Symbol Of Justice Research Articles

New Nomos of the Earth? Perspectives of the Order in the Age of Chaos

The article “The New Nomos of the Earth? Perspectives of the Order in the age of chaos” by Jan Okoński presents the concept of Nomos and its interpretations against the background of a changing global order. The author presented an analysis of the Nomos as a symbol of justice (similar to such ideas as: ius, maat, and tao) and Carl Schmitt’s analysis of this term, which is important from the point of view of the philosophy of law. Nomos is word derived from ancient Greek, a concept that somehow unites the plane of factuality and the plane of validity of law. In the word Nomos, there is contained, a strange, paradoxical union of violence and justice. The Italian philosopher and researcher of the thought of C. Schmitt, Giorgio Agamben, has pointed out that Hobbes’s sovereign is the only one that remains in a state of nature, retaining his “ius contra omnes”, we may say, perhaps along similar lines to the states in the UN Security Council. These considerations are set against the background of the former China-centred system of international relations in Asia and the current attempts to transform the global order. Nomos is proving to be an ever-present concept that, although not as popular as other ideas from ancient Greece, casts clear light on issues of the validity of law in general and helps to make the evolution of the global order easier to understand. Through the prism of the concept of Nomos, it can be seen that the old world order, crystallised by the Europeans, can be marginalised by the change of the global power relations. This is not a new process, for it has already occurred in history. It is clear from the content of the article that law has appeared, since ancient times, to be paradoxically linked to violence and the possibility of initiating it.

IL GRUPPO EQUESTRE DI OLDRADO DA TRESSENO NEL BROLETTO DI MILANO

equestrian statue depicting Oldrado da Tresseno (1233), ostentatiously placed in a niche in the centre of the southern façade of the 13th-century Palazzo della Ragione in the Broletto in Milan, represents one of the first large equestrian monuments of the mediaeval age and an early inspiration to those of Antiquity. Described and commented on, as early as the 14th century (Galvano Fiamma), as a self-celebratory portrait by a podestà, the relief, as widely acknowledged by critics, especially in the 20th century, undoubtedly presents stylistic features ascribable to the Antelami workshop and indeed at times attributed directly to Benedetto Antelami. This study proposes, also following other interventions by the author, the attribution to a sculptor who worked with Antelami in Parma, and who executed some works at the Cathedral of Reggio Emilia, the Cathedral of Fidenza and the Church of St. Andrew in Vercelli. Having confirmed the stylistic characteristics of the staute and briefly examined the historical figure of Oldrado, this essay intends to indicate, also in the light of the inscription engraved under the aedicule that hosts it, how the real reasons for the creation of this sculptural monument do not lie in the desire for self-assertion of the person depicted, but in the symbolic representation of the role and functions of the foreign official whose task it is to govern the city annually, and in particular the administration of justice. In this, the monument constitutes the figurative counterpart of the theoretical reflection that constituted the subject matter of a wide range of treatises produced around the first half of the 13th century on the subject of city government. The theory of the transposition of imperial prerogatives into the figure of the podestà, especially in matters of justice, finds its place in this doctrinaire strand. Hence the reference to the monarchical institution that must find expression in the conduct of the actions and lifestyle of the podestà and even in the municipal palace, likened to a palace, in the same terms used in the inscription under the statue of Oldrado to describe the Town Hall. The doctrinal literature, as well as part of the inscription itself, also refer to legal terms derived from Roman sources of law. All this clarifies the significance of the presence in the aedicule of the large painted eagle above the equestrian statue, symbolising superior imperial power. This element too, in addition to those mentioned, thus contributes to the recognition of the references to equestrian statuary of Antiquity (the Marcus Aurelius in Rome and the 'Regisole' in Pavia) from which Oldrado’s monument is partly inspired. Finally, the analysis was extended to the numerous traces of polychromy that have been brought to light by the recent restorations to the entire complex, and which make it possible to reconstruct the probable original layout of the sculpted relief, in which the sumptuous robes of the podestà, not of a military nature, reinforce the reference to royalty. Finally, close examination of the sculpture has allowed us to confirm that the podestà originally held an object in his right hand, probably a sword, as a symbol of Justice.

“Quem não se comunica se trumbica”: comportamento decisório e estratégias de autopromoção do Supremo Tribunal Federal

Abstract The post-1988 period in Brazil has brought as a consequence a greater role for the Judiciary in the political game, a fact that can be derived either from institutional arrangements or from strategies undertaken by its agents. Focusing on the second approach, the article explores whether exists a communication strategy between the Brazilian Federal Supreme Court (STF) and the public. According to the literature, in spite of the fact that the Judiciary differs from other political actors because it does not rely on the electorate, it is similar in terms of the need to provide transparency in its decisions, in order to achieve institutional legitimacy. In the Brazilian case, there is a constant externalization of messages directed at symbols of justice, objectivity, and impartiality and, since mid-2000’s, there has been an increase in the institution’s transparency, with emphasis on the televised transmission of its plenary sessions and a detailed institutional web page containing news and complete content of rulings. Considering that, from a comparative perspective, the constitutional court has become extremely exposed, one wonders: is there institutional selectivity in relation to its decisions? In order to answer this question, press releases from the Federal Supreme Court and judicial decisions were examined, over a 16-year time frame, from 2000 to 2016. The research utilized mixed methods: textual data mining techniques and statistics. The findings suggest that there is an intention, consistent throughout the time period studied, to transmit an image of an activist court.

Family Album: Stories by Gabriela Alemán

Reviewed by: Family Album: Stories by Gabriela Alemán Lanie Tankard Gabriela Alemán Family Album: Stories Trans. Dick Cluster & Mary Ellen Fieweger. San Francisco. City Lights Books. 2022. 120 pages. THE EIGHT SHORT stories in Family Album live up to the book's title, their names underscoring the concept: Baptism, Summer Vacation, School Trip, Family Outing, Marriage, Honeymoon, Costume Party, Moving Day. Ranging from eight to fifteen pages, these tales offer an astute portrait of author Gabriela Alemán's country, called Ecuador for the equator upon which it resides. Settings bounce from the capital of Quito high in the Andean foothills to the volcanic archipelago of the Galápagos Islands—but also a drilling platform near the Louisiana coast, Puerto Rico, a Brooklyn laundromat, Mexico, and the Faena Theater and Hotel in Buenos Aires. Storylines intrigue: a dying man wants to scuba dive for sunken treasure using Robinson Crusoe's map; memories of a 1967 biddy basketball match drive a man to drink; and John Wayne Bobbitt brings his reconstructed career to Argentina. Murder and mayhem abound along the Ecuadorian Amazon. Born in Brazil, Alemán draws on her journalistic experience as she toys with the short-story form. Clever noir blends fact and fiction with an amusing dash of the gothic, resonating César Aira, Carlos Fonseca, Italo Calvino, or Silvia Moreno-Garcia. "Costume Party" nods to Chilean writer Roberto Bolaño's 2666 ("The Part about Fate"), exploring movies about masked professional prizefighter El Santo, a symbol of justice in Mexico. The narrator believes there was a double in one film shot in Ecuador, terming the series a "house of cards, fragile." [End Page 66] A widow spins one of the strongest yarns in "Marriage" as she discovers her recently deceased husband led a double life. Cleaning out his desk in Quito, she sees he had another wife and children in Machala while funneling money for a construction company—and realizes "the hall of mirrors that my life had been." Each allegorical tale stands effectively on its own. Yet, dig deeper and therein resides Alemán's genius, for she embeds recent events such as the Brazilian Odebrecht scandal's connection to Ecuador or the power dynamics of oil versus Indigenous rights. She tosses hints all over the place. For example, "Moving Day" seems merely a fascinating tale of demonic possession until one ponders a character's name and recognizes what a Portuguese word indicates. Gabriela Alemán's compelling snapshots may be of Ecuador, but their relatives certainly appear in many family albums around the globe. The book is a work of art. Lanie Tankard Austin, Texas Copyright © 2022 World Literature Today and the Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma

Ator A Zan Adua (Christian Traditional Rulers) and Tiv Culture in the 21st Century

The chieftaincy and traditional rulership institution is dynamic and one of the most enduring legacies from traditional African societies. Until the coming of the colonialists, the traditional institution led by chiefs, emirs, obas, Ezes, etc performed legislative and judicial functions as well as political, religious, social and economic roles etc. The chieftaincy and traditional rulership institution among the Tiv was not organised in a systematic manner until the creation of the Tor Tiv stool in 1946. With several reformations, the chieftaincy institution has taken a definite stage in Tiv society. However, the problem of the study has to do with the fact that there has arisen in the Tiv chieftaincy scene; the ator a zan adua (Christian traditional rulers) who rather than protect and preserve Tiv cultural heritage are in the vanguard of the corrosion of a culture they had taken an oath to protect and preserve. If prompt action is not taken by the Tiv, their culture would soon disappear as these ator a zan adua have “churchmentised” and Christianised Tiv culture. As scholars of Tiv History, Religion and Culture, the researchers are alarmed at this cultural imperialism being perpetrated by Tiv traditional rulers. The study adopts the historical, descriptive and evaluative methods. In data collection, the primary and secondary methods have been adopted. In the primary source, oral interviews and the observation methods have been used; whereas in the secondary sources of data collection, documented sources from books, journal articles, newspapers and e-sources have been employed. The study established that by the orientation of ator a zan a dua as Christians, they are on the verge of completely supplanting Tiv culture with a foreign one. The study noted that culture gives an identity to a group of people and without it, they cannot be defined. In view of this challenge, the study made various suggestions as means of preserving and sustaining Tiv cultural heritage for generations yet unborn. One of these suggestions is that traditional rulers in Tiv be made to take their oath of office by Swem (the Tiv symbol of justice) so that when they renege on their oath, they would immediately bear the consequences (death by swollen stomach, limbs and severe headache). The study concluded that Tiv culture must not be sacrificed on the altar of Christianity by anybody not even the ator (traditional rulers).

ПРОЦЕСС ФОРМИРОВАНИЯ И РАЗВИТИЯ ИЕРОГЛИФА ФА («ПРАВО») В КИТАЙСКОЙ КУЛЬТУРЕ

The paper analyzes the process of formation and development of Chinese character 法 which forms fundamental category of traditional law. Since ancient times, the law has been responsible for the regulation of social relations. It played an important role in shaping the legal culture of the state. The origins of European law are rooted in the legal and political teachings of ancient civilization. Traditional law has long played a prominent role in the life of the state and society in China. The functions of the law were in the methods of government and in the system of punishments. One of the most important features of Chinese culture is that it is closely related to the history of writing. Pictograms are the basis of Chinese characters writing. They originate in the archaic art of ancient China. Ancient signs are one of the main sources of information about ancient Chinese writing. The author analyzes the original image of this character, which was found on the ritual bronze vessel of the Western Zhou dynasty. It includes three main parts. The most interesting is the character of zhi (廌 ), which is translated as “a magic animal”. According to Chinese mythology, it is portrayed as a companion of the judge Gao Yao. It is also a symbol of justice.

Building the Aboriginal Conference Settlement Suite: Hope and Realism in Law as a Tool for Social Change

In 2014, the provincial government unveiled a new courthouse in Thunder Bay, Ontario, featuring a conference area designed to emulate an Anishinaabe roundhouse. The “Aboriginal Conference Settlement Suite” epitomizes efforts to support Indigenous justice within the criminal justice system. However, despite similar efforts in the past, the circumstances of Indigenous peoples in Canada have not improved. This ongoing commitment to legal solutions is emblematic of mainstream views of law as a problem-solving instrument. Notwithstanding awareness of its failings, law reformers remain dedicated to using law as a tool for social change. Employing a case study method focusing on the new courthouse, I challenge a prevailing wisdom that law reform outputs are manageable and in our control. I argue that similar to a courthouse, which is a concrete, physical structure as well as a symbol of justice, so too is the legal instrument both material and metaphorical, with concrete outcomes and symbolic forms. While treating law as a literal tool may give law reformers a longed-for sense of mastery, this approach belies law’s diffuse constitutive power and the various paradoxes in reformers’ actions. Accepting law’s dual nature is essential for candid and accurate assessments about the possibilities and limits of change through law.

The Symbol of Justice: Bloodguilt in Kant

AbstractOne of the more notorious passages in Kant occurs in the Doctrine of Right where he claims that ‘bloodguilt’ will cling to members of a dissolving society if they fail to execute the last murderer (MM, 6: 333). Although this is the most famous, bloodguilt appears in three other passages in Kant’s writings. These have received little attention in Kant scholarship. In this article, I examine these other passages and argue that bloodguilt functions as a symbol for the demandingness of justice. I then offer a sympathetic interpretation of the passage from the Doctrine of Right.

THE CONCEPT OF THE HEAVENLY BODIES IN THE CHUVASH LITERATURE AND IN THE POEM “NARSPI” BY K. IVANOV

In this paper, the images of the sun and the moon, which are the prototype of the spiritual world in Chuvash mythopoetic literature, are considered. The reflection of the concept of these heavenly bodies in classical Chuvash literature is also studied. The main attention is paid to the study of the sun role in K. Ivanov's poem Narspi, where this concept acts as an image of the Almighty. In Chuvash literary studies, many works are devoted to the study of literary traditions and artistic images originating from ancient times. The purpose of this study is to consider the concept of the sun and the moon in the context of the Turkic artistic tradition. This topic is relevant, as the study of deep connections of different peoples’ mythopoetic literature helps to understand better both the work of individual authors and artistic trends in literature as a whole. One of the Turkic literary traditions is the cult of the sun and the moon, which is associated with the folklore aesthetic views of these peoples. Cultivation of these images is observed in the literature of the Turkic peoples from the earliest period. The cult of the sun and the moon image was preserved in Chuvash literature. The Chuvash have many myths where the sun and the moon were originally inseparable. Then they were separated by fate. In the myths of the moon and the sun, the animalistic worldview of the Chuvash ancestors is observed. These heavenly bodies are certain substances that are set to serve humanity. In the traditional culture of the people, they are perceived as living beings with human qualities: kindness, mercy, modesty, fatigue, etc. In Chuvash literature, the unity of the sun and the moon personify warmth and light. The ancient Chuvash revered the sun and believed that it was impossible to speak badly of it, because it sees and hears everything. It was also a symbol of justice and prosperity in their lives. In folklore, the sun is deified. Although the moon, being its younger brother, does not play the role of a deity, but it is also a benefactor and helper of people living on earth. Undoubtedly, the cult of the sun and the moon, having arisen at the dawn of mankind with the advent of the first religious beliefs, penetrated into the Turkic environment. The veneration of these heavenly bodies was being cultivated by the Chuvash ancestors for several centuries and, of course, a transformation took place. However, this tradition has been preserved in Chuvash folk literature, and the veneration of the sun and the moon was later reflected in classical Chuvash literature. In the poem Narspi by K.V. Ivanov the sun is a kind of unique substance, which acts as a higher power, evaluating the events taking place in the poem. The sun in the poem is not just a symbol-epithet, but one of the acting heroes, which sometimes replaces the image of the narrator, condemns the actions of some heroes, sympathizes with others, and evaluates the third ones. Mention of the sun image is present at the very beginning of the work and at its end. The work begins with a description of the origin of life in the spring and ends with the death of the main character. One circle of human life closes. But time and the universe are eternal. The constancy of traditions, the natural world is transmitted through the image of the sun, which will move along its trajectory further. Thus, we have revealed that the Chuvash poet K.V. Ivanov turned to the cult images of the sun and the moon, developing them to poetic symbols.

Off Her Throne and Unarmed: the Humble, yet Noble Visage of Justice and Her Restless Servants

Abstract The title should not sound too iconoclastic to jurists’ ears. At least not to expert procedural lawyers, mindful of the scholarly debate on the notion of justice and the goal of process (especially of civil process) arose in Germany and Italy, at the end of the nineteenth century. As the raising demand for jurisdictional performance posed new challenges to the judicial administration of those States, scholars were confronted with issues such as “unjust” decisions, the perpetuation of judicial mistakes in res judicata judgments, and the principle of party disposition in the choice of appealing wrong decisions. Such a profound and introspective debate, came to put into question even centuries old dogmas, such as the olden maxim “res judicata pro veritate habetur.” Following that foundational juridical debate, the conventional “tools” the female figure of Justice is often displayed with, be they depicted in a XV century engraving or in a XX century sculpture outside a courthouse, A remarkable, though too partial attempt to collect images of Justice from law books printed between 1497 and 1788, may be found in Judith Resnik, Dennis Curtis, Representing Justice: Invention, Controversy and Rights in City-States and Democratic Courtrooms (Yale: Yale University Press, 2011). The authors rather focus on a “political” detail – whether Justice is shown as blindfolded or not – which, at different times, was meant either as a critique of arbitrary justice or as a symbol of Justice’s impartiality. do appear to modern observers as nothing but misleading attributes of Justice. In this article, we propose to enquire into the origins of the conceptual trompe l’oeuil attached to the iconographic imagery of Justice; to demonstrate how the widespread representation of Justice in figurative arts is ultimately flawed by political overtones and distant from the truly essence of the jurisdictional phenomenon; and to show how a few exceptions of artworks and famous literary trials come much closer to grasping the essence of Justice through due process, and are way more instructive than its deified and standardized allegory.

正義의 女神 유스티티아(Iustitia)의 모습과 正義의 상징

正義의 女神 유스티티아(Iustitia)의 모습과 正義의 상징

Justice dans un monde de violence.

The question is: how shall we conceive the idea of justice in the world of violence of our time? It takes up the old symbol of justice: the scales that symbolise an equilibrium between different ambitions. The author traces this idea in Western philosophy since Plato and Aristotle through Kant to Rawls, Ricoeur and Delmas-Marty for whom it becomes the symbol of global justice. By using the wind rose as another symbol, Delmas-Marty expresses the ethical necessity of a global justice between the philosophical, legal, social and political ambitions that blow across our whole world. All these winds have their rights in globalization, but none of them have the right to dominate the others.

Especificación de un modelo de agenda sociopolítica en torno a los conflictos hídricos y la pacificación retributiva

La relación en torno a las políticas de abastecimiento y los conflictos entre autoridades y usuarios es materia de análisis del presente trabajo el cual discute la construcción de una agenda sociopolítica a partir de especificar un modelo; considerando los marcos teóricos y conceptuales, así como el estado del conocimiento. En este sentido, dirimir las problemáticas derivadas del tandeo y el incremento de tarifas supone no sólo la ausencia de agresiones entre los actores, sino la emergencia de una cultura de la paz y la neutralidad de acciones que inhiban la espiral de violencia. Se trata de un sistema de valores y normas que incidirían en las creencias de escasez o abundancia de agua para con ello determinar percepciones y emociones de riesgo e incertidumbre que incentiven la participación civil ya no como beneficiarios de derechos a los recursos y servicios hídricos, sino como responsables sociales de anticipar conflictos, aminorar desencuentros y coadyuvar a la equidad retributiva como símbolo de justicia.

Biggest Gang in Town

The police are arguably the most visible and contested apparatus of legal authority and urban power in American history. The navy blue uniform, badge, and utility belt of armaments of varying lethal potential have simultaneously been the symbols of justice, order, and security, while also representing the trappings of a virtual standing army of punitive state coercion, eliciting equal amounts of fear and admiration among the most vulnerable members of society. The traditional law enforcement historiography dictates that urban policing in its present form saw its origins in London in the first half of the nineteenth century. I contend, however, that a diverse array of social classes and communities in the American city from the mid-nineteenth century onward formed and continuously reformed the municipal police departments into their current form. This process can best be observed in the experimental process of law enforcement in San Francisco, where a diversity of political ordering and community visions competed for dominance in policing methods and ideology. The sudden convergence of a multitude of classes and ethnicities on the small peninsula of San Francisco from the late 1840s onward shaped the institution of urban policing in ways that would have national ramifications.

Tecumseh by J. Laxer

Laxer, James. (2012). Tecumseh. Toronto, Ontario: Groundwood Books. Print. A university political science professor may seem an unlikely author of a children’s book on the legendary native leader Tecumseh but York University’s James Laxer’s keen interest in the War of 1812 and the relationship between the Shawnee leader, Tecumseh and British Major General Isaac Brock, make him ideally suited to the task. In 2012, the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812 was marked by the release of two books by Laxer, Tecumseh and Brock: the War of 1812, for adults and Tecumseh by Laxer and illustrated by Richard Rudnicki, for children. In this second book, the reader is presented with richly coloured and detailed illustrations and accessible text depicting the journey of Tecumseh from infancy to his death in 1813. The reader learns about the way of life of his family, the challenges faced when settlers moved into the area, and of course, the major battles in which he played a key role. The text is organized into chronological segments with headings referring to events or significant people in Tecumseh’s life. While there is not a table of contents to guide the reader, the language is appropriate for young readers, as well as a timeline, glossary and clearly labeled maps at both the front and back of the book. Tecumseh was motivated to take action after his father was killed in 1774 by American militiamen advancing on Shawnee land. This constant fear of expropriation led Tecumseh to consider the best options for defending native territory. His military and leadership skills made him a natural choice to head a native confederacy against the determined American colonists. By 1812, when the Americans had declared war on Great Britain, Tecumseh was ready to go into battle to fight for Native lands previously taken by force. He decided that the best choice to do this was to ally with the British under Major General Isaac Brock. Together they strategized and fought at Detroit, Queenston, and Moraviantown. During the short span between August and October, both leaders lost their lives. Their deaths would negatively impact the effort to ensure that there would be Native lands when borders were later drawn between Canada and the United States. Laxer concludes with these words: “In the end, the confederacy did not win. But Tecumseh’s courage, eloquence and steadiness of purpose continue to fascinate people in many parts of the world two centuries after his death. He remains a symbol of justice for the native tribes of North America” (p. 52). Ideal for children aged 8-12, grades 3-7. Recommended: 3 out of 4 stars Reviewer: Anne Rogers Anne Rogers is a teacher-librarian in a K-6 school in Medicine Hat, Alberta. She loves reading, running and cheering on her family in their pursuits.

Angels of Punishment and the Sword of God: Symbols of Justice or Tyranny?

It is the inherent ambiguity of the imagery in Genesis 3.24 and Matthew 10.34 that provides the focus of this article, addressing the theme of Sacred and Sacrilegious by investigating how these biblical passages were used to express negative apprehensions of God and Christianity. The poets Lord Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and Thomas Love Peacock, along with the artist J.M.W. Turner, take the sacred images of the Sword of God and the avenging angel, literal representations of the Glory of God, and reinterpret them in a sacrilegious manner.

The Jury System as a Symbol of Justice: Comparative Analysis

This paper explores the concept of the jury system, its historical context, growth, and development over the years. An examinination of the deliberative democratic and decision theories as they relate to the jury system is made. The paper analyzes how different jury systems across the world are conducted and have changed over time. I then examine the development of both the civil and criminal law trial systems notably in Canada, German, France, Australia, Britain, Brazil, India, China, Japan, and the United States. Further, the paper examines the effects of the jury system on social change in the administration of justice and public policy making. It concludes that there are genuine concerns for an overhaul of the jury system.

Colonial discourse, poetic language, and the Igbo masquerading culture in Ezenwa-Ohaeto's The Voice of the Night Masquerade

Until the recent effacement of aspects of the Igbo traditional values through the combined and sustained conspiracy of Western colonialism and Christian evangelical missions, the masquerade was one of the most venerated symbols of the people's social cohesion. It was particularly revered for its juridical functions in many Igbo communities. Whereas it provided entertainment to the communities, it was also often evoked as the most important symbol of justice amongst the people. This paper offers a critical reading of Ezenwa-Ohaeto's The Voice of the Night Masquerade, a work of rare achievement that brings into focus not only aspects of the cultural idiosyncrasies of the Igbo of South Eastern Nigeria through the cultural genre of the night masquerade, but also does so with an elegance that resurrects the age-long question on the nature of the language of traditional African poetry which engaged scholars like Chinweizu and his team, Wole Soyinka, and many others during the long, and continuing quest for the decolonization of the African mind. It locates aspects of Igbo language and culture through the vision and mannerism of Ezenwa-Ohaeto. The Voice of the Night Masquerade, it concludes, is particularly relevant because its ethics and aesthetics provide profound insight as a postcolonial statement in social equipoise that debunks colonialist civilizational assumptions of Africa.

‘Symbols of Justice’: the Welsh Language Society's campaign for bilingual road signs in Wales, 1967–1980

In this paper we provide a critical evaluation of the campaign for bilingual road traffic signs in late 1960s and 1970s Wales, examining how Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg (the Welsh Language Society) came to see English language road signs as mundane, ubiquitous and oppressive symbols of anglicisation and of British/English government authority in Wales. We suggest a rethinking of Michael Billig's concept of ‘banal nationalism’, arguing that while English language road signs may appear as banal symbols and technologies of government authority and control, their banality is only ever experienced from particular perspectives by partial constituencies. For Welsh language campaigners, English language road signs were experienced and criticised as eruptive and disruptive symbols of oppression, rule and colonisation, and in the paper we trace the genesis of the bilingual road signs campaign, British government reactions to proposals for bilingual signs, and the shift in policy which followed the very public support of hundreds of respectable Welsh professionals for the campaign from December 1970. We conclude the paper by examining the work of the Welsh Office's Committee of Inquiry into Bilingual Traffic Signs (the Bowen Committee), and the subsequent disagreements between language campaigners, government scientists and politicians on the issue of language order. Throughout the paper we suggest that it was the ubiquity, functionality and materiality of road signs which made this one of the most effective campaigns carried out by the Welsh Language Society.

The Scales as the Symbol of Justice in the Iliad

The idiom of the scales of justiceis commonly known and widely used. Iustitia can frequently be seen in different representations holding scales in her hand. The scales as a means or a symbol of justice (justness) or the administration of justice can be encountered in various places in Greek literature, one of its earliest instances being the Homeric Hermes' Hymn (Dikes talanta). According to these loci Zeus holds the scales of Dike, that is to say, the scales of justice in his hand. In the Iliad (23, 109-213) one may come across a scene presented in context, thus suitable for being more amply analysed, in which Zeus is pronouncing justice over the heroes using a pair of scales. In search of the meaning of Dikes talanta, this study tries to clarify the concept of law and justice (justness) in Homeric epic (I.), then by a structural (II.) and comparative analysis (III.) of certain lines of the weighing scene, decisive in the combat of Achilles and Hector, it formulates a few remarks on the origin and meani...