Chronicling a Blood-spattered Isle

2021 ◽  
pp. 55-111
Author(s):  
Oren Falk
Keyword(s):  
Structural Analysis ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
General Model ◽  
Brute Force ◽  
The Past ◽  
Textual Source ◽  
Recording Process ◽  
Medieval Europe ◽  
Authorial Intent ◽  
History Of

This chapter implements the general model of violence on case studies from the history of medieval Iceland, especially the Battle of Helgastaðir (1220) and other episodes from the life of Guðmundr Arason, Bishop of Hólar (r.1203–37). It also establishes how structural analysis of sagas—using the concepts of récit, histoire, and uchronia—nuances the picture of history reconstructed from such sources, tracing the transformation of occurrences (what happened) into events (experienced manifestations of meaning). Guðmundar saga A, the main textual source consulted here, demonstrates how uchronia, the ideology of the past, enabled texts to function autonomously of authorial intent: uchronic texts may reveal truths their authors were ignorant of, let alone truths they wished to suppress. By unpacking the ways brute force inflects both the historical social contests recorded in the saga and the narrative tensions of the recording process itself, this chapter highlights the necessity of examining violence in terms of a complex negotiation of power, signification, and risk. In the course of this investigation, various details of medieval Icelandic history are filled in, deepening and qualifying the general portrayal offered in the Introduction. Readers with little background in Icelandic history are familiarized with the contours of this history, while experts find some of its truisms (such as the categorical distinction between farmers and chieftains, or the supposed uniqueness of Iceland in high medieval Europe) re-examined

The Impacts of Climate Change on Societies: What Can We Learn from the Past?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dagomar Degroot
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
Climate Change Policy ◽  
Ice Cores ◽  
Keynote Presentation ◽  
The Past ◽  
Change Policy ◽  
History Of ◽  
Paleoclimatic Proxy

<p>This keynote presentation introduces the sources, methods, and major findings of the History of Climate and Society (HCS), a recently-coined field that uncovers the past influences of climate change on human history. It begins by offering a brief history of the field, from the eighteenth century through the present. It then describes how HCS scholars “reconstruct” past climate changes by combining what they call the “archives of nature” – paleoclimatic proxy sources such as tree rings, ice cores, or marine sediments – with the texts, stories, and ruins that constitute the “archives of society.” Next, it explains how HCS scholars in different disciplines have used distinct statistical and qualitative methods, and distinct causal frameworks, to identify the influence of climate change in the archives of society. It explores how HCS scholars conceptualize the vulnerability and resilience of past societies by introducing some telling case studies, and explaining how those case studies have grown more complex as HCS matured as a field. It then emphasizes the enduring challenges faced by HCS scholars and how, in recent months, they have been identified and are beginning to be addressed. Finally, it describes how HCS has informed climate change policy and public discourse, before offering some key lessons that policymakers can learn from the field.</p>

The Politics of Apology and the Prospects for ‘Post-conflict’ Reconciliation: The Case of the Provisional Irish Republican Movement

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Hopkins
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
General Model ◽  
Armed Groups ◽  
The Past ◽  
Post Conflict ◽  
Recent Scholarship ◽  
Republican Movement ◽  
Conflict Reconciliation ◽  
Political Framing

Abstract This article analyses the Irish Provisional Republican movement and the evolution of its approach to the politics of apology. The first section analyses recent scholarship regarding ‘political apologies’, and provides a challenge to the existing literature, which concentrates upon ‘official’ or state apologies, rather than examples involving non-state armed groups (paramilitary or ‘terrorist’ organisations). This section argues that it remains difficult to discern an adequate general model for establishing criteria for a ‘successful’ or ‘sincere’ political apology involving such groups. The second section considers a number of case studies, including the statements of the IRA in 2002, and after the Enniskillen bombing in 1987. It is argued that the Provisional movement’s apologies have not generally proven helpful to its declared aim of post-conflict reconciliation. This article argues that attempted apologies or quasi-apologies by non-state groups may not ameliorate the sense of grievance experienced by victims/survivors, and may also serve to revivify social and political ‘framing battles’ over the past.

Recapturing the past Alternative Methods of Life Story Work in Adoption and Fostering

1996 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 21-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliet Harper
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Traditional Method ◽  
Life Story ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Alternative Methods ◽  
The Past ◽  
History Of ◽  
Story Work ◽  
To Come

Life story work has long been established as a highly effective means of helping children separated from their birth families to come to terms with a history of abandonment, rejection and loss. However, the traditional method of using photos, drawings, writings and memorabilia from the child's past to create a life story book may not always be possible or appropriate. Juliet Harper presents four case studies in which, for various reasons, it was necessary to pursue alternative methods of life story work, for instance through play and the exploration of dreams. She underlines the importance of truthfulness, sensitivity and flexibility on the part of the therapist, and the need to constantly watch out for clues from the child. In following their lead, she asserts, the most constructive path towards rebuilding their sense of self will be found.

scholarly journals On the International Roots of Prehistory (2002)

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc-Antoine Kaeser
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Social Factors ◽  
Sociology Of Science ◽  
History Of Ideas ◽  
Careful Examination ◽  
Archaeological Research ◽  
Historical Case ◽  
The Past ◽  
History Of ◽  
Identity Based

In recent years, considerable attention has been dedicated to the involvement of archaeology (and most notably prehistory) with nationalism. The probable causes of this recent fashion need not concern us here, but the movement itself is certainly welcome, testifying to the reflection of archaeologists on their own practices and those of their predecessors. For historians, this trend is quite welcome in so far as it contributes to a general renaissance of interest in the past of the discipline. However, a more careful examination of this historiography leads us to some caution about its significance. First, the majority of these historical studies adopt an internalist perspective that, combined with their self-declared reflexiveness, confers on them a rather presentist character. The result belongs to some sort of ‘history of ideas’ that has been embellished with a few sociological insights of varying subtlety. In line with the old sociology of science, social factors are only invoked to explain the ‘errors’ of archaeology. Such errors, therefore, always seem to be accounted for by external and, by definition, pernicious influences. As a consequence our discipline always escapes unscathed: its ‘purity’ is not at stake, simply because it is always ‘society’ and ‘politics’ that abuse it. Moreover, most attention is given to the interpretations of the past, not to archaeological research as such. It is not the historical practice of the discipline that is then under consideration, but rather its thematic scope—which is quite a different matter. However, conceptions of identity based on the past are by no means the exclusive preserve of archaeology. No one has been waiting for the birth of our discipline in order to gloat over the ‘heroic deeds of our glorious ancestors’. As a matter of fact, in terms of nationalism, archaeology has entered quite late into the fray, on a terrain that was by then already demarcated. The wealth of historical case studies suggests that from its origins, archaeology, and more specifically prehistoric archaeology, has been strictly dependent on the emergence of national ideologies. The general impression is clear: were it not for the dynamics of modern nationalism, the argument goes, our discipline would never have emerged.

scholarly journals Directions and perspectives of emotional intelligence in organizations

2012 ◽  
Vol 1 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 85-98
Author(s):  
Mihaela Roco
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Intelligence ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Conceptual Models ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
International Congress ◽  
Development Programs ◽  
Research Directions ◽  
The Past ◽  
History Of ◽  
Development And Validation

In the past 20 years research on Emotional Intelligence (EI) has increased exponentially, being made by scientists and experts from various fields of activity worldwide. EI research studies were oriented towards three main directions: 1) The development of conceptual models and related theories, 2) Construction and validation of tools/testing investigation and evaluation of EI and, 3) The development and validation of stimulation and development programs of EI in the areas of organizational, educational, medical, military, and more. Peter Salovey, one of the parents of emotional intelligence, Invited Speaker at the 3rd International Congress on Emotional Intelligence (September, 2011), pointed out that one of the most valuable research directions of EI refers to its applications and its use at the workplace. The current study includes three main parts: 1) History of the concept of EI and its contemporary approaches, 2) The results of extensive research on the usefulness and efficiency of EI in organizations (case studies), 3) stimulation and development programs in El's different fields (banking, educational, medical, business environment...).

The Oxford Handbook of Music Listening in the 19th and 20th Centuries

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Historical Research ◽  
Public Realm ◽  
Music Listening ◽  
Historical Sources ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Past ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Musical Cultures ◽  
History Of

This handbook takes on the task of examining the history of music listening over the past two hundred years. It uses the “art of listening” as a leitmotif encompassing an entanglement of interdependent practices and discourses about a learnable mode of perception. The art of listening first emerged around 1800 and was adopted and adapted across the public realm to suit a wide range of collective listening situations from popular to serious art forms up to the present day. Because this is a relatively new subject in historical research, the volume combines case studies from several disciplines in order to investigate whether, how, and why practices of music listening changed. Focusing on a diverse set of locations and actors and using a range of historical sources, it attempts to historicize and reconstruct the evolution of listening styles to show the wealth of variants in listening. In doing so, it challenges the inherited image of the silent listener as the dominant force in musical cultures.

From the Archaeology of Childhood to Modern Children Visiting Archaeological Museums

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia Lambrugo
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
General Public ◽  
Ancient History ◽  
Interesting Point ◽  
The Past ◽  
History Of Art ◽  
Long Time ◽  
History Of ◽  
Children And Childhood ◽  
The Relationship

This chapter addresses three interconnected topics, beginning with a short overview of the archaeology of children and childhood in Italy, explaining how and why the Italian contribution to the topic has been very recent. The chapter then moves on to explore the relationship between modern children, Italian scholars of ancient history of art and archaeology, and museums; it notes that for a very long time Italian universities and museums have not been interested in developing didactic archaeology at all, especially when the spectators were children, whether of pre-school or older age. Finally, returning to children in the past, two noteworthy case studies of the presentation of ancient children at exhibitions are illustrated as an interesting point of convergence between current archaeological studies in Italy on childhood in the ancient world, and the newly generated need to communicate to the general public the result of research works.

Violence and Risk in Medieval Iceland

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oren Falk
Keyword(s):  
Prospect Theory ◽  
Cultural History ◽  
Cultural Memory ◽  
Power Analysis ◽  
The Past ◽  
Authorial Intent ◽  
Historical Authenticity ◽  
History Of ◽  
Interdisciplinary Study ◽  
Future Status

This interdisciplinary study of violence in medieval Iceland pursues three intertwined goals. First, it proposes a new cultural history model for understanding violence. The model has three axes: power, signification, and risk. Analysis in instrumental terms, as an attempt to coerce others, focuses on power. Analysis in symbolic terms, as an attempt to manipulate meanings, focuses on signification. Analysis in cognitive terms, as an attempt to exercise agency over imperfectly controlled circumstances, focuses on risk. The axis of risk is the model’s major innovation and is laid out in detail, using insights from prospect theory, edgework, and the calculus of jeopardy. It is shown that violence, which itself generates risks, at the same time also serves to control uncertainties. Second, the book tests this model on a series of case studies from the history of medieval Iceland. It examines how violence shapes present circumstances, future status, and past memories, and how it transforms uncertain reality into socially useful narrative, showing how Icelanders’ feud paradigm blocked the prospects of warfare and state formation, while their idiom of human violence domesticated the natural environment. Third, the book develops the concept of uchronia, the hegemonic ideology of the past, to explain how texts modulate history. Uchronia is a motivated cultural memory which vouches for historical authenticity (regardless of factual reliability), maintains textual autonomy from authorial intent, and secures a fit between present society and its own past. In medieval Iceland, as often elsewhere, violence played a key role in the making of uchronia

scholarly journals MUSICALISING HISTORY

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 ◽  
pp. 79-103
Author(s):  
Matthew S. Champion ◽  
Miranda Stanyon
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Fifteenth Century ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Late Antiquity ◽  
Music History ◽  
The Past ◽  
Musical Interpretation ◽  
History Of ◽  
Anti Jewish ◽  
Historical Practice

ABSTRACTWhile there have been growing calls for historians to listen to the past, there are also significant barriers to integrating music in particular into broader historical practice. This article reflects on both the gains and difficulties of this integration, moving from an interrogation of the category of music to three case studies. These concern musical terms, compositional practices and cultures from the fifteenth to eighteenth centuries, revisiting some key debates in musicology: first, the highly charged language of sweetness deployed in the fifteenth century; second, connections discerned in nineteenth-century music history between medieval polyphony and contemporary attitudes towards time and authority; and, third, debate over the anti-Jewish implications of Handel's music, which we approach through his Dixit Dominus and a history of psalm interpretation stretching back to late antiquity. Through these case studies, we suggest the contribution of music to necessarily interdisciplinary fields including the study of temporality and emotions, but also explore how a historical hermeneutic with a long pedigree – ‘diversity of times’ (diversitas temporum) – might help to reframe arguments about musical interpretation. The article concludes by arguing that the very difficulty and slipperiness of music as a source can encourage properly reflective historical practice.

scholarly journals Some Observations on What Grammaticalization Is and Is Not

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. e343
Author(s):  
Brian D. Joseph
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Language Change ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
Linguistic Change ◽  
The Past ◽  
History Of ◽  
Grammatical Change

The notion of ‘grammaticalization’ — the embedding of once non- (or less-) grammatical phenomena into the grammar of a language — has enjoyed broad acceptance over the past 30 years as a new paradigm for describing and accounting for linguistic change.  Despite its appeal, my contention is that there are some issues with ‘grammaticalization’ as it is conventionally described and discussed in the literature.  My goal here is to explore what some of those problems are and to focus on what grammaticalization has to offer as a methodology for studying language change.  Drawing on case studies from the history of English and the history of Greek, I reach a characterization of how much of grammatical change can legitimately be called “grammaticalization” and how much is something else. In this way, I work to achieve a sense of what grammaticalization is and what it is not.

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