Assessing the historical turn in IR: an anatomy of second wave historical sociology

This article reassesses what is at stake in the historical turn in international relations (IR) and the attendant debate between the Second Wave of neo-Weberian historical sociology (WHS) and Political Marxism (PM). Firstly, it endeavours to recast what is at stake in the ‘historical turn’ in IR: the critique of reification and chronocentrism. Secondly, it examines WHS's argument against reductionism in the light of Weber's own work. We show how the Weberian dualism between the politics and the economics inhibits its capacity to complete its project of historicizing IR. Finally, it explains why recent Weberian's defence of multicausalism creates even more obstacles on the road towards an ontologically consistent historical turn.     

Violence risk profile of medium- and high-security NGRI offenders in Belgium

Under Belgian law, offenders not guilty by reason of insanity (NGRI) are committed by the courts to forensic mental health treatment. The use of violence risk assessment tools has become routine in these settings. However, there are no national statistics regarding violence risk assessment in the Belgian forensic population. A study was undertaken to collect risk assessment data (PCL-R, VRAG, HCR-20) on a large cohort of forensic patients committed to Medium Security units in the Flanders region and in High-Security units in the Walloon region. Flemish patients were expected to present a lower risk compared with their Walloon counterparts. Instead, data yielded by a structured risk assessment method demonstrate the opposite. Moreover, the majority of patients in Flemish facilities had committed violent offenses and were institutionalized for shorter periods whereas the majority of Walloon patients had committed sexual offenses and were institutionalized for markedly longer periods.     

Sudden Death Due to Undiagnosed Rheumatic Heart Disease in a Child

We report the case of a 5‐year‐old boy who died from complications of rheumatic heart disease with atypical presentation. He was hospitalized for recent inflammatory and neurological symptoms. He was diagnosed with viral encephalitis. He died the day after he was discharged. The macroscopic autopsy findings were unremarkable. Histology revealed typical rheumatic heart disease. Neuropathology showed cerebral infarction due to an embolic event linked with the rheumatic valvulitis. The cause of death was determined as heart failure due to rheumatic heart disease secondary to an undiagnosed acute rheumatic fever. It is related to an autoimmune response to infection with group A streptococcus. It mainly affects children in developing countries. In our case, viral encephalitis was consistent with the medical history and the proper diagnosis was made on histological analysis. Forensic pathologists should consider this diagnosis facing a sudden unexpected death in childhood, even in industrialized countries.     

Economic cycles and punishment: Unemployment and imprisonment

Research on the relations between the labor market and forms of punishment, inaugurated by Rusche, has developed along two lines, broadly speaking: first, the historical evolution of the links between the structure of the labor market and the structure of punishment and secondly, the conjunctural variations in admissions to prison and in prison populations with fluctuations in the employment situation. The present study is of the latter type. It stems from observations on two aspects of the French situation:

The concomitant long-term evolution (1875–1985) of curves for unemployment and for prison populations, given the downward trend in imprisonment rates until recent years.

The constant over-representation, among prisoners, of groups whose position on the labor market is insecure.

The link between unemployment and imprisonment was tested by multiple regression using data on economic, demographic, penal and correctional aspects (French figures, 1920–1985). The results show the participation of demographic factors in the variations in prison populations. They point to a significant correlation between variations in unemployment (in volume and rate) and the evolution of prison populations, all else being equal in terms of recorded crime. Analysis of the functioning of the criminal justice system, showing the existence of an internal subsystem characterized by its procedures — pretrial detention —, the offenses — street crime —, the sentences — imprisonment — and the social characteristics of those convicted, suggests an approach to the interpretation of these findings.     

First Nations Women,Games, and Sport in Pre- and Post-Colonial North America

The historiography of games among First Nations women still is in its infancy. Yet Indian women had access to a wide range of recreational activities that were deeply rooted in each stage of their lives and more especially in all that was ceremonial, ritual, magical and religious. This paper proposes a synthesis of the history and cultural anthropology of these practices in the American Indian history of pre- and post-Columbian North America, through to the end of the Indian Wars in the 1890s. It explores how a gendered approach allows renewed analysis of the contact between traditional American Indian games and modern sports and examines the impact of sporting acculturation on these activities at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The case of the Fort Shaw ‘Blues’ is used to explore the complex relationship that American and native cultures hold with modern women's sports.     

中国女性，家庭财产与自主权(英文)

长期以来,中国女性在家庭财产分割方面往往被认为是饱受歧视,失去自主权,但事实比我们的观念化看法更为复杂。妇女社会地位与其经济、金融自主权之间并无直接关系,社会地位的高低并不影响妇女参加社会经济活动的主动、自主及积极性。通过历史的线性分析和大陆、台港各地的横向比较,我们将发现中国女性在和丈夫、子嗣分享家庭财产支配权中所占的位置和其角色的演变。女权主义在中国有时以另一种面貌出现。     

Atropine Eye Drops: An Unusual Homicidal Poisoning

In March 2009, the body of a 51‐year‐old man was found in the boot of his car. The body had been frozen before being dismembered at the abdomen. The autopsy failed to determine the cause of death. Systematic toxicological analyses of the victim's peripheral blood and urine showed the presence of atropine, a powerful anticholinergic. Atropine was therefore specifically detected and quantified throughout the victim's biologic samples by HPLC‐MS² in the biologic fluids and UHPLC‐MS² in the hair. The atropine concentrations were 887 ng/mL in the cardiac blood, 489 ng/mL in the peripheral blood, 6693 ng/mL in the gastric contents (1.1 μg), 6753 ng/mL in the urine, and 2290 pg/mg in the hair. The blood concentrations measured in the decedent were consistent with an overdose of atropine, which was determined as the cause of death. The manner of death was a homicide with criminal intent.