Historical socioecological transformations in the global tropics as an Anthropocene analogue

Large, low-density settlements of the tropical world disintegrated during the first and second millennia of the CE. This phenomenon, which occurred in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Mesoamerica, is strongly associated with climate variability and extensive landscape transformation. These profound social transformations in the tropical world have been popularized as “collapse,” yet archaeological evidence suggests a more complex and nuanced story characterized by persistence, adaptation, and resilience at the local and regional scales. The resulting tension between ideas of climate-driven collapse and evidence for diverse social responses challenges our understanding of long-term resilience and vulnerability to environmental change in the global tropics. Here, we compare the archetypal urban collapse of the Maya, in modern Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico, during the 8th to 11th centuries CE, and the Khmer in modern Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam during the 14th to 15th centuries CE. We argue that the social response to environmental stress is spatially and temporally heterogenous, reflecting the generation of large-scale landesque capital surrounding the urban cores. Divergences between vulnerable urban elite and apparently resilient dispersed agricultural settlements sit uncomfortably with simplistic notions of social collapse and raise important questions for humanity as we move deeper into the Anthropocene.

Black skin, white masks: Izzat as an appropriation of Othello

Izzat was the first mainstream Hindi film to reference Othello and has so far escaped the attention of academics who have begun researching the underexplored field of Bollywood Shakespeares. The film stars Dharmendra playing both versions of a fair- and a dark-skinned twin, which is a novel take on a Shakespearean trope. As a mainstream film, Izzat does not aspire to the pedagogical cultural capital of Shakespeare that Saptapadi does, nor does it reference the performance traditions of Othello onstage or film. However, references to Othello that seem superficial at first glance are embedded throughout the film. The only direct reference to the play is when Deepa meets Shekhar (who is pretending to be his twin Dilip) for the first time, and he sees she has been reading Othello. This sparks off a conversation about appearances and colour prejudices that is quite alien to an industry that traditionally favours light-skinned protagonists but rarely acknowledges it. Through this article, I would like to explore the ways in which Shakespearean tropes, and in particular Shakespeare’s Othello, has been used to explore postcolonial anxieties about identity in India by juxtaposing Adivasi identities with more typical urban Indian identities. The film also suggests that the colonizers have been replaced in Indian society by the urban elite who value superficial white masks and practise a racism that is much more insidious by discriminating against other Indians based on colour, caste and class. Through this exploration, I will also examine how Othello impacts the Indian psyche and why the referencing of Othello in this film points towards the many ways in which Othello is adapted and appropriated in Indian mainstream media.

Inscriptions and Images in Secular Buildings: Examples from Renaissance Scania, Sweden, ca. 1450–1658

This paper examines how agents inscribed their persona in buildings during the Renaissance in Scania in present-day Sweden. Through an analysis of stone tablets and timber beams with inscriptions, images, and dates, questions of identity and individuality are highlighted. The objects were often placed above doors in noble country residences or in buildings belonging to the urban elite. The paper discusses who was able to see and understand the messages communicated by the buildings, and when, how, and why the tradition of putting up this type of object on buildings emerged in a Scandinavian context.

“Not unto us, not unto us, but unto thy name”: the response of district merchants to raising people’s militia in 1806–1807 and 1812–1814 (by the example of St. Petersburg province)

The paper examines practices of collecting donations by district towns merchants for the 1806–1807 “zemskoe voisko” (militia) and the People’s militia of 1812. Up to this day the researchers highlight merchants’ role for the organization of militias less than that of the nobility. That said only total amounts of merchants’ donations in 1812 are now available, while raising money for the first militia remains a virtually unexplored field. The paper deals with specific practices and traditions within communities that determined the collection of money and material donations. Given study fills the gap in our understanding of the role of Russian citizenry in creating militias. The author addresses three district towns of the St. Petersburg`s province with different economic background: Novaya Ladoga, Gdov, and Sofia (Tsarskoe Selo). All merchant communities adhered to same principles at the very stage of raising funds for the first militia. They formed a community donation, for which participation was mandatory. The amount of the community donation was most usually set by the town elite. The donation was split equally to be raised from each male soul. But in all communities’ urban elite families contributed additionally, with money or material donations, and their share was significant. Seeing that the total amount of donations in 1807 frequently equalled that of 1812, and sometimes was even more, the role of the first militia for the Russian society deserves reassessment. 1807–1812 saw merchants position worsened due to the increase of taxes. The town elite suffered significantly, which caused problems when collecting donations in 1812: a study of lifepaths of merchants elite families shows that many important donators had to register to “meshchane” (petty bourgeoisie).

The Inscriptions of the Construction and Recovery Works of the Public Buildings and Utilities in Aquincum

Inscriptions related to buildings and structures provide an important contribution when studying the architecture of Aquincum. They may also reveal the date of construction or improvement works and the identity of the builder. Occasionally, the indication can also provide the reason and purpose of the construction activity. The builder may be an individual or a definite group. As an individual, the name refers to a person's origin. If their role and position in the life of the city are also mentioned, the composition and identity of the urban elite can also be inferred. The identification of the different groups can contribute to an understanding of which religious, social, and other organisations operated in Aquincum. Both private construction and state-owned existed alongside each other. The date and location of the inscribed stones on the buildings refer to the prestige of Aquincum as the seat of governors. This article presents the information based on a detailed analysis of the captions found so far. A map showing the original texts and their location is attached to the article. In addition, a summary table covering the most significant information of the thirty inscriptions examined (dedication of the inscription, type of building/structure, nature of construction, reason for construction activity, nature of financial coverage, time of construction of the builder, construction board) are published.

Islamism, Christianism, Urbanism, and The Capitalization of Urban Space

This paper relates Islamic studies, namely Islamism, with Christian studies, urban studies in an integrative way. The objects of written material are religions, social movements, politics, and cities. The research was conducted from July 2012 to July 2018 using a qualitative empirical approach with depth interview techniques and the use of social media, combined with literature studies. The author argues, it is a fundamental mistake if scholars of Islamic studies believe too much that Islamic social movements are a manifestation of Islamism as the ideology of Islamists as published so far. In practice, Islamic social movements, especially in urban communities, are far more complex than ideological issues. Examining the Salatiga urbanites as the location and subject research, it is found a religious linkage and the caliptalization of urban space. This linkage creates a contentious politics and the interests of the urban elite that play into it during the Regional Head Election.الملخص: تربط هذه الورقة الدراسات الإسلامية ، أي الإسلاموية ، بالدراسات المسيحية ، والدراسات الحضرية بطريقة تكاملية. المواد المكتوبة هي الأديان والحركات الاجتماعية والسياسة والمدن. تم إجراء البحث في الفترة من يوليو 2012 إلى يوليو 2018 باستخدام نهج تجريبي نوعي مع تقنيات المقابلة العميقة واستخدام وسائل التواصل الاجتماعي ، جنبًا إلى جنب مع دراسات الأدب. يجادل المؤلف بأنه من الخطأ الأساسي أن يعتقد علماء الدراسات الإسلامية أن الحركات الاجتماعية الإسلامية هي مظهر من مظاهر الإسلاموية باعتبارها إيديولوجية الإسلاميين كما نُشرت حتى الآن. في الممارسة العملية ، الحركات الاجتماعية الإسلامية ، خاصة في المجتمعات الحضرية ، أكثر تعقيدًا بكثير من القضايا الإيديولوجية. عند دراسة سكان سالاتيجا كموقع وبحث موضوعي ، وجد ارتباطًا دينيًا وخلافة الفضاء الحضري. يخلق هذا الارتباط سياسة مثيرة للجدل ومصالح النخبة الحضرية التي تلعب دورها خلال انتخابات رئيس المنطقة.Abstrak: Tulisan ini mengaitkan studi Islam, yakni Islamisme dengan studi Kristen, studi perkotaan secara integratif. Objek material tulisan adalah agama, gerakan sosial, politik, dan kota. Penelitian dilakukan sejak Juli 2012 hingga Juli 2018 dengan pendekatan kualitatif empirik dengan teknik wawancara mendalam dan penggunaan media sosial, digabung dengan studi literatur. Penulis berargumentasi, adalah kekeliruan mendasar jika para sarjana studi Islam terlalu meyakini bahwa gerakan-gerakan sosial Islam merupakan manifestasi Islamisme sebagai ideologi kaum Islamis seperti dipublikasikan selama ini. Dalam praksisnya, gerakan-gerakan sosial Islam, khususnya di masyarakat kota jauh lebih kompleks dari persoalan ideologis. Dari masyarakat Kota Salatiga sebagai lokasi dan subjek penelitian, ditemukan keterkaitan agama dengan kaliptalisasi ruang kota. Keterkaitan itu menimbulkan politik perselisihan dan kepentingan elite urban yang bermain dalamnya pada saat Pemilihan Kepala Daerah.