Historical Forms Research Articles

Engaging the everyday: the concept and practice of ‘everyday heritage’

ABSTRACT In this paper, we explore what it means to link heritage to the everyday, how this has been framed in the field of heritage studies to date and how engagement with the everyday might generate future opportunities for heritage practice. We highlight distinctive aspects of everyday heritage, including its post-representative nature, the importance of urban activism, digital and historical forms of cultural participation, as well as its aesthetic re-framing of the ordinary. We conclude that while the term is often used to describe a non-hegemonic, unofficial form of heritage, everyday heritage tends to merge the authorised and the unauthorised. We finish by distilling our findings into a working manifesto for everyday heritage as a provocation for future discussion and debate on this topic.

Historical Traditions and Values as Foundation of the Russian Legal System

The amendments in 2020 to the Constitution of the Russian Federation of 1993 were a decisive step towards strengthening sovereignty in the international arena and the reception in the Russian Federation of historical traditions and value attitudes characteristic of Russia in any historical form of its statehood. The unity of state ideology, which is directly prohibited in the chapter «Fundamentals of the Constitutional System» of the Basic Law of Russia, has become the subject of special attention of the developers of the text of constitutional novels due to the impossibility of amending chapters 1, 2 and 9. Additions and changes made to chapters 3‑8 positively influenced and significantly softened Art. 13 (part 3), but did not completely eliminate the problems and contradictions between constitutional norms and the objective need to restore the ideological sphere in the Russian state, before the growing aggressive expansion of alien values imposed by a number of unfriendly countries. The discourse taking place in the scientific community and at all levels of public power in the state on the issue of the invariability of chapters 1, 2 and 9 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation leads to the idea of the advisability of revising the current constitutional act in the future. At the present stage, positive prospects are noted in solving ideological, socio-economic, geopolitical and other problems, as well as developing an effective strategy in the field of national security of the Russian Federation, which is greatly facilitated by the updated and improved Constitution of the Russian Federation in 2020.

Seeking justice on social media: Funas as a localized form of Latin American youth activism

A funa, a public denouncement aimed at raising moral condemnation of a person accused of perpetrating a crime or injustice, has become a major digital activism instrument in Latin America, particularly in Chile. Originated in the human rights movement in the 1990s, funas re-emerged as a new form of online activism that hybridized with a Latin American and historical form of protest to exert informal justice through social media. Drawing on a face-to-face survey of Chilean youth aged 18–29 years, we examine the factors that explain young people’s attitudes and behaviors regarding funas. We find that funas are gendered, with issues like sexual harassment and misconduct being the primary subject of funas. We also show that women hold more positive views about funas and are more likely to engage in online funas. Finally, our findings indicate that individuals who trust the judicial system are less likely to share funas on social media.

Философский диалог: М.М. Бахтин – А.А. Дорогов (воспоминания и архивные свидетельства)

The name of Mikhail Mikhailovich Bakhtin (1895–1975), an outstanding thinker of the 20th century, philosopher and cultural scientist, is widely known. The relevance of his research thought, which comprehended the depth of knowledge about man in the forms of literary creativity, as well as in historical forms of culture, only increases over the years. Because of this, interest in his legacy, including his scientific dialogues, is also increasing. The article provides memories about one of M.M. Bakhtin’s interlocutors – Alexei Alexandrovich Dorogov (1923-2003), whose name is well known only to those who knew him personally, talked with him, listened to his lectures on a wide range of historical, philosophical and cultural problems. This publication sets out to bring out of the shadows of oblivion our remarkable compatriot, a profound and original thinker who was linked to M.M. Bakhtin by a friendship that began on 20 August 1965 and lasted until the latter's death in 1975. Their dialogues can be attributed not just to the genre of memoirs, but to the history of scientific thought. The article is supplemented by the author’s personal memories of meetings and conversations with A. Dorogov. The publication may open up new facets of M.M. Bakhtin’s life and work, as well as to complete the picture of scientific thought of the twentieth century by including in it a little-known thinker, Alexei Alexandrovich Dorogov.

Caught by a Medieval Disease: A Monoarthritis Revealing Syphilis

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted bacterial infection that first appeared in Europe in the 15th century, responsible for deadly epidemics before the discovery of penicillin. It typically progresses through three phases: primary syphilis, characterized by a syphilitic chancre that may appear on the genital area, anus, or oral cavity and can go unnoticed; secondary syphilis, which corresponds to the hematogenous dissemination of the treponema, leading to skin eruptions occurring in two waves, also known as "florid" phases, with the second wave being the most characteristic, involving papular lesions on the palms and soles. During this phase, there may also be lymphadenopathy, early neurosyphilis, and osteoarticular manifestations such as periostitis and arthritis [1,2,3]. Finally, tertiary syphilis, a historical form, is characterized by cardiac, vascular, and/or neuropsychiatric involvement. We report the case of a patient with risky sexual behavior who presented with an oral ulceration possibly corresponding to an oral syphilitic chancre in the primary phase. The patient did not seek medical attention at that time and developed secondary syphilis with joint involvement two months later. This article aims to remind that syphilis should not be excluded when faced with the combination of oral ulceration and arthritis, alongside chronic inflammatory bowel diseases, Behçet's disease, and lupus. The infection has to be confirmed in the joint aspiration either by isolating the treponema or by finding the pathogen’s DNA or simply by TPHA and VDRL technique ; as for the syphilitic arthritis should be treated as a secondary siphilis.

Inspiring Designers’ Innovative Thinking: An Evolutionary Design Method for Product Forms

The product form serves as a crucial information carrier for expressing design concepts and encompasses significant valuable references. During the product iteration process, changes in design subjects, such as designers and decision-makers, result in substantial variability and uncertainty in the direction of product form evolution. To address these issues, an evolutionary design method for product forms based on the gray Markov model and an evolutionary algorithm is proposed in this study. Firstly, quadratic curvature entropy is utilized to quantify historical form features of product evolution. Subsequently, the original data on product form feature evolution are fitted and predicted using the gray Markov model, thereby obtaining the predicted value of the latest generation of product form features, which is determined to be 0.14586. Finally, this study uses this predicted value to construct a fitness function in the framework of an evolutionary algorithm, which in turn identifies next-generation product forms that can stimulate designers’ creative thinking. The method’s application is illustrated using the side outer contour of the Audi A4 automobile as an example. The research findings demonstrate that combining the gray Markov model with an evolutionary algorithm can effectively simulate designers’ understanding of previous generations’ design concepts and achieve stable inheritance of these design concepts during product iteration. This approach mitigates the risk of abrupt changes in design concepts caused by designers and decision-makers due to personal cognitive biases, thereby enhancing product development efficiency.

Architecture between empire and revolution: housing and the shaping of Soviet Leningrad

ABSTRACT This article traces the planning history of the first major housing projects built in Soviet Leningrad: the Traktornaya Ulitsa and Serafimov site housing estates. Initiated by municipal authorities in 1924, they were built according to the designs of its own Design Buro and the architects Aleksandr Nikolsky, Aleksandr Gegello, and Grigorii Simonov in 1925–1926. Spearheading the reconstruction of a large industrial suburb, these projects offer an original example of the role of housing in urban development in the Soviet Union and in one of Europe’s largest cities. The planning history of the projects illuminates the way urban development unfolded in the early Soviet context: through practice and negotiation with multiple contexts, both the historic, imperial city and the revolution. The article shows the exemplary quality of these projects and their power and means to reinvent the historic forms and meanings of the city, and reconfigure its spatial hierarchies. It analyses the sources and means at play from revolutionary ideals and avant-garde ideas on form to western models of housing, the surrounding classical city and Byzantine and Russian vernacular architecture. It thus delineates the means through which architecture acts as an instrument of social and cultural change.

Situational awareness and situational heroism: a close reading of testimonies from the London Bridge terror attack 2019

ABSTRACT Based on an-in depth analysis of two testimonies, this article explores how ordinary people can become ‘situational heroes’. On 29 November 2019, Darryn Frost and Steve Gallant were caught up in a terrorist attack in central London. In that situation, Frost and Gallant demonstrated a high degree of situational awareness and took bold and swift action to stop the attacker. Using the literary method of close reading, I analyse their testimonies with a particular eye towards two questions: how did the two men perceive the dangerous situation? Can and should they be seen as heroes? As a convicted murderer and long-serving prisoner, Gallant was certainly no hero in the conventional sense. Yet, in 2023 he received The Queen’s Gallantry Medal for ‘for acts of exemplary bravery’ alongside with Frost and a few others. This, I argue, is symptomatic of a broader shift towards situational awareness and towards what I call situational heroism. As it is less about being a hero and more aboutacting heroically in particular situations, situational heroism is less elitist and more inclusive than many historical forms of heroism. However, it also raises new ethical questions.

Historical Forms and Principles of Democracy

Examines the political view and historical forms of democracy, democratic values and the democratic regime. It is impossible to give a one-sided definition of democracy - one can observe its versatility in a full reflection of its essence. If we understand it from the point of view of political science, then it manifests itself as a form of state in all its manifestations. This tradition originates from ancient political thought. The methodological basis of the study is relativity, systematicity, scientific objectivity, historical, social and other principles.

Political Economy in Early Modern China and Its Relevance to Contemporary China

ABSTRACT This article seeks to develop an understanding of the historical political economy of late imperial/early modern China, from the Song through the Qing dynasties, which recognizes its basic features as a distinctive Chinese form of commercial capitalism. Using defining characteristics of capitalism as set forth in Marx’s analysis of European, particularly English, capitalism, this article argues that the structures and functions of the late imperial Chinese economy, and the cultural inflections generated by that economy, constitute a historical form of capitalism clearly different in its details, but substantially embodying the key features of Western capitalism, such as commodity production, elaborate market mechanisms, credit and finance systems, a monetized system of exchange, and the extraction of surplus value from labor for accumulation by commercial actors in both the manufacturing and agricultural sectors. This is important not only for the correct identification of the late imperial/early modern Chinese system and for understanding the diversity of capitalist development outside the traditional Eurocentric framework, but also for its relevance to contemporary China’s project of socialist construction.

THE PHILOSOPHY OF FRATERNITY AND THE FOUNDATIONS OF MORAL SOLIDARITY

Analyzing the historical forms of moral solidarity, one of which is the phenomenon of fraternity and trying to see in this form the foundations of constructive cooperation in modern conditions, we should pay close attention to the underestimated conceptual provisions and mechanisms. We believe that these factors play an important role in overcoming disintegration processes, both at the level of social communication and at the level of the mental foundations of intercultural and intercivilizational communication. The article is devoted to the philosophical foundations of the phenomenon of fraternity, mainly based on the material of European and domestic socio-philosophical reflection. The relevance of this topic is determined by the fact that the current international situation presents new challenges and that Russia is looking for constructive solutions to complex contradictions that have arisen in the international community. On the other hand, the axiological foundations of Russian civilization, which have been its genetic basis for many centuries, require constant philosophical reflection. The article discusses the essential importance of the phenomenon of fraternity for overcoming social disharmony, clarifies the advantages of this form of social interaction over formal cooperation. The methodology of the work is based on a socio-philosophical analysis of the axiological and ethical foundations of various forms of joint human activity. The article attempts to identify the structure-forming foundations of the system of social relations by the example of the phenomenon of fraternity.

Транснациональный бизнес как резерв роста национальной конкурентоспособности России

This article delves into the historical forms of entrepreneurial transnationalization in Russia, analyzes their adaptation to the conditions of anti-Russian politicization of foreign economic activities since 2022, and assesses the prospects for forming corporate competitive advantages and efficiency competencies of Russian enterprises based on scientific justification of the activities of transnational companies. The main directions of their implementation into the strategy of enhancing the country’s national competitiveness are characterized, taking into account current issues and constraints in the long-term perspective. It is noted that in relation to foreign and domestic transnational companies, our country should pursue a comprehensive policy, including measures to align their activities with the priorities of enhancing national competitiveness. Conclusion dwells upon the fact that the effectiveness of the outlined strategy will be sufficient if Russia maintains the ability to modernize approaches to transnational entrepreneurship, which becomes a strategic task in the conditions of sanction policies against it.

Історіографічні рефлексії опонентів Р. Конквеста: суб’єктивна і об’єктивна критика

The purpose of the article is to reveal the contradictory historiographic reflections of the opponents of the famous American researcher of Stalinist political terror and the Holodomor Robert Conquest, subjective assessments and scientific criticism. The research methodology consists of the principle of historicism and an interdisciplinary approach, methods of comparative historiographical analysis of sources, as well as elements of the "theory of reflections". General scientific methods (deductions, inductions), concrete-historical (chronological, problem-thematic), textology and scientific biographical methods are used. The applied task of the article is to resolve the conflicting assessments of the role and place of the Ukrainian scientific community in America and Conquest personally in the study of the Holodomor, refuting the scientist's subjective criticism. The scientific novelty is due to the goal and task of the analytical article, the formulation of the problem in the context of historiographical reflection, that is, the identification of subjective criticism of the scientific work of the Conquest, especially its interpretation of the causes and consequences of the Holodomor. Western literature has many works, the authors of which expressed a critical attitude to the scientific-historical interpretation of the scientist's Soviet political system, Stalin's regime, and mass terror. Our task was to establish the signs of motivated criticism of key problems: the causes of Stalin's terror, the concept and phenomenon of famine-genocide, the historiographic origin of the term "terror by hunger." The subject focus, rather than a descriptive and bibliographic review of the Scientist's works, seemed more constructive to us. The Conclusions emphasize Conquest's significant contribution to the historiography of the Holodomor, the presence in its approaches of elements of self-reflection, a restrained and balanced assessment of the historical forms of genocide, the avoidance of any ideological dependence, and a tolerant attitude to other opinions. The opponents' arguments turned out to be unconvincing, sometimes subjective and biased. They related to specific historical facts and events that revealed the worldview and political preferences of the opponents themselves. Conquest recognized objective criticism, especially regarding the number of victims of Stalin's terror. His calculations were not "random", but academically weighted, based on official statistics, historical literature, memoirs, and Soviet periodicals. The publication of his works in Soviet scientific journalism magazines of the late 1980s meant "objective" recognition of his merits, refutation of "subjective" criticism and accusations of "falsification".

Mechanisms for Socio-Political Cohesion and National Development in Post-Civil War Nigeria

The focus of this study is on Nigeria's post-civil war socio-political cohesion status at the political, economic, and social levels. It examines what the Nigerian government has done to enhance the necessary blending of political forces and ideologies of the greatest number of citizens, and how far they have gone in stabilizing the country in the 21st century. The study adopts the qualitative descriptive historical research method using the primary and secondary sources of data collection to arrive at its findings. It has also adopted the same descriptive and historical form in the presentation of the facts from oral interviews, journal articles, books and other secondary sources that have been consulted. The study ended with a short conclusion that leads the reader to recommendations on how the Nigerian state can achieve balance in its match to an enduring socio-political cohesion for national development.

Toward A (Not The) Political Philosophy Of Populism: Democracy, Moral Dualism And Minimalst Theory In Christopher Lasch

Abstract I compare Christopher Lasch's thought to specific features that research in political science attributes to contemporary populism. Lasch openly favoured a historical form of populism but is rarely considered when current forms of populism are discussed. The research literature characterizes populism as superficially tied to democracy while undermining it, as committed to the moral binary of people and elites, and as intellectually “thin” because it does not engage with the complex theories that ground other ideologies. These characters make populism incoherent and inimical to democracy. Lasch manifests all three characters while connecting them to a sustained worldview. Humans’ awareness of death is the core feature that makes them rational, ethical and equal. Attempts to dilute that awareness are inimical to the equality at democracy's basis. Experts and professionals encourage this dilution by promising remedies and progress. Democracy depends on ordinary people who resist elites and their complex phraseologies.

The problems of the Anthropocene in the Geologic Time Scale, and beyond

The formalization of the Anthropocene in the Geologic Time Scale (GTS) is a matter of debate. An assessment of the two current options, one formalizing the Anthropocene as an Epoch and the other considering the Anthropocene as an informal event in the Earth's history that does not require formalization, are critically analyzed. The focus of the analysis is on the philosophical issues underlying these two options, which make them unsatisfactory for addressing the occurrence of humans on Earth and the evolution of the relationship between humans and nature. Essentially, the approach followed by these options is non-historical, and does not undertake a research on the structural socio-economic roots of the Anthropocene. As a result, the concept of the Anthropocene is unable to identify the particular and historical form of Anthropos underlying the ongoing environmental degradation. Some inconsistencies in the current configuration of the GTS and in the rules for formalizing units inherited from the historical tradition of the GTS are also highlighted. The current dualistic approach of the Earth system science community, including the two options analyzed for the Anthropocene, prevents a proper understanding of the relationship between humans and nature, which is fundamental to confront the Earth's habitability crisis of the Anthropocene.

On the trail of banal racism: a Gypsophile genealogy of Romaphobia

ABSTRACT Based on a concern to study historical forms of racism that usually fall under the radar of histories of racism that focus on the peak moments of regimes such as Jim Crow laws in the United States, Nazi racial politics and the apartheid system in South Africa, this article proposes a definition of the concept of banal racism to be applied in situations where the explanation of racism involves long-standing cultural phenomena and social practices rather than legal norms and official policies. A dialogue is established with concepts borrowed from the social sciences, such as “cordial racism,” “prosaic racism” and “benevolent racism,” to underline the banality (in Arendt’s sense) of these forms of discrimination and social hierarchisation, which can entail a high degree of violence compatible with their declared innocence. Together with the conceptual proposal, a case study is presented as an example, in which the racist undercurrent underlying the Gypsyophile discourse of three Anglo-Saxon travellers who visited Spain between the mid-19th and mid-20th centuries is analysed.

Historical examples and modern application of the "Chinese style" in the art of British interior design

"Chinese style" is a new form of combining Chinese and Western styles, formed on the basis of Western decorative art after a large number of Chinese exported works of art were imported to Europe in the XVII—XVIII centuries. The article takes the famous British country estate of the XVIII century as a starting point, and combines the relevant elements of interior decoration to analyze the influence of Chinese design on British decorative patterns and decorative techniques. "Chinese Style" is an innovative combination of Chinese and Western art based on Western decorative techniques.The article also analyzes the influence of the Chinoiserie style as a new art form combining traditional Chinese elements with Western forms on British decorative methods, with an emphasis on a specific study of this phenomenon.The purpose of the author of this study is to study and familiarize readers and the scientific community with the development and application of the "Chinese style" in British decorative methods of interior design. To achieve this goal, the author uses comparative historical, historical and cultural methods, iconographic method of description, as well as stylistic analysis, analyzes historical sources: historical documents, images, artifacts and literature. The research methodology includes a comprehensive approach to the study of the historical context and its impact on the formation of the British interiors. An empirical generalization of the material allows us to conclude about the significance of the above research and the influence of the "Chinese style" on modern decorative methods of interior design and design in Britain. The novelty of the research lies in the application of a combination of methods, analysis of historical forms to study this topic, which has been little studied in the segment of Russian historical science, which allowed us to obtain results that can arouse increased interest in the formation of the British interior among specialists. The author emphasizes the importance of the ability of design masters and architects to combine elements of Italian and British design to create a unique interior. The author's special contribution lies in the analysis of historical materials, practical examples of the successful application of the "Chinese style" in British interiors, which makes this article a valuable study for designers and lovers of interior art.

Ignacio Rangel: Thinker of Scientific Socialism, Originator of the “Projectment Economy”

ABSTRACT Ignacio Rangel stands out as the most creative and original Brazilian economist of the 20th century. He is a Marxist known for challenging the two dominant schools of thought in Brazil and Latin America—neoclassical and structuralist. His work is regaining relevance as the political economy he developed offers relevant answers to contemporary Brazilian challenges. Moreover, one of his most significant works, “Elements of Projectment Economy,” has become important in assisting the understanding of the historical form emerging in China since 1978 as a new socio-economic formation. Rescuing and developing Rangel’s contributions to scientific socialism may be seen as a response to Xi Jinping’s call to open up new horizons for Marxist political economy in light of developments in China and the world.

Black Latina Passages through Colonial Ecologies of Illness and the Art of Composting Aesthetics

Drawing from Black Latinx and feminist thought to place Latinx Studies and medical/health humanities in conversation, this project asks, what are the medical and colonial histories, personal and collective, that inform patients’ perceptions of illness and Western biomedicine? What happens in cases when Latinx patients have internalized historical forms of medical violence, and what are the means by which Latinx patients construct their healing through narrative? These questions are grounded in material conditions with special concerns for the well-being of Latinx patients, but they are explored via a historically and culturally informed literary analysis of Jasminne Méndez’s Night-Blooming Jasmin(n)e (Night-Blooming), a personal illness narrative composed of poems and lyrical essays that portrays, among other health conditions, Méndez’s life with Scleroderma, Lupus, and Raynaud’s disease. Offering a close reading of Night-Blooming’s biomedical critiques alongside the ecological language, metaphors, and formal structure she employs to describe her illness, the author argues that narratives such as Night-Blooming require us to travel into the colonial ecologies of illness, environmental characteristics, practices, and rhetoric in medical settings that evoke colonial encounters from within and beyond the strict boundaries of healthcare facilities. This essay also follows in the passages of Méndez’s figurative travels to the island of Hispaniola as she works to recover her language, health, and Black roots. Acknowledging the ways Méndez’s chronic illness and biomedicine distort her (textual) body, psychiatric health, and language becomes necessary to appreciate Méndez’s composting aesthetics of illness, healing work that involves a struggle to recover that which is painful and deteriorating for life-affirming and life-sustaining purposes. I suggest that by enacting an aestheticization of illness alongside experiences of pain, Méndez uses Night-Blooming as a conduit to theorize about the potential for transforming human suffering from chronic illness into a means toward cultivating life.