English-speaking World Research Articles

1990s dinomania: Public and popular cultures of palaeontology from Jurassic Park to Friends

In the 1990s, the English-speaking world was swept up in a deluge of popular cultural content on palaeontology. Dinosaurs were featured in programming ranging from B-movie horrors to children's cartoon franchises to popular novels. In some ways, this widespread public interest in palaeontology was mirroring broader public and scientific conflicts such as the Alverez hypothesis, the ‘birds are dinosaurs’ debate, ownership rights over dinosaur fossils, intelligent design and creationism in schools, and major DNA sequencing projects. But in other ways, this popular culture material existed beyond these specific debates, and speaks to the ways that depictions of palaeontology fostered public understanding of science in this period. Perhaps no two depictions of palaeontology frame different, and in some ways conflicting, aspects of the field better than two of the biggest popular culture phenomena of the 1990s: Jurassic Park and Friends. Jurassic Park, for which we are approaching the 30th anniversary of its initial release, spawned two sequels within a decade, and three more since then. The heroes of the original movie were two palaeontologists, Alan Grant (Sam Neill) and Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern). Friends, which aired 1994-2004, was certainly the most successful sitcom of the period and one of the most popular television shows of all time. One of the six main characters, Ross Geller (David Schwimmer), is a palaeontologist, who at the beginning of the series works for the American Museum of Natural History and by the show's conclusion, has received tenure at New York University. The depiction of palaeontology in these two programs could not be more different. Drs. Grant and Sattler are competent action heroes, whose expertise regarding dinosaur morphology and behaviour are central to both their survival and their identity. Notably, the filmmakers for Jurassic Park centred the science of palaeontology in its story, working close with palaeontologist Jack Horner. They were also helped by the fact that their source material, Michael Crichton's 1990 novel of the same name, closely engages with scientific ideas and ethics. For Ross Geller on the other hand, his career as a palaeontologist is only on the outskirts of the TV series. Viewers occasionally saw Ross in professional settings (the classroom, the museum, a conference, a fellowship interview), but are not provided with enough information to even determine what sort of research he even does. The focus is always on his personal life; his interest in dinosaurs is just one aspect of his personality, one that does not even get mentioned in many episodes. It thus offers an unusual representation of scientists and science as fully integrated into society and the lived experiences of non-scientists. The palaeoscience occurs off-screen as a facet of the character rather than their defining characteristic. In this article, the authors will situate Friends and Jurassic Park within the dinosaur-mania of the 1990s, while analysing the different versions of palaeontological study that they projected to the public. It will draw connections between how palaeontology was depicted on-screen to the major real-life debates and discoveries in the field at the same time.

Popularization and scientization in terminology translation

Abstract San Ti (Three Body, better known to English readers as The Three-Body Problem) stands out as the most successful Chinese literary work introduced to international audiences through translation. Previous studies have primarily focused on translating culture-specific terms and fictive terms in the work, arguing that the strategy of foreignization alongside occasional footnotes significantly contributes to its tremendous success. Techno-scientific terms, on the other hand, have received relatively little attention because their rendering seemed to be a straightforward matter of back translation. However, our case study reveals that the source-text-oriented translation strategy for culture-specific terms and fictive terms presents only a partial picture of the science fiction (SF) terminology translation in San Ti. It demonstrates that translating techno-scientific terms needs to be considered alongside culture-specific and fictive terms. Moreover, it provides proof that translating techno-scientific terms cannot be simplified to a process of back translation only. The translator sometimes deviated from the principles of equivalence, resulting in three different types of interlingual terminological shifts, which are discussed and analyzed in the current study. Given the heterogeneity of the target readers and the interesting paradox of San Ti as hard SF, these different types of deviation serve two divergent purposes: popularization and scientization. In addition to explaining the success of San Ti in the English-speaking world, the findings of this case study also provide insights into the unfaithful facets, contextual factors and research scope of terminology translation in this specific genre.

Singularity in Rorschach’s Test: 12 Years of Research in Spanish-speaking Countries – A Secondary Publication

To describe the place of singularity in scientific research with the Rorschach test, 85 studies from Spanish-speaking countries published between 2010-2021 are compiled, analyzed, and classified with the “subject approach mode” described by Meneses, and identified for longitudinal trends. The results indicate a growing number of studies using Rorschach in the region with the systematic and stable presence of subject approach considering their singularity. This paper discusses whether the trends represent significance in research with Rorschach in the Spanish-speaking world, compared to studies in the English-speaking world, giving subjects the possibility of being considered in their complexity. It also proposes that the region presents an opportunity to produce research and theoretical models that take advantage of the comprehensive possibilities granted by the Rorschach test as a projective method.

Ghostwriting History: Churchill, Kennedy and the Authenticity of Authorship

This article explores how ghostwritten works of history compromise the authenticity of authorship as a process and have a tainted historiographical utility as source material in international relations. Using the examples of Winston Churchill and John F. Kennedy we analyse how these famous politicians-cum-historians used research assistants to gather and analyse historical documentation whilst preserving their right to claim authorship of prize-winning works of history. Despite being a long-established practice in the English-speaking literary world, ghostwritten works of history have significant, yet underexplored, implications for shaping historiographical trends. Churchill, for example, was able to place himself at the centre of all events in the Second World War, whilst Kennedy shaped perceptions of how his own vision of leadership should be historically compared. Deepening our awareness of ghostwriting as process tells us something important about the relationship between politicians and the history they try and tell whilst also revealing the impact of ‘collaborative history’ as a method. The result is a version of events that inevitably places positionality over objectivity, demonstrating the myth-making power of ghostwritten works to impact historiography.

From Versailles to No Man’s Land: French broadcasters and the new geopolitical reality of the audiovisual industry

ABSTRACT Based on the examples of Versailles, a series co-produced by Capa Drama with the Quebec company Incendo and Zodiak Fiction for Canal+, and No Man’s Land, a Franco-Belgian-Israeli co-production produced for Arte France and the US platform Hulu, this article aims to compare two different dimensions of the globalisation of the series market and the integration of French producers and broadcasters into this new transnational creative ecosystem. The challenge for the production of Versailles was to bring the French heritage series up to the standards of the English-speaking world while promoting French producers’ financial and artistic creativity in launching series with distinctive stories onto a global market. For No Man’s Land, however, the challenge was to produce a cosmopolitan series, featuring several cultural areas and a multilingual cast. Whether in terms of the broadcasters’ globalisation strategy or in terms of the creative or even cross-cultural challenges raised by the production process, both experiences are representative of the way series are emerging today as a laboratory of audiovisual ‘glocalisation’.

School food, sustainability, and interdependence: learning from Japan’s Shokuiku?

ABSTRACT As the sustainability imperative looms, mainstream educational research in the English-speaking world continues a long tradition of failing to see food as integral to education. Japan’s tradition of Shokuiku (food education) stands in stark contrast, providing an external reference point to direct critical attention on Anglo-American school food philosophies, policy, and practice. This article analyses Shokuiku, tracing the genealogy of Japan’s 2005 Basic Law on Shokuiku, a landmark education policy that shifted the 1954 School Lunch Act away from the scientific and nutritional discourses of the mid-20th century and back to Japan’s school food cultural traditions. While still teaching nutrition, Japan’s Shokuiku emerges as distinctive in its broader goals of interdependence, gratitude towards nature, emphasis on culture, and awareness of relations between production, consumption, and sustainability. From a pragmatic perspective, Shokuiku may offer new ways to combat rising obesity worldwide, lessen meat consumption, and reduce humanity’s unsustainable ecological footprint.

Disruptionen: Sprachliche und seelische Brüche in »Sam va mieux« von Alain Damasio

The writer Alain Damasio (1969– ) is one of the best-known SF authors in France. Recently, Damasio has made a name for himself in the English-speaking world through various projects such as translations, blogs, animated films, video games and fan art based on his novels. In Damasio’s fiction, disruptive elements interact on a structural and narrative level. The short story »Sam va mieux« (»Sam is doing better«, first published in 2010, republished in 2021) represents a particularly complex case in terms of use and functioning of disruption. The lonely protagonist imagines a counterpart – in this case a samovar – as his son Sam. This article deals with the concept of post-apocalypse, which is evoked by linguistic means. The short story’s creative linguistic treatment of resistance to (uncomfortable) reality is intended to show that the hero’s psychological defense mechanisms are based on disruption. The treatment of disruptive conditions in »Sam va mieux« points to Damasio’s specific conception of the post-apocalyptic narrative. Sam and all the protagonist’s other imaginary children serve functions that are central to post-apocalyptic fiction as a whole: a cathartic function (providing comfort), a critical and educational function (disillusionment and warning), and and an empowering and emancipatory function (maintaining agency). »Sam va mieux« explores the question of how agency unfolds despite the catastrophe and what effects can possibly be generated as a result. One possibility is the will to deal creatively with a changing world. Human beings have the potential and the duty not to suffer the world passively. 

Discourse, Power, and the Body A Study of Postcolonialism in the Works of J.M. Coetzee

J.M. Coetzee, one of the most esteemed authors in the English-speaking world today, exhibited clear postcolonial tendencies in his early works. In his later writings, he gradually shifted his focus away from the South African context to explore themes such as rewriting classics, marginalized communities, and immigration. This paper, rooted in Foucault's theory of discourse-power and theories of the body, examines Coetzee's reflections and critiques of the discourse-power relationship and social disciplinary practices in his works. Furthermore, drawing from postcolonial scholars like Homi Bhabha, the paper investigates the consistent central-peripheral colonial geometric relationships in Coetzee's works and summarizes the strategies of "appropriation" and "mimicry" as means to challenge and subvert these power dynamics.

Collective reflections to create knowledge spaces: Thinking about an inclusive, diverse, and participatory occupational science

ABSTRACT The first World Occupational Science Conference took place in Vancouver, Canada, in August 2022. As English was the official language of the event, this brought challenges for some non-anglophone participants, including some of the authors of this paper. In response, the authors gathered to support translation and communication efforts during the event. This strengthened mutual support and led to the establishment of a workgroup to reflect on knowledge production within occupational science. Framed within a call to expand the discipline beyond the English-speaking world and from a Portuguese-Spanish context, our objectives were to (i) share joint reflections on the potential barriers to participation in scientific events; and (ii) recommend options to democratize knowledge in academic events to develop a more inclusive, diverse, and participatory occupational science. This work could contribute to the creation of spaces for inclusive knowledge to engage more people in occupational science and therefore open opportunities for a more nuanced and diverse understanding of occupation.

Shared Responsibility for Shared Mobility: Community-Based Transportation in Germany

To serve rural areas efficiently and effectively, public transportation must have tools suitable to serve the small-scale and dispersed mobility needs typical of countryside settings. One way of achieving this is by giving more space to locally planned and operated services, to achieve better-tailored solutions and more cost-efficient ways of service provision. In the English-speaking world, this approach is known as “community transport” (CT). In Germany, “Gemeinschaftsverkehr” (as a loose translation of community transport) is a much more recent concept, although certain elements of CT have been in use for some time. This paper synthesizes and discusses how CT has evolved and (in part) been reinterpreted in Germany over recent years, in particular in the state of Baden-Württemberg. In addition to an overview of service models, the paper discusses some more general questions linked to the idea of CT, such as the potential tensions between “top-down” and “bottom-up” views on planning, formal/regulatory challenges, and the implications of a more heterogeneous set of stakeholders. The paper is based in part on dedicated research activities, but mainly on the author’s direct involvement as consultant and policy advisor.

Anthologization and Cannonization of Chinese Literature in English-Speaking World: A Case Study of An Anthology of Chinese Literature Anthologized by Stephen Owen

Please refer to the URL that includes this article for the abstract.

A Paradoxical Convergence: French Economists and the Policy toward Cartels from the 1870s to the Eve of the Great Depression

Abstract As in other industrialized countries, cartelization was widespread in France after the 1870s. Cartels, and the public policy toward them, were frequently addressed in the public debate. This article deals with the stance taken by French economists on this subject until the Great Depression. Although they were divided into several groups that were in sharp disagreement on most scientific and policy issues, French economists were almost united in their lack of support for anticartel policy. The liberal economists' opposition stemmed from their general hostility to government intervention. Unlike in the English-speaking world, where many economists otherwise critical of government gradually became supportive of antitrust after mounting evidence had revealed the scope of certain kinds of exclusionary behavior, the French liberal economists remained constant in their opposition. The more reform-minded university professors, as well as the sociologists- economists of the Durkheimian school, were unenthusiastic about policies meant to safeguard competition because they viewed “excessive” market competition as destabilizing and wasteful. Finally, the most prominent experts in industrial economics, who were employed by large companies or professional organizations, also advocated a hands-off approach, in accordance with their employers' preferences.

Generalized morality culturally evolves as an adaptive heuristic in large social networks.

Why do people assume that a generous person should also be honest? Why do we even use words like "moral" and "immoral"? We explore these questions with a new model of how people perceive moral character. We propose that people vary in the extent to which they perceive moral character as "localized" (varying along many contextually embedded dimensions) versus "generalized" (varying along a single dimension from morally bad to morally good). This variation might be partly the product of cultural evolutionary adaptations to different kinds of social networks. As networks grow larger, perceptions of generalized morality are increasingly valuable for predicting cooperation during partner selection, especially in novel contexts. Our studies show that social network size correlates with perceptions of generalized morality in United States and international samples (Study 1) and that East African hunter-gatherers with greater exposure outside their local region perceive morality as more generalized compared to those who have remained in their local region (Study 2). We support the adaptive value of generalized morality in large and unfamiliar social networks with an agent-based model (Study 3), and in experiments where we manipulate partner unfamiliarity (Study 4). Our final study shows that perceptions of morality have become more generalized over the last 200 years of English-language history, which suggests that it may be coevolving with rising social complexity and anonymity in the English-speaking world (Study 5). We discuss the implications of this theory for the cultural evolution of political systems, religion, and taxonomical theories of morality. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Ebū’l-Muʿīn en-Nesefī’de İmanın İki Yönü ve İnsanın Özgür İradesiyle İlişkisi: Felsefi Bir Analiz

The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between knowledge (ʿilm or maʿrifa) and faith (īmān), or intellect (ʿaql) and religious assent (taṣdīq), in the thought of Abū al-Muʿīn al-Nasafī (d. 508-1115), the most distinguished theologian after the founding father of the Māturīdī school. Regrettably, the works of al-Nasafī and his school have not received the recognition they deserve in academic circles of the English-speaking world. This study aims to fill this gap and contribute to the studies already conducted in Turkish academia. The study distinguishes itself from other works in Turkish scholarship by exploring the philosophical reasoning behind the moral praiseworthiness of the act of faith in the Māturīdī tradition, as represented by al-Nasafī. To this end, the initial focus of this article involves conducting research on the essence of faith using al-Nasafī’s corpus. It then explores the relationship established by al-Nasafī between knowledge and faith, or intellect and religious assent. This paper also examines the impact of God’s intervention on human free will in the act of faith and whether this act should be viewed as a human or divine act. The findings of this study show that, according to al-Nasafī, the truth or legitimacy of a religious belief can only be established through knowledge or evidence (dalīl). Imitating the beliefs of forefathers (taqlīd), relying on intuition (ilhām), or trusting in the goodness of those beliefs cannot be a means of acquiring true knowledge of religions. Nevertheless, faith cannot be reduced to knowledge. Instead, faith is a special assent of the heart that is grounded in knowledge. With this voluntary assent, a person adopts the Islamic faith and its values as the most fundamental guiding principle of their life. The assent that al-Nasafī deems worthy of being called faith is a special kind of assent of this kind.

Resilience and Resistance in Athol Fugard’s Play No Good Friday

Athol Fugard, acclaimed as the greatest South African playwright in the English-speaking world, is best known for his political and penetrating plays opposing the system of apartheid. In his play No-Good Friday (1958) he presents the burning zeal of an incipient black revolutionary against the exploitation faced by the blacks. At the surface level, the play appears to be a mere representation of the conditions of the blacks; but at deeper levels, it records the helplessness of the blacks in the face of exploitation by their own fellow men during the conditions of the apartheid. Fugard presents the oppressive politics working on the life of the people of Sophia town in various forms by portraying the complex and evolving nature of submissiveness in the face of oppression and how the characters struggle to find a balance between survival and resistance. The play ultimately underscores the resilience of the human spirit and the transformative power of resistance in the face of oppressive systems.

Book Review

A century on, as young children in Montessori classrooms around the world continue to engage with Sandpaper Letters, Metal Insets, Moveable Alphabets, and Reading Command cards, an accumulation of studies into how children learn to read from across a range ofdisciplines has generated an influential body of research evidence that has been dubbed the science of reading. The science of reading is currently being used to shape education policy and mandated curriculum documents, especially in the English-speaking world. For this reason, the comparative analysis of the Montessori approach and the science of reading presented in Powerful Literacy inthe Montessori Classroom: Aligning Reading Research and Practice will be welcomed by many Montessori educators.

Online health information on sinonasal inverted papillomas: An assessment on readability and quality.

Sinonasal inverted papilloma (IP) is a rare but serious diagnosis, with a paucity of patient-centred information regarding this condition. As more patients are seeking healthcare information online, the quality and comprehensibility of this information becomes ever more important. The aim of the study was to investigate the readability and quality of websites on inverted papilloma. The term IP and seven of its synonyms were inputted into the three of the most commonly used search engines in the English-speaking world (Google, Yahoo and Bing). The first 20 results returned for each search term were then screened with our exclusion criteria. The remaining websites were assessed for their readability using the using the Flesch Reading Ease Score (FRES) and average grade level (AGL). Quality was assessed using the DISCERN questionnaire. Of the 480 websites returned using our search strategy, 410 were excluded using our screening criteria. Removal of duplicates from the remaining 70 websites left 14 for inclusion in the final analysis. The mean FRES score of the remaining websites was 30.5 ± 10 and the mean AGL was 15.2 ± 1.1, corresponding to a reading age of a 21-year-old. The median DISCERN score was 33.5 (30.5-36.5), a score which falls within the 'poor quality' range. The readability and quality of online patient information on IP is far below the expected standard. Healthcare providers have a responsibility to direct patients to appropriate sources of information or consider producing new material should a lack of appropriate sources exist.

Re-conceptualizing cultural dissemination in the lens of translational spaces: a case of the English dubbed Journey to the West

ABSTRACT The Chinese classic TV series Journey to the West was dubbed into English by China Central Television in 2020. While it enjoys some popularity in the English-speaking world, many Chinese viewers learn English from this dubbed drama, aided by timely danmu dictionaries and back translations. This article delves into the directions of this dubbing’s dissemination by utilizing translational spaces, a conceptual tool substantiated by incorporating the concept of diaspora. It contends that the dubbing possesses a diasporic nature and is somewhat situated in the ‘third space’ through intercultural adjustments. There is no contradiction between the ‘outgoing’ of Chinese culture and the ‘inward’ flow for Chinese viewers learning English or seeking entertainment. The dichotomous ‘in-and-out’ mindset might be discarded, given the reality of multi-/non-/anti-directional dissemination. The perspective of translational spaces allows us to witness a collective online carnival sparked by cultural untranslatability, where multiple purposes and pursuits are celebrated. This challenges the notion of translation as a straightforward, single-directed practice and illuminates the mechanism of cross-cultural exchange through audiovisual translation in the current digital age.

A sense of direction: the directionality of light and the creation of meaning and feeling on stage

ABSTRACT The direction light comes from is one of its fundamental properties, alongside brightness and colour. However, the directionality of light on stage – the qualities, effects and affects that arise from its directional property – has received little critical attention. In the UK and the English-speaking world more broadly, the discussion of directional light in professionally focused textbooks is generally based on an historical model from the mid twentieth century, developed by Stanley McCandless. This model prioritises a certain type of visibility of the actor and has little or nothing to say about how directionality can contribute to the expressive content of the performance. In this article, I provide a brief overview of directionality from the time European theatre moved indoors, and a critique of the McCandless ‘method’ and lighting systems that derive from it, which are still influential. I go on to propose a new approach to directionality, rooted in the relational – the relationships among light, audience, performer, character, space, the wider cultural context, and changing theatre-making practices. My approach is a phenomenological one, drawing on the experiences of practising lighting designers, to create an initial essay of how we might reconceptualise directionality and how it can create meaning and feeling on stage.

“Chicago Manual of Style” (Bibliographic References and Bibliographic Indices Presentation in the English-Speaking World)

The article deals with the styling of bibliographical data in the English-Speaking world, mainly with the rules of the ISBD and of the Chicago Manual of Style. Special attention is paid to the styling of bibliographic references in scholarly papers and of bibliographic indices. The author comes to the conclusion that the conceptual framework of Anglo-American bibliographic standards and styles is quite different from their Russian equivalents, including a wide variety of citation styles instead of a single standard, styling bibliographic references according to the common rules of English punctuation and typography, providing full names instead of surname and initials etc. The English bibliographic terminology is also quite different from the Russian one; for example, the meaning of the term “bibliographic reference” in English is wider than in Russian. As a consequence, bibliographic lists and bibliographic indices in English are usually styled according to the same rules as those used in bibliographic references, in sharp contrast to the Russian practice.