LA ELECCIÓN POPULAR

El tweet de Joe Biden, The people had spoke, refiriéndose al voto del pueblo americano en las recientes elecciones presidenciales, recuerda el título del célebre libro de P. F. Lazarsfeld, B. Berelson y H. Gandet, The People Choice, dedicado a las elecciones de 1940. Como se sabe, la obra se centraba en la forma en que los electores del estado de Ohio decidían su voto en las elecciones del 5 de noviembre de 1940, donde el presidente saliente Franklin D. Roosevelt (demócrata), que iba por su cuarta reelección, se oponía a Wendell Willkie. Merece la pena repasar las conclusiones de esa investigación a la luz de las recientes elecciones americanas y, subsidiariamente, interrogarnos por los usos sociales de la actualidad en la construcción del directo televisivo. Abstract: Joe Biden’s tweet “The people had spoken”, referring to the vote of the American people in the recent presidential elections, recalls the title of Paul Lazarsfeld’s et alii famous book The People Choice research dedicated to the 1940 elections. As is known, the investigation focused on the way Ohio state voters decided their vote in the November 5, 1940 election that opposed outgoing President Franklin D. Roosevelt (Democrat) who was going for his fourth re-election to his challenger Wendell Willkie. It is worth reviewing the conclusions of these founding investigations in the light of the recent American elections and, alternatively, to consider the current social uses in the construction of the television direct.

LA RECUPERACIÓN DEL ESPACIO PÚBLICO Y EL OLVIDO DE LO URBANO

Con argumentos de recuperar o rehabilitar los espacios públicos, se han realizado numerosas intervenciones en las plazas de los centros históricos de Latinoamérica. En el caso del Centro Histórico de Cuenca, en Ecuador, entre 2006 y 2016, se efectuaron varios proyectos en plazas y plazoletas del casco antiguo. En este contexto, este artículo es producto de una investigación que tuvo por objeto analizar las prácticas y discursos que han predominado en la gestión del patrimonio cultural en dichos espacios de la ciudad. Para el efecto, se realizó una investigación cualitativa, sustentada en revisión documental, entrevistas a profundidad y análisis del discurso. Como resultado, se desprende que ha predominado un enfoque material del patrimonio, una escasa atención a los usos sociales, politización de los proyectos, ausencia de procesos de participación y una mirada fragmentada de la ciudad. El discurso patrimonial oficial ha olvidado las apropiaciones y las re significaciones en el presente, no ha problematizado la noción de espacio público y, en más de una ocasión, ha estigmatizado los usos sociales. Se concluye que la gestión de los centros históricos requiere incluir miradas inter y transdisciplinarias, repensar el patrimonio como constructo, y direccionarse, más que a la conservación de las plazas per se, al cuidado de lo urbano. Palabras clave: Centro histórico, conservación, espacio público, patrimonio cultural, plazas. AbstractArguments of recovering or rehabilitating public spaces have guided interventions on squares (plazas) throughout the Latin American historic centres. In the case of the Historic Centre of Cuenca, Ecuador, from 2006 to 2016, several projects were carried out in the traditional plazas. In this context, this research aimed to analyze the practices and discourses that have predominated in cultural heritage management and the so-called public spaces of the city. For this purpose, a qualitative research, supported by documentary review, in-depth interviews, and discourse analysis was carried out. As a result, it is clear that a material approach to heritage is predominant, as well as little attention to social uses, the politicization of projects, an absence of participatory processes, and a fragmented approach to the city. The heritage discourse has forgotten the appropriations and resignifications in the present, it has not problematized the notion of public space and, in most cases, it has stigmatized social uses. Conclusions showed that historic places management requires including inter and transdisciplinary studies, rethinking heritage as a construct, and addressing, rather than the conservation of plazas, the care for urban life. Keywords Conservation, Historic centre, cultural heritage, public space, squares.

Web et terminologie philologique

A linguistic method for using the Web consists in making requests on strings of characters as long as possible between quotation marks, then confronting the obtained results with other sources. One knows that the Web is “transitory” and is “varying greatly in value”; nonetheless using this method will be efficient. Useful requests are made through classes of objects and sets of predicates (Gross & Guenthner 2002). Comparing frequencies is a good means of evaluating the respective vitality of concurrent terminological phrases and their social uses (official, technical, professional or journalistic texts). So neologisms and archaisms become obvious. If terminology ’s aim is to work on specialized names, professional contents and linguistic knowledge about terms, the Web is a very good tool to validate technical translations, provided philological precautions.

The alpine rural landscape as a cultural reserve: the case study of Teglio in Valtellina

This research examines a portion of the Italian alpine landscape in order to find a comprehension mode and a strategic proposal to safeguard this rural heritage. The area is located in Valtellina, in the municipality of Teglio (Sondrio, Italy), between 700 and 1200 m a.s.l. Typical characteristic of the local landscape conformation is fragmentation, which determines a rapidly changing chequerboard depending on the rotation of seasons and cultivation. The landscape alternates wooded and cultivated areas. Cultivations mainly concern rye, buckwheat, corn, barley, alpine wheat, chestnuts and small orchards and have a wide agrobiodiversity and especially a historical and cultural value. The cultivation of buckwheat, for example nustran arrived in the valley in the XVII century and Teglio is the place where it persists more. The genotypes present are in part already classified, in part under study. The vernine crop alternated to buckwheat is mainly rye, arrived in the valley since the XV century. The local varieties formed over time are a resource of genotypes adapted to high altitude agricultural environments, they have important nutraceutical properties and they are closely associated with the local culture. The aim was to verify the persistence of traditional crops in the area, together with the cultural value of the traditional rural system, in order to analyse the feasibility of a strategy for the preservation of biocultural diversity. The research has shown how, despite the dynamics of depopulation and abandonment of agricultural fields, there is still in the area a sufficient permanence of cultural practices and social uses that can be a solid starting point for a sustainable development of the territory that focuses on agricultural and cultural biodiversity.

Fernando de Noronha Archipelago (Brazil): A Coastal Geopark Proposal to Foster the Local Economy, Tourism and Sustainability

Coastal zones across the world are often listed as protected areas as a result of their sensitive ecosystems and frequent social uses. One category of protected area that allows for protection and use is a geopark. A geopark combines geological heritage conservation with sustainable development and must include meaningful geological characteristics, and scientific content. Geoparks can stimulate the coastal economy through the appreciation of the heritage and development of sustainable tourism, along with environmental protection and interpretation. There are geoparks on islands and coastal areas in many continents. Fernando de Noronha archipelago (Brazil), has relevant geodiversity and the potential to join the Global Geoparks Network (GGN). For the creation of a geopark, it is important to acknowledge its geological heritage and relevance. This has already been done in Fernando de Noronha by the Geological Service of Brazil (CPRM), through the identification of the geosites in the island. The goal of this case study is to present actions that have been carried out and that may help on the report development for the proposed Geopark, as well as present the benefits that a geopark can bring to a coastal area. Opportunities for improving the economy with geoproducts and geofood are presented.

The social uses of the Internet: Introduction to the special section

This Special Section takes stock of a shift toward an integrated and global digital media environment with a set of articles comparing and contrasting the social uses of the Internet in China, Europe, and the United States. Departing from James Lull’s typology of the social uses of television, the articles address both general media use patterns and the specific private and public uses to which the Internet is put in these different social and cultural contexts. A concluding commentary by Lull serves to place current communicative practices in historical perspective and to suggest implications for future research.

Post-development Practices of Public Space, Between Cohabitation and "Domination" of New Atmospheres

Public space becomes a major issue during urban restructuring. To better understand this specificity, we chose the Rabat’s dock developed as part of the Bouregreg valley development project, as a case study. This space, with its background, has been subjected to a profound restructuring as part of the project. The study of the social uses and practices of citizens through their manifestations in this space makes it possible to identify the evolution of the relationship between the transformation of spatial structures and the production of landscapes representative of the image of the urban area. The transformations brought by this mega-project in our study area show new urbanities. In front of a tendency to micro-appropriation by the upper social classes and the tendency to a smoothed and polished urbanity, is found a more diverse and more complex urbanity which oscillates between a consensual social sharing of public (physical) space and / or maintaining old practices.