From Sufism to Fundamentalism: The Mahdiyya and the Wahhabiyya

Both the Wahhabiyya and the Mahdiyya were based on different styles of tajdid (renewal). The Mahdiyya was based on the charisma of its leader and was a leader oriented tajdid movement. The Wahhabiyya, on the other hand, was a message oriented movement, which viewed Sufism with hostility. In contrast to Sufi traditions, which embraced al-Mahdi al-Muntazar, who claimed that he was _Khalifat Rasul Allah, Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab embraced tawhid (Unitarianism), as his guiding message. Consequently, the neo-Mahdiyya, which emerged during the twentieth century, shied away from radicalism, and became part of the Sudanese Political establishment. The Wahhabiyya, on the other hand, maintained its tajdid message, and gradually emerged as part of the Jihad oriented, Islamic fundamentalism.     

From Indian Millenarianism to a Tropical Witches' Sabbath: Brazilian Sanctities in Jesuit Writings and Inquisitorial Sources1

This article analyses 'Santidade', the most important Indian millenarian movement to occur in colonial Brazil. Santidade erupted during the 1580's in the Jaguaripe area in the captaincy of Bahia. Santidade's greatest peculiarity, besides the blending of Catholic and indigenous beliefs and rites, was the fact that a slave plantation owner decided to protect it, promising to defend the Indians'"religious freedom" on his land and attracting them to his Jaguaripe sugar mill. The leader of the Santidade movement, an Indian baptised as Antonio, proclaimed himself to be the ancestral indigenous deity Tamandaré. After luring the leader of Santidade into a trap set by the Jaguaripe sugar mill owner, the movement was destroyed in 1585.     

Transition to Upper Secondary School: an Estonian Experience

This is a study of the transition to upper secondary education, an area largely ignored by international educational research. In particular, the study focuses on the transition from compulsory basic education to an academic general upper secondary education in Estonia. This study involves a national survey of school principals as well as case studies. The mixed methods analyses show that a number of barriers can be identified that may have an adverse impact on students’ adjustment to a new learning environment, potentially affecting their educational outcomes and future life-chances. The study places the findings in the context of broader societal processes that have taken place during the last decade in the Baltic countries in general, including Estonia.     

Rescaling to the Indo-Pacific: From Economic to Security-Driven Regionalism in Asia

The ‘Indo-Pacific’ has emerged as the newest addition to the lexicon of Asian regionalism. Conceived of as the conjunction of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, it reflects the belief that maritime linkages require extending Asian regionalism westwards to include countries on the Indian Ocean rim. It also competes with the longstanding ‘Asia-Pacific’ conceptualisation of the region, and four governments—Australia, India, Japan and the USA—have adopted it into their foreign policies. Much of the debate on the Indo-Pacific focusses on how it institutionally ‘rescales’ Asian regionalism through the incorporation of Indian Ocean states. This article considers the functional rescaling that attends this process: namely, what kind of regionalism is implied by the Indo-Pacific concept? It argues that the Indo-Pacific is a security-focussed regional project, reflecting the desire of its proponents to form a quadrilateral bloc to resist China’s growing maritime assertiveness. This security region is radically different from the Asia-Pacific concept, where regionalism was primarily driven by economic integration and cooperation. The Indo-Pacific thus marks a more contested period in Asia’s international politics, where the functional purpose of regional cooperation is being reoriented from economic- to security-focussed agendas.     

印度大选:结果何以如此?

2004年5月13日公布的印度大选结果令人颇感意外.雄心勃勃的执政党印度人民党败北,稳扎稳打的国大党胜出.这一结果似乎有悖于全国民主联盟执政时的"辉煌"成绩.本文从影响选举的七个主要因素,即政党的政绩或历史、政党的施政纲领、施政纲领或口号的传播程度、利益集团与捐献额度、投票手段、个人魅力及政党联盟等出发,并结合印度的政治制度等具体背景,对印度的选举结果进行了分析.     

Export Growth and Development to Poor Rural Regions: a Meso-Scale Analysis of the Upper Limari

Abstract — The aim of this article is to explore the recent social and economic evolution of a rural region that was formerly one of the poorest in Chile but has been transformed by a productive specialisation in table grapes for export markets. The region is that of the Upper Limari in Chile's semi-arid Norte Chico. The analysis focuses on changes in four interrelated variables: productive investments; land markets; labour markets; and population distribution. Rapid growth in investment, the emergence of dynamic land markets, dramatic increases in labour productivity have transformed the agricultural sector. Small-scale farming has survived poorly due to lack of capital, technical problems and lack of bargaining power with the international fruit companies. The large-scale farmers have enjoyed better conditions and a reconcentration of land has occurred. However, the emergence of new productive activities in an area where labour alternatives have been historically scarce has provided new sources of income. Population is increasing in rural settlements linked to irrigated agroexportation and quality of life indicators have improved. Rural depopulation is not a feature of the region as a whole.     

印度国营企业的发展与改革

印度自独立以来一直重视国营企业的发展.但长期以来,国营企业在为印度经济做出了巨大贡献的同时,也存在着诸多的弊端.本文就印度国营企业存在的比较突出的问题以及政府采取的改革措施进行了系统的分析和探讨.     

从规避到合作:老挝和东盟关系的演进

在老挝实施对外开放政策的实践和加入东盟的进程中,老挝与东盟的关系经历了从规避到合作的发展历程.十年来,老挝认真履行成员国的职责和义务,主动融入一体化进程,积极参与地区事务,而东盟也力促老挝参与区域合作,加强与其他成员国间的合作,缩小发展差距.在与东盟的磨合中,老挝对参与区域合作的认识更为全面,态度也更为理性.     

综论印度文化的特点

同中国文化一样,印度文化也是世界上最古老的文明体系之一。它起源于公元前2500年左右的印度河流域,至今已有4500多年的历史。印度文化历经风风雨雨,起伏跌宕,从未中断,一直延续至今。印度文化源远流长、历史悠久、博大精深,内容和形式丰富而多彩。由于印度地处特殊的自然地理环境,并且具有自己独特的社会人文发展背景,所以印度文化有着许多其他民族文化所没有的特点。印度文化有它的八大特点:一是一个多元文化的统一体。印度自古就是一个多宗教、多种族、多种语言并存的国度,有一种印度精神把他们凝聚在一起。二是具有强大的融合和同化能力。三是信仰人与自然和谐统一的世界观。四是重精神、轻物质的人生价值观。五是在思维方式上,追求永恒精神、崇尚内向直觉思维。六是由于宗教文化的影响,古代印度人不注重历史,历史观念淡薄。七是印度自古以来就形成了一种等级分离制度,后来发展为种姓制度,这种制度对印度社会和文化都产生了深远影响。八是印度古代就发明了瑜伽术,后被各种宗教所吸纳,作为它们实现精神解脱的手段。现在,瑜伽术已演化为成一种修心养性、强身健体的体育项目风靡于世界。     

The Indian Red Crescent Mission to the Balkan Wars

Indian Muslim political development during the early years of the twentieth century contained a significant pan-Islamic component of solidarity, especially with the peoples of the beleaguered Ottoman Empire. Although this sentiment was later to be channelled into organized internal political activity such as the foundation of the Muslim League, it had its beginnings in various agitations such as the Khilafat Movement. The Indian Red Crescent Mission to Turkey may be said to have provided the initial mise-en-scène for the expression of political sympathy towards Turkey and the generation of a local freedom movement among the Muslims of India.