The religious factor in the reification of “neo-ethnic” identities in Kyrgyzstan

This paper studies how religions, Islam in particular, play a part in the attempted reifications of “neo-ethnic” identities in Kyrgyzstan, a Turkic-speaking republic with a nomadic tradition and a Muslim majority (Hanafî Sunni Islam). In a context characterized by brutal transformations (decline in living standards, widening social inequalities, etc.) and by an increasingly failing central state whose autocratic rule appears ineffective, Islam intervenes as a paradoxical resource that is subjected to contrary uses. The traditional social link between collective identity and Islam is in fact reinvested ideologically within the framework of the new state construction. As a result a key question is what function the re-emergence of religion on the Kyrgyz political scene fulfils, especially considering broad disenchantment with politics. Islam is first re-emphasized as a national element by the authorities and, in the process, it becomes the subject of a drive towards territorialization that aims at erasing any transnational and/or pan-Islamist dimension from this universalist religion. Yet Islam and ethnicity are reinvested again in a new mode, the mode of subjectivization of religious belief, which gives rise, outside state control, to overlapping and often contradicting Islamic identities.     

Power,Paradise and Fantasy

Change: Threat or Opportunity for Human Progress? / Üner Kirdar. ‐ New York : United Nations, 1992.‐5 v.

Contents: vol. 1. Political change; vol. 2. Economic change; vol. 3. Globalization of markets; vol. 4. Changes in the human dimension of development, ethics and values; vol. 5. Ecological change: environment, development and poverty linkages. ISBN 92–1–126029–9. ‐ ISBN 92–1–126024–8 (vol.1). ‐ ISBN 92–1–126025–6 (vol.2). ‐ ISBN 92–1–126026–4 (vol.3). ‐ ISBN 92–1–126027–2 (vol.4). ‐ ISBN 92–1–126028–0 (vol.5)

Le commerce des armes / par Romain Yakemtchouk. ‐ Bruxelles : Institut Royal des Relations Internationales. Centre interuniversitaire de recherche independant, 1992. ‐ 320 p. ‐(Studia diplomatica; 1–3)

Droga, problema europeo : una “terza via” fra proibizionismo e legalizzazione? / Andrea Chiti‐Batelli. ‐ Milano: F. Angeli, copyr. 1992. ‐ 239 p. ‐ ISBN 88–204–7440–9

L'economia italiana net mondo che cambia : 1990–911 / a cura di Franco Bruni e Fabrizio Onida. ‐ Bologna: il Mulino, copyr.1992. ‐ 291 p. ‐ ISBN 88–15–03655–5

L'elmo di Scipio : studisutmodello di difesa italiana a cura di Carlo M. Santoro. ‐ Bologna: iI Mulino, copyr. 1992. ‐ 297 p. ‐ ISBN 88–15‐ 03656–3

L'Europe et le Monde arabe : cousins, voisins / Bichara Khader. ‐ Paris : Publisud; Ottignies : Quorum, 1992. ‐ 254 p. ‐ (Horizons euro‐arabes). ‐ ISBN 2–86600–644–5 (France). ‐ ISBN 2–930014–06–7 (Belgium)

Le Grand Maghreb et l'Europe: enjeux et perspectives I Bichara Khader. ‐ Paris : Publisud; Ottignies : Quorum, 1992. ‐ 263 p. ‐ (Horizons euro‐ arabes). ‐ ISBN 2–86600–643–7 (France). ‐ ISBN 2–930014–02–4 (Belgium)

Le interrelazioni fra iniziativa esagonale e Alpe‐Adria in un’ Europa che cambia : prima riunione degli Istituti di relazioni internazionali dell'iniziativa del Centro‐Europa = Die Wechselbeziehungen zwischen “Esagonale” un “Alpen‐Adria” in einem sich wandelnden Europa : erstes Treffen der Institute für internationale Beziehungen der mitteleuropäischen Initiative = Inter‐relations between the “Esagonale” and the “Alps‐Adria” initiatives in a changing Europe : first workshop of the institutes of international affairs of the Central‐European initiative : Trento ‐24.1.19921 a cura del Servizio studi della Regione autonoma Trentino‐Alto Adige. ‐ Trento : Regione Autonoma Trentino‐Alto Adige, 1992. ‐197 p.

The Pentagonal/Hexagonal experiment: new forms of cooperation in a changing Europe / Hanspeter Neuhold (ed.). ‐Wien : W.Braumüller, copyr.1991. ‐145 p. ‐ (The Laxenburg papers; 10). ‐ ISBN 3–7003–0945–7

Red Microchip : Technology Transfer, Export Control and Economic Restructuring in the Soviet Union / Daniel L. Bughart. ‐ Aldershot : Dartmouth, copyr. 1992. ‐ x, 250 p. ‐ ISBN 1–85521–308–7

Vers une nouvelle Europe? l publié sous la direction de Mario Telò. ‐ Bruxelles : Editions de l'Université de Bruxelles, 1992. ‐ XIV, 561 p. ‐ (Etudes européennes). ‐ ISBN 2–8004–1055–8

Les voix du soulèvement palestinien 1987–1988 : édition critique des communiqués du Commandement National Unifié du Soulèvement et du Mouvement de la Résistance Islamique / Jean‐François Legrain; traduction française en collaboration avec Pierre Chenard. ‐ Le Caire : CEDEJ, 1991. ‐ 270, 351 p. ‐ (Dossiers du CEDEJ). ‐ ISBN 2–905838–23‐X

Western Europe and the Gulf : a Study of West European Reactions to the Gulf War / carried out under the auspices of the Institute for Security studies of Western European Union; edited by Nicole Gnesotto and John Roper. ‐ Paris : WEU. The Institute for Security Studies, 1992. ‐ viii, 219 p. ‐ ISBN 2–909567–00–1     

Psychometric Properties of Revised Conflict Tactics Scales: Portuguese Sibling Version (CTS2-SP)

The Revised Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS2, Straus et al. Journal of Family Issues, 17, 283–316, 1996) were conceived to measure Psychological Aggression, Physical Assault, Sexual Coercion, Injury and the use of Negotiation towards a partner in a marital, cohabiting or dating relationship. The CTS2-SP was designed for obtaining data on conflict tactics between siblings. The main objective of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the CTS2-SP Portuguese version. Data were collected among 590 Portuguese university students. Reliability was assessed through Cronbach’s alpha ranging from 0.65 to 0.81 for the perpetration scales and ranging 0.66 to 0.84 to victimization scales. Significant correlations between different forms of the CTS2 illustrate its construct validity. The psychometric characteristics of CTS2-SP Portuguese version were found to be adequate. The CTS2-SP offers a reliable and valid measure to be used within the Portuguese population.     

To enforce or not to enforce? Judicialization,venue shopping,and global regulatory harmonization

The regulation of intellectual property rights takes place in a range of international venues. This proliferation of international venues greatly enhances the potential for venue shopping. We argue that different levels of domestic regulation and differing degrees of judicialization account for actors' preferences over institutional venues. We take into consideration two scenarios. Conceiving of judicialization as the delegation of adjudication to an independent third party and the enforcement through multilaterally authorized sanctions, we show that: (i) upward regulatory harmonization leads actors preferring weak regulatory intellectual property rights standards to strive for venues with low degrees of judicialization, whereas those favoring stringent intellectual property rights protection prefer highly judicialized venues; and (ii) downward harmonization leads to the opposite constellation of institutional preferences. We show how these expectations hold by way of in‐depth case studies of two instances of global intellectual property rights regulation: the regulation of plant genetic resources and intellectual property rights for medicines.     

Discrimination of Falls and Blows in Blunt Head Trauma: Assessment of Predictability Through Combined Criteria*

Abstract: The discrimination of falls from homicidal blows in blunt head injuries is a common but difficult problem in both forensic anthropology and pathology. Three criteria have been previously proposed for this distinction: the hat brim line rule, side lateralization of fractures, and number of lacerations. The aim of the present study was to achieve a better distinction rate by combining those criteria and assess the predictability of these combined criteria tools. Over a 6‐year period, a total of 114 cases (92 males and 22 females) were studied: 21 cases of downstairs falls, 29 cases of falls from one’s own height, and 64 cases of head trauma by a blunt weapon. The results revealed predictability rates varying from 62.5 to 83.3% for criteria pointing towards a fall. As for combined criteria in favor of a blow, the assumption was accurate in all cases (100%).     

Unusual suicide with a chainsaw

Described here is a case of suicide with the use of a chainsaw. A female suffering from schizophrenia committed suicide by an ingenious use of a chainsaw that resulted in the transection of her cervical spine and spinal cord. The findings of the resulting investigation are described and the mechanism of suicides with the use of a chainsaw is reviewed. A dry bone study was realized to determine the bone sections, the correlation between anatomic lesions and characteristics of chainsaw. The damage of organs and soft tissues is compared according to the kinds of chainsaw used.     

Identification of acepromazine in hair: an illustration of the difficulties encountered in investigating drug-facilitated crimes

After a drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA), a woman was found in a drowsy state at home. She remembered having drunk an unknown beverage by the accused. Blood samples (collected 8 hours after the DFSA), two glasses, and a teaspoon seized by the police were analyzed. Acepromazine, a phenothiazine tranquilizer used in human and veterinary medicine, was detected in the residue of one of the glasses. In spite of acepromazine absence in the victim's blood, the possible use of acepromazine in the DFSA was reported to the police. Two weeks later, a suspect admitted having orally administered acepromazine to the victim. Using a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method, this compound was subsequently detected (31 pg/mg) in a sample of the victim's hair collected a month and a half after the DFSA. A potential short elimination half-life in humans and/or the well-known in vitro degradation of acepromazine could explain the negative blood result. DFSA toxicological investigations are challenging and can be complicated when a rather unusual substance is concerned. In particular, special care should be taken when interpreting the results, taking into account elimination and/or instability data, when available.     

Sondage auprès des fonctionnaires fédéraux : Synthèse des contributions canadiennes à la recherche

For about twenty years, Public Administration scholars have used the data from the Public Service Employee Survey (PSES) for their research. Two studies evaluated the uses of data, measurement models and internal validity of the U.S. government’s Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS), and none on the use of PSES data. The article reviews studies that used Canadian PSES data to promote social science research and seeks to stimulate discussion of PSES's future and opportunities for strategic human resources research in Canada. [The table most useful for researchers is available here in English: Table 3. Aggregation of PSES Elements Assigned to Theoretical Constructs.]     

The legitimization and institutionalization of ‘parental alienation’ in the Province of Quebec

ABSTRACT

This article examines the legitimization and institutionalization of ‘parental alienation’ discourse in the Province of Quebec, Canada. It draws upon an analysis of 31 documents (legislation, research reports and articles, training documents, professional documents and media articles) and interviews with 13 key informants, who were selected based on their knowledge of ‘parental alienation’ in research, policies or practices. The research findings reveal that the legitimization and institutionalization of ‘parental alienation’ discourse is a more recent process than in other provinces and countries, but that it has now permeated child custody as well as child protection proceedings. Academic researchers and media have been instrumental in this legitimization and institutionalization process, while the role played by changes to child protection policies is more ambiguous. The findings reveal researchers’ and experts’ tendency to distance themselves from Gardner’s controversial work on ‘parental alienation syndrome’ and to address the critiques by proposing new approaches and new concepts. However, the terms ‘parental alienation syndrome’, ‘parental alienation’ and ‘alienating behaviours’ are often used interchangeably, and assessment practices tend to rely on similar indicators.