scholarly journals Taking Divination Seriously: From Mumbo Jumbo to Worldviews and Ways of Life

Religions ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 394
Author(s):  
Sónia Silva
Keyword(s):  
Travel Literature ◽  
Central Place ◽  
Religious Studies ◽  
Modern Times ◽  
Mumbo Jumbo ◽  
History Of ◽  
Early Modern Times ◽  
Ways Of Life

The peripheral role of divination in religious studies reflects centuries of misrepresentation and depreciation in the textual record. This long history dates back to the travel literature of early modern times, particularly in West Africa, where two stereotypical themes took form: divination as mumbo jumbo, and the diviners as charlatans who shamelessly deceive their credulous clients. These two stereotypical themes persisted through the anthropological discourse about African divination until the 1970s. To undo this long history of misrepresentation and depreciation, a change of analytical focus from reified differences to similar engagement with broad ideas and big questions is in order. By considering a particular case study—basket divination in northwest Zambia—through the theoretical lens of worldviews and ways of life, it becomes possible to take divination seriously and grant it a more central place in religious studies. Four broad, inclusive ideas or big questions emerge from the ethnography of basket divination in northwest Zambia: ontology, epistemology, praxeology, and the place of suffering in human existence.

scholarly journals From education to welfare – A historical-exploratory approach for examining the role of madrassas

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
zahid Mumtaz
Keyword(s):  
Golden Age ◽  
Modern Times ◽  
Policy Problem ◽  
International Agencies ◽  
Current State ◽  
Exploratory Approach ◽  
Repeated Calls ◽  
History Of

Abstract Much is written on the history of madrassas and their contributions to scholarship. In addition, several scholars have done considerable research to identify the causes of madrassas' growth, determine the linkage of madrassa education with breeding extremist ideologies and suggested possible areas for reforms. This particular aspect has been the topic of scholarly debates and a policy problem faced by many governments and international agencies, i.e., how madrassas can be reformed. However, not much literature could be located that draws parallels and dissimilarities between the madrassas of the golden age and the current era. This is important because any reform or policy is unlikely to succeed without considering a problem's historical and contextual factors. Hence this study adopts a historical-exploratory approach to identify the similarities and differences between the madrassas of the golden age of Islam and present times and explore the causes of such differences by utlising the case study of madrassas in Pakistan. Addressing these issues will make the following contributions: First, identifying the similarities and dissimilarities between the madrassas of the golden age and modern times requires a detailed exploration of madrassas' current state and their role, of which little is known. Second, identifying the factors responsible for the differences in madrassas' role from the golden age to modern times will help understand the implications of such differences on madrassas and society. Lastly, such implications will answer the repeated calls in the literature of formulating policies for reforming the madrassas that have been a significant policy problem faced by many countries.

scholarly journals A Missing Link in European Travel Literature: Burchard of Mount Sion's Description of Egypt

2018 ◽  
pp. 55
Author(s):  
Jonathan RUBIN
Keyword(s):  
Early Modern ◽  
Travel Literature ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Detailed Account ◽  
Final Part ◽  
Missing Link ◽  
Modern Times ◽  
History Of ◽  
Early Modern Times

This article offers a first study and edition of Burchard of Mount Sion’s ‘Egyptian section’. This text—hitherto almost completely neglected by scholars—provides a detailed account of Egypt, and is preserved in its entirety in two manuscripts, following Burchard’s Descriptio Terrae Sanctae. The present work provides an analysis of the contents and characteristics of this text, of the cultural context in which it was composed, and of its reception in medieval and early modern times. Appendix 1 includes a provisional edition of Burchard’s account of Egypt. Appendix 2 offers an edition of the final part of a shortened version of this text which is significant from the point of view of the history of its reception.

Ruinenlandschaften und Landschaftsruinen in der gelehrten Literatur der frühen Neuzeit

2017 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Korenjak
Keyword(s):  
Early Modern ◽  
Visual Arts ◽  
Travel Literature ◽  
Historical Consciousness ◽  
Latin Literature ◽  
Modern Times ◽  
History Of ◽  
Early Modern Times ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractThe “discovery” of the landscape and the growing interest in ruins in early modern times have been the objects of intense research over the last decades. The interaction between these two developments, by contrast, has only rarely been studied, and if so, mainly with regard to the visual arts. Within the literary tradition, only the travel literature of the 18th and 19th centuries has received any attention. How the relationship of landscape and ruins was conceived in the learned, mostly Latin literature of earlier centuries has never been examined in any detail. The present article tries to make good on this deficit. In the first section, it is shown how, from the Renaissance onwards, ruins came to be seen as an integral part of certain landscapes. This development was complemented by a perception of landscapes as ruins from the 17th century onwards, the theme of section two. By way of conclusion, the convergence of landscape appreciation and ruinophilia in early modern times is explained with recourse to the emergence of a new historical consciousness: the new interest in landscape, ruins, and their interplay was kindled by a growing awareness of the fact that these environmental features carried precious information about, and could even be seen as an embodiment of, the history of mankind and the earth.

The problem of periodization of the history of religion

1997 ◽  
pp. 3-8
Author(s):  
Borys Lobovyk
Keyword(s):  
Religious Studies ◽  
Human Being ◽  
Religious Development ◽  
History Of Religion ◽  
The Social ◽  
The World ◽  
History Of ◽  
Role Of Religion

An important problem of religious studies, the history of religion as a branch of knowledge is the periodization process of the development of religious phenomenon. It is precisely here, as in focus, that the question of the essence and meaning of the religious development of the human being of the world, the origin of beliefs and cult, the reasons for the changes in them, the place and role of religion in the social and spiritual process, etc., are converging.

Case Study: Rome's House of Memory and History: The Politics of Memory and Public Institutions

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Portelli
Keyword(s):  
Oral History ◽  
Cultural Policy ◽  
Public Institutions ◽  
Politics Of Memory ◽  
Political Events ◽  
History Of ◽  
Ambitious Program ◽  
The City

This article centers around the case study of Rome's House of Memory and History to understand the politics of memory and public institutions. This case study is about the organization and politics of public memory: the House of Memory and History, established by the city of Rome in 2006, in the framework of an ambitious program of cultural policy. It summarizes the history of the House's conception and founding, describes its activities and the role of oral history in them, and discusses some of the problems it faces. The idea of a House of Memory and History grew in this cultural and political context. This article traces several political events that led to the culmination of the politics of memory and its effect on public institutions. It says that the House of Memory and History can be considered a success. A discussion on a cultural future winds up this article.

scholarly journals Twin-To-Twin Transfusion Syndrome Donor and Recipient and Their Subsequent Cognitive Functioning in Late Childhood as Juvenile Athletes—A Case Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 2545
Author(s):  
Ilona Bidzan-Bluma
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Functioning ◽  
Motor Skills ◽  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
Late Childhood ◽  
Semantic Fluency ◽  
Motor Functioning ◽  
Gross Motor Skills ◽  
History Of

Objective: It is estimated that twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) occurs in 10–15% of monochorionic twin pregnancies. One of the fetuses takes on the role of donor and the other of recipient. The treatment administered involves serial amnioreduction and laser photocoagulation of the communicating blood vessels. After TTTS, children may have deficiencies in psychomotor functioning, in particular in cognitive functions, expressive language, and motor skills. Few scientific reports indicate that twins after TTTS do not demonstrate significant differences in tests which measure intellectual functioning. Methods: The cognitive functioning of twins in the late childhood period was compared using the following tools: an analysis of their medical history, an interview with their parents, and neuropsychological tests allowing the evaluation of their whole profile of cognitive functions. Case Study: Cognitive functioning in the late childhood period was analyzed in a pair of 11-year-old male twins (juvenile athletes), a donor and a recipient, who had developed TTTS syndrome in the prenatal period. Results: Comparison of the cognitive functioning profile of the donor and recipient revealed that children with a history of TTTS develop normally in terms of cognitive and motor functioning in late childhood. A comparative analysis of the donor and recipient was more favorable for the recipient, who had a higher level of general intelligence, visual–motor memory, and semantic fluency. Conclusions: The fact that both the donor and the recipient chose to pursue athletics suggests that gross motor skills are their strongest suit. Playing sports as a method of rehabilitation of cognitive function of children born prematurely after TTTS could contribute to the improvement of cognitive functioning.

Friends of Rose Canyon

2018 ◽  
Vol 95 (3) ◽  
pp. 2-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Wiese
Keyword(s):  
Open Space ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
First Century ◽  
Grassroots Politics ◽  
History Of ◽  
University City ◽  
Participant Observer ◽  
The Rose

Place-based activism has played a critical role in the history of urban and environmental politics in California. This article explores the continuing significance of environmental place making to grassroots politics through a case study of Friends of Rose Canyon, an environmental group in San Diego. Based in the fast-growing University City neighborhood, Friends of Rose Canyon waged a long, successful campaign between 2002 and 2018 to prevent construction of a bridge in the Rose Canyon Open Space Park in their community. Using historical and participant observer methodologies, this study reveals how twenty-first-century California urbanites claimed and created meaningful local places and mobilized effective politics around them. It illuminates the critical role of individual activists; suggests practical, replicable strategies for community mobilization; and demonstrates the significant impact of local activism at the urban and metropolitan scales.

The Role of War in Modern Inflation

1977 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Earl J. Hamilton
Keyword(s):  
World War Ii ◽  
Social Welfare ◽  
Early Modern ◽  
World War ◽  
Price Inflation ◽  
Modern Times ◽  
Paper Currency ◽  
Deficit Financing ◽  
Early Modern Times

Wars in early modern times, although frequent, generated little price inflation because of their limited demands on real resources. The invention of paper currency and the resort to deficit financing to pay for wars changed that situation. In recent centuries wars have been the principal causes of inflation, although since World War II programs of social welfare unmatched by offsetting taxation have also fueled inflationary flames.

The Justification of War and International Order

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
International Relations ◽  
Early Modern ◽  
International Law ◽  
Use Of Force ◽  
International Order ◽  
Frame Of Reference ◽  
Pertinent Literature ◽  
Modern Times ◽  
History Of ◽  
Early Modern Times

The history of war is also a history of its justification. The contributions to this book argue that the justification of war rarely happens as empty propaganda. While it is directed at mobilizing support and reducing resistance, it is not purely instrumental. Rather, the justification of force is part of an incessant struggle over what is to count as justifiable behaviour in a given historical constellation of power, interests, and norms. This way, the justification of specific wars interacts with international order as a normative frame of reference for dealing with conflict. The justification of war shapes this order and is being shaped by it. As the justification of specific wars entails a critique of war in general, the use of force in international relations has always been accompanied by political and scholarly discourses on its appropriateness. In much of the pertinent literature the dominating focus is on theoretical or conceptual debates as a mirror of how international normative orders evolve. In contrast, the focus of the present volume is on theory and political practice as sources for the re- and de-construction of the way in which the justification of war and international order interact. The book offers a unique collection of papers exploring the continuities and changes in war discourses as they respond to and shape normative orders from early modern times to the present. It comprises contributions from International Law, History and International Relations and from Western and non-Western perspectives.

Narrative Structure and Content of Vietnamese Stories Regarding Tutelary Deities of Villages (thần tích): Case Study of the Story of Yết Kiêu Spirit

2020 ◽  
pp. 51-69
Author(s):  
Elena V. Gordienko ◽  
Keyword(s):  
20Th Century ◽  
Complex Structure ◽  
Narrative Structure ◽  
Central Place ◽  
Historical Narrative ◽  
Early 20Th Century ◽  
European Research ◽  
History Of ◽  
Temple Community

This article analyzes the Story of a fisherman Yết Kiêu (歇驕) who is worshiped as a tutelary spirit in villages of Northern Vietnam. Yết Kiêu is a semi-mythical character and he is widely credited with supernatural abilities and merits in war against the Mongols (1288). I investigate the text that belongs to thần tích genre (神). It is a manuscript written in Vietnamese at Yết Kiêu’s birthplace, which is the central place of his worship (on the basis of previous texts of the 16th–19th centuries). The Story of Yết Kiêu has a complex structure reflecting the history of the development of this particular text and the whole genre as well. The story can be divided in four parts differing in form and content: the folk layer (the oldest part), the historical narrative (likely compiled by court historiographers in the 15th–17th centuries), the legend of Yết Kiêu’s Mongolian bride (emerged evidently in a temple community during later centuries) and the description of Yết Kiêu’s cult (which appeared under the influence of the European research methods in the early 20th century). The article contains a fragment of the story translated into Russian.

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