A Closer Look at the Creation of a Metamorphic Sole

This book examines the two generations that spanned the collapse of the Republic and the Augustan period to understand how the concept of pax Romana, as a central ideology of Roman imperialism, evolved. The author argues for the integral nature of pax in understanding the changing dynamics of the Roman state through civil war to the creation of a new political system and world-rule. The period of the late Republic to the early Principate involved changes in the notion of imperialism. This is the story of how peace acquired a central role within imperial discourse over the course of the collapse of the Republican framework to become deployed in the legitimization of the Augustan regime. It is an examination of the movement from the debates over the content of the concept, in the dying Republic, to the creation of an authorized version controlled by the princeps, through an examination of a series of conceptions about peace, culminating with the pax augusta as the first crystallization of an imperial concept of peace. Just as there existed not one but a series of ideas concerning Roman imperialism, so too were there numerous different meanings, applications, and contexts within which Romans talked about ‘peace’. Examining these different nuances allows us insight into the ways they understood power dynamics, and how these were contingent on the political structures of the day. Roman discourses on peace were part of the wider discussion on the way in which Rome conceptualized her Empire and ideas of imperialism.

Download Full-text

Psalm 104: The Panorama of Life

Biblical Theology Bulletin Journal of Bible and Culture ◽

10.1177/0146107920980930 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 51 (1) ◽

pp. 4-14

Author(s):

Robert Gnuse

Keyword(s):

Global Warming ◽

Ecological Crisis ◽

Biblical Text ◽

Modern Age ◽

The World ◽

Formal Presentation ◽

Genesis 1 ◽

The Creation ◽

Insight Into

Psalm 104 is a majestic hymn to creation, a dynamic corollary to the more formal presentation of the creation of the world in Genesis 1. Reflection upon some of the passages provides us with insight into the biblical author’s appreciation for nature, an attitude that needs to inspire us in this age of ecological crisis. Though the biblical text is unaware of such an ecological crisis; nonetheless, passages shine forth that can speak to us in our modern age of global warming and environmental collapse.

Download Full-text

'The Last Human Rights Defender in the United Arab Emirates'

Surveillance & Society ◽

10.24908/ss.v15i3/4.6764 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 15 (3/4) ◽

pp. 596-608

Author(s):

Ahmed Mansoor ◽

Manu Luksch

Keyword(s):

Human Rights ◽

United Arab Emirates ◽

Status Quo ◽

Al Jazeera ◽

Amnesty International ◽

Authoritarian State ◽

The Status ◽

Gulf States ◽

Opposition Movements ◽

Insight Into

In May 2016, artist, researcher and activist, Manu Luksch, travelled to the United Arab Emirates (USE) to conduct research on ‘smart city’ initiatives in the region, and also to interview renowned human rights defender, Ahmed Mansoor. In March 2017, Mansoor was re-arrested, and on May 28th 2017, he was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment. Organisations like Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and many others are campaigning for his release and #FreeAhmed has become a call online and on the streets in the form of graffiti and posters. Meanwhile the UAE has been one of 4 Gulf states, led by Saudi Arabia, who have extended their authoritarian campaign against dissidence beyond their borders to target other states who they regard as threatening the status quo, in particular the small but very wealthy state of Qatar, home of the Al-Jazeera news network that has, like Mansoor, championed opposition movements in the Middle-East. In this context, Surveillance & Society decided it was important to publish this interview almost in full as it gives unique insight into the personal and professional experience of a human rights defender in an authoritarian state that is at the same time extremely wealthy, technologically advanced and highly integrated into global capitalism.

Download Full-text