and the Acquisition of Extra-ordinary Ability," M/C Journal, 10(5). Retrieved echo date('d M. Y'); ?> from <http://journal.media-culture.org.au/0710/10-mantle.php>.