Applied Linguists

This paper seeks out future directions for the field of study that has by now fully consolidated itself as an independent discipline under the name of Applied Linguistics. Special attention is drawn to the ‘loosening up’ of the very notion of language as a hermetically sealed entity, impervious to outside influences, as well as the groundbreaking critical turn it has taken in recent years, along with the impulse to intervene in the states of affairs that it unveils through painstaking studies. It is shown that this last development is by no means an optional follow-through from the analytic work customarily done. Rather, it is an inevitable sequel to the new stance adopted by researchers in the field – a development whose roots can, oddly enough, be traced back to Saussure’s thoughts at the very dawn of Linguistics, its ‘mother discipline’. But it is also emphasized that, side by side with these exciting prospects, there also appear on the horizon some serious challenges to reckon with in the years ahead.

An Age of Contradiction, or Who Killed Colonel Protheroe?

Crime Fiction studies have entered something of a new age. It is no longer necessary to begin an article with defensive remarks about sales numbers or the literary qualities of detective novels; indeed, this may be the start of a new Golden Age. In this article, I shall review two phenomena that may be considered instrumental in this critical turn: adaptations for the screen and Pierre Bayard’s self-styled critique policière, or ‘detective criticism’. Screen adaptations of Agatha Christie’s works have, by turns, enthralled and dismayed viewers. In removing their cosy edges and transforming Christie’s novels into films fit for contemporary audiences, they have gone as far, in some cases, as to change the sacrosanct ending. Here, I shall discuss the ways in which Charlie Palmer’s 2004 adaptation of The Murder at the Vicarage points to a potential rereading of the novel. I shall then deploy Bayardian detective criticism not only to demonstrate the implausibility of Miss Marple’s final solution to The Murder at the Vicarage, but also to suggest that Christie’s greatest skill lies perhaps in saving her greatest red herring until last.

How development sculpts hippocampal circuits and function

In mammals, the selective transformation of transient experience into stored memory occurs in the hippocampus, which develops representations of specific events in the context in which they occur. In this review, we focus on the development of hippocampal circuits and the self-organized dynamics embedded within them since the latter critically support the role of the hippocampus in learning and memory. We first discuss evidence that adult hippocampal cells and circuits are sculpted by development as early as during embryonic neurogenesis. We argue that these primary developmental programs provide a scaffold onto which later experience of the external world can be grafted. Next, we review the different sequences in the development of hippocampal cells and circuits at anatomical and functional levels. We cover a period extending from neurogenesis and migration to the appearance of phenotypic diversity within hippocampal cells, and their wiring into functional networks. We describe the progressive emergence of network dynamics in the hippocampus, from sensorimotor-driven early sharp waves to sequences of place cells tracking relational information. We outline the critical turn points and discontinuities in that developmental journey, and close by formulating open questions. We propose that rewinding the process of hippocampal development helps understand the main organization principles of memory circuits.

International Relations’ Critical Turn in the Humanitarian Space: Opportunities for Christian Engagement

International Relations scholars routinely credit Christian actors with helping to create the modern international humanitarian order by institutionalizing principles of care and assistance within global governance. As this humanitarian order has become more secularized, however, faith-based reflections have been sidelined in secular academic work on humanitarian issues. This article reflects on the opportunities for dialogue and mutual engagement following the critical turn in International Relations scholarship over recent years. It highlights the development of International Relations thinking on the normative dimensions of the international humanitarian order and shows how their critiques of a secular order have created a window for engagement with the intellectual resources of the Christian traditions. Developing meeting places for engaging on deeper questions of ontologies of practice provides an opportunity to pursue a richer vision of global humanitarian endeavours, to the benefit of all.