Beyond Bias: Critical Analysis and Layered Reading of Mao-Era Sources

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 759-782
Author(s):  
Sigrid Schmalzer

Abstract Scholars of Mao-era history adopt a wide range of approaches to the selection and treatment of source material. Some scholars regard published sources as propaganda, and therefore as biased and unreliable. For many, archival sources are the gold standard; others question the reliability even of the archive and favor materials that escaped the filtering fingers of the state to be found in flea markets or garbage piles. Avoiding the false choice of either accepting sources as received wisdom or dismissing them as biased, the author argues that how scholars read their sources is more important than which they keep and which they throw away. She advocates for a layered approach that accounts for contexts of production and circulation, and further emphasizes the need to make this process of reading sources visible in our writing. A critical, layered reading of three unlikely sources demonstrates the myriad possibilities for analysis that combines the empirical, the discursive, and the self-reflexive.

2018 ◽  
pp. 326-335
Author(s):  
Vyacheslav Y. Baybikov

Introduction. In 1842 Russian Finance Ministry was leaded by S. Y. Vitte. On his initiative serious economic reforms were carried out: the implementation of monetary reform, the construction of Siberian railway line and the adoption of the new statutes of the State Bank. However, the fiscal and monetary policy of S. Y. Vitte had its supporters as well as its opponents. Among those who were against the measures taken by S. Y. Vitte a well known (in those days) economist and publicist S. F. Sharapov, who especially defended the rights of the peasantry and argued that the development of Russian economy was different from the way of Eastern Europe. Materias and Methods. Despite many publications on this topic there has not been yet full research on the reorganizations undertaken by S. Y. Vitte and the alternative models put forward by his opponents and which specific direction of the fiscal and monetary policy were criticized. The aim of the given article is the analysis of the major reforms made by S. Y. Vitte, the critique on the part of his adversaries and familiarizing with the alternative suggestions. One can best understand it on the economic activity of S. F. Sharapov, who was the main opponent of most of the reorganizations. Results and Discussion. Among the main directions of the policy carried out by Finance Ministry in 1892–1903 one can single out the following: the preparation and implementation of monetary reform, which became the cornerstone of Vitte economic policy and the construction of railroads. Monetary reform was conducted gradually during 1895–1897. At the moment of its preparation S. F. Sharapov severely criticized the fiscal policy carried out by S. Y. Vitte. Unlike the supporters of the metal money circulation, he considered that the basis of the monetary system of Russia must be a paper rouble, which was pegged neither to gold nor to silver. S. F. Sharapov also came out against the wide range of the construction of railroads. In spite of the popularity of his ideas in the Russian society S. F. Sharapov did not get the support of the representatives of the main socio-political tendencies. There turned out to be more supporters of monetary reform and economic reorganizations. Conclusion. As for the monetary reform – the most important event in the activity of S. Y. Vitte – there is still a difference of opinion who was right: the supporters of introducing gold standard in Russia or its opponents “the nominalists” remains an open question. In 1898 summing up the results of the economic reform S. Y. Vitte ascertained that “money supply in Russia has been put to order and has been performing as soundly as in those states, where this branch of economy has long been in perfect order”. Subsequent events confirmed that “the nominalists” might have been right. Nowadays world monetary systems do not foresee the exchange of monetary units for gold and currencies are not pegged at the exchange rate of gold. The era of gold standard has come to an end and at present exchange rates and the stability of a monetary unit of this or that country depend on the state of the economy of this country. As far as railroad construction is concerned it should justly be noted, that a great deal of railroads as well as the construction of factories and plants in the whole world has caused damage to the environment as was foretold by S. F. Sharapov. Yet, when the territory of Russia was covered by rail network it resulted in a transfer of economic and cultural centres – cities through which railroads were laid began to develop rapidly and the cities without railroad connection started falling into decay. Thus Russia changed greatly.


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 13-21
Author(s):  
Todd Backes ◽  
Charlene Takacs

There are a wide range of options for individuals to choose from in order to engage in aerobic exercise; from outdoor running to computer controlled and self-propelled treadmills. Recently, self-propelled treadmills have increased in popularity and provide an alternative to a motorized treadmill. Twenty subjects (10 men, 10 women) ranging in age from 19-23 with a mean of 20.4 ± 0.8 SD were participants in this study. The subjects visited the laboratory on three occasions. The purpose of the first visit was to familiarize the subject with the self-propelled treadmill (Woodway Curve 3.0). The second visit, subjects were instructed to run on the self-propelled treadmill for 3km at a self-determined pace. Speed data were collected directly from the self-propelled treadmill. The third visit used speed data collected during the self-propelled treadmill run to create an identically paced 3km run for the subjects to perform on a motorized treadmill (COSMED T150). During both the second and third visit, oxygen consumption (VO2) and respiratory exchange ratio (R) data were collected with COSMED’s Quark cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) metabolic mixing chamber system. The VO2 mean value for the self-propelled treadmill (44.90 ± 1.65 SE ml/kg/min) was significantly greater than the motorized treadmill (34.38 ± 1.39 SE ml/kg/min). The mean R value for the self-propelled treadmill (0.91 ± 0.01 SE) was significantly greater than the motorized treadmill (0.86 ± 0.01 SE). Our study demonstrated that a 3km run on a self-propelled treadmill does elicit a greater physiological response than a 3km run at on a standard motorized treadmill. Self-propelled treadmills provide a mode of exercise that offers increased training loads and should be considered as an alternative to motorized treadmills.


Author(s):  
S.S. Hasanova ◽  
R.R. Hatueva ◽  
A.L. Arsaev

This article discusses the pros and cons of applying professional income tax. Professional income tax is not mandatory, but an alternative way to pay 2 taxes on self-employment or part-time work. The introduction of this tax can mediate an increase in revenues to the state budget, which is of particular importance for the country in post-crisis conditions.


Author(s):  
Anatoliy Ivanovich Bogdanenko

In the monograph the theoretical identification of concepts and categorical series of state regulation of investment-innovation processes are investigated; the directions of optimization of the state policy of innovation and investment development management in Ukraine are determined; the organizational and legal principles of the state regulation of development of intellectual potential of the population are substantiated; the areas of development and improvement of the national innovation system as an object of state policy are highlighted and assessed. The monograph will be interesting for scholars, lecturers, doctoral and graduate students, and will also be useful to practical politicians, journalists and media workers and a wide range of readers interested in investment and innovation activities.


2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (10(79)) ◽  
pp. 12-18
Author(s):  
G. Bubyreva

The existing legislation determines the education as "an integral and focused process of teaching and upbringing, which represents a socially important value and shall be implemented so as to meet the interests of the individual, the family, the society and the state". However, even in this part, the meaning of the notion ‘socially significant benefit is not specified and allows for a wide range of interpretation [2]. Yet the more inconcrete is the answer to the question – "who and how should determine the interests of the individual, the family and even the state?" The national doctrine of education in the Russian Federation, which determined the goals of teaching and upbringing, the ways to attain them by means of the state policy regulating the field of education, the target achievements of the development of the educational system for the period up to 2025, approved by the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of October 4, 2000 #751, was abrogated by the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of March 29, 2014 #245 [7]. The new doctrine has not been developed so far. The RAE Academician A.B. Khutorsky believes that the absence of the national doctrine of education presents a threat to national security and a violation of the right of citizens to quality education. Accordingly, the teacher has to solve the problem of achieving the harmony of interests of the individual, the family, the society and the government on their own, which, however, judging by the officially published results, is the task that exceeds the abilities of the participants of the educational process.  The particular concern about the results of the patriotic upbringing served as a basis for the legislative initiative of the RF President V. V. Putin, who introduced the project of an amendment to the Law of RF "About Education of the Russian Federation" to the State Duma in 2020, regarding the quality of patriotic upbringing [3]. Patriotism, considered by the President of RF V. V. Putin as the only possible idea to unite the nation is "THE FEELING OF LOVE OF THE MOTHERLAND" and the readiness for every sacrifice and heroic deed for the sake of the interests of your Motherland. However, the practicing educators experience shortfalls in efficient methodologies of patriotic upbringing, which should let them bring up citizens, loving their Motherland more than themselves. The article is dedicated to solution to this problem based on the Value-sense paradigm of upbringing educational dynasty of the Kurbatovs [15].


2020 ◽  
pp. 63-72
Author(s):  
Yu. Olefir ◽  
E. Sakanyan ◽  
I. Osipova ◽  
V. Dobrynin ◽  
M. Smirnova ◽  
...  

The entry of a wide range of biotechnological products into the pharmaceutical market calls for rein-forcement of the quality, efficacy and safety standards at the state level. The following general monographs have been elaborated for the first time to be included into the State Pharmacopoeia of the Russian Federation, XIV edition: "Viral safety" and "Reduction of the risk of transmitting animal spongiform encephalopathy via medicinal products". These general monographs were elaborated taking into account the requirements of foreign pharmacopoeias and the WHO recommendations. The present paper summarises the key aspects of the monographs.


Author(s):  
Sergey S. Pashin ◽  
Natalia S. Vasikhovskaya

The article is devoted to the study of the movement for communist labour at the Tyumen Shipbuilding Plant during the period of the seven-year plan (1959-1965). The authors seek to fill a historical narrative with the particular facts connected with the peculiarities and specifics of such phenomenon as the movement for communist labour. They consider it in the context of microhistory and as the most important element of production routine. The employees of the largest industrial enterprise of Soviet Tyumen — Shipbuilding Plant in concrete historical circumstances came under the spotlight of the authors. The submitted article is written with attraction of a wide range of archival documents, taken from the funds of the State Archive of the Tyumen Region and also funds of the State Archive of Socio-Political History of the Tyumen Region. Having studied the documents the authors come to conclusion that the movement for communist labour had little effect on the production progress of the plant employees.


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