The Glory and the Sorrow

The book describes the life and the world of a small-time lawyer, Adrien-Joseph Colson, who lived in central Paris from the end of the Old Regime through the first eight years of the French Revolution. It is based on over a thousand letters written by Colson about twice a week to his best friend living in the French province of Berry. By means of this correspondence, and of a variety of other sources, the book examines what it was like for an “ordinary citizen” to live through extraordinary times, and how Colson, in his position as a “social and cultural intermediary,” can provide insight into the life of a whole neighborhood on the central Right Bank, both before and during the Revolution. It explores the day-to-day experience of the Revolution: not only the thrill, the joy, and the enthusiasm, but also the uncertainty, the confusion, the anxiety, the disappointments—often all mixed together. It also throws light on some of the questions long debated by historians concerning the origins, the radicalization, the growth of violence, and the end of that Revolution.

Legal linguistics challenges: legal language adaptation in the framework of the Russian Federation language policy

The article studies the problem of comprehensibility of the modern legal language of the Russian Federation from the point of view of an ordinary citizen. The authors define a concept of law from the linguistic level and summarize the existing theories concerning the problem of the legal language adaptation. Two legal and technical methods of addressing to federal executive bodies are discussed and compared. It is highlighted that imperfection of legal texts within a linguistic aspect is directly related to the uncertainty and vague designation of the federal executive and legislative bodies, the duality of definitions used and the excessive complexity of syntactic structures. Taking into account the experience of the Administrative Reform and the achieved results of the study, it is offered to work out a new direction of the Federal Language Policy for the development of legal culture, improve the law-making process and quality of laws. It is also proved that legal language should be adapted according needs and concerns of an ordinary citizen of the country in order to avoid legal illiteracy.

Who is Against Sino-African Relations? Evolving Perceptions on Chinese Engagement in Kenya

Rise of China and increased Chinese engagement across the globe, have attracted mixed and varied reactions of approval and disapproval in a number of host countries. Against this background, this study brings into perspective rise of anti-Chinese sentiments in Africa, with a Kenyan case study, examining who, why and where anti-Chinese sentiments are most prevalent. The study finds anti-Chinese sentiments being most prevalent among Kenya’s small scale traders who have been displaced by Chinese capital flow and trade in the country. The finding is contextualized within broader framework of globalization and its resultant effects on free movement of capital, trade and investment. More precisely, Chinese capital flow and trade have had distributional consequences of winners and losers with potential to displace Kenya’s small scale traders hence the rise of anti-Chinese sentiments. The anti-Chinese sentiments are equally evident among section of Kenya’s politicians and intelligentsia, who have questioned the viability of Chinese built infrastructure. Further, anti-Chinese sentiments have been found among ordinary citizens who have experienced, albeit isolated, incidences of Chinese misconducts in the country. Notwithstanding these negative reactions, Chinese engagement in Kenya is still pronounced and has popular support from government, general citizenry and among classes of Kenyan who have benefited from Chinese involvement in the country. The segmented nature of anti-Chinese sentiments has not been strong enough to undo general goodwill, attitude and perceptions, that ordinary citizen hold towards Chinese engagement in Kenya.

Narratives of dialogue in parliamentary discourse

This paper puts forward an argument about the relation between narratives and constructed dialogue in political discourse. Narratives of dialogue are special cases of constructed dialogue that emphasize the embeddedness of the speaker, displayed as a discourse participant engaging in a conversation with an ordinary citizen or a public figure. Close analysis of British, German, and French parliamentary debates reveals how narratives of dialogue shape an image of the speaker involved in a dialogue. While being engaged in the activity of debating, parliamentarians simultaneously perform the act of debating. I argue that the main point of narratives of dialogue is not so much to report on a prior or hypothetical situation, but to create the ethos of a Member of Parliament receptive to their interlocutors.

FREEDOM OF SPEECH IN FOOTBALL STADIUMS. ARE FOOTBALL SUPPORTERS ALLOWED TO DO MORE OR LESS THAN AN ORDINARY CITIZEN?

Football fans support their teams and prepare tifo. They present their points of view in football stadiums. They refer to the history, politics, their opponents and current activities of the club. Unfortunately, often they insult and swear a lot. Sometimes fans preach fascist or racist ideas. Are football fans often allowed to do more or less than an ordinary citizen? How does their behaviour relate to restrictions on freedom of speech? Why do they sometimes avoid punishment? Where is the borderline between freedom of speech and unauthorized tifo? The authors analyse issues related to the behaviour of football fans in the context of freedom of speech and try to answer these questions.

Activities of Haji Ibrahim Gasimov in the “Igbal” newspaper

The study reviews the activities of one of the leading authors of the “Igbal” newspaper, Haji Ibrahim Gasimov. In his works, the publicist covered the most important socio-political and socio-cultural problems of his time, expressed his attitude to them and conducted analytical work on their generalization and forecasting. He lived in turbulent times, where global problems affected not only the country, but all of humanity. All of them, having passed through the filter of G. Gasimov’s pen, appeared on the pages of “Igbal”. Addressing the leading issues of the time, such as the promotion of education and culture, instilling a national spirit in people, Islam, religion and politics, the ongoing political processes, and the protection of women’s rights, the publicist ac-tively wrote in every issue of the newspaper about ignorance, religious fanaticism, and the need to protect women’s rights. He persevered against oppression, not as an ordinary citizen, but as a force that could influence the course of events, which at the same time changed their course, he could direct them. This fighting can be clearly seen in his works published by “Igbal” in almost every issue. The workes, which are almost a century old, are relevant and have not lost their value to this day. They played an exceptional role in shaping public opinion, spreading science and culture. This process is influenced by the deep observation of the publicist, as well as by his patriotic, effective civic position.

Burial Customs of St. Peter’s Churchyard Cemetery in Riga

В ходе исследований 2004 г. на кладбище у церкви Св. Петра в Риге получены новые материалы о продолжительности ее использования, похоронных традициях, плотности и стратиграфии захоронений. Всего было исследовано 194 захоронения, которые располагались в 22 слоя. Среди открытых могил выделяются нетипичные захоронения на животе, на боку, с согнутыми в коленях ногами и различным положением рук. Можно предположить, что они связаны с нарастанием эсхатологических страхов, раздуваемых проповедью нищенствующих монахов. Различные монашеские ритуалы влияли и на форму захоронений простых горожан, на что указывает совпадение поз так называемых нетипичных захоронений с позами монашеских простраций. During the studies of 2004 on the territory of the cemetery at St. Peter’s Church in Riga new data on the duration of its use, funeral traditions, density and stratigraphy of the graves was received. In total, 194 burials, located in 22 layers, were investigated. Among the open graves the atypical ones stand out: with those buried on the abdomen, on the side, with bent in knees legs and different hand positions. It can be assumed that they are associated with an increase in eschatological fears, fanned by the preaching of mendicant monks. Various monastic rituals also influenced the form of the ordinary citizen burials, as the coincidence of positions, the so-called atypical burial positions with the monastic prostration indicates.

Apologia do devir-mundo na novela Boa noite Sr. Soares de Mário Cláudio / Apology of becoming-world in the novel Boa noite, Sr. Soares of Mário Cláudio

Resumo: Partimos da contextualização e ancoragem da novela Boa noite, Sr. Soares, nas passagens matricias do Livro do desassossego, para explicarmos as diferenças na reescrita ficcional de Mário Cláudio. Se no Livro do desassossego, e na perspectiva de Bernardo Soares, o moço de recados que trabalha no escritório é um feliz nómada nos reinos da imaginação, nesta ficção pós-moderna de Mário Cláudio, recria-se uma atmosfera épocal datada e um clima sócio-político, onde se move o protagonista, António Felício, gravitando em torno do enigmático, Bernardo Soares. Assim, somos confrontados com a banalidade da vidinha de Felício, sitiada pelo meio familiar e a opressiva atmosfera da ditadura. E por contágio de singularidades afectivas e perceptivas, no plano de imanência que os envolve, António lá vai experimentando também o seu devir-mundo, a sua linha de fuga, real e imaginária, ao opressivo e castrador quotidiano banal, através dos seus devaneios mentais, quase delírios da geografia e da mitologia. Com a particularidade de já não estar envolto na aura de singular viajante feliz com que Bernardo Soares o coroara no Livro do desassossego. Aqui, nesta ficção pós-moderna com reescrita paródica, irónica e distanciada, e em tudo o resto, António da Silva Felício é apresentado como um qualquer cidadão comum daquela época que vive a vida de toda a gente, excepto naqueles momentos de individuação singular intensiva por hecceidades afectivas e perceptivas, quando entra e experimenta o devir-mundo.Palavras-chave: devir; ficção; pós-moderno.Abstract: We begin with the contextualization and anchoring of the novel Boa noite, Sr. Soares in the matrician passages of the Livro do desassossego, to explain the differences in the fictional rewriting of Mário Cláudio. If in the Livro do desassossego, and in the perspective of Bernardo Soares, the office boy who works in the office is a happy nomad in the realms of the imagination, in this postmodern fiction of Mário Cláudio, recreates a dated epocal atmosphere and a partner climate political, where the protagonist, António Felício moves, gravitating around the enigmatic, Bernardo Soares. Thus, we are confronted with the banality of Felício’s life, surrounded by the family environment and the oppressive atmosphere of the dictatorship. And through contagion of affective and perceptive singularities, in the plane of immanence that surrounds them, Antonio there also experiences his becoming-world, his real and imaginary escape line, to the oppressive and banal daily castrator, through his mental daydreams, almost delusions of geography and mythology. With the particularity of being no longer enveloped in the aura of the singular happy traveler with whom Bernardo Soares had crowned him in the Livro do desassossego. Here, in this postmodern fiction with parody, ironic and distanced rewriting, and in everything else, António da Silva Felício is presented as any ordinary citizen of that era who lives the lives of all people, except in those moments of singularly intensive individuation by affective and perceptive hecceities, when entering and experiencing the becoming-world.Keywords: overcoming; fiction; post-modern.