Research report on Transylvanian traces in Starchiojd commune, Prahova county

Festivals have increasingly become a significant tool for economic development through both tourism and the re-imaging and re-branding of cities and regions as modern cultural centers. To understand the issues and challenges of festival tourism events, it is important to know the historical and geographical context in which they occur. Conceptually, the historical context can be viewed through the degree to which an event has a vernacular indigenous origin or is newly created. The geographical context, on the other hand, reflects the degree to which a festival is defined by the place in which it occurs or is more global in its thematic orientation. A contextual framework for festival tourism that takes these two factors into account results in four types of festival events: Local Heritage Festivals, Local Contemporary Festivals, National Heritage Festivals, and Global Contemporary Festivals. These four festival types face issues related to their local identity, uniqueness, liminality, and authenticity. The contextual framework for festival tourism is applied to the current situation of rapid festival development in China, with recommendations that Chinese event managers need to focus more on historically and geographically meaningful themes developed in partnership with local populations if they want to ensure an event's long-term success.

Editorial Introduction

In her formative work, The Power of Place: Urban Landscapes as Public History, Dolores Hayden (1995) argued convincingly for the inevitable connection between the natural environment of a location and the people who occupy it. The U.S. Overseas Research Centers (ORCs) are the very embodiment of Hayden's power of place—a space for people, foreigners and locals, to engage in a single location. For over a century, the ORCs have been the primary setting where American researchers in the humanities and social sciences and in-country scholars, students, and locals meet each other and foster the seeds of collaboration. In so doing, not only are these places key incubation areas for academic knowledge production, but also nodes of heritage diplomacy. The hope of the respective ORCs is that they provide neutral spaces for active, dynamic, and positive exchanges of ideas that inspire on-the-ground research and educational engagement. Ideally, ORCs put scholars "in the thick of things" and fulfill a diplomatic mission of the U.S. government: people-to-people interaction and the establishment of long-term networks, which promote mutual understanding and respect. Contributions in this issue establish that ORCs are powerful places in the eastern Mediterranean. In this issue, we have asked individuals who interact routinely with ORCs to reflect on their experiences. Contributions discuss a robust lecture series, typically standing room only, attended by Jordanians and foreigners, the conservation and documentation of a monument in Egypt, an excavation co-directed by an Armenian and a U.S. national, an educational space to explore the archaeology of the region by Cypriot and U.S. undergraduates, and multi-sited research forming the basis for a PhD dissertation. While acknowledging the colonial past of many of the ORCs, this collection illustrates the changing nature and missions of these organizations.With a current emphasis on empowering local researchers, students, and others through collaborative projects and shared interests with U.S. contemporaries, the following articles highlight the networks that can and do arise from fellowship programs at the American Center of Oriental Research in Jordan (ACOR), the American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE), the American Research Institute of the South Caucasus in Armenia (ARISC), the Cyprus American Archaeological Research Institute (CAARI), and the Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC). These case studies depict the ORCs through a progressive lens, slowly shedding their colonial foundations with greater emphasis on these places as shared spaces of consultation, negotiation, and partnership between individuals dedicated to research into the past and present of not only specific countries, but also the region.The legacy of the ORCs begins with the traditional triad of the American School of Classical Studies in Athens (1881), the American Academy in Rome (1894), and the W. F. Albright Institute for Archaeological Research in Jerusalem (1900) (see Luke and Kersel 2013: 19–25). As might be expected of these late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century creations, they were very much colonial enterprises, and very much linked to the burgeoning and increasingly dominant perspectives in the U.S. academy on classical scholarship, the interaction between religion and the past, and archaeology. Established as outposts in foreign lands, the centers supported U.S. academic endeavors, while also displaying a commitment to culture, furthering one of many U.S. diplomatic goals (Luke and Kersel 2013). With the changing geopolitical realities in the region, the establishment of new states and territories, World War I and its aftermath, the ORCs attempted to refine their missions and thus shed their identities as bastions of colonialism. Rather than remain (whether real or perceived) agents of the state, they sought to be more inclusive, collaborative, institutions with a primary focus of mutually beneficial and local scholarly interaction, exchange, and oversight.If the first wave of ORCs responded to the growing influence of the United States in foreign affairs in the early twentieth century, the second wave of ORCs responded to the internationalism embedded in the post-World War II climate. It was also a moment of intense U.S. cultural influence and financial capacity. The combination of monetary assistance under the U.S. Marshall Plan (European Recovery Act) and private philanthropy in places like Egypt, Greece, and Turkey offered renewed hope for an increased U.S., non-governmental, presence in the region (Luke 2018). The formation of ORCs in Cyprus, Egypt, Jordan, and Turkey was part of this wave, but subject to financial crises and foreign priorities (Luke and Kersel 2013). By the early 1970s, the momentum generated from the Nubian campaigns had inspired not only the 1964 Venice Charter and the formation of the International Council On Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), but also reignited the groundwork (stemming from the 1931 Athens Charter and various recommendations through the 1950s) of the 1972 World Heritage Convention (Luke, forthcoming). These international, collaborative efforts sought to re-focus the world's attention on the preservation and protection of natural and cultural landscapes. States enacted national laws aimed at protecting many aspects of cultural heritage including the preservation and safeguarding of artifacts, sites, monuments, museum collections. New regulations resulted in the decline of partage (the division of finds, see Crewe for a discussion of partage in Cyprus) agreements. International outrage over the looting of archaeological sites, theft of cultural items, and the illicit trade in antiquities, culminating in the Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property 1970, further amplified the power of the ORCs in uniting locals and foreigners over shared interests in protecting the past for future local residents.A result of the shifting character of national legal regimes for protecting local cultural and natural heritage resulted in the need for North American researchers to conduct more of their studies in-country, where the finds and sites are located. This changing ethos paralleled the expansion of the ORCs' sphere of interests beyond the traditional investigations of the ancient into the contemporary through the study of international relations, political science, sociology, and anthropology. No longer focused exclusively on the past, the ORCs switched their attention to research activities that included the present and analyses of implications for the future, thus creating institutions relevant to a wider variety of local constituents. In fact, it was this more inclusive aspect that also inspired the establishment of additional ORCs in West Africa, Eastern Europe, and Asia, reflecting a growing emphasis on globalization. Rather than perpetuating a model of colonialism—a slice of the United States in Senegal, for example—through the continued process of engaging with, reacting to, supporting ongoing in-country policies, and including local voices in institutional decision-making, today the ORCs hope to act as conduits between national and the international communities. Many of the ORCs' staff and boards of directors are comprised of in-country and U.S. individuals bringing local and U.S. perspectives to ORC governance, missions, and programming. With an emphasis on inclusivity in principle and practice, the ORCs have distanced themselves from their colonial roots.Hayden (1995) contends that only by being in a place and encountering things and people "in place," can a sense of identity be created. Many of the created spaces of the ORCs have grown from inaccessible fortresses behind fences and gates to inclusive places for both formal and informal get-togethers. It is the notions of people and place that brings this collection of essays together. The long-term commitment to local people, communities, and spaces allows ORCs to move beyond heritage work being for communities to collaborative work with communities, jettisoning the hierarchical notion of community embedded in much heritage work highlighted by Gentry (2013). Since the late nineteenth/early twentieth centuries, the ORCs have been the persistent entities creating a place for foreigners and locals to research, to collaborate, to produce knowledge, and of course to gossip.In our volume, U.S. Cultural Diplomacy and Archaeology: Soft Power, Hard Heritage (Luke and Kersel 2013) we made the case for the ORCs as integral elements in the foreign relations toolkit of the United States. Through the lens of Nye's (2004) "Soft Power" paradigm we asked how ORCs contribute to U.S. leverage in targeted regions of the world—those "of interest" to the U.S. government and her associates. In their recent report on cultural diplomacy and soft power in the United Nations Office at Geneva, Doeser and Nesbitt (2017: 14) state, "the terms cultural diplomacy and soft power are often used interchangeably and are often thought to be controversial due to their associations with colonialism, imperialism, and propaganda." Cultural diplomacy and soft power remain murky concepts that often result in confusion, controversy, misunderstandings, and definitional dilemmas. Contributions to this volume reveal that ORCs are no longer merely elements of the U.S. diplomatic arsenal, especially as they change into places committed to local engagement with a united purpose in the realms of international research, scholarship, and knowledge production (Kersel and Luke 2015). As stressed in their mission statements, a main purpose of the ORCs is mediating the flows, exchanges, and engagements between local researchers and foreigners. The ORCs carry out this role through support for research projects, public lectures, access to reference libraries, programming (see Corbett, Crewe, and Scott), fellowships (see Franklin and Babajanyan, and Thum), and residential spaces (short and long-term). The goal for these formal features is to offer pathways for reciprocal academic research. To be sure, ORCs also host informal social occasions, frequently centered on food and drinks, the "gastrodiplomacy" of Doeser and Nesbitt (2017) or what we (Luke and Kersel 2013) refer to as "the Tea Circuit."It is during these informal moments that national and foreign researchers leave their library perches (or come in from fieldwork) to share ideas about modern and ancient events. In fact, these opportunities for conversation pave the way for ORCs to act as ambassadors of goodwill. The result of a CAORC Multi-Country Fellowship, Thum's unique contribution is an excellent example of the power of place in informal networking and relationship building, particularly in nations without a formal ORC. Multiple fellowships from the ARISC have allowed Franklin and Babajanyan to explore the Medieval landscape of Vayots Dzor, Armenia. Their collaborative project has resulted in an enduring friendship and insights into a period of time and in a place often considered on the fringes of traditional inquiry. Corbett's contribution on the ACOR in Jordan and Crewe's paper on CAARI reveal the long-term commitment to sustainable local empowerment and collaboration on projects related to Jordan and Cyprus. Scott details ARCE's adjustment to a new political landscape in the aftermath of the uprising in the spring of 2011. Despite their foreign policy and colonial beginnings, this collection proves that ORCs can and do provide impartial spaces for collaborative efforts and evolving networks, which allow for a wider range of local and foreign voices to be heard.Exactly how such networks develop, of course, is often intangible, flexible, fluid, and immeasurable. This intangibility in deliverables creates a tension precisely because a nice, neat package with an outcome in sustained cultural diplomacy may not always be possible. In fact, because the results of a stay at an ORC are not always visible, the important power of place often goes both undocumented and unacknowledged. For these and other reasons, there is always insecurity embedded in the annual U.S. Congressional budgeting process. Without concrete "diplomatic deliverables," making the case for the funding of the ORCs is increasingly difficult. Yet, a potential decrease or cessation of financial support for the ORCs impedes local interaction and may reinforce perceptions that the United States does not care about culture. Under the umbrella of the Council for American Overseas Research Centers [CAORC], there are 24 ORCs which: [P]romote scholarly exchange, primarily through sponsorship of fellowship programs, foreign language study, and collaborative research projects. They facilitate access to research resources, provide a forum for contact and exchange, offer library and technical support and accommodation, and disseminate information to the scholarly and general public through conferences, seminars, exhibitions, and publications. (CAORC Mission Statement, https://www.caorc.org/)OCRs receive funding through a variety of sources, including governmental, public and private institutions, and individual support. Money dedicated to supporting the ORCs is often uncertain. In the FY 2018 budget, the U.S. president proposed to reduce the allotted amount for the U.S. State Department's Educational and Cultural programs from $634 million in FY 2017 to $285 million for FY 2018. In the budget breakdown for the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), the Administration proposed to zero out CAORC and the centers. Not all the cuts proposed were enacted into law that year, but every new budget cycle going forward is a challenge to the funding for CAORC and the ORCs. Termination of funds could result in demise of the centers, which would result not only in a loss of a persistent U.S. presence abroad, but also of the enduring relationships built on shared interests, reciprocal understanding, and respect, all fostered by being in place.Since 1881, the ORCs have maintained a sense of place for fostering mutually beneficial long-term relationships between researchers with common interests. They provide a congenial atmosphere where long-lasting friendships are constructed. Co-authored by local and U.S. researchers, directors, former directors, staff, senior and junior scholars, the following articles are heritage diplomacy in action, demonstrating the power of place and the enduring potency of the ORCs.

Cultural diplomacy designates a policy field, in which states seek to mobilize their cultural resources to achieve foreign policy goals. The nature of those goals, and of the cultural resources mobilized to achieve them, has been subject to historical change, and a range of terminology has been used to designate this kind of policymaking in different national and historical contexts. Nevertheless, the term cultural diplomacy is a viable one for designating this particular area of foreign policy, which is often understood as one component of a state’s broader public diplomacy or, following Joseph Nye’s terminology, its “soft power.” Cultural display and exchange have arguably always played a role in the relations between peoples. With the emergence of the modern state system in the early modern period, such display and exchange became an expression of formal diplomatic relations between courts, yet it is only in the 19th century that we see the emergence of cultural diplomacy in the sense it is understood today: It is no longer a matter of communication between rulers, but rather an expression of national identity directed at an international public. Throughout the 19th century, cultural diplomacy was closely associated with the rivalry of the Great Powers, particularly in the colonial context. However, following the end of the First World War, cultural diplomacy increasingly came to be understood as a means to pursue ideological competition, a trend that became central to the cultural diplomacy of the Cold War. Nevertheless, scholarship’s focus on the cultural dimensions of the confrontation between the two Cold War superpowers has drawn attention away from other varieties of cultural diplomacy in the “Third World” or “Global South,” which sought to establish forms of solidarity between postcolonial nations. The post–Cold War world has been characterized by a shift in the rhetoric surrounding cultural diplomacy, which now frequently contains an economic dimension, as states compete for markets, investments, and attention in the context of neoliberal globalization. Nevertheless, we also see a pluralization of strategies of cultural diplomacy, in which a range of actors tailor their approach to cultural foreign policy according to their own perceived position in a multipolar world. Nevertheless, despite the continued popularity of cultural diplomacy in policymaking circles and the significant attention it has received from researchers in the 21st century, the assessment of the impact of cultural diplomacy remains a challenge.

Cette relecture critique de la série King of Kensington, présentée au réseau anglais de Radio-Canada, examine l’utilisation d’espaces locaux dans la construction d’une image cohérente de la nation mise en marché pour séduire le public canadien. La série façonne un modèle de citoyenneté qui vise à relier les notions d’urbanisme et d’appartenance locale aux priorités nationales déterminées par le contexte politique et historique canadien des années 1970. En employant la ville comme symbole du Canada uni, la série amoindrit conflits et tensions en projetant une image d’hétérogénéité réconciliée qui offre une impression de stabilité, rassurant ainsi les Canadiens pendant une période de grande incertitude.

BackgroundIrregular burials (IB—burials showing features that contrast with the majority of others in their geographic and chronological context) have been the focus of archaeological study because of their relative rarity and enigmatic appearance. Interpretations of IB often refer to supposed fear of the dead or to social processes taking place in time-specific contexts. However, a comprehensive and quantitative analysis of IB for various geographical contexts is still lacking, a fact that hampers any discussion of these burials on a larger scale.MethodsHere, we collected a bibliographic dataset of 375 IB from both Britain and Continental Europe, altogether spanning a time period from the 1st to the 5th century AD. Each burial has been coded according to ten dichotomous variables, further analyzed by means of chi-squared tests on absolute frequencies, non-metric multidimensional scaling, and cluster analysis.ResultsEven acknowledging the limits of this study, and in particular the bias represented by the available literature, our results point to interesting patterns. Geographically, IB show a contrast between Britain and Continental Europe, possibly related to historical processes specific to these regions. Different types of IB (especially prone depositions and depositions with the cephalic extremity displaced) present a series of characteristics and associations between features that permit a more detailed conceptualization of these occurrences from a socio-cultural perspective that aids to elucidate their funerary meaning.Conclusions and SignificanceAltogether, the present work stresses the variability of IB, and the need to contextualize them in a proper archaeological and historical context. It contributes to the discussion of IB by providing a specific geographic and chronological frame of reference that supports a series of hypotheses about the cultural processes possibly underlying their occurrence.

This article investigates the intricate relationship between bilateral trade and economic diplomacy, focusing specifically on the case of Ethiopia and China. Through a qualitative approach integrating interviews, focus group discussions, and thematic analysis, the study delves into the evolving dynamics of their multifaceted partnership. It examines various dimensions of economic relations, including trade agreements, infrastructure projects, and cultural exchanges, while addressing the significance of economic diplomacy in shaping international economic policies and advancing mutual interests. Drawing on insights from scholars and historical context, the research explores specific research questions pertaining to trade policies, tariffs, trade imbalances, quality and type of traded goods, trade-related disputes, and diplomatic negotiations. Findings reveal the transformative power of economic diplomacy, evidenced by the historical trend of bilateral trade volume and the influence of trade policies, tariffs, and agreements on economic diplomacy outcomes. Trade imbalances and trade diversification emerge as critical factors shaping economic diplomacy effectiveness, highlighting the importance of strategic policy alignment and diplomatic negotiations. Theoretical perspectives including liberalism, realism, interdependence theory, constructivism, and institutionalism provide a comprehensive framework for understanding the evolving Ethiopia-China economic relationship. The study underscores the pivotal role of diplomatic negotiations in navigating trade dynamics and fostering resilient economic partnerships. Recommendations offered in the study provide strategic pathways for policymakers to enhance economic relations between Ethiopia and China in the global context, emphasizing the need for strategic engagement in trade negotiations, balancing trade deficit, promoting investment and industrial development, strengthening regulatory and legal frameworks, fostering cultural and academic exchanges, and enhancing infrastructure and connectivity. Moreover, suggestions for future studies outline avenues for further research to deepen understanding of this complex relationship, encompassing longitudinal analysis, comparative studies, sector-specific investigations, stakeholder perspectives, environmental and social dimensions, policy evaluation, and cultural and societal impacts. Addressing these aspects will contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the impact of bilateral trade on economic diplomacy between Ethiopia and China.

ABSTRACTIn 2016, black former professional footballer, Howard Gayle, was awarded an MBE, in recognition of his work in anti-racist education. He rejected the accolade due to its colonial associations and the experiences of his African ancestors under the British Empire. This article analyses and theorizes the geographical, cultural, political, historical and temporal contexts and consequences surrounding this refusal. While highlighting the fluid and reciprocal spatial and temporal positionalities that guide Gayle’s articulations, it argues that it is essentially through and in the local spaces and places of his home city of Liverpool – a pivotal location in the historic international slave trade – that his anti-imperial consciousness is forged and enacted. The article addresses the possibilities that emerge from demands for social and reparative justice by public figures such as Gayle, in terms of decolonial thinking, anti-racist pedagogy and their status as a source rather than an object of knowledge.

MedWrite Academy is an internship program specifically designed for aspiring medical and pre-medical students. Our primary objective is to equip students with the essential skills required to transform their innovative ideas into well-structured research papers. At MedWrite Academy, we believe in the power of collaboration and learning through experience. Students are carefully grouped with peers who share similar interests, creating a dynamic learning environment. This grouping fosters not only intellectual growth but also cultural exchange, as our students come from diverse backgrounds around the globe. Each group is guided by an experienced mentor who provides personalized guidance and support throughout the research process. These mentors are dedicated to helping students navigate the complexities of research methodology, data analysis, and academic writing. Their expertise ensures that each student's idea is nurtured and developed into a high-quality, publishable research article. Being a fully virtual internship, MedWrite Academy offers flexibility and accessibility, allowing students from any part of the world to participate without geographical constraints. This unique feature opens doors for international networking and collaboration, enriching the learning experience. Our program not only focuses on academic growth but also aims to develop key professional skills such as teamwork, communication, and time management. MedWrite Academy is the perfect platform for students looking to enter the world of medical research and academia. Join us and turn your ideas into impactful research!

1. Introduction: history and law 2. Danshui and Xinhu during the Qing dynasty: the geographical and historical context 3. The frontier heritage 4. Land relations 5. The export economy 6. Lineage division and inheritance disputes 7. The petition 8. Search and arrest: the warrant 9. Hearing and verdict 10. Conclusion: law and society.

This research delves into the historical context, cultural exchange, religious conflicts, and significance of the relationship between Islam and Christianity during the Medieval. The study aims to gain an understanding of the complex dynamics, alliances, misunderstandings, and transformations that characterized this important era. By exploring primary sources, scholarly analysis, and historical records, this research uncovers the mutual influences, cultural exchanges, intellectual dialogues, and tensions arising from the coexistence and interaction of Islam and Christianity during the medieval period. The research contributes to a broader understanding of the historical legacies of Islam and Christianity, both separately and in relation to each other, highlighting the enduring consequences of their interaction on the development of religious traditions, intellectual thought, and cultural practices that continue to shape our world today. The author uses qualitative methods with literature study and documentation to collect historical information using historiography techniques. The results of the research show that this fluctuative relationship means that the relationship between the two religions cannot be fully generalized. There have been periods of cooperation and peace, but there have also been periods of tension and conflict between these two religions.

Due to the acknowledged subjective nature of qualitative research, it is critical that all researchers be reflexive. The context of cross-cultural research adds additional dimensions to the importance of reflexivity on positionality. Researchers who do not share the same racialised or ethnic identities as their participants may share linguistic or other social and cultural backgrounds, including class and gender. Further, socially constructed identities are complex and dynamic, changing depending on the socio-political, historical, and geographical contexts. As such, we challenge the dichotomous perspective of insider or outsider, and instead discuss the challenges and opportunities of shared and differing identities as we argue for a third space - the space between - that allows researchers to occupy the position of both insider and outsider. This space between is not a homogenous space and it can be occupied in different ways at different times throughout the research process. In this chapter, we explore the importance of positionality, the space between, and highlight ways qualitative researchers can enhance their reflexivity.

Reviewed by: Episcopal Power and Local Society in Medieval Europe, 900–1400 ed. by Peter Coss etal. Kyly Walker Coss, Peter, Chris Dennis, Melissa Julian-Jones, and Angelo Silvestri, eds, Episcopal Power and Local Society in Medieval Europe, 900–1400 (Medieval Church Studies, 38), Turnhout, Brepols, 2017; hardback; pp. xi, 293; 2 b/w illustrations; R.R.P. €80.00; ISBN 9782503573403. This engaging volume contributes to a burgeoning literature about medieval bishops. It stems from the first Power of the Bishop Conference, '"In the Hands of God's Servants": The Power of the Bishop in Western Europe', held at the University of Cardiff in 2013. Following the recent trend away from examining bishops on a broader stage, the volume focuses on bishops in their own dioceses. [End Page 195] As the excellent introduction asserts, we need to understand how bishops created, cultivated, and articulated their power at the local level to fully comprehend the function, position, and nature of episcopal office. Part 1, 'Constructing Episcopal Power', begins with Peter Coss's analysis of how monastic narratives affect modern accounts of Coventry's twelfth-century bishops and should be counterbalanced by probing episcopal activity throughout the entire diocese. Next comes Heidi Anett Øvergård Beistad's engaging account of Bishop Árni Þorláksson of Skálholt's success at reconstructing episcopal authority in thirteenth-century Iceland through ties to family, friends, local aristocracy, and the Norwegian king. A successful relationship with King William the Conqueror, as Chris Dennis reveals, helped the bishop of Coutances acquire the resources to restore and enrich his church in Normandy. Changing focus, Angelo Silvestri's contribution analyses how Bishop Robert Grosseteste of Lincoln's education and early years influenced his ideas about, and exercise of, episcopal power. Part 1 concludes with Melanie Brunner's noteworthy examination of how c. 1300 the bishop of Sion (in modern Switzerland) negotiated local networks and physical space to exercise his authority over the cathedral chapter. Building on Part 1, Part 2, 'Enhancing Episcopal Power', demonstrates the methods bishops used to boost their existing authority. It begins with Maria Chiara Succurro's study of how the abbey of Leno's twelfth-century charters 'highlight the scope' of the bishop of Brescia's power and how 'it conditioned local society' (p. 118) as he established his authority over the monastery. Christine Axen's study of Bishop Zoen of Avignon's mid-thirteenth-century episcopate shows how he rebuilt and increased episcopal power, using various tools to successfully navigate perceived local threats to his position. Similarly, Jelle Lisson uncovers how the bishops of Liège used different methods to expand their diocese's borders, thus enhancing their authority by bringing new regions under their control. Pieter Byttebier's chapter on Bishop Gerard of Cambrai highlights how prelates engaged with the cults of local bishop-saints to amplify respect for the episcopal office and themselves. Switching to the legal sphere, Aaron Hope concludes Part 2 by illustrating how the development of the episcopal vicar-general's office signals the increased 'power of the bishop at the local diocesan level [following] the twelfth-century legal renaissance' (p. 196). Part 3 functions as a chronological case study, focusing on the visual and written expression of episcopal power in England after the Norman Conquest and Barons' Wars. First, Charlotte Lewandowski discusses how disputes with the cathedral chapter over post-conquest episcopal building activity at Durham impacted on the boundaries of the bishop's power. Melissa Julian-Jones's excellent investigation of thirteenth-century episcopal seals and their iconography reveals that in response to national events, bishops altered visual representations of themselves to stress links with their kin, emphasizing their status and ability to manage their dioceses. Taking a literary focus, Andrew Fleming shows how stories of miracles performed by bishop-saints can be used to interpret non-elite attitudes towards episcopal power. Lastly, John Jenkins's thought-provoking study [End Page 196] of Bishop John Grandisson of Exeter demonstrates how Grandisson constructed an image of a prelate who successfully asserted his authority in the fourteenth century, concealing the truth of his failure. As shown above, this volume has a large geographical and temporal range, unlike some...

春秋時期的夷夏觀念是學術上一個重要的議題，不但具有歷史意義，同時也具備經學上的意義。本文試圖結合這兩者進行探討，關注春秋當時的夷夏觀念為何，包含夷夏之間透過怎樣的標準進行區分，這種區分意識的運作具有何種性質與意義，以及這樣的觀念對《春秋》經傳的影響為何，《春秋》與三傳又闡發出具有何種特色的夷夏觀念。 在夷夏區分的標準方面，本文歸結當時建立於文化以及血緣兩項標準之上。不過當時各地的文化面貌相當複雜，顯出以文化區分的主觀特性。在透過秦、楚、吳為例探討夷夏身份歸屬問題時，發現秦被視為諸夏，楚被視為蠻夷，但是兩國在春秋時期卻同時不認為自己歸屬於夷或夏；吳則是姬姓國家被視為蠻夷，應是蠻夷國家透過血緣的攀附，試圖融入諸夏圈的案例。分析春秋時期的的夷夏關係時發現夷夏各國之間牽動的政治利益相當複雜，不利於族群認同的凝聚，因此將夷夏對立視為當時局勢的發展核心，恐有過於誇大的嫌疑。另一方面透過上國與辟陋這組政治地理觀念的產生，顯示春秋中晚期後族群意識正逐漸加強，代表春秋時期夷夏觀念的進一步開展，奠定之後發展的方向。 春秋時期的夷夏觀念提供了若干的養分，使得《春秋》與三傳吸收後轉化出儒家經典意義上的夷夏觀，這是本論文另一個側重的面向。孔子堅持夷夏的分別，這點顯現在《春秋》大義上，但是其夷夏觀念拋棄血緣區分，專注在文化上，並賦予更深刻的涵義。重視夷夏之別的孔子並不歧視蠻夷，也不贊成武力征討蠻夷而主張和平相處。三傳的夷夏觀雖有其不同的面貌，但是基本精神則是承襲孔子的夷夏觀而發展，形成儒家的詮釋傳統。而隨著《春秋》與三傳成為通經致用所憑藉的典範，《春秋》學上的夷夏觀就又輾轉影響後代的政治格局與思想，於是經學上的主張又回歸到歷史脈絡之中，夷夏觀也就成為中國政治歷史上重要的一環。

Translating Race on the French Stage