Humanities & Social Sciences

In 2017 a conflict erupted among the Bosniaks in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was related to identity and self-image, in particular the role of Bosnian Muslims during World War II. Highly sensitive but seldom discussed issues were brought to the fore. Had not Muslim forces massacred Serb villages? Did not Croat and Muslim Ustasha kill most of the Jews in Bosnia? Why, then, regard antisemitic collaborators as national role models? Reactions varied from condemnation to arguments that Muslims acted in self-defence. Even antisemitic rhetoric appeared. There was a divide between a liberal, secular opinion and religious-national views within the ruling party or the Islamic Community. Apparently, a certain continuity existed between Muslim elites during World War II and those in power since 1990. In the 1930s, Bosnian Muslims were familiar with currents in the Middle East, the ideas of the Muslim Brotherhood and the anti-Jewish message of the Mufti of Jerusalem. The organization Young Muslims, inspired by Islamist ideas from Egypt, was violently suppressed by the Communists 1945–48, but reappeared in 1990, forming the nucleus of the Party of Democratic Action, led by Alija Izetbegović. After the war, high-level contacts with the Muslim Brothers were cordial and regular. The crisis revealed tensions between the religious foundation of Bosniak identity and the building of a modern nation. Parts of society had been nurturing a discourse of martyrdom where history had to be ignored or revised. The study deals with the conflict in recent years, as well as with the ideas of Mustafa Busuladžić and the historical context in which he was active. Besides texts by Busuladžić and his contemporaries, I have relied on Bosnian sources, as well as international research.

This open access collection deals with musical moments in film as one of the most pivotal and compelling issues of current film music research. Musical moments as defined by Amy Herzog occur when a musical number inverts the normal relationship between the image track and the soundtrack in a film in such a way that what we see is determined by what we hear. As one potential approach, this definition provokes a variety of perspectives to investigate the disruptive potential of these moments and numbers as a creative device in the production of audiovisual narratives.

The present work addresses the design of structure-preserving numerical methods that emanate from the general equation for non-equilibrium reversible-irreversible coupling (GENERIC) formalism. Novel energy-momentum (EM) consistent time-stepping schemes in the realm of molecular dynamics are proposed. Moreover, the GENERIC-based structure-preserving numerical methods are extended to the context of large-strain thermoelasticity and thermo-viscoelasticity.

In his investigation of the expansion of the cult of the “deity of the night” in Anatolia and her relationship with Ištar (Studien zu den Boğazköy-Texten 46, 259-439), J. Miller exposed the complexity of a diachronical analysis of the religious phenomenon represented by the diffusion of local “forms” or “aspects” of Ištar during the late Hittite period. However, many relevant issues concerning the role of the goddess in the Hittite dynastic pantheon, heavily influenced by Ḫurrian beliefs, and her presence in local pantheons, are still to be dealt with. As a case study, the present contribution will focus in particular on the goddess Ištar of Ḫattarina, attested together with the “Kanešite gods” Pirwa and Aškašepa in Muwatalli II’s prayer CTH 381. This unusual association may be derived from the interpretation of a local female deity traditionally defined as MUNUS.LUGAL, “queen” in Hittite local pantheons, as a form of Ištar.

How do conflicts escalate? This is one of the major questions in conflict research. To offer further answers, Richard Bösch follows a tripartite agenda: First, he develops a constructivist methodology for the study of conflict escalation embedded in a Luhmannian systems theoretical world society perspective. Bösch argues that conflicts can be observed as social systems and he looks at the process of conflict escalation by analysing communication. Second, this analysis offers two case studies: the Maidan protests in Ukraine 2013-2014 and Mali's crisis 2010-2012. Third, it gives insights on how systems theoretical research can be beneficial for Peace and Conflict Studies.

The volume, dedicated to the 44th International Conference of the Italian Union for Drawing, investigates the theme of ‘Transitions’, which particularly effectively represents our time and the current condition of the discipline of Drawing. The term, beyond its generic meaning of an intermediate stage in a process in which a condition changes from one state to another, has always been used in various fields, from music to geophysics. In fact, the disciplines of drawing have always been confronted with themes and issues relating to transitions from one condition to another. The history of representation tells us of transformations, even epochal ones, relating to ‘drawing’, with all that such transitions entail: suffice it to think of the evolution of forms of representation, of instrumental apparatuses, of the mutability of supports, of the analogical-digital transition underway, of the new modes of communication on platforms, of the hypertrophic offer of images also on the net that confirms Guy Debord’s intuitions relating to the new spectacularisation of society. Similarly, representation triggers transitions in the prefiguration and communication of design, the anticipation and foreshadowing of future events.The challenges posed by the digital pose open questions whose scope can only be glimpsed, such as the relationship between drawing and the act of modelling, and the construction of new paradigms of visual language and communication. ‘Transitions’, almost implicitly, points to possible futures, the evolution of technique and the search for new modes of expression; at the same time, however, it can suggest silences and reflections in a process of connection between history, theory, criticism and construction.

Confronting national, linguistic and disciplinary boundaries, contributors to African Archaeology Without Frontiers argue against artificial limits and divisions created through the study of ‘ages’ that in reality overlap and cannot and should not be understood in isolation. Papers are drawn from the proceedings of the landmark 14th PanAfrican Archaeological Association Congress, held in Johannesburg in 2014, nearly seven decades after the conference planned for 1951 was re-located to Algiers following the National Party’s rise to power in South Africa. Contributions by keynote speakers Chapurukha Kusimba and Akin Ogundiran encourage African archaeologists to practise an archaeology that collaborates across many related fields of study to enrich our understanding of the past. The nine papers cover a broad geographical sweep by incorporating material on ongoing projects throughout the continent including South Africa, Botswana, Cameroon, Togo, Tanzania, Kenya and Nigeria. Thematically, the papers included in the volume address issues of identity and interaction, and the need to balance cultural heritage management and sustainable development derived from a continent racked by social inequalities and crippling poverty. Edited by three leading archaeologists, the collection covers many aspects of African archaeology, and a range of periods from the earliest hominins to the historical period.

The rise in melanoma skin cancer rates from the 1950s in mostly fair-skinned populations, such as in Britain, triggered a global panic on skin cancer in the 1990s. Some countries tightened restrictions on sunbeds to lower these rates, eventually leading to outright bans. However, the British government, medical experts, and the media could not deter sunbed operators and instead focused on discouraging sunbed users. Soon, the media, endorsed by psychologists, confirmed a widespread ‘condition’ across Britain, termed either ‘sunbed addiction’ or ‘tanorexia’. This ‘disorder’ became a hot topic on new women-centred talk shows in mid-1990s Britain. As this talk show genre originated in the United States of America, it encouraged an ‘American style’ of public confession culture. Although ‘American’ openness did not resonate with expectations of the British ‘stiff upper lip’, audience members aggressively contributed when topics touched on motherhood. This reflected the unanimous consensus that mothers should be ‘selfless’ and act in the best interests of their children. As such, debates on motherhood-related topics on talk shows were double edged: mothers, as talk show guests, received both intense support and scrutiny from the public. By focusing on ‘tanorexia’, this chapter therefore demonstrates how new television genres linked to third wave feminism continued a long-standing tradition of pathologising women’s pleasure – especially if it deterred them from maternal responsibilities. By historicising and contextualising talk shows, this chapter also offers novel approaches for health historians to build on, including how to evaluate the rhetorical and emotional reactions of their subjects and audience members.

This book examines how seven major classical Islamic thinkers, from Abū Manṣūr al-Māturīdī to Taqī al-Dīn Ibn Taymiyya, developed distinctive metaphysical and theological worldviews that continue to shape how Muslims might engage questions of science and religion today. Each thinker represents a unique school within the broader Islamic intellectual tradition, from the rationalism of the Muʿtazilīs and the philosophical vision of Ibn Sīnā to the mystical cosmology of Ibn ʿArabī and the realist theology of Ibn Taymiyya. Through a shared analytic framework, the chapters present how these figures understood God, causality, nature, chance, miracles, and human uniqueness, highlighting their enduring insights and divergences. The result is a coherent and accessible comparative study that bridges classical kalām , falsafa , and Sufism with contemporary discussions in science and theology. This volume is written for researchers, educators, and students of theology, philosophy, and science and religion, and for anyone seeking to understand how classical Islamic thought can offer fresh resources for engaging contemporary science. The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

Virtual reality simulations conducted by driving simulators represent a methodology to assess both the quality of road design and road safety in a safe, controlled, and replicable environment. Nowadays, there are numerous studies that use driving simulators to analyze the driver's response when specific road safety treatments are planned before these are implemented. This approach allows the road designer/scientist to estimate the potential safety effectiveness of the countermeasure/design configuration considered. However, although virtual reality simulations are potentially extremely useful in the evaluation of road configuration design and treatments effectiveness, they also have cons. The two most important are the limitations in the reproducibility of the real world environment and the difference in drivers’ behavior due to the awareness that they are conducting a test. In this context, our research compared the data collected during virtual reality experiments with those collected in the field with an instrumented vehicle, after a few years from the implementation of the specific safety measure on a real road. Statistical analyses were conducted to compare the results of the two experiments to demonstrate the reliability of the virtual simulations and to identify the limitations

Trafülkantun is an eclectic study of the relationship between two exceptional figures around the middle of the 20th century: Pablo Garrido Vargas (1905-1982), jazz pioneer, historian of the cueca and leader for the labor rights of musicians and artists, along with Juan Curilem Millanguir (1912-1985), Mapuche intellectual descendant of the Longko family, state professor, musician and choral director, president of the political organization Unión Araucana. Their mutual work shows an unexplored collaborative, intercultural and anti-colonial power, very early for the time. The structure of the book consists of a critical study, the commented edition of five unpublished texts by both authors and seven ülkantun/ songs compiled by Curilem plus annexes.

Stannaki Forum is a research format that enables discursive exchange across different knowledge horizons. The focus is on a specific object that serves as both witness and interlocutor. The objects reflect contexts such as colonialism, enslavement, dispossession, and cultural appropriation, but also diplomacy, exile, migration, economic relations, and education. The Stannaki Forum aims to recognize these contextual entanglements and thus bring to life the diasporic histories of the 500-year-old State Collections.

In our modern secular society, theology is capturing progressively less attention and is being granted minimal importance within the wider community. Unjustly so, as this collection of essays demonstrates. On the occasion of the centenary of Radboud University (1923-2023), researchers and professors from the Faculty of Theology present a series of easily comprehensible theological insights concerning both human frailties and the greatness of humanity. Using the deadly sins and a few virtues as a guiding framework, these essays explore lighthearted the boundaries, horizons, and ambiguities of human existence. This volume combines perspectives from Biblical studies, church history, systematic theology, and practical theology to address individual challenges and societal discussions. The seven deadly sins provide food for thought on what can go wrong in individual lives and in society. The classic list of pride (superbia), greed (avaritia), envy (invidia), lust (luxuria), gluttony (gula), wrath (ira), and sluggishness (acedia) still affect us. Virtues, on the other hand, are often less actively pursued, yet they inspire us to critically observe our surroundings: love (caritas), justice (iustitia), and fairness (aequitas). These insights often draw from the rich history of Nijmegen's Faculty of Theology. Not to imply that its approach is a unique breeding ground for vices, but rather to acknowledge the joyous occasion that spurred this collection. The compilation wraps up with art-historical reflections on the images that eloquently enhance the contributions.

Chapter 10: This chapter examines sonic memories of the Armenian Genocide, drawing on survivors’ earwitness testimonies (testimonies describing auditory and sonic experiences of the Genocide). While visual evidence predominates in studies of genocide, this chapter makes the claim that sonic memory—as a site of historical, cultural, and affective knowledge, and as a type of memory that can be individually and collectively formed—can deepen our understanding of the historical aspects of genocide, as well as the social, psychological, and emotional dimensions of genocide. In relation to contested histories, attending to sonic memories can also be a form of ‘counterlistening’: listening against official narratives of genocide and, in the case of the Armenian Genocide, against the narrative of genocide denial that continues to be maintained by the Turkish state. This chapter suggests that the voices of Armenian Genocide victims—concealed and denied for over a century by Turkey—can nevertheless be excavated and listened to via the sonic memories of genocide survivors. In engaging with sonic memories, it draws on oral testimonies collected by Verjiné Svazlian, an Armenian ethnographer who walked from village to village in Soviet Armenia for a period of decades, collecting, recording, and transcribing some 700 survivors’ testimonies when it was not safe to do so. It contends with Svazlian’s original acts of counterlistening and ‘soundwalking’ and how they make possible a more shared or public form of listening today. More broadly, this chapter considers how sound and listening formed a part of the injuries as well as the violent tactics of the Armenian Genocide; and asks how listening to genocide can reshape our understanding of genocide and its effects.