Civic Positions Research Articles

Imperism as political nomos in Russia and beyond

ABSTRACT This article proposes the concept of ‘imperism’ as an analytical tool apt to describe political processes in Putin’s Russia and beyond. Imperism denotes an ontological orientation, or nomos (the term derives from theories of religion and politics by Berger and Schmitt), that undergirds a plurality of civic positions, informs policy, and fundamentally casts imperialness as a political entity’s normal, desirable state. Russia’s imperist nomos shall be explored in its key dimensions, including cosmology, authority, sociology, and aesthetics. However, imperism’s analytical purchase is not limited to the Russian case. In particular, this paper considers the merits of this category vis-à-vis an array of related but distinct concepts: imperialism, authoritarianism, fascism, nationalism, and irredentism. On those grounds, it will be argued that Putinist Russia’s military adventurism manifests a peculiar, imperist form of imperialism; that the Putin regime, albeit hard to categorise, appears to share an imperist nomos with historical fascisms; and that imperism’s ultimate scope exceeds that of nationalist irredentism. The paper ends with a reflection on the advantageous epistemological potentialities of imperism as a category.

A Study of the Availability and Demand of Digital Services for the Manifestation of Social and Political Activity by Citizens

In recent decades, scientists have been discussing ways of involving the population in social and political processes. Terms such as “civic participation,” “civic control,” “participation in the government of the power-poor,” etc. are widely used in scholarly discourse on this subject. The research related to social and political activities is conducted within various thematic areas based on “political participation theory” and “participatory democracy theory,” as well as on “theories of economic and digital inequalities.” According to the vast majority of scientists, increasing digitalization is known to expand the forms of participation and transform the public administration at all levels concerning joint governance and a citizen-centric approach, taking into consideration the opinion and active participation of citizens in the production and execution of policy decisions. This article presents the results of a study that investigated whether modern digital services allow citizens to participate in and influence the social and political processes taking place at various levels of government. In addition, the study demonstrates how modern digital technologies promote the maximum participation of the most socially vulnerable categories of the population, as well as how such factors as the level of digital competence, the level of income of the population, and the level of digitalization of territories limit this participation. In order to assess the modern digital forms and the use of these forms in a citizen’s interaction with the authorities, a survey of 1,200 residents of villages and towns located in the south Tyumen Region was conducted. The ways in which the residents living in the towns and villages of the Tyumen Region were able to express their civic positions were determined and the proportion of citizens using digital technologies was noted. The study also assessed the availability and demand for digital technologies by citizens to express their social and political activities, as well as the primary factors that limit their social and political participation. Moreover, this research showed that age, education, and digital competence and awareness were the main factors influencing a citizen’s propensity to use modern digital technologies for social and political activity. The hypothesis that the demand for digital services by citizens living in remote districts should be higher than that of urban residents was not confirmed. On the contrary, for a wide range of services, the assessments of demand and accessibility are higher among the residents of cities than among the residents of rural municipal districts, with the highest assessments coming from the residents of the regional capital. This fact is associated with a higher level of digital competence among citizens, a higher level of digitalization of the regional capital, as well as a higher level of income, which allows them to more actively master and use all these services. Additionally, this article is addressed to researchers interested in various aspects of social and political participation, as well as to politicians who make decisions regarding the development and implementation of new forms of digital interaction between citizens and the authorities that enable citizens to demonstrate their civic position.

SOCIAL PROJECTS AS A TOOL FOR IMPLEMENTING INNOVATIONS IN SOCIAL WORK

The political and socio-economic situation in the country calls for a rapid response to address social issues through the implementation of innovations in the work of professionals in the social sphere of both the public and private sectors. The aim of the research is to analyze social projects as innovative tools for solving or minimizing social issues in social work. To achieve the research objective, the following methods were used: analysis and synthesis of scientific resources to investigate types of social innovations and the characteristics of internal innovations (social projects) as tools of innovative activity in social work. External (managerial, radical) and internal innovations (social projects) have been characterized, with the advantages of the latter identified: rapid response to situations, specificity, consideration of the characteristics and interests of individuals, groups, and communities, and the ability to more easily implement their own innovations compared to those proposed by others. The article presents classifications of social project ideas based on the criterion of novelty (absolute and relative novelty). It also discusses ways to develop a project after funding has ceased: using the implemented idea in the form of innovative material or ideal products (event scenarios, games, methodologies, technologies, social advertising, etc.) in further activities; error correction and improvement of the idea (project), developing a new project based on the modified idea; diffusion of the project idea into other areas; and the search for fundamentally new ideas and solutions for the development of new social projects. Emphasis is made on the fact that during the years of Ukraineʼs independence, a large number of social projects have been implemented by both government and non-governmental organizations in the field of social work. These projects contain a wealth of innovative ideas, original developments, and innovative products that can be partially or fully transformed and adapted to new conditions. Today, there is a necessity to develop a resource (platform) where innovators can consciously share their ideas and products for free, enabling individuals with active civic positions to unite for collaborative solutions to social problems in the country.

Migration and socio-political orientations of religious and non-religious student youth

Migration processes in the context of the expansion of world economic relations inevitably affect the main spheres of life of the entire world community. The emigration of the most active part of the indigenous population of Russia, predominantly educated and highly professional, is an acute problem, as it inevitably leads to risks to the national and geopolitical security of the state. The growing uncontrolled migration process aimed at the outflow of the mobile indigenous population in the new Russian social reality actualizes the study of the motives of emigrant moods, socio-economic, socio-political orientations, socio-cultural positions, ethno-confessional traditions and customs, spiritual and moral values of youth and, first of all, highly educated part of the younger generation: students. The article analyzes the materials of a sociological study conducted by the Institute for Demographic Research of the Federal Scientific Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences in 2022 among students in three constituent entities of the Russian Federation: Moscow, the Republic of Tyva and the Belgorod Region. The focus of the study is aimed at identifying the possible impact of religious and non-religious worldviews on the emigrant orientations of the young part of the Russian population. The set goal was solved with the help of sociological methods of building worldview groups (“religious”/“non-religious”) and typological groups (“settled”/projective “emigrants”). The sociological search was based on a comparative analysis of the assessments and positions of representatives of these groups in relation to religious, national, socio-economic and socio-political problems. The results of a sociological study show that religious ideas and traditions, spiritual and moral values directly related to them play a significant role in the patriotic and civic positions of student youth in relation to Russian society and the state.

Tertiary cultural education в in new social and political reality. Review to the book by S. Vitkalov "Tertiary cultural education in Ukraine: regional discourse..."

The war imposed on Ukraine by the russian federation forced a new look at many aspects, in particular the organization of the educational space: learning in new realities is an important factor not only in the formation of relevant professional competences in young people, but also in the education of patriotism, social activity, high civic positions, the role of which is especially relevant in the conditions of the war. In this regard, we will analyze a thorough study by S. Vytkalov "Higher cultural education in Ukraine: regional discourse: through the prism of the activities of the Department of Event Industry, Cultural Studies and Museum Studies of the Rivne State Humanitarian University". It is dedicated to the specified department, which in 2021 celebrated 50 years since its foundation and continues to provide the cultural space of the region with professionals. Based on the method of historical reconstruction, we will find out the role of this book for the theory and practice of vocational education in the region and the country in general.

AESTHETIC TRAINING IS AN IMPORTANT FACTOR OF A FUTURE DOCTORS' PROFESSIONAL FORMATION

Nowadays, a stream of various information, including hybrid information, is aimed at young people. That is why students are most focused on the virtual environment, and the sensuality of the individual goes back to the periphery of their spiritual life. Such a reality requires the use of complex efforts directed at returning a person to their essence.
 The relevance of our study is due to the young people's need to develop a sense of taste as an aesthetic category and the formation of criteria that would allow them to distinguish between the verity from distorted reality and the good from evil.
 The purpose: to confirm the need for aesthetic education in future doctors' training because it strengthens students' active national and civic positions. Aesthetic education lays down self-consciousness, self-determination, and individualization. It helps to find life landmarks and affects relations with the outside world. Aesthetic education is the essence of the humanization of the individual, their socialization. It is a necessary basis and prerequisite to realize the individual abilities in the process of real life.
 During lectures and practical classes at the departments of Ukrainian Studies and Linguistics, as well as during extra classes, teachers pay considerable attention to the aesthetic education of IFNMU students. The methods of aesthetic education, which are used in the classroom discussion of artworks are as follows: respect for the individual, appeal to feelings, conversations and debates, problem situations, individual and group creative work. In particular, respect for the individual is especially needed when discussing ethical issues.
 For the formation of the aesthetic culture of youth, the basic thing is the sincerity of the student, the appropriate attitude of the teacher and the team. It is the expression of one's impressions, experiences, and thoughts, rather than a blind repetition of the view imposed by the teacher. Thus it enables the teacher to direct the aesthetic development of the personality in the right direction. Every opinion should be heard and discussed because this is how the teacher will be able to see the real level of students' development. This approach enables correcting erroneous judgments on time.
 Addressing the feelings of future professionals (conscience, dignity, and empathy) involves a thoughtful contemplation of works of art, which is preceded by the disclosure of cultural and historical conditions of the work. This process should be accompanied by a discussion and teachers' explanation. Conversation and debate presuppose a free exchange of opinions, a collective discussion of aesthetic problems, as a result of which aesthetic views and judgments are formed. During the debate, students defend their position. The reasoned speech of the future doctors is based on their level of awareness, erudition, and culture. The exchange of ideas and facts develops logical thinking, the ability to analyze, generalize and make conclusions.
 There are various ways of humanization and enrichment of future specialists' potential, but aesthetic training is the main one. Society pays attention in the critical periods of its development on aesthetic training. It acts as a final element in the higher education system, giving completeness and saturating the whole structure with the main content. The process of studying in a higher education institution is the moment in a young person's life when they should understand and realize their life meaning following their moral and aesthetic ideals.

The Role of Student Self-Government in Ensuring the Quality of Higher Education

The current state of development of the Ukrainian state requires further reform of all spheres of life of the Ukrainian community. The democratization of the principles of higher education needs special attention. Since students are the driving force of society, the developer of unique ideas of the present and future, a factor in the formation and development of civil society, so the democratization of student life, active participation of students in different organizations, leadership skills and teamwork, making the right decisions and responsibility for their implementation becomes especially relevant during educational transformations. Student governments have a significant impact on youth. The range of such influence primarily extends to the realization of the student in the modern world, meeting his/her needs, both in education and in other areas, including volunteer, artistic, managerial, social and more. Therefore, membership in student organizations gives a young person a valuable life experience, which can later be implemented in practice. Participation in student self-government contributes to the development of students' leadership qualities, the formation of their active civic life positions. That is, the activities of student government in higher education institutions are aimed at forming the values of the younger generation. At the same time, student self-government is a unique factor in reforming the modern system of the educational process in higher education institutions. Applicants are actively involved in the development, implementation, and accreditation of educational programs, are experts in the accreditation of the National Agency for Quality Assurance in Education. The article demonstrates the effectiveness of student self-government bodies in higher education institutions on specific examples, substantiates the need for their development as one of the factors that contributes to the improvement of quality assurance processes in education.

ИЗМЕНЕНИЯ ПОЛИТИЧЕСКОГО СОЗНАНИЯ И ПОВЕДЕНИЯ РОССИЙСКИХ ЖЕНЩИН: ВЫЗОВЫ ЦИФРОВИЗАЦИИ

The relevance of studying changes in the political consciousness and behavior of women is associated with the trend of gender asymmetry in the structure of the population, persisting gender inequalities in the political sphere, and growing socio-cultural risks associated with the digitalization processes. The purpose of the article is to characterize the stages in the evolution of political consciousness and behavior of women in modern-day Russia and possible changes in the conditions of digitalization. The author identifies the evolution: stages: the crisis mobilization of political consciousness and women’s behavior (1987–1991); differentiation of political consciousness and behavior of women and readiness for decisive action (1992–1999); women’s electoral activity (2000–2007) and the stage of women’s political absenteeism and the search for a new identity (2008 – present). The digitalization of politics is associated with a significant change in the traditional practices of socio-political interaction, there is a rejection of its hierarchical structure, which is facilitated by the absolutization of the network connections built on impersonal algorithms of big data. That may contribute to increase the participation of women. Most notably, the development of electronic platforms for collecting the signatures and declarations as well as of social networks allow women to articulate their civic positions, build up their social capital, and realize group and socially significant interests

Музична драма Р. Вагнера «Парсіфаль» у режисерському прочитанні Кирила Серебреннікова

Research objective of the work is to analyze the last opera (“festive stage mystery”) of Richard Wagner’s creative legacy “Parsifal” directed by Kirill Serebrennikov, performed in the spring of 2021 at the Vienna State Opera, in which the director used a new approach to stage work. The methodology of the work is based on the analysis of the plot context proposed by the director and the symbolic elements used by him to give additional expressiveness to the material, as well as the principles used by the director for dramatic work with the author’s text. Among the works involved were works on the creative heritage of R. Wagner, namely B. Millington [14], A. Königsberg [3] and O. Naumova [8]; M. Cherkashina-Gubarenko, in which the author developed a method of structural analysis of the opera [9,10]; musical interpretation – V. Moskalenko [7]; philosophical and semantic principles of the functioning of art – T. Adorno [1], M. Buber [2], O. Losev [5] and others. The scientific novelty lies in the study of K. Serebrennikov’s interpretive version in terms of its plot solution and elements of the play, which have a complex compositional and semantic structure, combines issues of faith and forms that it can acquire in certain socio-cultural conditions. Conclusions. K. Serebrennikov changes the plot development of the play built by Wagner, complicates the dramatic structure of his production by using video and introducing a doubleactor, which exists in parallel with the singer, which allows you to create a multilayered action. In the vast majority of cases, new accents arise due to the involvement of missing in the original storylines, which are presented in detail in both the stage action and independent media component of the play, which reflected the personal experiences of the director, his religious and civic positions. Following the general concept of the author, the director interprets its content, which allows him to significantly dynamize the play.

Падіння Берлінського муру та сучасні виклики спорудження нових стін: рефлексія BASEES

The conference of the British Association of Slavic and Eastern European Studies (BASEES) in 2019 was dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the event that marked democracy triumph and liberation of communist authoritarianism. The focus was made on the factors of this victory, in particular on the role played in it by intellectuals of that time. The problem of scholars’ public activity was brought to the forefront by the thesis that achievements of science and education are not only theoretical developments and their successful assimilation in the form of knowledge, but also the level of influence science and education have in the society. Transition from instrumental rationality to rationality of values enhances practical importance of intellectual activity. Addressing this issue is particularly important in the context of crisis in the values ​​of liberal democracy and increasing distrust of rational knowledge and culture. Modern technologies of manipulating consciousness contribute to the strengthening of authoritarian regimes. Therefore, the experience of intellectuals under communist authoritarianism must teach contemporary scholars to uphold the values ​​of freedom and democracy and maintain social optimism. The discussion on the fall of the Berlin Wall proved that the scholars’ civic and academic positions reinforce each other, thereby forming a powerful defence against authoritarianism. However, the reincarnation of authoritarian sentiment nowadays provides grounds for accusing intellectuals of their inability to face up the challenges of the present. Among those challenges, we should mention forgetting the horribleness of old walls and illusions on benefits of constructing new ones.

МЕТОДИЧНЕ ЗАБЕЗПЕЧЕННЯ КОМПЕТЕНТНІСНОГО ПІДХОДУ В НАВЧАЛЬНОМУ ПОСІБНИКУ ІЗ ФІНАНСОВОЇ ГРАМОТНОСТІ

У статті проаналізовано особливості формування фінансової грамотності студентів завдяки правильній організації методичного супроводу. Наголошено на неабиякій ролі методичного забезпечення у вирішенні важливого завдання – компетентнісного зростання молодого покоління в питаннях фінансової грамотності, а також виявлено перспективні аспекти щодо реалізації його методичного супроводу.

The Short Life of Colonel John Anderson of the US Topographical Engineers and His Impact on Early Michigan

The Michigan Historical Review 46:1 (Spring 2020): 107-119©2020 Central Michigan University. ISSN 0890-1686 All Rights Reserved The Short Life of Colonel John Anderson of the US Topographical Engineers and His Impact on Early Michigan By Rusty Davis The year was 1817, and Colonel John Anderson of the US Army Corps of Topographical Engineers stood watching the soldiers of Fort Detroit build one of the many bridges needed to traverse the multiple waterways flowing into Lake Erie. Anderson had been given the job of surveying a military road linking Detroit with the rapids of the Miami River in Ohio. The creation of this important byway was a key assignment in the life of a man who, after a military career that included action in the War of 1812, became active in the early social life of his adopted city of Detroit, and who possessed indirect ties to one of that city’s landmark churches. According to Anderson’s records from his alma mater, the US Military Academy, he was born in Connecticut and appointed to the academy from Vermont.1 Further information about his family, or where in Connecticut he was born, is not recorded. He entered West Point on October 9, 1806, after spending a year at Middlebury College in Vermont. There were only five other cadets in his class. The academy’s Cullum Register lists Anderson as the 28th cadet from the beginning of West 1 There were two Colonel John Andersons in Michigan Territory during this period. Both men were active in the War of 1812 and owned property in Monroe. The other John Anderson was an Indian trader in the settlement of Frenchtown (Monroe) with a large trading house. After the war, he served in several civic positions in Monroe County, including justice of the peace and chief judge of the court of common pleas. Interestingly, that John Anderson also assisted attorney Charles Noble, hired by Julia Anderson, in the sale of property owned in Monroe by Colonel John Anderson of the US Topographical Engineers, to settle her husband’s estate. The other Anderson also owned the toll bridge that landed on the south side of the River Raisin adjacent to the property owned by Colonel John Anderson. These two men, with the same name and rank, and their various roles have often been confused because they are often both recorded as “John Anderson.” 108 The Michigan Historical Review Point in 1802. He graduated on December 9, 1807, and was appointed a second lieutenant in the Regiment of Artillerists.2 Graduating from West Point did not mean that Anderson was immediately assigned to a post, however eager the young man was. He wrote to Colonel Henry Burbeck on December 28, 1807, informing Burbeck that he had accepted the appointment as an artillerist.3 On January 31, 1808, Anderson again wrote, reminding Burbeck that he was awaiting orders. In a formal request, Anderson asked, “Pardon my freedom Sir, if it is your pleasure to order me to one of the Eastern Posts—you will confer a favor on me.”4 Burbeck responded on February 14 and he assigned Anderson to Captain Samuel T. Dyson’s company of artillery at Detroit.5 Burbeck wrote again on February 28, ordering Anderson to be ready to join his company at Detroit and advising that it was the “proper season to proceed on the proper conveyances.”6 Anderson arrived in Detroit on July 31, a full five months after Burbeck had advised him it was the “proper season to proceed.”7 From Anderson’s later letters to a friend, it appears that he was ill and therefore unable to travel; the winter season and the frozen lakes surely had an impact. On his trip to Detroit, he also took the time to visit Niagara Falls. Still, good roads in the West were nonexistent, necessitating travel by water across the Great Lakes to reach Michigan Territory. Shortly after his arrival, Anderson was appointed adjutant to the First Artillery, boasting in a letter to a college friend in Vermont that he received an additional $16 per month for this honor, which brought his total pay to $52.50. However, Anderson...

The Short Life of Colonel John Anderson of the US Topographical Engineers and His Impact on Early Michigan

The Michigan Historical Review 46:1 (Spring 2020): 107-119©2020 Central Michigan University. ISSN 0890-1686 All Rights Reserved The Short Life of Colonel John Anderson of the US Topographical Engineers and His Impact on Early Michigan By Rusty Davis The year was 1817, and Colonel John Anderson of the US Army Corps of Topographical Engineers stood watching the soldiers of Fort Detroit build one of the many bridges needed to traverse the multiple waterways flowing into Lake Erie. Anderson had been given the job of surveying a military road linking Detroit with the rapids of the Miami River in Ohio. The creation of this important byway was a key assignment in the life of a man who, after a military career that included action in the War of 1812, became active in the early social life of his adopted city of Detroit, and who possessed indirect ties to one of that city’s landmark churches. According to Anderson’s records from his alma mater, the US Military Academy, he was born in Connecticut and appointed to the academy from Vermont.1 Further information about his family, or where in Connecticut he was born, is not recorded. He entered West Point on October 9, 1806, after spending a year at Middlebury College in Vermont. There were only five other cadets in his class. The academy’s Cullum Register lists Anderson as the 28th cadet from the beginning of West 1 There were two Colonel John Andersons in Michigan Territory during this period. Both men were active in the War of 1812 and owned property in Monroe. The other John Anderson was an Indian trader in the settlement of Frenchtown (Monroe) with a large trading house. After the war, he served in several civic positions in Monroe County, including justice of the peace and chief judge of the court of common pleas. Interestingly, that John Anderson also assisted attorney Charles Noble, hired by Julia Anderson, in the sale of property owned in Monroe by Colonel John Anderson of the US Topographical Engineers, to settle her husband’s estate. The other Anderson also owned the toll bridge that landed on the south side of the River Raisin adjacent to the property owned by Colonel John Anderson. These two men, with the same name and rank, and their various roles have often been confused because they are often both recorded as “John Anderson.” 108 The Michigan Historical Review Point in 1802. He graduated on December 9, 1807, and was appointed a second lieutenant in the Regiment of Artillerists.2 Graduating from West Point did not mean that Anderson was immediately assigned to a post, however eager the young man was. He wrote to Colonel Henry Burbeck on December 28, 1807, informing Burbeck that he had accepted the appointment as an artillerist.3 On January 31, 1808, Anderson again wrote, reminding Burbeck that he was awaiting orders. In a formal request, Anderson asked, “Pardon my freedom Sir, if it is your pleasure to order me to one of the Eastern Posts—you will confer a favor on me.”4 Burbeck responded on February 14 and he assigned Anderson to Captain Samuel T. Dyson’s company of artillery at Detroit.5 Burbeck wrote again on February 28, ordering Anderson to be ready to join his company at Detroit and advising that it was the “proper season to proceed on the proper conveyances.”6 Anderson arrived in Detroit on July 31, a full five months after Burbeck had advised him it was the “proper season to proceed.”7 From Anderson’s later letters to a friend, it appears that he was ill and therefore unable to travel; the winter season and the frozen lakes surely had an impact. On his trip to Detroit, he also took the time to visit Niagara Falls. Still, good roads in the West were nonexistent, necessitating travel by water across the Great Lakes to reach Michigan Territory. Shortly after his arrival, Anderson was appointed adjutant to the First Artillery, boasting in a letter to a college friend in Vermont that he received an additional $16 per month for this honor, which brought his total pay to $52.50. However, Anderson...

Keeping it in the family: Interdisciplinary kinship and association studies of the Stanley family within the corporation oligarchy in seventeenth century Canterbury

Genealogies are essential to inform historical narratives and the activities of communities. For much of the early modern period, civic corporations in English provincial cities were oligarchies composed of wealthy citizens. Corporations have been well-studied as entities, but the interrelationships between the individuals of which they were composed are often neglected in historical research and remain unelaborated. Canterbury in Kent was a nationally important and prosperous town in the seventeenth century, not least as England’s primary ecclesiastical centre and an historic pilgrimage site. A case study is presented here, focused on the wealthy Stanley family of brewers that originated from Ripple, Kent, which provided three generations of Canterbury mayors. The family’s extended consanguinal and connubial members occupied important civic positions, including one-quarter of all mayors within a 60-year period between 1626 and 1686, during a turbulent period of political and social change that spanned the civil war. The kinship and association network here outlines how the seventeenth century Canterbury corporation was highly interrelated, and provides a personal context within which urban politics can be examined. The study exemplifies the relevance of kinship webs and association ties in interdisciplinary approaches involving communities, local government, social history and politics.

Consejeros del Rey, Consejeros de las Repúblicas. Percepción y práctica habitual en el vademécum político de la Monarquía Hispánica del Quinientos y el Seiscientos

In the Christian-Western political theory has been understood as a political server should provide his lord help and advice. The first began as military aid and then drift into the economic service. The second was to support this lord (usually a king) in their governance and management tasks. So, politicians, ministers, officers were primarily councillors, administered or intermediated this royal or public service. The reflections on the matter from the perspective of the habitus , helps understanding social leaders and oligarchies, and its work and justification against the real device. In fact, the treatises about the councillors was an entire subgenre of political literature of which the castilians participated with other subjects of the Hispanic Monarchy. In this work two not always easy to delimit lines are drawn. On the one hand, consideration of the councillors from above as support for the princely government by polisinodial system; here we find authors like Furio Ceriol, Madariaga, Ramirez de Prado, Alamo de Barrientos and Martir Rizo, all have numerous influences of Erasmus, Vives, Bodin, Lipsius, Chokier de Surlet and Simancas. On the other hand, those who advocate more republican or civic positions, among which we should mention to Costa Beltran, Castilla Aguayo, Ballesteros Saavedra and Acevedo Salamanca.

John Legge (1921–2016), AO, FASSA, FAHA: Historian, Southeast Asianist, Institution Builder

This memorial essay pays tribute to John Legge’s academic career as a student and educator (especially his time at Monash and including a sabbatical at Cornell). It also touches on his interests, personal life, political and civic positions, and writings. Legge’s two best known works on Indonesia are a biography of Indonesia’s founding statesman, Sukarno (); and a highly innovative general history (). The general history is remarkable in bringing together Legge’s desire to understand Indonesia, especially the historical processes that shaped the country, with his commitment to making theoretical advances in the discipline of history. Indonesia is an achievement in interdisciplinary collaboration, with the historian Legge reaching out to a range of social scientists. A bibliography of his major works is included as well as a list of publications about Legge.

Dutch Printer and Publisher Joan Blaeu II (1650–1712) Identified as the Subject of a Portrait by Michiel van Musscher (1645–1705)

The most famous seventeenth-century European printing, publishing, and cartography firm was that of the Blaeu family of Amsterdam. Founded c. 1599 by Willem Jansz Blaeu (1571–1638), it was continued through three generations by his son, Joan Blaeu I (1596–1673), and his grandsons, including Joan Blaeu II (1650–1712). Joan Blaeu II, along with his brother Peter (1637–1706), led the firm after the dual disasters of a fire that destroyed the printing plant in 1672, and the death of their father in 1673. The family gradually liquidated inventory, finally selling the printing shop in 1678. Joan II later would hold a number of civic positions. Although images of Willem Jansz. Blaeu and his son Joan Blaeu I are known, no depictions of Joan Blaeu II have been identified. The Amsterdam portraitist Michiel van Musscher (1645–1705) had painted a number of members of the Blaeu family including posthumous portraits of Joan I and his wife, Gertrude Vermeulen. This report presents evidence that a Van Musscher portrait of a previously unknown gentleman now can be identified by the artistic imagery included in the painting as a portrait of Joan Blaeu II. This imagery reflects his work as a printer, his civic position, and his connection to the Blaeu firm through its printer’s mark. This mark, used for the duration of the firm, was a distinctive design adopted by Willem Jansz. Blaeu c. 1622, and it pays homage to his scientific mentor and astronomical genius of the day, Tyco Brahe (1546–1601).

James Edmund Reeves (1829-1896) and the contentious 19th century battle for medical professionalism in the United States.

During his life, Dr James E Reeves was a national figure in the US. His work included multiple professional publications, civic and professional leadership positions, and the drafting of a landmark law that confirmed the right of states to regulate the medical profession. While much of Reeves' work supported the successful struggle of 19th century regular physicians to gain control of the practice of medicine, he challenged his colleagues when their self-interests conflicted with his perception of the public good. He was frequently lauded for this work by physicians and the public but he also made professional enemies. Perhaps for this reason, his considerable accomplishments were forgotten after his death. His story reminds us of the difficult contradiction that exists within the regulation of medicine, guarding the public's welfare while protecting the interests of medical professionals. It also reminds us that history may temporarily overlook those who fight our difficult battles.

Behaving like a Man: Performed Masculinities in Gl'ingannati

This essay focuses specifically on masculine performance in the Gl 'ingannati (1532) and views the comedy's sexual play as imbued with a political discourse. The tension and disorder so precious to comedy are, in Gl 'ingannati, borne precisely from the political and sexual anxieties of the recently invaded Italy in the sack of 1527. The social disorder caused by the sack is paralleled by the sexual ‘disorder’ of the raped and sodomized protagonists. Their return to civic positions of husband, patrician or wife also marks a return to sexual normalcy. This essay further argues that Gl 'ingannati eschews a traditional gender binary to show a much more complex potentiality whereby the disempowered and previously ‘penetrated’ may threaten their own penetrating potential. The standard wedding conclusion does not resolve gender confusion, but instead institutionalizes the survival of a troublesome gender outsider, the transvestite Fabio. Gl 'ingannati teaches us that it is through the cunning use of narrative and performance that the Sienese can wed their new master, regain civic order, and still be on top.

Dante Ravennate and Boccaccio Ferrarese? Post-Mortem Residency and the Attack on Florentine Literary Hegemony, 1480–1520

This article analyzes the way Renaissance authors (including Cristoforo Landino, Girolamo Benivieni, and Jacopo Caviceo) use the ghosts of Dante and Boccaccio as mouthpieces for anachronistic civic polemics and ideological positions that are unpopular or even politically dangerous. The author argues that Florentine writers invoke the ghost of Dante in order to apologize for exiling the poet, to argue implicitly for the return of his body from Ravenna, and to suggest an unbroken literary line in the shared Florentine language and culture. Meanwhile, non-Florentine authors, especially those like Caviceo in Ferrara who write in a language other than the dominant Florentine vernacular and who foresee a new direction of literary development, emphasize the mobility of Florentine authors and even naturalize them as citizens of rival cultural courts.