Neo-Hobbesianism in the DPRK: A Provisional Theory of Authoritarianism

This article presents an original historical-philosophical conception that attempts to discern the matter, form, and power of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (dprk). A panoramic and problematizing cognitive framework, the theory configurates 629 years of sociopolitical history from 1392 to 2021 and then comparatively discusses the dprk system in relation to ancient democracy and liberal democracy from Pericles to Samuel P. Huntington. The article is divided into three parts, which outline the theory and its principles, map historical foundations and political phases, and address social relations, state will, and political reality. Description and analysis convey the thesis that the dprk polity is home to a Neo-Hobbesian formation: a hybrid state entity that is historically modern, politically absolutist, and illiberally democratic, with a transforming cross-civilizational physiognomy. By design, the “soft” theory is conceived to stimulate academic discussion and debate, not declare a final solution.

“A PLACE SO FAR REMOVED”: DYNASTY AND RITUAL IN MONUMENTS FROM CHINKULTIC, CHIAPAS, MEXICO

The site of Chinkultic in Chiapas, Mexico, remains largely absent from discussions of Classic Maya history and culture, despite a long history of excavation and a substantial corpus of monumental sculpture. This paper explores two groups of sculptures from Chinkultic, photographed using raking-light photographic techniques in 2011 and 2013. Sculptures in the first group depict royal accession and suggest that the rulers of Chinkultic acceded the throne as warriors. The second group of monuments demonstrates a ritual tradition involving rulers and subordinate individuals. Based on analysis of these groups, I argue that Chinkultic was home to consistent artistic programming that performed an elite identity based on warfare and control over surrounding people and places. Combined, these sculptures demonstrate artistic connections between Chinkultic and the Usumacinta region, provide a new window into the sociopolitical history of the Comitán valley, and reflect the innovative artistic programs of frontier places in ancient Mesoamerica.

Faraco, C. A. (2016). História sociopolítica da língua portuguesa. São Paulo: Parábola Editora.

História sociopolítica da língua portuguesa [Sociopolitical history of the Portuguese language] was published in 2016 by Carlos Alberto Faraco and constitutes a very important work by the renowned Brazilian linguist. At the time Faraco was the coordinator of the National Committee of Brazil with the Instituto Internacional da Língua Portuguesa (IILP) [International Institute of the Portuguese Language], an institution pertaining to the Comunidade de Países de Língua Portuguesa (CPLP) [Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries] whose goals, according to its statutes, consist in: “the promotion, safekeeping, enrichment and dissemination of the Portuguese language as a means of promoting culture, education, information and access to scientific, technologic knowledge, and officially used in international forums”...

The Karbalization of Lebanon: Karbala as lieu de mémoire in Hezbollah’s Ashura narrative

This article draws on the unique backdrop of Lebanese sociopolitical history to explore a lieu de mémoire that figures centrally in the rhetoric of Hezbollah around Ashura, the 10th night of the commemoration of Imam Hussein’s death at Karbala. Using an analysis of the speeches of Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah on Ashura, this article examines the party’s rhetoric around the battle of Karbala, and the revered leader’s death, through the three dimensions of lieux de mémoire as identified by Pierre Nora, paying particular attention to the role of mediatization in the materiality of memory. It shows that lieux de mémoire can in fact emerge in the absence of a nation-state, despite Nora’s testament to the contrary.

The Existential Struggle of Second-Generation Turkish Immigrants in Kreuzberg

The second generation of Turks to migrate to Germany played a crucial role in recasting the migration experience of the 1960s into a unique diasporic culture. This research, which takes the Kreuzberg district of Berlin as a center of the Turkish diaspora’s ongoing maneuvering for existence, shows how in various stages of migration history, the second generation’s narratives transect the quarter’s own sociopolitical history and spatiotemporal change. It notes three crossroads. The first is when the Turkish diaspora stakes a claim as an independent power within hobohemia. The second is when a political, oppositional momentum is activated among the diaspora. The third crossroads, comprising the first 10 years after the fall of the Wall, is the stage where the district comes under the influence of neoliberalism and becomes just “bohemia.” This research shows how Turkish immigrants have been positioned at a crossroads where the “hobo” character of the quarter evolved into a bohemia.

Empire, Colony, and Globalization. A Brief History of the Nahuatl Language

Empire, Colony, and Globalization. A Brief History of the Nahuatl LanguageThis paper is the first attempt to outline the cultural and sociopolitical history of Nahuatl, one of the most important native languages of America, beginning with preconquest times, focusing on its role in the Aztec empire, and continuing through the colonial period until the present. We discuss the most important elements of the Nahua writing tradition, its changes under contact with European culture and Spanish, as well as modern threats to its survival. We finish with current prospects for revitalization. Imperium, kolonia i globalizacja. Krótka historia języka nahuatl Artykuł jest pierwszą próbą zarysowania kulturowej i społeczno-politycznej historii języka nahuatl, jednego z najważniejszych języków tubylczych Ameryki, począwszy od czasów przedhiszpańskich, a zwłaszcza jego roli w imperium azteckim, przez czasy kolonialne aż po sytuację obecną. Przedmiotem dyskusji są najważniejsze elementy związane z tradycją piśmiennictwa w tym języku, jego zmiany pod wpływem kontaktu z kulturą europejską i językiem hiszpańskim, aktualne zagrożenia oraz możliwe scenariusze jego rewitalizacji.