Habilitation Thesis Research Articles

Rywiková , Daniela Speculum Mortis: The Image of Death in Late Medieval Bohemian Painting (review)

SEER, 99, 1, JANUARY 2021 176 Rywiková, Daniela. Speculum Mortis: The Image of Death in Late Medieval Bohemian Painting. Lexington Books, Lanham, MD, Boulder, CO, New York and London, 2020. xxiii + 235 pp. Illustrations. Notes. Appendix. Bibliography. Index. $95.00: £65.00. In the Appendix of her masterful and compelling new book, Speculum Mortis, Daniela Rywiková acknowledges that one of the last exhaustive studies of the depiction of death in the medieval Czech Lands, Karel Stejskal’s Výtvarná zobrazení smrti jsou u nás ve 14. století námětově poměrně chudá. Nevyskytuje se mezi nimi tehdy oblíbený výjev Tři mrtví a Tři živí, ani žádný cyklus (Prague, 1987), found that ‘depictions of Death in the fourteenth century Czech lands are quite poor. There isn’t any image of the Legend of the Three Living and the Three Dead among them or cycle’ (p. 205). In the ensuing years, this initial finding has been turned on its head, thanks in no small part to a number of subsequent findings, and some incredible restoration work on the part of conservators. Rywiková has responded to these new findings, first in her 2016 Czech-language Habilitation thesis for Ostrava University of the same name, and now in this English-language edition. Rywiková begins the book with an Introduction (pp. 1–27) that thoroughly covers both the image of Death and the Four Last Things (the Last Judgement, hell, paradise and death) in medieval art generally. This discussion serves to prepare readers with an in-depth background to the subject, but also to centre the art found in the Czech lands within a larger European context. The second chapter, ‘The Death of the Apocalypse’ (pp. 29–37), focuses more specifically on representations of Death specifically as a part of the artistic narrative of the End Times. In the third chapter, ‘Mors triumphans’ (pp. 41–80), Rywiková focuses more specifically on a spectacular series of images uncovered in a Charnel House in Broumov in the Hradec Králové district. The fourth chapter, ‘Memento mori’ (pp. 81–124) looks at representations of the motif of the three living and the three dead in various Bohemian mural paintings. ‘Ars moriendi’, the fifth chapter (pp. 125–54), moves on to discuss the celebrated Krumlov Miscellanea’s depictions of a virtuous life and death. The last full chapter, ‘Danse macabre’ (pp. 155–90) then discusses two differing Dances of Death from Prague. The book ends with an Epilogue (pp. 191–204) that helpfully rounds out the discussion with reference to contemporary meditations of death in art, with reference to the work of Damien Hurst. Speculum Mortis is one of those rare things, a work that not only illuminates the specifics of art in a particular region and time, but does so in such an entertaining and thorough way that it can simultaneously serve as a generalized introduction to the topic. Rywiková’s Introduction, in particular, would work well on its own as a primer on the image of death in fourteenth-century European art for novices. However, the true joy of this work is its in-depth REVIEWS 177 discussions of the more recently discovered artworks in Broumov, Český Krumlov and Prague. Rywiková’s ability to use them to underline not only the importance of the Czech lands in the late medieval period as expressed through these works, but also the ways in which the unique religious environment there is reflected in the work is masterful. Some of Rywiková’s more interesting findings include a fifteenth-century depiction of The Triumph of Death from the Old Prelature of Český Krumlov where death is depicted riding a wooden hobby-horse, combining depictions of deathandthefoolinmedievalartasapotentTriumphofDeath.Herethecadaver serves as a forceful reminder that death can carry off young and old alike, and that ignoring one’s religious obligations can result in the ultimate eschatological death of the soul (pp. 200–01). Rywiková’s study also helps the arguments of other Czech art historians such as Alexander Patschovsky in actively identifying the figure of Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund of Luxembourg in a Dance with Death in the famous Bible of the Hussite Priest (p. 172) My critiques...

Ursula Ganz-Blättler. “Signs of time: Cumulative narrative in broadcast television fiction”

TV series are one of the very few ‘traditional’ media formats that continue to thrive in the current media landscape. In Europe, the format of TV series (i.e. serial audio-visual fictional narratives) has been surging for some time in terms of numbers of suppliers and consumers, as well as in shares of distributors’ offerings and consumers’ media use. Homegrown high-end original productions have become ‘calling cards’ for suppliers active in the European market(s). Subscription-based, pay-per-view, and advertising-based networks, as well as public service suppliers order and finance serial fiction. International players like Netflix, HBO, Sky, and Amazon invest in original (co-) productions in many countries. From a media economic perspective, the market entry of more and more ‘big tech’ and conglomerate players into the production and distribution of TV series is another indicator of the importance of the product TV series. The success of the format warrants extensive investigation. Nevertheless, compared to, e.g., cinema, ‘new’ media, and political communication, the attention of scholars in communication/media science and other disciplines still seems surprisingly modest, particularly in Europe. Some noteworthy European works on fictional TV series are Schlütz (2016), Redvall (2013), Gormász (2015), and the scientific journal Series – International Journal of TV Serial Narratives (series.unibo.it). Ursula Ganz’s work Signs of Time was accepted as a habilitation thesis in 2009, and an adapted form was published in 2018. The thesis thus represents somewhat of a European premiere in discussing in great detail and depth what the term ‘(audiovisual) cumulative narrative’ entails and how the central feature of accumulation impacts the analysis of narrative as communication and reflective stance.

A tribute to some of the doctors who died from COVID-19

A tribute to some of the doctors who died from COVID-19

Entre ética e dialética: defronte a Platão e Gadamer

From Gadamer’s Habilitation thesis, “Plato’s dialectical ethics. Phenomenological Interpretations Relating to the Philebus ” (1928), this article seeks to highlight the fundamental lines of Plato’s image, outlined in that author’s first philosophical publication (1931). The con- frontation with the themes of ethics and dialectic, in the current state of Platonic studies, indicates that in Plato’s image drawn in the early confrontation with the Philebus , clearly influenced by the phenomenological notion of Dasein , one already finds the fundamen- tal features of what will become Gadamer’s philosophical hermeneutics, fully emancipated from Heideggerian tutelage. Keywords: Plato, Gadamer, ethics, dialectic, phenomenology, hermeneutics.

Gerhard Schricker on his 85th Birthday

On 25 June 2020, Gerhard Schricker, the longtime co-editor of this journal, celebrated his 85th birthday. His colleagues, academic disciples and the ‘Max Planck Family’ congratulate him and send their best wishes. Born in Nuremberg, he studied law at the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, to which he was to return years later as a professor of private law and intellectual property law. A scholar of the prestigious Maximilianeum Foundation, his horizon soon transcended the Bavarian mountains. Study visits led him to Pavia and Salamanca. After his brilliant law exam, Eugen Ulmer, the father of German postwar copyright law, became the supervisor of his doctoral thesis on misleading advertising in Italian law. It was published as volume 11 of the Max Planck monograph series on industrial property, which presently approaches its 200th volume. His habilitation thesis on the relationship between breaches of statutory duties and the concept of unfair competition contributed significantly to the doctrinal basis of German unfair competition law. The present § 3a of the German Act against Unfair Competition, which deals with this interface, is based on these foundations.

Karl Löwith et la question de l’anthropologie

Cette contribution se propose d’étudier l’anthropologie philosophique de Karl Löwith en partant de sa thèse d’habilitation, Das Individuum in der Rolle des Mitmenschen (1928). L’étude de cet ouvrage, dont Löwith nous dit qu’il est « pensé de manière anthropologique », permettra de poser le cadre initial de son anthropologie dont nous montrerons que la visée est éthique. C’est là sans doute, comme nous le montrerons en passant par la lecture de Löwith par Gadamer, que se joue la véritable distanciation avec l’ontologie heideggérienne, même lorsque la pensée de Löwith cherchera à expurger son anthropologie de tout anthropocentrisme.

“The joy that engineers and mathematicians have come together.”1

“The joy that engineers and mathematicians have come together.”¹

The Controvery over Modality in Classical Vocal Polyphony Within German Musicology

Since its revival in German musicology in the 1950s, Renaissance research has been accompanied by a fundamental methodological dispute between Carl Dahlhaus and Bernhard Meier. In his habilitation thesis of 1968, Dahlhaus attacked Meier’s rigorously historical, early studies that were based on the definitive importance of church modes for sixteenth-century composition. Dahlhaus, on the other hand, propagated an authentic-plagal general mode in the development towards major-minor tonality. Meier offered a fundamental critique of this approach in his 1974 publication The Modes of Classical Vocal Polyphony. Initially exposed not only to objective criticism but also to hostility, its importance as a scholarly treatise, fundamental to the understanding of the sixteenth-century music, only came to be appreciated posthumously.

Friedrich A. Lutz’ Epistemological and Methodological Messages During the German-Language Business Cycle Debate

Friedrich A. Lutz’ 1932 habilitation thesis is considered the last highlight in a German-language business cycle debate that took place during the interwar period. This debate, initiated by Adolf Löwe, concentrated on the necessary conditions in defining a dynamic theory that should explain the business cycle understood as a dynamic disequilibrium phenomenon in a deductive way. This article contributes to Lutz scholarship by focusing on Lutz’ criticism of Clément Juglar’s “unconditional” observations. This constituted the basis for the problematic concept of wave-like fluctuation subsequently adopted by the Historical School and Joseph Schumpeter. I establish a relationship between Lutz’ criticism and his statement that this perspective does not find support in economic history. Lutz asserted that each crisis represents a unique historical phenomenon caused by specific factors whose impact on the economy depends on its institutional framework. From this, I derive an epistemological claim, namely that the equilibrium tendencies within the market order should be the subject of inquiry, and a methodological call, namely the development of models showing hypothetically what factors can disturb these tendencies. The paper contextualizes Lutz’ criticism and messages into the formation of the Freiburg School’s research program.

Th e Leibholz-Schmitt connection’s formative influence on Bonhoeffer’s 1932–33 entry into public theology

Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s brother-in-law Gerhard Leibholz’s insight into the Fascist theory of the state’s messianic leadership and myth of creating communal life became a major source of information for Bonhoeffer. Leibholz had gained this knowledge in close jurisprudential cooperation with Carl Schmitt as is evidenced by Leibholz’s 1929 habilitation thesis which at the same time intersected with Bonhoeffer’s academic work. Their original political leanings towards authoritarianism, Volk, and Vitalism were revised by Bonhoeffer and Leibholz in November 1932 through stepping out into a coordinated public opposition to the approaching political changes. But both only recognized the populist xenophobic destructiveness of such a life, hidden beneath the myth of unity, once Schmitt turned to National Socialism in early 1933. Bonhoeffer’s theology, built on the Leibholz-Schmitt discourse, remains a call for vigilance against the abuse of power, populism, and xenophobia, and continues to call for seeking God-revealed life.

In Memory of Oldřich Král

IN MEMORY OF OLDŘICH KRÁL LUCIE OLIVOVÁ Oldřich Král (1930–2018) was a student of Jaroslav Průšek and a member of the strong generation of sinologists which this celebrated scholar educated in Prague after 1950. As the most prolific of Průšek’s students, Král left an enduring oeuvre in the field of the history of Chinese literature, comparative literature, and translation. While still dependent on the guidance of his teacher Průšek, like his fellow students Král was engaged with modern literature, and consequently translated Ba Jin’s 巴金 Family (Jia 家) and Mao Dun’s 茅盾 The Shop of the Lin Family (Lin jia puzi 林家鋪子). From then on, however, he turned to classical philosophy and literature, which he considered the core of Chinese culture. In his doctoral dissertation, he analyzed Rulin waishi 儒林外史 and also published his findings in English.1 It needs to be said, however, that the majority of his theoretical work was written in Czech. He also published the full Czech translation of this novel in 1962. This was something new. Before him, from the field of literary prose, only Laocan youji 老殘遊記 and Fusheng liuji 浮生六記 had been translated in full, both by Průšek during the war. By this time, there appeared also Shuihu zhuan 水滸傳 and Xiyou ji 西遊記, translated from the shortened versions which sometimes are more appreciated by the readers. However, Král’s endeavor always was translations of the complete original texts. He became an assistant professor at the Chinese Department of Charles University, Prague, and being on his own, plunged into early medieval literature and literary theory. What he covered is restated in another English study2 which may seem superseded in some respects today, but in those times was a major step opening this domain. Consequently, he compiled and translated the anthology Tao: the Book of Silence, comprising extracts from Laozi, Zhuangzi, the seven masters of the bamboo grove, Lu Ji’s Wenfu, Wang Wei, Tao Qian, and many more. This anthology captures the very special poetics of ancient Chinese writings and was published three times (1971, 1994, 2016). Meanwhile, he completed his Habilitation thesis on Wenxin dialong 文心雕龍 and was about to submit it, expecting academic promotion. Then came the 1968 occupation of Czechoslovakia, the aftermath of which shattered society and caused thousands to lose their jobs. Průšek, Král and other sinologists were among them. Král’s study of Wenxin diaolong had to wait 30 years before it was published as an introduction to the complete Czech translation in 2000. Král had supported the regime, but “woke up” after 1968 and would not yield. He had to leave his post and his career plummeted. At first, he was only able to get a 1 For example, “Several Artistic Methods in the Classic Chinese novel Ju-lin wai-shih,” Archív Orientální 32 (1964): 16–34. 2 “Miscellaneous Writings on Chinese Aesthetics,” in Charles University on Far Eastern Culture: Studies and Essayes, ed. Oldřich Král and Vlasta Hilská (Praha: Univerzita Karlova, 1968), pp. 31–42. CHINOPERL: Journal of Chinese Oral and Performing Literature 37. 2 (December 2018): 190–191© The Permanent Conference on Chinese Oral and Performing Literature, Inc. 2019 DOI 10.1080/01937774.2019.1596056 manual job at a large train depot. One year later, life took an unexpected turn, and he became a curator at the Asian Arts Department of the National Gallery. This was only possible thanks to the great courage and risk undertaken by his new employers. It was there that he undertook his massive translations, although he could not publish officially. As the saying goes, his work could only be piled up in the drawer of his writing desk. His translations of the Yijing 易經, The Platform Sutra of the 6th Patriarch (Liuzu tanjing 六祖壇經), Zhuangzi 莊子, Sunzi 孫子, and other works were only published during the 1990s, after the Communist regime fell. There was one exception; an anthology of Tang tales (chuanqi 傳奇) was published in 1980 under an apocryphal translator’s name. Such imposture became practiced in those times, but it was a dangerous practice for the person who lent his name. Translating chuanqi was the gate through which Král...

Interferences between Clinical Practice and Public Health

This article consists of reflections on the habilitation thesis of Mr. Liviu Oprea, MD, MA, PhD Associate Professor, entitled Research on ethical issues at the interface between clinical practice and public health, defended at the Gr. T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Iasi April 20, 2018. We are facing a transdisciplinary habilitation thesis, which proves a thorough knowledge of the ethical issues both in the field of clinical practice and in the field of public health.

Mitmensch contra Dasein

AbstractThis paper presents and discusses Karl Löwith’s anthropological critique of existential analytic that is formulated in his Habilitation thesis (Das Individuum in der Rolle des Mitmenschen, 1928), where he develops an anthropological counter-paradigm, i. e.Mitanthropologie, in opposition to Heidegger’s fundamental ontology. Given the extent and the complexity of such a subject, I will limit the present inquiry to two specific topics: theMiteinandersein(Being-with-one-another) and above all theSein zum Tode(Being-towards-death). In practice, I will first explain the basic features of Mitanthropologie together with the crucial critique that it levels atBeing and Time. I will follow by outlining the importance of theTodesfrage(the question of death) within the existential analytic by means of a comparison between Heidegger’sBeing-towards-deathand Kierkegaard’sSickness unto death(Krankheit zum Tode). Finally, I will expound Löwith’s objection toBeing-towards-death, which is expressed in the alternative formulaFreiheit zum Tode(Freedom-towards-death).

Profesor Tadeusz Skulina – historyk języka i onomasta

Professor Tadeusz Skulina (1929–1992) was born in Katowice but from the Second World War he was connected with Great Poland. Also in Poznań, he studied Polish Studies and following his graduation became employed at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań where he completed the consecutive stages of his scholarly career. As a disciple of Professor Władysław Kuraszkiewicz he conducted research on the Polish language of the Old-Polish era and of the 16th century. His doctoral thesis (1964) was devoted to historical phonetics and historical dialectology but soon he changed his scholarly interests and entered the field of Slavic studies, especially East-Slavic languages. In his habilitation thesis he discussed the question of the Old-Ruthenian anthroponymy. This thesis, published in 1973, was the first original, so extensive and detailed thesis about the Old-Ruthenian names. As we know, in the period following the receipt of his habilitation degree Professor Tadeusz Skulina had plans to prepare a monograph about Polish feminine onomastics. He had pursued this for years, however, unfortunately, never managed to prepare a synthesis. He only left an unfinished editorial draft of this book. Apart from research activities, Professor Skulina was involved in didactics and also performed responsible administrative functions at the Institute of Polish Philology, was a member of numerous scholarly societies. For his achievements, he received many awards and honours. Professor Tadeusz Skulina died in 1992 after a long and emaciating illness. The scholarly achievements he has left inspire the successive generations of researchers. He also left unfinished written works and ideas which he never managed to realize.

Lymphatic lacunae of the mucosal folds of human uterine tubes — A rediscovery of forgotten structures and their possible role in reproduction

The mucosa of uterine tube forms multiple and branched longitudinal mucosal folds and takes part in many reproduction events, such as oocyte pick-up, gamete transport, sperm capacitation, fertilization, and early embryonic development. In the habilitation thesis of German physician Paul Kroemer (1904) was the first to describe the lymphatic lacunae inside the tubal folds (by injection of Indian ink), which the author named the öLymphbahnen” (ölymphatic channels”). Despite the fact that this first description has existed for 110 years, there is no mention of these lacunae in most of the current literature. In this article we present a rediscovery of completely overlooked morphological structures of uterine tubes — the lymphatic lacunae in their mucosal folds. The specimens from the uterine tubes were taken from 72 women (mean age 46.25 years) who underwent transabdominal or laparoscopic salpingectomy. The tissue samples from anatomically different parts of the uterine tubes were used for hematoxylin and eosin staining and for immunohistochemistry. Primary antibodies were used to label and detect podoplanin D2-40, a selective marker of lymphatic endothelia, CD34 antigen, and von Willebrand factor (Factor VIII). In the histological slides of the uterine tubes, there were noticeable slits or gaps within the loose connective tissue of the lamina propria of the mucosal folds. They were lined with one layer of squamous endothelial cells. These öempty spaces” were most prominent in the fimbriae, but were still well recognizable in mucosal folds of the ampulla. They always run through the central part of the fold. As a results of immunohistochemistry, we confirmed that in the centre of every mucosal fold, as well as in the fimbriae of the uterine tubes, dilated lymphatic spaces were situated and were lined with a simple layer of lymphatic endothelial cells (positive for podoplanin and CD34, and negative for Factor VIII). As there is no mention on them in the current Terminologia Histologica, we proposed the term ölymphatic lacunae of tubal mucosal folds and fimbriae” in English and ölacunae lymphaticae plicae mucosae et fimbriae” in Latin. According to our hypothesis, these lymphatic lacunae may be responsible for the thickening of the fimbriae during the oocyte pick-up and the maintenance of the tubal fluid.

Elmar K. Jessberger (1943–2017)

Elmar K. Jessberger (1943–2017)

La didactique de l’Information-Documentation en France comme ressource pour l'enseignement : une histoire et une "épistémologie plurielle"

Information-Documentation didactic in France as teaching resources: an history and a “plural epistemology”. This text is based on our research Information-Documentation didactic. It focuses on the epistemological and historical dimensions developed in our Habilitation Thesis (2016) and uses a review of the literature. This paper is thus going to be organized into four parts: characterization of what we call a “plural epistemology”; origins and history of Documentation-Information training in Education; neighboring fields, complementary and identification of trends, paradigms and models dominant; documentary culture, Information-Documentation didactic and link with teaching of history.

La didactique de l’Information-Documentation en France comme ressources pour l’enseignement : une histoire et une « épistémologie plurielle »

Information-Documentation didactic in France as teaching resources: an history and a «plural epistemology». This text is based on our research Information-Documentation didactic. It focuses on the epistemological and historical dimensions developed in our Habilitation Thesis (2016) and uses a review of the literature. This paper is thus going to be organized into four parts: characterization of what we call a “plural epistemology”; origins and history of Documentation-Information training in Education; neighboring fields, complementary and identification of trends, paradigms and models dominant; documentary culture, Information-Documentation didactic and link with teaching of history.

Modern Surgeons: Still Masters of Their Trade or Just Operators of Medical Equipment?

My surgical education began at a time when Poland formed part of the communist bloc and was isolated from the world, or in today's Terms - it remained behind the Iron Curtain. This was true of all areas of life, including medicine. When after 40 years of work, I look back at my professional career; I wonder whether I owe my proficiency in surgery to my experience and dexterity or, like many others, to technological progress. Two of the great Polish surgeons were my mentors and teachers. Professor Zdzisław Łapiński was the one I met first. He was a manual genius and an unusual operational strategist. Granted, he had one character defect, but nobody's perfect after all. In 1975, I defended my dissertation. I was convinced that I should continue my education at a center abroad, preferably within a postdoctoral scholarship. Professor Łapiński wanted me to learn everything about surgery from him. I decided otherwise, and in 1978 with his tacit agreement, I obtained a Humboldt Fellowship and went to Heidelberg, to the department headed by none other than Professor Fritz Linder.1 I started my research for the habilitation thesis at the Experimentelle Chirurgie Abteilung of his Department.

THE ORIGINS OF ADORNO's PSYCHO-SOCIAL DIALECTIC: PSYCHOANALYSIS AND NEO-KANTIANISM IN THE YOUNG ADORNO

This essay examines one of the least-studied works in the philosophical corpus of Theodor Adorno, The Concept of the Unconscious in the Transcendental Theory of Mind. A retracted habilitation thesis composed in 1926–7, the text is often regarded as an exposition of the philosophical system of Adorno's teacher, Hans Cornelius, that bears little significance for Adorno's mature works. I argue that Concept of the Unconscious sheds significant light on both the historical origins and the conceptual underpinnings of the relationship between society and the psyche that Adorno would theorize over the course of his intellectual career. In this early text, Adorno articulated a dual critique of dominant neo-Kantian and vitalist understandings of the unconscious, turning to Freud for a more adequate account of the unconscious as a product of intertwining psychological and social processes. Adorno developed this dialectical understanding of the psycho-social relationship in numerous postwar writings on psychoanalysis.