Humanities & Social Sciences

The third volume of the Studies in Ancient Greek narrative deals with the narratological category of space: how is space, including objects which function as 'props', presented in narrative texts and what are its functions (thematic, symbolic, psychologising, or characterising).; Readership: All those interested in ancient Greek literature, narrative theory, literary history, comparative literature.

This paper aims to engage in a dialogue with R. Del Punta's essay titled 'Labour Law and the Third Sector,' published in the Italian Journal of Labour Law in 2001. Its primary objective is to verify the central thesis of the essay, namely, that employment relationships in the non-profit sector are so numerous and varied that they can be considered a 'non-system.' The Author, after examining the main characteristics of these employment relationships—also in light of the legislative innovations introduced over the past twenty years—largely concurs with R. Del Punta's conclusions, albeit with some distinctions. Specifically, the Author underscores how, within this 'non-system,' the job placement of disadvantaged individuals through type b) social cooperatives and social enterprises today constitutes, for both quantitative and qualitative reasons, the defining feature of employment relationships in the non-profit sector.

This open access book offers unique insights into how governments and governing systems, particularly in advanced economies, have responded to the immense challenges of managing the coronavirus pandemic and the ensuing disease COVID-19. Written by three eminent scholars in the field of the politics and policy of crisis management, it offers a unique ‘bird’s eye’ view of the immense logistical and political challenges of addressing a worst-case scenario that would prove the ultimate stress test for societies, governments, governing institutions and political leaders. It examines how governments and governing systems have (i) made sense of emerging transboundary threats that have spilled across health, economic, political and social systems (ii) mobilised systems of governance and often fearful and sceptical citizens (iii) crafted narratives amid high uncertainty about the virus and its impact and (iv) are working towards closure and a return to ‘normal’ when things can never quite be the same again. The book also offers the building blocks of pathways to future resilience. Succeeding and failing in all these realms is tied in with governance structures, experts, trust, leadership capabilities and political ideologies. The book appeals to anyone seeking to understand ‘what’s going on?’, but particularly academics and students across multiple disciplines, journalists, public officials, politicians, non-governmental organisations and citizen groups.

"This book addresses the narrative construction of places, the relationship between tradition communities and their environments, the supernatural dimensions of cultural landscapes and wilderness as they are manifested in European folklore and in early literary sources, such as the Old Norse sagas. The first section “Explorations in Place-Lore” discusses cursed and sacred places, churches, graveyards, haunted houses, cemeteries, grave mounds, hill forts, and other tradition dominants in the micro-geography of the Nordic and Baltic countries, both retrospectively and from synchronous perspectives. The supernaturalisation of places appears as a socially embedded set of practices that involves storytelling and ritual behaviour. Articles show, how places accumulate meanings as they are layered by stories and how this shared knowledge about environments can actualise in personal experiences. Articles in the second section “Regional Variation, Environment and Spatial Dimensions” address ecotypes, milieu-morphological adaptation in Nordic and Baltic-Finnic folklores, and the active role of tradition bearers in shaping beliefs about nature as well as attitudes towards the environment. The meaning of places and spatial distance as the marker of otherness and sacrality in Old Norse sagas is also discussed here. The third section of the book “Traditions and Histories Reconsidered” addresses major developments within the European social histories and mentalities. It scrutinizes the history of folkloristics, its geopolitical dimensions and its connection with nation building, as well as looking at constructions of the concepts Baltic, Nordic and Celtic. It also sheds light on the social base of folklore and examines vernacular views toward legendry and the supernatural."

Bedingt durch ihre Funktionalität, der Mannigfaltigkeit ihrer möglichen Formgebung und ihrer daraus folgenden ästhetischen Raumwirkung, durch die Besonderheiten ihres statischen Tragverhaltens als auch durch die Art und Weisen ihrer Errichtung und ihrer Materialität stellen Gewölbe komplexe Bauglieder in der Architektur von Sakral- und Profanbauwerken vornehmlich von der Römerzeit bis in das ausgehende Mittelalter bzw. Historismus dar. Die genaue Kenntnis davon, nach welchen Prinzipien Gewölbe entworfen und konstruiert wurden und wie deren bauliche Umsetzung erfolgt ist, bildet nicht nur eine entscheidende Grundlage für deren denkmalgerechte Erhaltung. Es erschließt sich damit auch die jeweilige Formfindung der Gewölbe und zugleich kann die Technologie ihrer Bauausführung, aber auch das Tragverhalten im gegenwärtigen Zustand auf bestimmte Prämissen zurückgeführt werden. Pläne, Aufzeichnungen und Befunde lassen sich so verbessert einordnen. In dem vorliegenden Band wird am Beispiel des Netzgewölbes der Kirche St. Peter und Paul der Lutherstadt Eisleben gezeigt, wie mit Hilfe der Tachymetrie und des 3D-Laserscannings Entwurfsprinzipien von Gewölben präzise deduziert werden können. In einer umfassenden Literaturrecherche werden zuerst grundlegende Möglichkeiten ihrer Formfindung und Konstruktion vorgestellt und bewertet. Auf der Basis der Auswertung der messtechnischen Erfassung werden die wesentlichen Entwurfskriterien herausgearbeitet und durch viele Beispiele belegt. Bedingt durch die handwerkliche Prägung des Bauprozesses in der Zeit ihrer Errichtung, können einzelne Segmente der Gewölbe durchaus stärker von diesen Regeln abweichen. Dass diese scheinbaren Regelverletzungen Antworten auf die Unzulänglichkeiten des gesamten Bauprozesses von der Planung zur Ausführung darstellen, wird in diesem Band ebenfalls thematisiert.

The European Charter for Sustainable Tourism (ECST) represents a voluntary management tool for protected areas that promotes the implementation of sustainable tourism for both the environment and local communities, as well as for all the stakeholders (e.g., firms, tourists); its principles emerge as an essential guide for designing policies respecting the environment and actively involving the local community. The present work focuses on the Asinara National Park (Porto Torres, Sardinia-Italy) as a case study of the ongoing application of the ECST (i.e., renewal phase of Phase I and initiation of Phase II). The aims were: (1) to identify the strengths and weaknesses related to confirming Phase I; (2) to isolate the motivations leading a firm to obtain the ECST certificate. Through a methodology involving official documentation analysis and the Park’s entrepreneurial landscape, results suggested a systemic vision of stakeholder engagement in creating a model for best practices to qualify the socio-economic network. Promoting participatory and inclusive governance could ensure a balance between sustainable tourism and environmental conservation on the Asinara island.

"Scientists deserve public recognition. The ways that they are depicted, however, are severely limited in physical and personal traits, helping to establish and enhance stereotypes under the general title of ‘scientist’. These stereotypes range from the arrogant researcher who wants to rule the world, to the lab coat wearing ‘nerdy’ genius, but all generally fall to an extreme view of an existing perception of what a scientist should look and be like. For example, the popular image of ‘a scientist’ overlooks the presence of women almost entirely unless attributed to specific subjects and/or with narrow character depictions. The implications can be far-reaching. Young people, being heavily swayed by what they see and hear in the media, may avoid scientific careers because of these limited or unflattering portrayals of the scientific community, regardless of whether they reflect real life. Based on findings from the Light’13 project, this book examines such stereotypes and questions whether it is possible to adjust people’s perception of scientists and to increase interest in science and scientific careers through a series of specific actions and events."

Revoicing Intangible Cultural Heritage draws upon an original, wide-ranging dataset to show that the dynamics and ethics of participation in European national minority cultures’ intangible cultural heritage (ICH) are more nuanced than has previously been articulated. Arguing for an approach to analysing ICH that reflects societal change in regions that are historically those of national minorities, contributions to the volume focus on three regions across four countries. This allows for comparative exploration of exemplar contexts that span a range of circumstances in which European national minority cultures thrive and strive for voice and recognition. It explores how a wide range of people engage with national minorities’ ICH and seeks a better understanding of the ethical and practical dimensions of this participation. It proposes a heritage literate ‘revoicing’ of ICH: to create socially positive pathways to resilient ICH, and in turn ensure ICH is an arena where these positive social relations are shaped as part of an evolving ecosystem into the future. Revoicing Intangible Cultural Heritage takes an interdisciplinary approach ideally placed to interrogate the interplay of different groups with ICH from multiple perspectives. This makes the book essential reading for academics and students working in heritage studies, sociolinguistics, cultural and event studies, sociology, creative practice, and cultural geography.

Against the backdrop of a post-Soviet state set aflame by geopolitical conflict and violent revolution, Narkomania considers whether substance use disorders are everywhere the same and whether our responses to drug use presuppose what kind of people those who use drugs really are. Jennifer J. Carroll's ethnography is a story about public health and international efforts to quell the spread of HIV. Carroll focuses on Ukraine where the prevalence of HIV among people who use drugs is higher than in parts of sub-Saharan Africa and unpacks the arguments and myths surrounding medication-assisted treatment (MAT) in Ukraine. What she presents in Narkomania forces us to question drug policy, its uses, and its effects on "normal" citizens. Carroll uses her findings to explore what people who use drugs can teach us about the contemporary societies emerging in post-Soviet space. With examples of how MAT has been politicized, how drug use has been tied to ideas of "good" citizenship, and how vigilantism towards people who use drugs has occurred, Narkomania details the cultural and historical backstory of the situation in Ukraine. Carroll reveals how global efforts supporting MAT in Ukraine allow the ideas surrounding MAT, drug use, and HIV to resonate more broadly into international politics and echo into the heart of the Ukrainian public.

The present work represents the second part of the study on Slavic fiefdom in Albanian (SB 350) and deals with the Slavic place names of Albania. In the center of this part are the Slavic place names: names of cities, area names and villages names of Albania, which are considered under different aspects. First, the inventory and geographic distribution for each district of Albania are determined, and then the formation types, the onymic contents, and the oldest place names are represented in their respective geographical distribution. On the basis of this work, the already published volume on the loanwords and the planned volume on the waters and field names of Albania, a reconstruction of the historical relations between Albanians and southern slaves is to be facilitated.

The relationship between climate and tourism is very close, and this connection is even more evident for tourism in coastal areas. The various impacts of climate change have long been obvious in many destinations. In addition, like all sectors, also tourism contributes to the production and emission of greenhouse gases, with devastating consequences for certain areas. Through a case study, this contribution aims to reflect on territories that are disappearing due to climate change combined with excessive tourism. A new form of tourism, known as last chance tourism, has emerged as a result. In recent decades, warming in the Mediterranean has been much faster than in the rest of the world, causing serious territorial and economic consequences. Entire areas traditionally dedicated to tourism today have to deal with a drastic decrease in the number of tourists or, in some cases, an excessive increase in them to visit places with an uncertain future..

During the fifteenth century in Italy and in Europe, craftsmen and engineers became the protagonists of an important cultural innovation. The growing literacy of technicians and the introduction of rigorous graphic codes to drawing the machines favored the consolidation of a speculative dimension of engineering which gave rise to the publication of treatises on techniques. The "culture of the machine", both military and civilian, became increasingly important in Renaissance society until the conditions were created for the consolidation of a progressive mentality. This propensity for innovation and mechanization of work led to the birth of the first offices for the protection the economic exploitation of inventions.

Interpreting the modern heritage of ‘Bildung’ in connection to education theory, this open access volume explores non-affirmative theory of education and ‘Bildung’ as a language of education for the 21st century. In this ‘Bildung’-centered view of education, discerning thought on knowledge and values are critical objectives of education. To promote these aims, education practice must recognize but not affirm existing conditions or future ideals but instead pedagogically summon the student to self-directed critical treatment of the contents. Drawing on contemporary developments of modern education theory, especially as developed by Dietrich Benner in Berlin, the volume highlight how ‘educative teaching’ aims at supporting the growth of the individual as a person and citizen. The volume shows how it is possible to identify a position beyond education either as a mere transformative or a reproductive power. Instead of such an instrumentalism, education is seen as a critical societal practice, necessary for reflexive action and democracy. In different ways, the chapters demonstrate how non-affirmative theory offer an alternative to contemporary neo-liberal and conservative policies. The non-affirmative approach offers a strong education theory, relationally connecting the interactive level of teaching, studying and learning with the societal level and educational governance. Non-affirmative theory on education and ‘Bildung’ provides an elaborate point of departure for empirical research on teaching and educational leadership, teacher education and policy making. In five sections, the volume highlights how non-affirmative education theory relate to Didaktik, educative teaching, school didactics, democratic education and social justice. The approach is also analysed in relation to phenomenology, sociology, hermeneutics, cultural-historical activity theory, discursive institutionalism, empirical research, educational leadership and governance and 21st century competencies. Chapter “On Affirmativity and Non-affirmativity in the Context of Theories of Education and Bildung” is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

With the reprint of E.V. Aničkov's "Jazyčestvo i Drevnjaja Rus'" makes a standard work accessible in general, approaching pre-Christian Russia from a very special perspective: on the one hand, it deals with the Christianization and thus the suppression of pagan culture, but on the other hand with the survival of the same Culture in the monuments of Christian times. In Cyrillic, Literaturverz. Pp. 16-25, former ed. Also as: Zapiski Istoriko-filologičeskago fakul'teta Imperatorkago S.-Peterburgskago Universiteta.

The first of two volumes dedicated to this little-explored topic, this volume gathers international perspectives to critically assess how Waldorf education has been perceived and discussed in both public and academic arenas. The book thereby challenges the historical concept of Waldorf education as an international movement championing “progressive education.” Spanning the period 1919–1955, this first volume looks at countries with a longstanding tradition of Waldorf schools: Germany, The Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, Austria, and Finland. The second volume, which covers the period 1987–2004, focuses on more recent developments in Japan, Israel, Spain, Poland, Kenya, France, Slovenia, and China. Throughout both books, over 25 leading scholars present 16 case studies spanning 14 countries to discuss the history and perception of Waldorf education in the context of respective school systems and societies. By exploring the ramifications of these case studies against the background of existing research, the books offer cutting-edge perspectives and prompts for scholarly debates for this as-yet under-researched field. This book will be of interest to researchers, scholars, and postgraduate students in international and comparative education, the theory of education, and the philosophy of education. Policy makers interested in the history of education, as well as practicing teachers and school staff at Waldorf education institutions, may also benefit from the volume.