Footprints of "Experiment" in Early Arabic Optics

2009 ◽  
Vol 14 (1-3) ◽  
pp. 79-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elaheh Kheirandish
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Science ◽  
Historical Sources ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Point Of Departure

AbstractThis study traces the early developments of the concept of experiment with a view of extending the subject in both content and approach. It extends the content of the subject slightly backward, prior to the methodological breakthroughs of the Optics of Ibn al-Haytham (Alhazen or Alhacen, d. ca. 1040), which are credited as a "significant landmark in the history of experimental science." And it extends the approach to the subject slightly forward, from the premise that early science was "largely carried out in books," to a close examination of the books through which the footprints of 'experiment' may be traced. The point of departure is the Optics of Ahmad ibn 'Ī;sā, a revealing text for the early developments of concepts such as 'demonstration' and 'experiment', and one through which some modern discussions are examined and extended with reference to this and other historical sources.

Light and Sensitivity: Love in the Time of the Daguerreotype

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Czeczot
Keyword(s):  
Male Gaze ◽  
History Of Photography ◽  
Sensitive Material ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
Point Of Departure ◽  
Passive Object

The article deals with the love of Zygmunt Krasiński to Delfina Potocka. The point of departure is the poet's definition of love as looking and reads Krasiński's relationship with his beloved in the context of two phenomena that fascinated him at the time: daguerreotype and magnetism. The invention of the daguerreotype in which the history of photography and spiritism comes together becomes a pretext for the formulation of a new concept of love and the loving subject. In the era of painting the woman was treated as a passive object of the male gaze; photography reverses this scheme of power. Love ceases to be a static relationship of the subject in love and the passive object – the beloved. The philosophy of developing photographs (and invoking phantoms) allows Krasiński - the writing subject to become like a light-sensitive material that reveals the image of the beloved.

Schweigger’s (1812) chelonian types from the extinct eighteenth century Portuguese “Royal cabinet of natural history of Ajuda”: some contributions for their identification and nomenclatural implications

Zootaxa ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 3395 (1) ◽  
pp. 18 ◽  
Author(s):  
LUIS M. P. CERÍACO ◽  
ROGER BOUR
Keyword(s):  
Eighteenth Century ◽  
Natural History ◽  
Zoological Nomenclature ◽  
Historical Sources ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Intense Debate

The work Prodromus Monographiae Cheloniorum, published by Schweigger in 1812, has recently been the subject ofseveral studies. One result of these studies—the rediscovery of the Testudo gigantea Schweigger, 1812holotype—triggered an intense debate in The Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature, where, among other issues in dispute,the identity and nature of the specimen indicated as the holotype for the species is put in question. Using historical sources,mostly unpublished, and analysis and comparison of taxidermic characteristics of the specimen with other specimens ofthe same nature, we can clearly trace its origin to the extinct Royal Cabinet of Natural History of Ajuda in Lisbon, fromthe “philosophical journey” of Alexandre Rodrigues Ferreira to the specimens transported to Paris by Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire in 1808, thus helping dispel any doubts regarding the identity and nature of what is being identified as the Testudogigantea holotype, along with other chelonian specimens. This information is of great importance in the current taxonomicdebate as well as in recognizing the historic importance of the Royal Cabinet of Natural History of Ajuda and Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire’s 1808 mission to Lisbon.

Body and law in late Anglo-Saxon England

1998 ◽  
Vol 27 ◽  
pp. 209-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine O'Brien O'Keeffe
Keyword(s):  
The Body ◽  
Anglo Saxon ◽  
Manuscript Production ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Law ◽  
The Individual ◽  
And Control ◽  
Point Of Departure

This article explores some textual dimensions of what I argue is a crucial moment in the history of the Anglo-Saxon subject. For purposes of temporal triangulation, I would locate this moment between roughly 970 and 1035, though these dates function merely as crude, if potent, signposts: the years 970×973 mark the adoption of the Regularis concordia, the ecclesiastical agreement on the practice of a reformed (and markedly continental) monasticism, and 1035 marks the death of Cnut, the Danish king of England, whose laws encode a change in the understanding of the individual before the law. These dates bracket a rich and chaotic time in England: the apex of the project of reform, a flourishing monastic culture, efflorescence of both Latin and vernacular literatures, remarkable manuscript production, but also the renewal of the Viking wars that seemed at times to be signs of the apocalypse and that ultimately would put a Dane on the throne of England. These dates point to two powerful and continuing sets of interests in late Anglo-Saxon England, ecclesiastical and secular, monastic and royal, whose relationships were never simple. This exploration of the subject in Anglo-Saxon England as it is illuminated by the law draws on texts associated with each of these interests and argues their interconnection. Its point of departure will be the body – the way it is configured, regarded, regulated and read in late Anglo-Saxon England. It focuses in particular on the use to which the body is put in juridical discourse: both the increasing role of the body in schemes of inquiry and of punishment and the ways in which the body comes to be used to know and control the subject.

Big Business in African Studies

1987 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 119-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. G. Hopkins
Keyword(s):  
Social Consequences ◽  
The Past ◽  
Official Policy ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Point Of Departure ◽  
Quality Of Research ◽  
Source Materials

This article surveys research into the business history of Africa completed during the past decade, taking as a point of departure the author's previous essays, ‘Imperial business in Africa’, in this Journal (XVII, (1976), 29–48 and 291–305), and using as a point of reference the published proceedings of two conferences held in Paris and London in 1981 and 1983. It is apparent that knowledge of indigenous and expatriate business in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries has expanded considerably during the past ten years, and also that the studies produced by specialists on Africa have particular strengths: they remain integrated with other branches of history; they have illuminated the relationship between business enterprise and official policy; and they have been concerned to explore the wider social consequences of business activities and to relate historical research to current development issues. The literature reveals some characteristic weaknesses too, quite apart from limitations of source materials: the market for knowledge remains imperfect, and specialists often fail to incorporate work which is available; and their analysis is frequently limited by a reluctance to make use of theories of the firm and of accounting techniques. An explanation of these characteristics is offered, and it is concluded that once the present deficiencies have been recognized they can be overcome, and that the quality of research will improve still further as the subject continues to grow during the next decade.

scholarly journals Novyi Mishor – first country-style resort on the South Coast of Crimea (1898-1920): reconstruction of sociocultural history

2020 ◽  
pp. 103-127
Author(s):  
Andrey Vasil'evich Karagodin ◽  
Mariya Mikhailovna Petrova
Keyword(s):  
The Body ◽  
South Coast ◽  
Russian Society ◽  
The South ◽  
Historical Sources ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Subject ◽  
First Time

The subject of this research is the history of the first of country-style resort appeared on the South Coast of Crimea at the turn of the XIX – XX centuries on the lands of country estates of New Mishor belonged to Shuvalov-Dolgorukov family. The phenomenon of country-style construction on the South Coast of Crimes, which starting point was the foundation of the Novyi Mishor, is viewed in the context of the processes of economic and sociocultural modernization of Russian society, formation of self-identification mechanisms of the emerging “middle class”, and new urban culture. Special attention is given to the period from 1917 to 1920, when the cultural figures left the capital and resided in the villages of Novyi Mishor. Based on examination the body of historical sources, many of which introduced to the scientific discourse for the first time, the author formed the database of villages and countryside residents of Novyi Mishor. A vast array of archival funds, reference literature, sources of personal provenance (memoirs, correspondence), and visual sources was attracted in the course of research. The novelty of consists in establishment of identities and social status of the residents of country resort of Novyi Mishor, determination of a range of sources for its further research, reconstruction of chronology of the development of this resort, details of everyday life and mentality traits of the residents, among which were the prominent figures of culture and art of Russia of that time – writers, actors, painters, scholars, and philanthropists.

scholarly journals Z Mościsk do Jugowa - relacje Józefy Wójcik i Marii Kocur repatriantek z Kresów Wschodnich

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 205-249
Author(s):  
Arkadiusz S. Więch
Keyword(s):  
World War Ii ◽  
Everyday Life ◽  
Oral History ◽  
Research Topic ◽  
World War ◽  
Historical Sources ◽  
Life Issues ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Lower Silesia

From Mościska to Jugów. Testimonies of Józefa Wójcik and Maria Kocur, repatriates from the Eastern Polish BorderlandsThe history of the inhabitants of the former Polish Eastern Borderlands is an interesting research topic, especially when connected to everyday life issues. Oral testimonies are important historical sources which help explore the subject better. This paper presents transcriptions of two conversations with sisters Józefa Wójcik (born in 1930) and Maria Kocór  (born in 1928). Both of them were born and spent their prime years around Mościska near Lviv, and after World War II were re-settled to Jugów in Lower Silesia. The interviews were conducted in 2014 as part of a research project in the field of oral history entitled “Everyday life of inhabitants of the Owl Mountains in 1945-1970”.

scholarly journals The history of the world's first icebreaker “Yermak” and the significance of its first expeditions to explore the Arctic

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 329-350
Author(s):  
Halyna Davydovska ◽  
Oleksiy Petruchenko ◽  
Volodymyr Yanin
Keyword(s):  
The Arctic ◽  
Professional Activity ◽  
Way Of Life ◽  
Historical Sources ◽  
Systematic Analysis ◽  
Current State ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Further Development

In this article, the authors tried to consider and structure the stages of development and creation of the “Yermak”, the world's first Arctic icebreaker, and analyzed the stages of preparation and the results of its first expeditions to explore the Arctic. Systematic analysis of historical sources and biographical material allowed to separate and comprehensively consider the conditions and prehistory for the development and creation of “Yermak” icebreaker. Also, the authors gave an assessment to the role of Vice Admiral Stepan Osypovych Makarov in those events, and analyzed the role of Sergei Yulyevich Witte, Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev and Pyotr Petrovich Semenov-Tian-Shansky in the preparation and implementation of the first Arctic expeditions of the “Yermak”icebreaker. In addition, the authors considered and analyzed the assessment of Vice Admiral Stepan Osypovych Makarov and his personal contribution to the results of the first Arctic expeditions of the “Yermak”icebreaker made by Baron Ferdinand von Wrangel. The first polar expeditions showed that the idea of Vice Admiral Stepan Osypovych Makarov about the icebreaker fleet was viable and required further development. It is shown that the results of the first Arctic expeditions made by “Yermak” allowed to significantly develop knowledge in various scientific fields of Arctic and Earth research, namely, topography, astronomy, meteorology, hydrology, geology, magnetism, zoology, and botany. The use of these methods and approaches to scientific research allowed to retrace the way of life and professional activity of Vice Admiral Stepan Osypovych Makarov’s systematically and critically evaluate the sources used, highlight the main points in the current state of studying the subject and the results of predecessors, specify the most promising directions of research, give a description of the previous works on this issue and clearly distinguish issues that have not yet been resolved.

Steamers, Freighting Contracts and Dock-Harbours Reflections on the History of the Java Sea, 1830–1930

Itinerario ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerrit Knaap
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
Steam Power ◽  
Colonial State ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Netherlands Indies ◽  
History Of ◽  
Java Sea ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Fruitful Research ◽  
Point Of Departure

The project about the maritime history of the Java Sea, in which various scholars from Indonesia and the Netherlands have been participating since about 1996, bears the title ‘The Java Sea Region in an Age of Transition, 1870–1970’. From the beginning of the project there has been discussion about the time-span to be covered by the project, especially about the terminal year. Some people feared that the availability of sources would limit the prospects of fruitful research. On the basis of this, it was even proposed to stop at 1945, the date of Indonesia's independence. However, in the end most of the scholars involved agreed that it would be worthwhile to continue to roughly 1970, because then it would be possible to include the first years of the Orde Baru regime and pinpoint its effects on the rehabilitation of ports. Moreover, 1970 was also convenient for the simple reason that it was one hundred years after the year, taken as the starting point, namely 1870. The year 1870 as a point of departure was never the subject of any discussion. Because of the liberalization of the economy, namely the general shift from exploitation by the colonial state to exploitation by private enterprise and the alleged beginning of the so-called Age of Modern Imperialism, which tied the corners of the Archipelago closer together, it was simply accepted. Within the confines of the maritime sector, 1870 was assumed to symbolize the change from wind energy to steam power and a beginning of the improvement of ports. Confidently, the opening up of the Suez Canal in 1869 heralded an intensification of contacts between the Netherlands and the Netherlands Indies.

scholarly journals E. E. ZAMYSLOVSKY AND ST. PETERSBURG’S HISTORICAL SCHOOL

2016 ◽  
pp. 40-45
Author(s):  
E. F. Zdanovich
Keyword(s):  
Historical Source ◽  
Historical Sources ◽  
Research Directions ◽  
Main Research ◽  
Historical School ◽  
Research And Teaching ◽  
Profound Knowledge ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Xviith Century

The article analyzes the creative biography of E. E. Zamyslovsky, his main research directions (the history of Russia of the XVIIth century and historical geography) are defined. The article features interesting and insufficiently explored directions of his scientific research and teaching. The article introduces us to E. E. Zamyslovsky’s methods and techniques of work with a historical source. In particular, the emphasis is put on profound knowledge of the historical sources on the subject of the research a historian should possess. Special attention is given to identifying of E. E. Zamyslovsky’s place in the range of the largest Russian historians, the representatives of St. Petersburg’s historical school.

The nature and history of Egyptology

2015 ◽  
pp. 31-47
Author(s):  
Andrew Bednarski
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Classical Antiquity ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Point Of Departure ◽  
Area Of Study

The history of Egyptology is rapidly ascending to an area of study in its own right. Such enquiry is sorely needed, as what it means to ‘do’ Egyptology remains poorly defined, despite the continued abundance and popularity of Egyptological work. This chapter is intended as a starting point for readers interested in the history of the discipline. It begins with a brief discussion on the poorly defined nature of Egyptology and typical obstacles encountered by authors. It presents an overview of Egyptological phenomena from Classical antiquity to the twentieth century, intended as a point of departure for scholars new to the subject, and examines past and current investigations into the history of the discipline.

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