Humanities & Social Sciences

The Tripolye phenomenon, which displays a specific artefact complex and an extraordinary settlement layout, is also known for its so-called ‘mega sites’. Five of the largest ‘mega’ or giant settlements measure between 150-320 ha in size. These, and other big settlements, are concentrated in the Sinyukha River Basin, which is a central part of modern Ukraine. In this region, more than 100 different Tripolye sites are known. The chronology of this region is the key to understanding not only the ‘mega-site’ phenomenon, but also the dynamics of spatial development within the Tripolye phenomenon in general. The central issue of this study focusses on the reconstruction of the Tripolye chronology in the Sinyukha Basin and its surrounding areas, including the chronology of individual mega-sites, the periodization of spatial Tripolye distribution, the development of ceramic styles, the lifetime of individual sites, and Tripolye settlements in time and space. Special attention is paid to the ceramics as one of the main sources for typo-chronologies. The obtained results provide a new view on the appearance, functions and the end of Tripolye, in general, and of large sites in particular.

Extreme Cinema examines the highly stylized treatment of sex and violence in post-millennial transnational cinema, where the governing convention is not the narrative but the spectacle.

Are you curious about the contributions of the Islamic intellectual heritage to the field of psychology? Psychological Themes in the Classical Islamic Literature provides a captivating window into the rich Islamic scholarly tradition as it pertains specifically to human psychology. This book brings together carefully selected, translated, and annotated segments from classical Islamic texts that address enduring questions in psychology. Explore topics like the admissibility and validity of diverse sources of knowledge, the nature of the human psyche and human drives, the mind-body problem, nature versus nurture, dreams, emotions, psychological resilience, and well-being. Discover how Islamic scholars tackled these profound issues generations before their Euro-American counterparts, offering a unique and sophisticated perspective that can enrich modern psychological discourse. Whether a student, scholar, or practitioner, this book is your gateway to appreciating psychology in Islam

Model-based methods are increasingly being used for a safe and efficient operation of battery cells. For modeling battery cells, fractional models which are characterized by non-integer derivative orders have become established due to their electrochemical interpretability. In this work, methods for parameter and derivative order identification of fractional systems are derived without restriction with respect to the excitation at the begin of identification.

This open access book focuses on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on well-being, happiness and quality of life, taking into account the mediating effects of social inequalities. The volume brings together and into dialogue the different experiences and perspectives of countries and researchers from the Global North and South. Expert scholars from across the world have analyzed empirical data to reveal how the restrictions associated with the pandemic interrupted lives and livelihoods, and how different socio-economic groups and classes have been differently affected by the crisis. The chapters coalesce around four themes: the impact of COVID-19 on subjective well-being, life satisfaction and happiness in a comparative and longitudinal perspective; the impact of COVID-19 on employment and workers’ well-being; sociability, civic participation and solidarity during COVID-19; and the impact of COVID-19 on children’s and youths’ well-being. Engaging with contemporary theoretical debates on well-being, happiness and quality of life, this volume is of interest to scholars working on well-being, happiness and quality of life, global and cross-national studies, the social impact of COVID-19, and on social and economic change.

European and global early childhood education and care (ECEC) systems face a paradox. Although ECEC is widely recognised as crucial for children’s development and for advancing equity—especially for disadvantaged families—major challenges remain. Access to ECEC remains unequal, with many children from low-income or migrant backgrounds facing exclusion. At the same time, ECEC professionals often work in poorer conditions than other education and care staff, and Europe faces a growing shortage of qualified workers. Debates about the role of gender in care sectors also remain unresolved. This book is the result of the Erasmus+ KA2 project EDUFIRST, which responds to this situation by learning from innovative practices in Barcelona, Milan and Tampere. Coordinated by the University of Vic (Barcelona), the project promotes a responsive, global ECEC approach that intertwines policy, institutional and pedagogical dimensions. Its aim is to strengthen inclusion, equity, community participation and climate justice while supporting municipalities in improving local systems and advancing the EU Child Guarantee.

Japanese cinema has commonly been studied through the contributions of major directors and actors, its various genres, and, more recently, by audience engagement. This monograph adopts an alternative viewpoint, focusing on the significant yet overlooked role of scriptwriters in the filmmaking process and in the popular imagination during the peak of the studio system between the 1930s and 1960s. Simultaneously, it examines the role and function of a new type of readership, equipped with specific intermedial skills, facilitated by the wide and continuous availability of film scenarios. The monograph is structured into three main parts. The first part provides an analysis of the evolution of the textual format of the Japanese film scenario, emphasising the transformative period that coincided with the advent of sound cinema and tracing the development of the standard master-scene script. It also outlines the field of scenario publishing and demonstrates how the serialisation of film scripts in various periodicals, and their subsequent anthologising, functioned as a site for canon formation. An examination of the standardised use of the manuscript paper (genkō yōshi) in scriptwriting traces the implications arising from its medium specificity as a hybrid modern writing device. The second part shifts the focus to the act of reading scripts and discusses the concerted efforts of the Shinario bungaku undō (Scenario Literature Movement) to establish the scenario as a distinct entity within the literary field. It delineates several topics that emerged in course of the debate, including the scenario’s autonomous status, its role in inviting new talent from outside the industry, and its archival capacity for film preservation. It also examines the unique faculties and skills required from readers of the scenario form, and discusses various examples and functions of readership, including film criticism by Itami Mansaku. The final part is dedicated to exploring the social and spatial conditions of scriptwriting. It highlights how the perceived critical status and privileged writing environment have projected a particular image of the writers and their creative processes. A discussion of the collaborative writing space, as exemplified by the jōyado (regular inn), is further complicated by the introduction of gender in scriptwriting and contributions of several female writers. Finally, an examination of script scouting practises that characterise Japanese scriptwriting, and Mizuki Yōko’s work in particular, addresses the extent of scriptwriter’s agency and authorial status. In conclusion, this book provides a multi-faceted exploration of the role of scriptwriters in Japanese cinema, highlighting their significant contributions and the complexities of their craft. As such, this study offers a fresh perspective on some of the reasons behind the international success of Japanese film since the 1950s, arguing for a more nuanced understanding that fully acknowledges the collaborative nature of filmmaking and the diversity of audience reception through cinema’s textual means.

Ezra Pound, T. S. Eliot, and Wyndham Lewis have all, to varying degrees, been the subject of studies that explore their ideology. All too often, however, these studies have not tackled the issue adequately, limiting their analytical approach to fascism or other phenomena such as anti-Semitism. Frequently, they have also sought to exculpate these writers or to normalise their political tendencies in an effort to circumnavigate the dilemma of how to address the paradox of right-wing artists who are both harbingers and opponents of the imagined trajectory of progressive modernity. This interdisciplinary study analyses the connections between literary Modernism and right-wing ideology. Moreover, it is the first academic study to explore the reception of these Modernist authors by today's far right, seeking to understand in what ways they use strategic readings of Modernist texts to legitimise right-wing ideology. By raising fundamental questions about the relationship between aesthetics and politics, this study ultimately challenges its readers to see their cultural practices as political. It wants to make visible and problematize the interdependencies of right-wing ideology and cultural production as well as reception in order to explain the (far) Right as a phenomenon deeply rooted in European history and cultural development. It thus lays bare the misconceptions, the gaps as well as the complicity in the debate about right-wing ideology in literature.

People around the world recollect socially responsible and desirable values, new forms of living and coexistence as well as eco-social economic activities. This volume is dedicated to these real utopias –positive ideas aiming at a better future and practical approaches combining notions of a more livable society with concrete practical implementations.

A mixture of NaF-KF-UF4 eutectic and NaF-KF-TRUF3 eutectic containing heavy elements as much as 2.8 g/cc makes a fast-spectrum molten salt reactor based upon the U-Pu cycle available without a blanket. It does not object breeding but a stable operation without fissile makeup under practical contingencies. It is highly integrated with online dry chemical processes based on “selective oxide precipitation” to create a U-Pu cycle to provide as low as 0.01% leakage of TRU and nominated as the FFMSR. This certifies that the radiotoxicity of HLW for 1500 effective full power days (EFPD) operation can be equivalent to 405 tons of depleted uranium after 500 years cooling without Partition and Transmutation (P&T). A certain amount of U-TRU mixture recovered from LWR spent fuel is loaded after the initial criticality until U-Pu equilibrium but the fixed amount of 238U only thereafter. The TRU inventory in an FFMSR stays at an equilibrium perpetually. Accumulation of spent fuel of an LWR for 55 years should afford to start up the identical thermal capacity of FFMSR and to keep operation hypothetically until running out of 238U. Full deployment of the FFMSR should make the entire fuel cycle infrastructures needless except the HLW disposal site.

This book is the first volume of two edited collections that critically assess the historical and contemporary processes that have shaped the formation and transformation of the African university. It provides general perspectives, reflections, and a selection of case studies from different regions and higher education systems, highlighting the vibrant debates on the social and institutional life of universities in Africa. The chapters assembled here capture the rich experiences, strategies, and analyses of students, lecturers, researchers, and administrators, showcasing the university as a dynamic lived experience. Contributors are: Kasturi Behari-Leak, Eli Bitzer, Destin Feutseu Dassi, David Kaldewey, Patrício V. Langa, Laetus O.K. Lategan, Elisio Macamo, Teboho Moja, Mariah Mosomi, Bakheit Mohammed Nur, Lerato Posholi, Leonie Schoelen and Cecilé Swart.

Zu den besonderen Schätzen der Göttinger Universitätskunstsammlung gehören 129 Zeichnungen auf 92 Blatt sowie drei Skizzenbücher von Eduard Bendemann (1811-1889). Kulturell vielseitig vernetzt, war dieser Künstler einer der bedeutendsten Vertreter der Düsseldorfer Malerschule und sorgte gerade in den 1830er und 40er Jahren mit seinen Gemälden europaweit für großes Aufsehen. Der umfangreiche Göttinger Bendemann-Bestand wird hier erstmals vollständig in einem Katalog vorgestellt, der zugleich als Begleitband zu einer Ausstellung dieser Werke fungiert. Einen Großteil der hier präsentierten Zeichnungen schuf Bendemann als vorbereitende Studien zu komplexen Historienbildern. Vor den Gemälden: Eduard Bendemann zeichnet – unter diesem Motto gewähren Katalog und Ausstellung Einblicke in die faszinierende Welt akademischer Komponierpraxis des 19. Jahrhunderts und führen zugleich in deren historische und (kunst-)politische Grundlagen ein. Sie widmen sich einer Zeit, die von fundamentalen Umbrüchen, aber auch einem nahezu unerschütterlichen Vertrauen in die Wirkung von Kunst geprägt wurde.

Gegenstand dieser Open Access Publikation sind die Auswirkungen automatisierter und vernetzter Fahrzeuge auf die Europäische Stadt sowie die Voraussetzungen, unter denen diese Technologie einen positiven Beitrag zur Stadtentwicklung leisten kann. Dabei vertreten die Autorinnen und Autoren zwei Thesen, die im wissenschaftlichen Diskurs bislang wenig Beachtung fanden: Automatisierte und vernetzte Fahrzeuge werden sich für lange Zeit nicht in allen Teilräumen der Stadt durchsetzen. Dies hat zur Folge, dass bislang angenommene Wirkungen - von der Verkehrssicherheit bis zur Verkehrsleistung sowie räumliche Effekte - neu bewertet werden müssen. Um einen positiven Beitrag dieser Technologie zur Mobilität der Zukunft sicherzustellen, müssen verkehrs- und siedlungspolitische Regulationen weiterentwickelt werden. Etablierte territoriale, institutionelle und organisatorische Grenzen sind zeitnah zu hinterfragen. Trotz oder wegen der bestehenden großen Unsicherheiten befinden wir uns am Beginn einer Phase des Gestaltens - in der Technologieentwicklung, aber eben auch in der Politik, Stadtplanung, Verwaltung und der Zivilgesellschaft. Die Autorinnen und Autoren Ein interdisziplinäres Team an der Fakultät für Architektur und Raumplanung der TU Wien hat die vorliegenden Forschungsergebnisse gemeinsam erarbeitet. Das Projekt wurde als Ladenburger Kolleg von der Daimler und Benz Stiftung gefördert.

Martin Luther`s Theses against indulgences (1517) provided the impetus for the Reformation. This volume examines the context of this epochal moment against the backdrop of the extensive campaigns against indulgences that had roiled Church life over the previous two centuries. The essays explore theological, canonical, societal, economic, and cultural aspects of the sale of indulgences in the Late Middle Ages.

This is a political biography of the French industrialist and political activist Jacques Lemaigre Dubreuil (1894-1955), president of the Taxpayers' Federation in the 1930s, entrepreneur in wartime France and Africa, organizer of the 'Group of Five' in Algiers which prepared for the Allied landings in North Africa (November 1942), 'inventor' of General Henri Giraud as a candidate for the leadership of liberated North and West Africa, negotiator of the Murphy-Giraud Agreements and the Anfa Memorandum with President Roosevelt (1942 and 1943), political writer on the postwar future of France in Morocco and the owner of the liberal newspaper Maroc-Presse. He was assassinated in Casablanca by French counter-terrorists in June 1955, a 'turning point' event which pushed the French government to grant independence to Morroco. Was he a rabble-rouser, a demagogue, a betrayer of French interests at home and overseas or a reformer, a patriot, a hero of the anti-German resistance, and a champion of Franco-Moroccan solidarity?