Open Access Books

Il presente volume propone una rilettura spaziale di alcune delle opere di quattro grandi autrici del XX secolo: Maria Aurèlia Capmany, Natalia Ginzburg, Elsa Morante e Mercè Rodoreda. Analizzati singolarmente o in prospettiva comparata, i testi raccolti sollecitano una riflessione sulla rappresentazione dello spazio nella letteratura prodotta da donne. Fulcro dell’indagine è la contrapposizione dinamica che, al momento della percezione, si instaura tra la dimensione ‘interna’, e dunque soggettiva, e la dimensione ‘esterna’, regolata dal contesto sociale in cui le protagoniste si muovono. La città e la casa: la chiusura e l’apertura, la fissità e il propagarsi delle direzioni…

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.

In the modern multi-linguistic concept of Belarus culture, neo-latin poetry represents an important component. The inclusion in the 1960s of the Latinist poet Nikolai Gusovskij, alongside other Renaissance poets, in Belarusian literature contributed to the growth of the national consciousness of the Russified and Sovietized Belarusians. However, the first translations of The Poem of the Bison in Belarusian and Russian, which showed clear signs of a tendentiousness aimed at adapting the text to the socio-political situation of Soviet times, remain canonical, despite the presence of new translations.

This is an open access title available under the terms of a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 License. It is free to read, download and share on Elgaronline, thanks to generous funding support from the Cyprus Research and Innovation Foundation (CULTURE/AWARD-YR/0322 B/0002). In this authoritative book, Ioanna Hadjiyianni and Kleoniki Pouikli incisively map out the regulatory landscape of ship recycling, exploring the main international and European regulatory approaches that govern its environmental impacts. In light of the transnational demands of environmental justice, they critically assess the interaction between multiple regimes from the perspective of key environmental principles and the EU’s attempts to steer regulatory developments in this field.

Tout en s’inscrivant dans le cadre général de la réflexion sur le rapport entre esthétique et éthique dans des pièces de théâtre où est abordé un sujet politique, l’ambition de ce volume est de dépasser une approche qui regarde les œuvres sous l’angle exclusif de l’engagement ou du désengagement. Il fait, à cette fin, le pari de l’ouverture à d’autres périodes et d’autres champs culturels, proposant, en complémentarité, quelques études sur des théâtres politiques de jadis et d’ailleurs. Chemin faisant, les articles soulèvent la question de l’acceptabilité du politique au théâtre. Dans quelle mesure le public est-il prêt à entendre un « sens politique » derrière ce qui se livre parfois comme un innocent divertissement, quelles sont les époques ou les conjonctures où il se montre plus ou moins volontaire pour coopérer à son avènement ? Si les articles ne proposent pas, à proprement parler, d’études culturelles, ou des analyses des mentalités explicitant les raisons pour lesquelles le « politique » entre plus ou moins dans un horizon d’attente donné, ils apportent des informations sur la façon dont les auteurs abordés perçoivent eux-mêmes (et se positionnent par rapport à) cet implicite de la relation théâtrale. Certains travaux décrivent ainsi des stratégies de légitimation des sujets politiques, surtout dans les situations où la contrainte du pouvoir rend l’exercice dangereux. D’autres décryptent la volonté ou le génie de certains auteurs de ne pas être, politiquement, exactement là où le public attend que le texte se place. Tous dessinent un ensemble plus riche en lignes de fuite qu’en lignes de force, ouvrant des champs dans lesquels le lecteur poussera, en fonction de ses intérêts, ses propres explorations.

Thanks to recent progress in biotechnology, surrogacy, transplantation of organs and tissues, blood products or stem-cell and gamete banks are now widely used throughout the world. These techniques improve the health and well-being of some human beings using products or functions that come from the body of others. Growth in demand and absence of an appropriate international legal framework have led to the development of a lucrative global trade in which victims are often people living in insecure conditions who have no other ways to survive than to rent or sell part of their body. This growing market, in which parts of the human body are bought and sold with little respect for the human person, displays a kind of dehumanization that looks like a new form of slavery. This book is the result of a collective and multidisciplinary reflection organized by a group of international researchers working in the field of medicine and social sciences. It helps better understand how the emergence of new health industries may contribute to the development of a global medical tourism. It opens new avenues for reflection on technologies that are based on appropriation of parts of the body of others for health purposes, a type of practice that can be metaphorically compared to cannibalism. Are these the fi rst steps towards a proletariat of men- and women-objects considered as a reservoir of products of human origin needed to improve the health or well-being of the better-off? The book raises the issue of the uncontrolled use of medical advances that can sometimes reach the anticipations of dystopian literature and science fiction.

The documents from the Ḥaram al-sharīf in Jerusalem constitute one of the most important corpora from the pre-Ottoman Middle East covering broad areas of social, political, cultural and economic history. The first documents from the Ḥaram al-sharīf in Jerusalem were discovered in the 1970s and described by Donald Little (Catalogue of the Islamic Documents, Beirut/Wiesbaden 1984). In recent years, approximately 100 new documents have been discovered that are described in this catalogue. This catalogue sets the new corpus in relation to the ‘old’ corpus and highlights its potential for future scholarship. The main part is a description of all documents, including size, materiality, summary, editions of beginning/end of document as well as a list of personal names, place names and names of witnesses. The volume also includes the edition of ten fascinating documents (five Persian, five Arabic) with high-quality reproductions of the originals. Finally, the volume includes a list of all Ḥaram al-sharīf documents edited so far. ; The documents from the Ḥaram al-sharīf in Jerusalem constitute one of the most important corpora from the pre-Ottoman Middle East covering broad areas of social, political, cultural and economic history. The first documents from the Ḥaram al-sharīf in Jerusalem were discovered in the 1970s and described by Donald Little (Catalogue of the Islamic Documents, Beirut/Wiesbaden 1984). In recent years, approximately 100 new documents have been discovered that are described in this catalogue. This catalogue sets the new corpus in relation to the ‘old’ corpus and highlights its potential for future scholarship. The main part is a description of all documents, including size, materiality, summary, editions of beginning/end of document as well as a list of personal names, place names and names of witnesses. The volume also includes the edition of ten fascinating documents (five Persian, five Arabic) with high-quality reproductions of the originals. Finally, the volume includes a list of all Ḥaram al-sharīf documents edited so far.

Richard Hofstadter's thesis of Anti-intellectualism in American Life, first published in 1963, is now widely used as a compelling explanation for the resurgence of populism. This anthology subjects Hofstadter's historical master narrative to rigorous scrutiny. It uses examples of epochs, social groups and problems that are constitutive for Hofstadter's interpretation of U.S. history. From an interdisciplinary perspective, the authors examine the complex of anti-/intellectualism with regard to political practice, the construction of ethnic identity, the significance of gender and religion. The protagonists are gentlemen scholars, social climbers, U.S. presidents, immigrants, educated women, journalists, talk show hosts, religious communities and their leaders - and, of course, Hofstadter himself. Two questions come to the fore: What is the book’s enduring legacy beyond current political issues? And can the book be the key to understanding the present that some claim it is?

This volume, Photochemical Pioneers: Feature Papers in Photochemistry Volumes I & II, highlights the most recent groundbreaking research in the field of photochemistry. By bringing together a diverse collection of seminal works, we aim to take readers on a path that sheds light on the interactions between light and matter, showcasing the direct impact of photochemical processes on various scientific disciplines. The papers included in this compilation delve into the fundamental mechanisms of light-induced molecular transformations, exploring their applications in organic synthesis, environmental science, materials science, and medical therapies. This collection is intended for researchers and students interested in the fields of chemistry, physics, materials science, and environmental science.

Neben der Zeitschrift Wiener Slawistischer Almanach erscheinen seit 1980 auch 2-3 Mal jährlich Sonderbände (seither 94 Ausgaben) mit literaturwissenschaftlichem oder linguistischem Schwerpunkt. Die literarische Reihe umfasst Monographien oder Tagungsbeiträge aus allen Bereichen der aktuellen slavischen Literaturwissenschaft und weit darüber hinaus (Medientheorie, Kulturwissenschaft, Literaturkritik). Die Beiträge oder Monographien erscheinen in der Regel in deutscher, russischer oder endlischer Sprache. Publikationsvorschläge an [email protected]

Gesellschaftsformen bilden die Essenz des Gesellschaftsrechts. Der vorliegende Band untersucht, welche Bereicherungen das Rechtsformentableau in jüngerer Zeit erfahren hat. Als Untersuchungsgegenstand dienen ihm rund 20 ausgewählte Rechtsformneuschöpfungen aus dem In- und Ausland, deren Entstehen und Entwicklung im Einzelnen aufbereitet werden. Wichtige Leitfragen lauten: Wann und warum haben Reformgesetzgeber neue Gesellschaftsformen eingeführt? Von wem stammte die Anregung zu ihrer Einführung? In welcher Hinsicht unterscheiden sie sich von den traditionellen gesellschaftsrechtlichen Gussformen? Wie haben sie sich seither im nationalen und internationalen Rechtsformenwettbewerb behauptet? Durch diese akribischen Einzelstudien entsteht ein facettenreiches Bild des Ideenreichtums in- und ausländischer Reformgesetzgeber mitsamt ihren Wegbereitern aus Unternehmenspraxis, Anwaltschaft, Notariat, Rechtspolitik und Rechtswissenschaft.

In this edited book we are compelled to think about the convergences between the technological advances made possible by lockdowns brought on by the Covid-19 Pandemic and increased 4IR use in the South African context. The insights presented in this edited volume make a case that transformation of higher education scholarship cannot happen without making space for historically excluded knowers, thinking differently about historically marginalized knowledges and by constantly grappling with new developments and how they facilitate or encumber the transformation project. Consequently, Transforming Higher Education Scholarship After Covid-19 and in the Context of the 4th Industrial Revolution does a good job of illustrating how shifts towards the advancement of 4IR in the South African Higher Education sector impacted the transformation trajectory. In their efforts to reimagine universities in Africa into African universities the authors in this edited volume grapple with how race and gender intersect in making the experiences of Black women in the South African academy untenable. The chapters also contend for the significance of pluriversal knowledges by making a case for the place of Indigenous Knowledges Systems in building African universities. As we grapple with the changes the 4IR has on the world and the teaching and learning landscape, some of the chapters in this volume make a compelling argument for thinking both from a critical perspective about what the challenges the developments coming out of these technologies mean for South Africa and the continent as well as what possibilities for positive impact these tools bring. Transforming Higher Education Scholarship After Covid-19 and in the Context of the 4th Industrial Revolution, is timely and makes an important contribution to higher education transformation discourses.

Collected here are the abstracts of the speeches delivered by the participants at the 24th International Congress of Byzantine Studies in the different sessions divided into Free Communications, Thematic Sessions, Round Tables, and Posters. Please refer to the Congress website for an overview of the programme: https://byzcongress2022.org/programme/.

Fiji, Solomon Islands and the wider Pacific region are experiencing a 'youth bulge'. As such, the livelihoods pathways of youth in these countries will be a key determinant of their social, political and economic futures. This book looks at the cultural expectations of Fijian and Solomon Islander youth, as well as the socio-political positioning of youth activists. It investigates how formal and informal structures – such as education, employment and civil society – affect the ability of youth to achieve their potential and actively engage in their societies. Through this investigation, a recurrent theme develops of the structural minimisation of youth in these countries: they are ‘to be seen but not heard’. But Pacific youth are more than citizens in waiting; they are already important members of their communities, with varying degrees of engagement in critical civil society. More than simply leaders of tomorrow, they are partners for today. Youth in Fiji and Solomon Islands documents and details some of the ways that young people in Fiji and Solomon Islands are forging their way as leaders not just of youth, but of their communities. Whilst the majority of youth are engaging in society in acceptable, social ascribed ways, and the majority of adults resist youth participation as a technique to maintain the social status quo, a small but influential cohort of both youth and adults are creating spaces for today’s young people to help to shape the developmental futures of the Great Ocean States of the Pacific.

This book provides an in-depth explanation of public pension plan management and the decision-making processes surrounding pension policies within state and local governments in the United States. It addresses the intricate balance between securing retirement benefits for public employees and ensuring the fiscal sustainability of pension systems and their sponsoring governments. The book begins with an introduction to the purpose and significance of public pension systems, establishing a foundation for understanding key pension decisions. Using a logic model framework, the authors assess how environmental factors, stakeholders, and legal constraints shape decisions in pension management. The book identifies five core goals for public pension management — benefit sufficiency, cost affordability, funding sustainability, asset management efficiency, and governance quality — emphasizing the relationships among these objectives. Detailed chapters cover investment policies, actuarial processes, and the design of benefits and contributions, explaining the financial and actuarial bases necessary for sound pension decisions. Pension reform efforts, including the transition from defined benefit plans to defined contribution, cash-balance, and hybrid plans, are examined in depth, highlighting the reasons for reforms and analyzing their impacts on the employees and employers. The book concludes with ten takeaways for effective pension plan management and addresses emerging challenges such as fiscal pressures, inflation, and changing demographics. With practical implications grounded in research, this book serves as an essential resource for pension board members, pension system administrators, government officials, legislators and their staff, professionals, researchers, and students involved in public pension plan management.