The Material Culture of US Elections

Abstract

The abiding motif of election campaigns in the USA is not the spot ad, nor the candidate debate, nor even the campaign Web site, but instead remains the campaign button. It should be consigned to history by fast paced development of campaigns into modern technologies, but there are still hundreds of designs produced quadrennially for national campaigns, and many more for races at all levels. Even if the life of the campaign button is coming to a close, it has been a long run, from the brass buttons of 1789, to the tiny framed daguerreotypes of the mid-19th century, through the celluloid buttons of the 1890s, to the chip implanted versions of today.

But the campaign button is just the most ubiquitous example of the material culture of the US election. It has been modified by changes in artisan skills, industrial production, bulk availability, the changes in inexpensive materials and manufactures, and cost effectiveness and profitability. Over the same period of time many other artefacts have been used by entrepreneurs and campaigns to bring the candidates and their public together at the same time as making a profit-either financial or political. This article discusses the role of entrepreneurship, changing industrial technology, and the emergence of newly cost-effective materials, as contexts for the creation of the wealth of campaign ephemera that has adapted to change and maintained its place in the campaign for over 200 years.     

Beyond the literary veil – Women writing Africa: The northern region (2009)

Abstract

Whenever African literature is discussed there is an articulated incorrect assumption that this relates to all the regions of Africa, except North Africa. A related further assumption is that only men in North Africa write. Female writers from the North barely receive critical attention, although they have been writing creative works. The aim of this article is to dispel the notion of literary drought when describing North Africa. Using the text, Women writing Africa: The northern region, the article demonstrates the different sensibilities that female authors in North Africa have created and manifest, when writing against patriarchy as well as against ideological philistinism within their communities. It is argued that female authors from North Africa – African-Arab women – are versatile in their imaginations as they engage with social reality from the perspective of creative art as well as political discourse. The article concludes that this assertion removes the literary veil so that North African female authors can begin to be appreciated artistically, more than has been the situation up to now.     

村民自治的历史嬗变--传统文化传承视角下的村民自治审视

传统乡村自治文化是在长期生存过程中对乡村居民生存境域进行深刻认识和对其生活经验进行系统总结后逐步形成的,蕴含着丰富的生存论方面的认识价值和实践方面的参考价值,对生存问题终极思考的永恒性使得传统和现代可以进行超越时空的对话。正是基于这样的原因,传统乡村自治文化中长期积聚的认识和经验在现代社会依然可以得到延续。通过对乡村自治文化进行历史审视和对其内涵做简要分析,发现传统乡村自治不仅出自乡村自我管理的现实需求,也源于教化及文化传承的精神需要,这就使得传统乡村自治文化在现代社会的超越性发展有了前提和基础,因此,深度挖掘传统村民自治中的优秀文化资源,积极探索其和现代村民自治的有效衔接途径,具有非常重要的现实意义。     

美国矫正演进历史（下）

美国独立前沿用英国的刑罚制度,看守所的条件极类似于它们欧洲前辈的条件,在国家审判期间或某种国家惩罚的形式下。欧洲监狱监禁囚犯的条件极其严酷,囚犯还得给看守人员交付小费。当时在美国,监禁作为一种惩罚方式极为少见,而公开绞死和肉体惩罚却是常规行刑方法。美国独立后,殖民者对基本人权的关注以及他们担心政府权力不受限制地施加于公民．最终导致了改革的呼声。美国可谓是后起之秀,在刑罚执行方面建树颇多。逐渐地取代了英国开先河的地位和作用,成为世界性潮流的前卫。     

五四时期新文化派与学衡派的文学论争

五四时期新文化派与学衡派在是否对文学进行改革及如何改革的问题上一度产生激烈的论争。两派围绕进化论是否适用于文学、文言与白话孰优孰劣、新诗与旧诗何者更能体现时代精神等几个主要问题展开了论战。两派对于文学问题的论争反映了近代文学转型的艰难。     

司法过程的性质：卡多佐的心路历程

卡多佐对司法过程的理解以逻辑的方法为起点,关注司法中逻辑一致性,特别是普通法中”遵循先例“原则对司法平等与司法信仰的重要作用;历史与习惯的方法帮助法官解决逻辑思维的僵硬;社会学的司法方法运用客观的解释原则,探寻社会福利的现实意涵,赋予法官裁量权的同时也限制裁判者的恣意,最终通过发现与形塑的方法帮助法律成长.法律本质上就是一种过程.     

从劳动视角解读马克思世界历史理论

人类劳动的辩证发展是历史向世界历史转变的深层动力。前资本主义社会的特殊劳动为人类历史起步提供了物质基础,形成了封闭、独立的民族历史;资本主义异化劳动下的生产方式通过扩展分工,展现人类改造自然的力量,建立了世界范围内的普遍交往,并将民族历史推向世界历史,但同时它也造成了人与自身,人与社会,人与自然关系的全面对立;世界历史未来的发展趋势是建立在对异化劳动的扬弃上的共产主义基础上,异化劳动向自由劳动转变,人将实现真正的全面的解放。     

试析俄罗斯文学作品选读教学中的上下文语境

俄罗斯文学作品选读一直被学生认为是比较难学的课程,因为文学篇章的理解难点不仅涉及词语意义理解方面的困难,篇章中词语的具体所指内容也很难分析,学生还要了解俄罗斯历史、文化、国情等方面的知识。通过探讨上下文语境在文学篇章阅读理解过程中的认知作用,激发和鼓励学生对俄罗斯文学课程学习的信心,是行之有效的做法。     

日本学界关于清代中前期中日关系史的研究

近百年来,通过几代学人的努力,日本学界在清代中前期中日关系史领域的研究可以说取得了相当丰硕的成果。特别在外交史方向,以往学者虽在新史料发掘和编纂上成果颇多,但缺乏抽象性的理论概括。岩井茂树沉默外交理论的提出,是对该领域研究的一个重要贡献。概括而言,日本学者的研究继续沿袭了该国汉学的一贯传统,重视新史料的发掘和编纂,其中浦廉一、大庭脩等老一辈学者的贡献尤为卓著。而在研究方法上,以综合运用中国(尤其是清代满文档案)、日本、朝鲜及琉球各国史料,对具体史实进行考证为主。     

梁祝文艺在东北亚的传播及影响

梁祝传说作为民间文学素材已被多种文艺样式所汲取,产生了梁祝诗歌、粱祝小说、梁祝歌谣、梁祝戏曲、梁祝歌舞剧、梁祝动画和梁祝影视剧等数量众多的梁祝文艺作品。由梁祝传说为母题而生发、衍化出来的各种梁祝文艺作品不仅在我国的不同地区和民族之间进行着非常广泛而又十分活跃的传播,逐渐成为中华民族文化符号之一,梁祝故事及文艺作品的魅力也撼动着世界上其他地区和民族人们的情感和心灵。尤其是与我国相邻的一些国家,很早以前便有了梁祝文艺的踪迹。本文仅以东北亚地区的朝鲜半岛和日本为例,对梁祝文艺进行初步研究。