Political Judgment in Historical Perspective: The Epoch of the Great War as Case‐Study

1989 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 401-412
Author(s):  
Michael Biddiss
Keyword(s):  
50Th Anniversary ◽  
Great War ◽  
Historical Case Study ◽  
Political Judgment ◽  
75Th Anniversary ◽  
Historical Case ◽  
European Experience ◽  
The One ◽  
The Great War

THIS ARTICLE USES THE CONCEPT OF ‘UNDERCOMPREHENSION’ to review some of the principal features of the European experience during the years from c. 1910 to c. 1920. It does so in the belief that this is a decade during which the sort of frailties of judgment signalled by that term were singularly catastrophic in their effects; and it reminds us that the year in which we commemorate the 75th anniversary of the outbreak of the Great War is also the one in which we mark the 50th anniversary of the start of a second huge conflict whose causes are themselves rooted in the circumstances of the first. Reference to such an historical case-study can be particularly valuable insofar as the privilege of hindsight allows us not just to consider the nature of the challenges to political comprehension and action which manifested themselves at that epoch, but also to gauge (as we cannot yet do properly for our own age) the quality and outcome of the responses then elicited from statesmen, experts, or citizens.

Leading through ritual: Ceremony and emperorship in early modern China

Leadership ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 435-459 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gazi Islam ◽  
Macabe Keliher
Keyword(s):  
Early Modern ◽  
Analogical Reasoning ◽  
Modern China ◽  
Historical Case Study ◽  
Historical Case ◽  
Ritual Performance ◽  
The Qing Dynasty ◽  
Structural Aspects ◽  
Institutional Order

Ritual performance is well understood in organizational maintenance. Its role in leadership and processes of change, however, remains understudied. We argue that ritual addresses key challenges in institutionalizing leadership, particularly in fixing the relation between a charismatic leader and formal governance structures. Through a historical case study of the institutionalization of the emperor in Qing China (1636–1912), we argue that the shaping of collective understandings of the new emperor involved structural aspects of ritual that worked through analogical reasoning to internalize the figure of the leader through focusing attention, fixing memory, and emotionally investing members in the leader. We argue that data from the Qing dynasty Board of Rites show that ritual was explicitly designed to model the new institutional order, which Qing state-makers used to establish collective adherence to the emperorship. We further discuss the implications of this case for understanding the symbolic and performative nature of leadership as an institutional process.

From Souqs to Emporiums: The Urban Transformation of Abu Dhabi

2013 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 58-69
Author(s):  
Yasser Elsheshtawy
Keyword(s):  
Urban Growth ◽  
World Trade Center ◽  
Historical Analysis ◽  
Primary Sources ◽  
Historical Case Study ◽  
Urban Centers ◽  
Historical Case ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Trade Center

This paper in its first part aims at contextualizing Abu Dhabi's urban development and understanding the factors that have governed its urban growth through a historical case study approach. Relying on archival records and primary sources five stages of urban growth are identified. Data mining of media archives allows for a first hand account of developments taking place thus grounding the depictions. The second part contextualizes this review through a case study of the Central Market project — also known as Abu Dhabi's World Trade Center. The paper concludes by elaborating on the significance of such a historical analysis as it shifts the discourse away from a focus on the ‘artificiality’ of cities in the Gulf to one that is based on a recognition about the historicity of its urban centers, however recent it may be. Additionally the pertinence of such an analysis for cities worldwide is discussed as well.

scholarly journals Another elderly lady to be knocked down: Heritage discourse and the protest to save the Missions to Seamen building, 1986

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Alexander Gordon
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
City Council ◽  
Historical Case Study ◽  
Historical Case ◽  
Considerable Difficulty ◽  
Documentary Sources ◽  
Aotearoa New Zealand ◽  
History Of ◽  
Heritage Discourse

<p>Through a specific historical case study, Another Elderly Lady to be Knocked Down applies discourse theory and the Authorised Heritage Discourse (AHD) to the context of urban built heritage in Aotearoa New Zealand. Previously, only limited work had been done in this area. By examining an underexplored event this dissertation fills two gaps in present literature: the history of the event itself and identification of the heritage discourses in the country at the time. Examination of these discourses in context also allows conclusions about the use of the AHD in similar studies to be critically examined.  In 1986 the Missions to Seamen building in Wellington, New Zealand, was threatened with demolition by its government owners. In a remarkable display of popular sentiment, individuals, organisations, the Wellington City Council (WCC) and the New Zealand Historic Places Trust (NZHPT) worked together to oppose this unpopular decision. This protest was a seminal event in the history of heritage in New Zealand.  This study relies upon documentary sources, especially the archival records of the Historic Places Trust and the State Services Commission, who owned the building, to provide the history of this watershed moment in New Zealand’s preservation movement. The prevalent attitudes of different groups in Wellington are examined through the letters of protest they wrote at the time. When analysed in context, these discourses reveal the ways in which heritage was articulated and constructed.  The course of this dissertation has revealed the difficulty of identifying an AHD in this context. The level of collaboration between ‘official’ and ‘unofficial’ heritage perspectives, and the extent to which they shaped each other’s language, creates considerable difficulty in distinguishing between discreet discourses. To better explore the ways that heritage meaning is constructed and articulated, heritage must be recognised as a complex dynamic process.</p>

scholarly journals “Some Reckoning of Gains Is Made”: Theories of Assessment in Alberta’s Child-Centred Curricula, 1936–1950

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Rempel ◽  
Amy Von Heyking
Keyword(s):  
Department Of Education ◽  
Grading Practices ◽  
Assessment Practices ◽  
Historical Case Study ◽  
Historical Case ◽  
Curriculum And Pedagogy ◽  
Etude De Cas ◽  
Étude De Cas

Historians have suggested that Alberta’s child-centred curriculum known as the “Enterprise curriculum,” which was introduced in 1936, was not fully implemented because teachers struggled with assessment of students’ learning. This historical case study reveals that the program included a theory of assessment consisting of four major principles, consistent with a child-centred vision of curriculum and pedagogy. Moreover, it directed teachers towards resources and strategies that might have assisted them in shifting their assessment practices. In 1943, the Department of Education began to compromise this vision, resulting in revisions to the program that defined a role for traditional testing and grading practices within a pedagogically progressive paradigm. RésuméLes historiens ont postulé que le programme d’étude albertain centré sur l’enfant introduit en 1936 et connu sous le nom de « Enterprise curriculum » n’a pas été entièrement mis en œuvre parce que les enseignants ont eu du mal à évaluer l’apprentissage des élèves. La présente étude de cas révèle que le programme comprenait une théorie d’évaluation reposant sur quatre grands principes en accord avec une pédagogie et une approche centrée sur l’enfant. De plus, cette théorie a orienté les enseignants vers des ressources et des stratégies susceptibles de les aider à changer leurs pratiques d’évaluation. En 1943, le département de l’Éducation a toutefois commencé à compromettre cette approche, ce qui a ouvert la porte à des pratiques traditionnelles d’évaluation et de classement dans un paradigme pédagogique progressif.

scholarly journals Mapping the networks of ownership and distribution of rare books in Special Collections at the University of Auckland General Library

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Jo Birks
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Historical Case Study ◽  
Historical Case ◽  
Special Collections ◽  
Provenance Research ◽  
Rare Books ◽  
Book Collectors ◽  
The University ◽  
Purposive Sample

<p>The extent and research potential of provenance evidence in rare books in Special Collections at the University of Auckland General Library is largely uncharted territory. This project helps fill that gap by examining the provenance evidence, such as inscriptions, bookplates and stamps, in some of those rare books to identify any networks or patterns in their ownership history and distribution. A purposive sample of 291 pre-1851 volumes on New Zealand and Pacific-related travel and exploration was examined for provenance evidence within a qualitative framework and an historical case study design. Taking a subset of those books, which were bequeathed to the Library by Alfred Kidd (1851-1917), the project then examined other works from his bequest to further explore the scope of provenance evidence.  The project demonstrated the value of treating books as artefacts, exposing a wealth of provenance evidence and providing snapshots of the ownership and distribution histories of some volumes. Overall, 71 percent of the sample contained evidence for identifiable agents: 88 former owners, 14 booksellers, one auction house and nine book binders. The project also discussed lesser-known New Zealand book collectors who merit further study, including Alfred Kidd, Sir George Fowlds, Arthur Chappell and Allan North. Further provenance research into this collection and the provenance-related cataloguing practices in New Zealand libraries would generate additional useful insights.</p>

scholarly journals THE SLOVAK QUESTION DURING THE GREAT WAR (A CASE STUDY OF L. ŠTUR SLOVAK-RUSSIAN SOCIETY)

Rusin ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 67-90
Author(s):  
M.V. Vedernikov ◽  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Political Elite ◽  
Active Part ◽  
Great War ◽  
Russian Society ◽  
Habsburg Empire ◽  
Separatist Movements ◽  
The Great War

With the outbreak of WWI (1914–1918), the participating countries began to promote separatist movements on their own territory, which aimed to destroy the foundations of hostile multinational empires. Of particular interest to the Russian authorities were the compatriots of the Slavic peoples of Austria-Hungary, who loudly declared their desire to destroy the Habsburg Empire. One of the most active diasporas was the Czechs, who managed to meet with Nicholas II twice in the first month of the war and achieve the formation of the Czech squad. However, the Czech question, initially incorporating the Slovak one due to the ethnic and linguistic proximity, exposed significant contradictions. An active part of the Slovak political elite living in Russia opposed the formation of a single Czech-Slovak state, because they were close to the idea of Slovakia’s accession to Russia. To popularize these ideas, a Slovak-Russian society named after L. Štur was established in Moscow. It received support from the outstanding Russians as well as the largest Slovak diasporas in the United States. The assistance of such important actors forced the Czechs to look for ways to resolve the conflict with the Slovaks, which undoubtedly led to the mainstreaming of the Slovak question. However, the cessions of 1915–1916 failed to resolve the conflict. Drawing on new archival sources and current historiography, the author concludes that the presence of multiple conflicts contributed to the formation of the Czech-Slovak national idea, which was free from asymmetry, and made Slovaks equal partners.

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