Open Access Books

This book addresses a fascinating topic – a constructed language that has turned from a project into a fully-fledged language used by some of its speakers on a daily basis. Based on extensive fieldwork, this book provides rare and profound insights into the use of Esperanto in a large number of communicative areas. It studies the speakers’ use of code-switching, phraseology and metaphors, techniques they employ to enhance understanding, such as metacommunication and repair strategies, as well as their predilection for humour. The study also contributes to a comparison between the communication in Esperanto and in the language that is now predominantly used as a lingua franca – English – and allows conclusions to be drawn on the question of what a lingua franca is all about.

Despite notable legal and policy advancements in post-colonial Africa, unsafe abortion remains a pressing public health concern. Abortion Law Reform in Africa: A Reproductive Health and Rights Perspective, spearheaded by the late Professor Charles Ngwena, offers a vital and timely examination of this ongoing challenge. This collection of essays moves beyond a mere analysis of legal texts, unpacking the deep-rooted barriers that continue to limit access to safe abortion services in Africa. The authors critically assess the real-world impact of current reforms, highlighting their shortcomings in providing accessible, rights-based care. They offer concrete strategies aimed at strengthening legal and policy frameworks to promote reproductive autonomy, improve reproductive health outcomes, and advance gender equality for women and girls confronting unwanted pregnancies. Through a compelling exploration of how restrictive laws push countless women towards unsafe procedures – often with fatal or debilitating consequences – the volume underscores that meaningful reform demands more than legislative change. It calls for addressing the broader social, economic, and cultural determinants that restrict access to abortion care. By advocating for the implementation of progressive instruments such as the African Women’s Protocol, this book stands as a powerful call to action for African policymakers and stakeholders to facilitate access to safe abortion care services. It urges the adoption of comprehensive and transformative measures that can truly secure women’s rights to safe abortion and prevent needless suffering and death.

L'association pour le développement de l'histoire culturelle (ADHC) est née, en 1999, du constat de la place croissante, en même temps que problématique, de l'histoire culturelle dans l'historiographie contemporaine. Revendiquée par les uns, dénoncée par les autres, cette place méritait l'institution d'un lieu de rencontres où tous ceux qui se reconnaissent dans cette qualification pourraient échanger sur le fond et sur la forme de leur travail. L'association a tenu son premier congrès en 2000. Au terme d'une décennie et plus d'activité, il était temps de tirer le bilan et, comme il se doit, de tracer de nouvelles perspectives. Cette anthologie des conférences et tables rondes organisées dans le cadre du congrès annuel de l'association propose un panorama unique en son genre des propositions avancées par l'histoire culturelle en France et, dans une moindre mesure, à l'étranger depuis dix ans. Regroupés en sections thématiques (définitions et frontières, objets, regards et transferts, débats), ces textes rédigés par d'éminents spécialistes venus de divers horizons (historiens, sociologues, philosophes, historiens de l'art ou de la littérature) donnent à voir à la fois la permanence de certains questionnements et leur renouvellement.

Este livro é o estudo de uma anomalia. É o alerta que Margaret Keck faz logo no início do livro. Porque a existência do Partido dos Trabalhadores é uma completa irregularidade e anormalidade no âmbito do sistema partidário brasileiro e na história política brasileira. Pela primeira vez, um partido podia se reivindicar uma presença sólida na classe operária e propor um programa que traduzisse com clareza essa representação. [trecho retirado do prefácio do livro]

Spitzentechnologien wie künstliche Intelligenzen oder Blockchains bringen Max Webers These von der Herrschaft kraft Wissen ins Wanken. Wir können diese modernen Regulierungsobjekte nicht mehr abschließend verstehen und sind als Juristen und Juristinnen dennoch verpflichtet, diese Erscheinungen durch Rechtsetzung und Rechtsanwendung zu regulieren. In der Soziologie herrscht insoweit Einigkeit. Staatliche Regulierung wird nicht mehr durch das Wissen, sondern primär durch das Nichtwissen der staatlichen Akteure bedingt. Die soziologische Theorie hat weiter erkannt, dass wir durch Vertrauen das eigene Nichtwissen überwinden können. Indem wir etwa ein Medikament einnehmen, vertrauen wir instinktiv darauf, dass andere Menschen mit einschlägigem Wissen die Sicherheit des Medikaments gewährleisten. Johannes Robert Blöcher importiert diesen soziologischen Gedanken vom Vertrauen als Wissensäquivalent in den rechtlichen Diskurs und zeigt anhand der Blockchain-basierten Wertpapierabwicklung, wie moderne Regulierungspraxis längst auf Vertrauen beruht und welchen praktischen Nutzen diese Einsicht hat.

Les relations scientifiques et technologiques entre l'Afrique et l'Europe ont une histoire longue, dynamique et parfois en dents de scie, qui traduit une certaine complexité en termes d'intérêts et de stratégies aux niveaux national, régional et international. Ce livre traite de la coopération dans le domaine de la recherche appliquée, en quête de solutions face aux défis sociétaux communs. Ainsi aborde-t-il quatre défis majeurs. Premièrement, fournir un aperçu compréhensible du paysage mondial des politiques de recherche et d'innovation dans lequel le partenariat stratégique Afrique-Europe fonctionne actuellement. Deuxièmement, procéder à une analyse critique des divers réseaux et organisations qui soutiennent, permettent et renforcent la coopération bi-régionale en matière de sciences, technologies et innovation [STI]. Troisièmement, éclairer les résultats et l'impact de certaines initiatives réelles des entreprises opérant dans le domaine de la STI. Quatrièmement, présenter une série de leçons claires susceptibles d'appuyer les futurs efforts de coopération entre l'Afrique et l'Europe en matière de STI.

Agronomic efficiency and management of environmental P inputs can be improved by understanding soil-phosphorus interaction. Iron oxides and other clay minerals, P forms, and P sorption in young alluvial and weathered residual soils were determined. Phosphorus retention related to crystallinity and phase distribution of iron oxides. CBD and oxalate extractable iron and aluminum and smectite and kaolinite explained 90% variation while soil CaCO3 role was only insignificant in explaining P sorption.

The partnership between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the People’s Republic of China presents a unique challenge to U.S. interests and objectives, including dissuading Iran from developing a nuclear weapons capability. This paper examines factors driving Chinese-Iranian cooperation, potential tensions in the Chinese-Iranian partnership, and U.S. policy options for influencing this partnership to meet U.S. objectives.

The Theory of Oral Composition presents the first history of the new field of oral-formulaic theory, which arose from the pioneering research of Milman Parry and Albert Lord on the Homeric poems. From their studies an interdisciplinary field of research and scholarship has emerged that draws on the methods of literary studies, folklore, anthropology, and linguistics. Foley examines the roots of oral-formulaic theory in nineteenth-century philology and anthropology, documents the contributions of Parry and Lord, measures the effect of Lord's comparative extensions through the impact of The Singer of Tales, and considers important recent contributions. A select bibliography of more than 700 items and a subject-author index enhance the scholarly usefulness of this study.

This eBook is a collection of articles from a Frontiers Research Topic. Frontiers Research Topics are very popular trademarks of the Frontiers Journals Series: they are collections of at least ten articles, all centered on a particular subject. With their unique mix of varied contributions from Original Research to Review Articles, Frontiers Research Topics unify the most influential researchers, the latest key findings and historical advances in a hot research area! Find out more on how to host your own Frontiers Research Topic or contribute to one as an author by contacting the Frontiers Editorial Office: frontiersin.org/about/contact

This book explores the mechanisms and elements of populism to develop new theoretical and methodological approaches. Much as populism has been researched, it remains a contested notion without coherent definition and methodology and shaped by dimensions such as ideology, communication style, discourse, mobilization, and organization. It has simultaneously mobilized emotions, produced symbols, affected subjectivity and gender relations, and can manifest itself in different ways and appear in hybrid forms, such as in the cases of Silvio Berlusconi, Hugo Chávez, and Donald Trump. International expert contributors explore how such a variety of phenomena can be explained and analyzed, expanding the scope of populism research by proposing a multidimensional and complex understanding of populism. They argue for a greater epistemological differentiation and propose a methodology that integrates different fields of politics. This complex approach makes it possible to analyze populism as a multifaceted phenomenon and to understand how populisms affect politics and society. Aimed at postgraduates and researchers in populism as well as scholars in political science and sociology, media, communication, cultural, gender, and global studies, the volume also contributes to a better understanding of manifestations of right-wing and authoritarian populism in the twenty-first century.

Ecotheology - Sustainability and Religions of the World gives a very interesting overview of the frontiers of scientific research in this important multi- and transdisciplinary area. Its chapters use ecotheological approaches to discuss the multiple aspects of an environmental crisis from almost every segment of our planet. This book will be very useful for everyone – researchers, teachers, students, or others interested in the field – who would like to gain some insights into this aspect of our culture.

The growing interdependence of the local and the global demand innovative approaches to human development. Such approaches, the author argues, ought to be based on the emerging ethics of global intelligence, defined as the ability to understand, respond to, and work toward what will benefit all human beings and will support and enrich all life on this planet. As no national or supranational authority can predefine or predetermine it, global intelligence involves long-term, collective learning processes and can emerge only from continuing intercultural research, dialogue, and cooperation. In this book, the author elaborates the basic principles of a new field of intercultural studies, oriented toward global intelligence. He proposes concrete research and educational programs that would help create intercultural learning environments designed to stimulate sustainable human development throughout the world.

Der vorliegende Sammelband enthält insgesamt sieben Beiträge zu Informations- und Planungsproblemen in den vier öffentlichen Aufgabenbereichen: Gesundheitswesen, neuere Infrastrukturen, Wohnungsmarktpolitik und Rundfunksystem. Die hier ausgewählten Gebiete, bei denen das Schwergewicht auf Allokationsproblemen im Gesundheitswesen liegt, beinhalten vor allem im Hinblick auf Informationsverarbeitung, Zielbildung und Outputmessung eine Vielzahl noch weitgehend ungelöster Probleme. Daneben stehen diese Aufgabenbereiche derzeit in starkem Masse im Rampenlicht der öffentlichen Diskussion. Teilweise befinden sie sich auch, ausgelöst durch den technischen Fortschritt oder aufgrund geänderter wirtschaftspolitischer Konzeptionen, bereits im Umbruch.