bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A New Defense for the Masoretic Text and מאס I in Job 36:5: Functional Repetition and an Unrecognized Allusion
Authors: Smith Cooper
Published: October 2021

The Masoretic text of Job 36:5 is difficult due to the unexpected repetition of כביר in both cola and the lack of an object for the presumably transitive verb ימאס. These problems have given rise to numerous proposed emendations. However, relevant poetic parallels and a previously unrecognized allusion to Job 8:20 indicate that the Masoretic Text of Job 36:5 is meaningfully coherent and ought to be regarded as original. The seemingly gratuitous repetition and grammatical anomaly contribute to the rhetoric of the passage and so ought to be retained.
Burn the Witch! A Comparison between the Portrayal of Sorceress Babylon in Isaiah 47 and the Figure of the Witch in Maqlû
Authors: Damsma Alinda
Published: October 2021

In chapter 47 of the Book of Isaiah the fall of Babylon is described in metaphorical language: the arrogant queen Babylon is condemned for having practiced witchcraft since her youth. The evil which she inflicted on her victims will befall herself, and her downfall will be swift and without warning. Her dire fate follows that of her fellow sorcerers, who have perished in fire and flames. This article compares the portrayal of Babylon and her demise in Isa 47 with the Mesopotamian anti-witchcraft series Maqlû and discusses the shared terminology and the striking similarity of themes, such as the indictment of the witch, the gender-stereotype, the reversal of fate, and the condemnation to death by burning. The thematic, and sometimes lexical, overlap may indicate that Deutero-Isaiah incorporated Mesopotamian ideas about (counter-)witchcraft in his own composition, being exposed to local magico-religious thought whilst maintaining a critical stance towards it.
Reconsidering the John of Revelation
Authors: Eurell John-Christian
Published: October 2021

The historical context of the Revelation of John is a much-debated issue. This article discusses the most popular theories concerning the dating and authorship of Revelation and finds them wanting. Rather than being a composition of an otherwise unknown prophet named John in the late first century, it is argued that Revelation should be regarded as one of many pseudonymous apocalypses that are composed in the early second century.
The Wordplay μαθεῖν-παθεῖν in Hebrews 5:8
Authors: Dyer Bryan R.
Published: October 2021

This article examines the use and history of the wordplay μαθεῖν-παθεῖν in Greco-Roman literature in order to assess its use in the Epistle to the Hebrews. First, two important studies on the wordplay from the mid-twentieth century are examined in addition to recent Hebrews scholarship. Second, the article surveys Greco-Roman literature, including several texts not previously included in previous scholarship, to explore how this wordplay was used and developed. Finally, the use of μαθεῖν-παθεῖν in Heb 5:8 is investigated in light of its prior use in Greek literature. It is argued that in these two words, the author of Hebrews is able to memorably demonstrate that Jesus participated in the full human condition. This supports the larger argument regarding Jesus’ qualifications for the high priesthood and is put in conversation with his status as the divine Son.
Being Easy to Communicate Might Make Verdicts Based on Confessions More Legitimate
Authors: Mercier Hugo , Hacquin Anne-Sophie , Claidière Nicolas
Published: October 2021

In many judicial systems, confessions are a requirement for criminal conviction. Even if confessions are intrinsically convincing, this might not entirely explain why they play such a paramount role. In addition, it has been suggested that confessions owe their importance to their legitimizing role, explaining why they could be required even when other evidence has convinced a judge. But why would confessions be particularly suited to justify verdicts? One possibility is that they can be more easily transmitted from one individual to the next, and thus spread in the population without losing their convincingness. 360 English-speaking participants were asked to evaluate the convincingness of one of three justifications for a verdict, grounded either in a confession, eyewitnesses, or circumstantial evidence, and to pass on that justification to another participant, who performed the same task. Then, 240 English-speaking participants evaluated the convincingness of some of the justifications produced by the first group of participants. Compared to the other justifications, justifications based on confessions lost less of their convincingness in the transmission process (small to medium effect sizes). Modeling pointed to the most common forms the justifications would take as they are transmitted, and results showed that the most common variant of the justification based on a confession was more convincing (small to medium effect sizes).
Neomisticius platypi n. sp. and N. variabilis n. sp. (Tylenchomorpha: Anguinidae) from dead oak trees in Japan
Authors: Kanzaki Natsumi , Masuya Hayato , Hamaguchi Keiko
Published: October 2021

Two new Neomisticius species, typologically and phylogenetically close to each other, are described and illustrated from dead Quercus trees and an ambrosia beetle, Platypus quercivorus. The two species share some stylet morphological characteristics, namely, they both possess a long conus occupying more than half of the total stylet length, a long crustaformeria composed of more than 160 cells (eight rows of more than 20 cells each), and a short and broad female tail with a digitate tip. They are distinguished from each other by N. variabilis n. sp. having a wide, spindle-shaped male bursa with a blunt terminus and N. platypi n. sp. having an oval bursa with a rounded terminus. In addition, the males and females of both species have three large rectal glands and the posterior end of the male testis (distal end of the vas deferens) bears three cells that seemingly function as a valve between the vas deferens and the cloacal tube. These characteristics have not been reported in other tylenchids. Currently, the genus contains only three species: the two new species and N. rhizomorphoides, which has a normal stylet with a short conus, a short crustaformeria, and lacks rectal glands and valve cells in the vas deferens. Therefore, the two new species are readily distinguished from N. rhizomorphoides and, based on the previous definition, may even represent a new genus. However, considering their phylogenetic closeness and biological similarities (e.g., association with ambrosia beetles), the generic definition of Neomisticius was emended to include these new species.
“A Kind of Magic”: Emotions, Imagination, Language – A Reading of Sartre
Authors: Majolino Claudio
Published: October 2021

This paper maintains that Sartre’s concept of magic has to be considered as a full-fledged and quite technical phenomenological concept. Such concept (a) describes a very specific way in which one is able to be conscious-of-something and (b) reveals some structural features of consciousness and its mode of existence. Moreover (c) the “magical” cluster emotions-imagination-language also appears to be the existential matrix, as it were, from which fictions are generated: starting from the most original fiction of all, namely the constitutive fiction upon which each individual existence is built, i.e. the fiction of one’s own essence.
Derrida, Heidegger and Industrial Agriculture: The Holocaust, Suffering and Compassion
Authors: Evans Mihail
Published: October 2021

Martin Heidegger notoriously linked industrial agriculture and the Holocaust in a lecture given at Bremen while he was still banned from teaching under denazification measures. What has largely been overlooked is that Derrida also compared the two: in 1997, in an address given at the third Cerisy conference devoted his work. This apparent repetition will be understood within the broader framework of his reading of Heidegger and, in particular, with what the latter says concerning technology. It will be argued that while Derrida views industrial agriculture as a series of technical issues, each demanding of particular attention, Heidegger sees its only as an instance of Technik. Most significantly, while the latter’s philosophy offers no resources for treating it as demanding an ethical response, for Derrida our relation to animals should be guided by compassion.
‘The Soviet Problem’ in Post-Soviet Russian Marxism, or the Afterlife of the USSR
Authors: Tikhonov Vladimir
Published: October 2021

The present article deals with different Marxist theories on the Soviet experience, which emerged in post-Soviet Russophone Marxist or neo-Marxist scholarship (concurrently with some reference to Marxist traditions in other former Eastern Bloc countries). The article demonstrates that these theories – if we leave the remaining ‘Marxist-Leninists’ of the classical Soviet type aside and focus on critical, post-Soviet Marxism – may be classified as either ‘fundamentally rejectionist’ or ‘Thermidorian’. The former, in line with the seminal criticisms of K. Kautsky and other early opponents of Lenin, reject the socialist nature of the October 1917 Revolution outright. The latter mostly define the Revolution as at least socialist-oriented, but further bifurcate into different varieties of the ‘state capitalism’ thesis with a number of theorists defining Stalinist societies as special varieties of post-revolutionary industrialism essentially different from orthodox capitalism. Most critical post-Soviet Marxists agree, however, that the main vector of Soviet-type regimes’ evolution indeed pointed towards increased class stratification. However, it should be remembered that Soviet-type bureaucracy was a class-in-the-making rather than a class-in-itself or a class-for-itself, and this point is further elaborated in the works of those theorists who prioritise the differences rather than similarities between Soviet-type industrialism and orthodox capitalism.
הַמַּבּוּל מַיִם, “The Well of Waters”: Yahweh’s Fresh Water Reservoir beneath His Mountain-Palace
Authors: Sarlo Daniel
Published: October 2021

The Noahic Deluge is commonly understood to have resulted from the infiltration of chaos waters into the ordered universe from two sources: one situated above the Rāqîaˁ and one underground. This interpretation does not find support in the HB and contradicts the precepts of the cosmological worldview of the ANE. According to Gen 6:17 Yahweh uses one single source of water to flood the land, referred to as הַמַּבּוּל מַיִם, “the well of waters.” There was a common belief in the ANE that there was a vast reservoir of fresh water in the underworld on the eastern horizon, beneath the palace of the sun god. The waters of Life (Ḥayya/Ea) therein, which must be distinguished from the saline primordial waters of chaos, were used for divine judgement. In spite of the consensus view that the chaos waters were permitted to enter the cosmos, not only during the Deluge but every time it rained, it is more likely that Yahweh lifted the waters of the well beneath his mountain-palace to execute justice and restore order to the land.
Changing Relations between Prophets and Rulers in the Bible
Authors: Furman Refael
Published: October 2021

This article discerns a change of tendency in the nature of the relations between prophets (“religion”) and rulers (“state”) in the Bible. The examination concentrates on the differences between pre-exilic and post-exilic prophets. The sample survey shows a change of tendency between the two eras. Pre-exilic prophets act as opposition to the government, while Haggai, as a representative of post-exilic prophecy, endorses the heads of the restoration community. This change is rooted in the communal trauma of destruction and exile, as well as in the social, political and theological changes that followed.
The Traces of Early Halakhot in the “Hava Amina” of the Sages in Second Temple Literature and the Ethiopian Halakhah
Authors: Ziv Yosi
Published: October 2021

This essay seeks to add a further layer to the discussion of associations between ancient Halakhah and that of Beta Israel by examining correlations between halakhic traditions that were preserved among Ethiopian Jewish communities and the Hava Amina mentioned by the Sages. It demonstrates that opinions espoused by the sages’ opponents can be identified within the Hava Amina of the Talmudic discussion. The discussion presents three examples: The use of fire on Shabbat, Kosher slaughtering by someone other than a priest, and the status of an unborn child. The article concludes that the sages were familiar with ancient halakhic traditions parallel to those of the Ethiopian Halakhah, rejected these traditions from the accepted Halakhah, yet preserved traces of them in the Hava Amina of the Talmudic give and take.
Developing State Coalition-Building: A Focused Comparison
Authors: Steiner Barry H
Published: October 2021

This article pits two diplomatic strategies in competition for policy officials’ support. Distributive strategies promote one party’s goals at the expense of another. Integrative strategies promote goals that are in conflict with those of another state. The focus is strategy choice and strategy’s bargaining potential of less developed countries (LDC) coalitions in the GATT/WTO regime. Amrita Narlikar, whose study of LDC coalitions is relied upon here, finds that many LDC states employ distributive strategy because of asymmetric structure, which emphasizes the gap between LDC and developed state capabilities, yet she critiques that strategy as ineffective in supporting LDC objectives. This disconnect is probed in this article, which concludes that LDC distributive strategy must be improved and that the integrative strategy’s success in attaining LDC objectives can be important enough to override the structural argument for distributive strategy.
Pakistan’s Indus Diplomacy: From Troubled Waters to a Troubled Treaty
Authors: Mehsud Muhammad Imran
Published: October 2021

This article analyzes six major crises in Pakistan’s Indus diplomacy which shaped Pakistan’s water (in)security vis-à-vis upstream rival India on the Indus river system. These include first, when Pakistan failed to comply with the Standstill Agreement of 1947; second, when it signed the Inter-Dominion Agreement; third, when it acquiesced to the Nehru-Lilienthal-favored functional approach to the Indus water dispute in 1951; fourth, when the World Bank Proposal of 1954 apportioned exclusive use of the Western Rivers to Pakistan and the Eastern Rivers to India, but Pakistan delayed accepting the Proposal; fifth, when India secured rights on the Western Rivers in the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960; and sixth, several challenges that have emerged under the Indus Waters Treaty.
Protest at Sea against Deep Sea Mining: Lawfulness, Limits and Remedies
Authors: Willaert Klaas
Published: October 2021

Protest at sea has been on the rise and this trend has now also manifested itself within the context of deep sea mining. In May 2021, Greenpeace activists approached the Normand Energy, a ship chartered by Belgian deep sea mining contractor Global Sea Mineral Resources (GSR), and interfered with its operations by painting slogans on the hull of the vessel and attaching banners to the umbilical cord of GSR’s prototype nodule collector. On the basis of applicable international principles and provisions, such actions can be considered unlawful, but adequate enforcement and effective remedies are lacking.
Victims’ Proactive Role in the Evidence-Gathering Process at the icc: Toward an Expressivist Justice Model
Authors: Cuppini Alessandra
Published: October 2021

The Rome Statute (rs) of the International Criminal Court (icc) failed to reach a fair degree of legal certainty for the role of victims, leaving the task of defining the scope of their participation to the Chambers. As result, the Court allowed victims to present and examine evidence on their initiative. However, no effort has been made, either at the icc or in the scholarship, to provide a justification for this modality of victims’ participation. This article posits that the icc’s approach to victims’ active role in the evidence-gathering process is key for expressivist purposes, which see victims as a crucial constituency of the trial, able to contributing to conveying disavowal of the atrocities committed, crafting historical records and reinforcing the respect for basic human rights. An expressivist foundation for this modality of victims’ participation has the potential to reinvigorate our understanding of the evidence-gathering process at the icc.
Dehumanising Ideology, Metaphors, and Psychological Othering as Evidence of Genocidal Intent
Authors: Lingaas Carola
Published: October 2021

Evidence of genocidal intent is rarely overtly available. Prosecutors arguably avoid prosecuting the crime of genocide because of its too-high evidentiary threshold. This paper argues that psychology, linguistics, and biology provide some of the tools that courts should revert to in the proof of the dolus specialis. Every genocide is characterised by dehumanisation. There is an intrinsic connection between the génocidaire’s understanding of the victims as dehumanised ‘others’ and the intent to destroy a group. Social psychology has shown that the perpetrator sets apart the victim group as inferior, subhuman, and a threat to the in-group. Dehumanising discourse exposes the perpetrators’ understanding and ideologies and makes the victim group discernible. Linguistic research reveals the significance of metaphors for dehumanisation and intergroup hostility. Lastly, research on bio-signals such as heart rate, breathing, skin conductance response or eeg can assist in measuring the impact of dehumanisation and provide the courts with yet another tool to prove genocidal intent. Through recourse to a palette of conceptual and theoretical approaches, this paper provides an account of the ways in which a dark constellation of metaphor, dehumanising ideology, and psychological othering coalesce to form genocidal intent.
Kosovo Specialist Chambers Jurisdiction and the International Criminal Court
Authors: Nagy Attila
Published: October 2021

The establishment of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers as a local war crimes court is coming as a challenge to the overall authority and jurisdiction claimed by the International Criminal Court. These two courts are at the same time divided and connected in so many aspects. Kosovo war crimes have been dealt in the past by icty, unmik, eulex courts and now a specially made ksc. The ksc as being a local court is still practically having above it the icty and the Mechanism which inherited the icty but also the possible application of the icc. We will compare the ksc to other courts having local jurisdiction in Kosovo with an aim to understand if the ksc is an exception or a rule from now on in certain post-conflict societies. The exclusion of the icc from adjudicating in Kosovo is a challenge and potential solution to other post-conflict societies, and they can apply its various forms and practices and overall ignore the icc in the future. Although icc is the only international criminal court it is not the only specialised court dealing with war crimes now. The ksc and icc overall struggle for jurisdiction have been also shadowed by the global political struggle for primacy, leaving these and many other local and international institutions without a real power, functioning in a framework of and for various political aims. The special characteristics and mandate ksc has makes it worth researching in order to better understand the icc and the overall understanding of International War Crimes courts/Tribunal worldwide today and in the future.
The Jurisdiction of the UAE Federal Supreme Court on Constitutional Interpretation
Authors: el-Wafa Tarek Abo
Published: October 2021

While a Constitution embodies the basic principles and laws of a nation, its language and text may introduce ambiguity or confusion, especially during implementation of its laws. In such situations, interpretation of the text becomes more important than the text itself. The Federal UAE Constitution was issued in 1971 and includes a provision to specify the authority competent to interpret its contents. However, if the constitutional text that cited the interpretation jurisdiction of the Court is brief, then this research only gains important reason to explore the ambiguities of these texts and work. Therefore, this study aims to review and analyze Court rulings according to interpretation requests submitted to it from its inception to date. To the best of our knowledge, our study is the first to attempt to undertake the Court’s interpretative experience into a constructive legal analysis and highlight this genuine constitutional competence, which lacks a detailed discussion.
Family, Gender, Ethnicity, and Pragmatism in Contemporary Diasporic Chinese Entrepreneurship
Authors: Zhou (周敏) Min
Published: October 2021

Entrepreneurship has been an integral part of the long-standing history of Chinese emigration and a central force in diasporic development. This special issue includes six articles and one research report pertaining to contemporary patterns and emergent themes of diasporic Chinese entrepreneurship. As the special issue editor, I highlight the distinctive characteristics of diasporic Chinese entrepreneurship and discuss the significance of considering the interplay of family, gender, ethnicity, and pragmatism in the study of diasporic Chinese entrepreneurship. I then provide an overview of the works included in this introduction.
Constructing a Moorean ‘Open Question’ Argument: The Real Thought Move and the Real Objective
Authors: Shackel Nicholas
Published: October 2021

How Moore’s open question argument works, insofar as it does, remains a matter of controversy. The author’s purpose here is to construct an open question argument based on a novel interpretation of how Moore’s argument might work. In order to sidestep exegetical questions, he does not claim to be offering Moore’s own argument. Rather, the author offers a reconstruction, making use of important elements of Moore’s methodology and assumptions that could be reasonable within a Moorean viewpoint. The crucial role within the argument is played by what the author calls the real thought move. He shows that the reconstructed argument is more defensible from some standard objections than the common construction. The author finishes by drawing attention to a neglected objective that would make sense within Moore’s viewpoint, showing that it fits with a major commitment of Bonjour’s moderate rationalism, and showing how the package might be important for the non-naturalist today.
Perspective historique sur les mises en scène de Beckett en France
Authors: Hubert Marie-Claude
Published: October 2021

Héritiers du Cartel1, Roger Blin et Pierre Chabert, ces deux créateurs de l’ œuvre de Beckett, ont toujours affirmé leur volonté de fidélité. Au début, les premiers metteurs en scène se situent dans cet héritage, tel Maréchal (Fin de partie 1972). Au cours de la décennie 80-90, trois metteurs en scène, Krejca (En attendant Godot 1978), Bourdet (Fin de partie 1988), Jouanneau (En attendant Godot 1991) qui s’ affranchissent des didascalies, apportent des interprétations nouvelles et préparent par leurs audaces les spectacles que nous offre la scène du XXIe siècle, ceux de Wiseman (Oh les beaux jours 2005), Charles Berling (Fin de partie 2008), Bozonnet / Lambert-wild (En attendant Godot 2014), etc. Malgré tout, bon nombre de metteurs en scène aujourd’ hui encore restent fidèles au texte, que ce soit Brook (Oh les beaux jours 1995), Bondy (En attendant Godot 1999), Vincent (En attendant Godot 2015), etc.
“Who Am I Really?”
Authors: Waite Libby Rose
Published: October 2021

This study seeks to deepen the conversation between Jungian individuation and yogic awakening to explore the question ‘Who am I?’ from a psycho-spiritual perspective. Through focusing on yogic experience, the study explores how Jungian therapeutic benefits might be gained through modern yoga practice. Four long-time yoga practitioners took part in the study that involves ten hours’ worth of ethnographic interviews. The transcripts were analysed using Jungian techniques to identify key themes, symbols, and meanings from the archetypal story patterns of the participants’ yoga histories. The resulting themes represent a potential hermeneutic model for recognising Jung’s analytic psychology within the experiences of the four practitioners. Based on these findings, future research is recommended that is conducted over a longer interview period with practitioners of Non-dual Shaiva Tantra. The ethnographic interview process could include physical yoga practices and an explicit dissection of Jungian concepts to widen the conversation between Jung and yoga.
Revisiting Proto-Kuki-Chin initials
Authors: ZAKARIA Muhammad
Published: October 2021

There has been some progress in the reconstruction of Proto-Kuki-Chin (PKC), but, due to the previous lack of data from languages reflecting all the Kuki-Chin sub-groups, the available reconstructions merit fresh consideration. On the basis of new data of Kuki-Chin (KC) languages, this paper proposes revisions to some of the reconstructions put forward by VanBik (2009). This paper particularly discusses PKC numerals in detail, especially the reconstruction of the numerals with prefixes.
Presidentas and People Power in Comparative Asian Perspective
Authors: Thompson Mark R.
Published: October 2021

There have been a dozen dynastic female leaders in ten countries in Asia over the last half-century. They were the widows, wives, or daughters of male politicians arrested or killed by political opponents. What distinguishes Philippine presidentas from previous women in power in the region is their revolutionary role. Dynastic politics was a factor in Corazon C. Aquino’s rise to presidential leadership, but her gendered “moral capital” was decisive in defeating a dictatorship. Yet “Cory’s” moral standing proved of little help once in power as she faced male politicians claiming she should be reduced to a symbolic role, reigning but not ruling. Aquino’s fragile government could only be stabilized through a revival of dynastic politics. The revolutionary legacy of people power in the Philippines was evident when another female leader arose during a mass uprising in 2001, although this time against an elected president accused of corruption. Chosen as a constitutional fig-leaf for what was in fact a people power putsch, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo had to rely more on traditional politics than Aquino because she had less moral capital. Although Arroyo has been able to fend off renewed insurrectionary challenges, corruption scandals and charges of electoral manipulation have undermined her legitimacy. Female-led people power in the Philippines has come full circle: from a moral stance against authoritarian rule to dynastic politics that threaten democratic stability.
Looking into the Future of Moro Self-Determination in the Philippines
Authors: Buendia Rizal G.
Published: October 2021

This paper examines the concept, theory, and practice of the right to self-determination as applied in some countries. The secessionist movement in the Philippines led by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has focused and relied on the international community to support its struggle for a Bangsa Moro (Moro Nation) right to self-determination. However, the reality in the world state system is the protection of the state’s territorial integrity rather than its impairment. The paper argues that the internationally-recognized right to self-determination is a shaky promise of independence to nations and peoples who seek independence from the state. Unless the state addresses the fundamental grievances of Muslims in the Philippines in appropriate, relevant, and timely policies that substantially and tangibly work toward greater democracy, deeper participation, and better governance, secessionism as a political alternative cannot be completely disregarded as a final option.
Accessible or Illusory Transparency? COVID-19 and Philippine Open Government Data
Authors: Khan Rachel E.
Published: October 2021

A little over a month after the coronavirus (COVID-19) was declared as a pandemic, the World Health Organization expressed the need for open data to support policies that seek to address COVID-19, even as governments were called upon to facilitate access to data and information. Adopting the transparency framework developed by Fung, Graham and Weil (2007), this study examines ‘laginghanda.gov.ph,’ the official Philippine government website for COVID-19 data, to determine if it serves the open government data (OGD) goals as outlined and identified by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and as agreed under the Open Government Partnership. Using an exploratory research approach, a documentary analysis and content audit of the laginghanda.gov.ph showed that the website did not provide timely data even as the website contained mostly static, general information. Health statistical data could be accessed but it was neither machine readable nor timely; while, financial and economic data were lacking. In other words, the website does not contribute to government transparency and cannot be used to determine the accountability of government agencies. Thus, the author concludes that it fails as a tool for democratization.
Implications of the Many Versions of the Early Printings of Kaishien gaden, the Mustard Seed Garden Painting Manual
Authors: Ebrey Thomas G.
Published: October 2021

Kaishien gaden was a widely read and influential pair of Japanese books based on the famous Chinese painting manual, Jieziyuan huazhuan. They are among the earliest examples of Japanese color printing. Close examination of many almost identical copies of Series A (1748) and Series B (1753) offers insight into the publishing practices of four different sets of publishers. Even with exemplars printed by the same publisher, there was much variation in the use of seals and color palettes, leading to many different states of each book. Assuming that each print run would be identical in not only the pages printed from the blocks, but also in the use of seals and colors, it can be estimated that there were roughly fifty to eighty print runs of each of these books over their 65–70 year initial history.
Women and Ḥadīth Transmission: Prolific Role of Aisha in Validation and Impugnment of Prophetic Traditions
Authors: Mehfooz Musferah
Published: October 2021

Muslim history is animated with examples of women who mastered the art of ḥadīth (Prophetic traditions) sciences and besides this, they had also displayed their expertise in the field of Al-Jarḥ wa Taʿdīl (Validation and Impugnment) of Prophetic traditions. The science of Al-Jarḥ wa Taʿdīl is a very subtle and sensitive branch of Usūl al ḥadīth (the science of ḥadīth) which deals with acceptance or rejection of Prophetic narrations, based on the trustworthiness and weaknesses of ḥadīth narrator. Since the beginning of Islamic history, Muslim women have constantly taken a prominent part in narration, preservation, and memorization of ḥadīth, these efforts continued for a long time and there were numerous distinguished female scholars of ḥadīth who were treated with great honor. This study aims to investigate the contribution of these muḥaddithāt (female scholars of ḥadīth) in ḥadīth narration and specifically the significant role of Aisha (R.A.) in the field of Al-Jarḥ wa Taʿdīl. This study also aims to put forth the contribution of muḥaddithāt in ḥadīth narration during the early centuries of Islam parallel to their role in Al-Jarḥ and Taʿdīl of narrators. Furthermore, this study would be a humble effort to highlight the intellectual contributions of female Muslim scholars of ḥadīth to encourage women of today to carry this legacy forward by mastering this scholarly endeavour and continue the legacy of their pious predecessors.
Anatomical characterization of Chimonobambusa quadrangularis based on circumferential and radial variation patterns in cross-sections
Authors: Jiang Qian-Qian , Ding Zhang-Chao , Lu Chang-Qing , Gao Jun-Lan , Yan Yan , Liu Sheng-Quan
Published: October 2021

The anatomical structure of the bamboo stem is characterized by vascular bundles comprising the xylem, phloem, and sclerenchyma fibrous sheaths as well as parenchymatous ground tissue in which the vascular bundles are embedded. The composition of the stem is the main factor influencing the anatomical characteristics of circular bamboo, which shows considerable variation in the radial direction. However, most species of Chimonobambusa have square stems. Here, we tested the hypothesis that circumferential variation exists in the cross-sectional anatomy of this species. We analysed fibre morphology and the cross-sectional structural characteristics of vascular bundles of Chimonobambusa quadrangularis (Fenzi) Makino and their associated circumferential and radial variation in cross-sections. Microscopic observations were conducted to identify, measure, and compare fibre morphology and the structural characteristics of vascular bundles, including both circumferential and radial anatomical variation. Vascular bundles occurred as undifferentiated, semi-differentiated, and open types in the radial direction with no changes in the circumferential direction. The average length, width, and ratio of fibre length to width were 1463.6 μm, 12.3 μm and 119.3 in the corner region, and 1452.7 μm, 12.8 μm, and 111.3 in the side region, and there were significant circumferential and radial differences in length, width, and the ratio of fibre length to width (). The circumferential variation in density of vascular bundles, the ratio of fibre length to width, radial to tangential diameter ratio of vascular bundles, and the proportion of sclerenchyma were greater in the corner regions than the side regions. The variation in fibre width and the proportion of parenchyma were greater in the corner regions than in the side regions. The density of vascular bundles and proportions of sclerenchyma were greater in the outer stem compared to the inner stem, whereas the length, width, and ratio of fibre length to width were greatest in the centre compared to the inner and outer zones. Circumferential variation of the density of vascular bundles, fibre length and fibre width occurred in the central and outer stem zones. These findings confirm that there are significant anatomical variations in both the circumferential and radial directions and provide a scientific basis for the rational use of Chimonobambusa quadrangularis.
One of a Kind
Authors: Aikhenvald Alexandra Y.
Published: October 2021

Noun categorization devices, or classifiers, of all types are a means of classifying referents in terms of basic cognitively salient parameters. These include humanness, animacy, sex, shape, direction and orientation, consistency, and function. In large systems of classifiers, one finds additional terms whose application is restricted to a limited set of referents, or even just to a single referent. For instance, numerous languages of Mainland Southeast Asia have elaborate sets of specific classifiers in the domain of social hierarchies and human interactions. Languages with multiple classifier systems spoken in riverine environment will be likely to have a special classifier for ‘canoe’. Rather than categorizing entities in terms of general features, such classifiers with specific meanings serve to highlight items important for the socio-cultural environment of the speakers and their means of subsistence. Specific classifiers are likely to be lost if a practice or a hierarchy they reflect undergoes attrition. They occupy a singular place in language acquisition and the history of development of classifier systems.
World Literature in the World?
Authors: Aghasi Maya
Published: October 2021

Criticized for being too Euro- and Americentric, world literature scholarship tends to center on the American implications of this shortcoming, with little discussion of world literature beyond these centers. This paper thus addresses the function of world literature beyond these centers, particularly in the lingua franca of global business: English. Drawing from my experience in the United Arab Emirates, I argue that because students in the region come from places with fraught colonial histories, migrant, Anglophone literature is critical in the world literature classroom because it allows them to see their own experiences articulated in the global literary vernacular. Using Mohja Kahf’s The Girl in the Tangerine Scarf as an example, I show how its transnational scope addresses both the hegemonic, Euro-American gaze, but also the students’. Thus, Anglophone literature is not necessarily the extension of an imperialist project or a flattening of differences; rather, it becomes an articulation of them.
The Shipping Sector and Ports as Central Actors in the Decarbonization Effort
Authors: Pastra Aspasia , Doelle Meinhard , Johansson Tafsir
Published: October 2021

This article carves out China’s maritime state-of-play with regards to greenhouse gas (ghg) mitigating measures with a special focus on carbon dioxide (co2) emission. The article commences with an overview of International Maritime Organization (imo) ghg strategy taking into account the critical targets, proposed plans, schemes and measures aimed at the shipping sector. Discussions then segue into a twofold discussion pertaining to China’s current policy and port governance actions highlighting some of the existing gaps and challenges. Reference is made to remarkable developments from countries considering three vital key elements for an effective green port policy framework before drawing concluding remarks.
Informal and Precarious Work: Insights from the Global South
Authors: Hammer Anita , Ness Immanuel
Published: October 2021

Informal and precarious work remains an enduring reality across the Global South and is growing fast in the North. A recognition that this form of work is the norm globally rather than the exception has ignited debates around analytical frames, activist strategies and development interventions. Engaging with Southern realities, as this special issue aims to do, helps contribute to a better understanding of this rising form of work globally while also providing insights into workers’ resistance and development policy limitations. Through detailed case studies from across the Global South, this special issue argues that informal and precarious work needs to be studied as embedded in concrete, historical, political and social contexts. It highlights the heterogeneity and complexity of intersecting social and material relations that underpin informal and precarious work which has crucial implications for class dynamics and political agency of labour.
Two Ways to God in Thomas Aquinas and Michel Henry
Authors: Nemes Steven
Published: October 2021

One can discern passages in the writings of the Scholastic doctor Thomas Aquinas and the contemporary French phenomenologist Michel Henry which can be interpreted as putting forth very similar ways for grasping the existence of God. These “ways to God” can be fruitfully compared from the point of view of their philosophical starting points as well as of their consequences for theological epistemology. The purpose of the present essay is to pursue this comparative work and to see what philosophical-theological fruit it can yield.
Do Disadvantaged Young Adults Benefit Less from Social Investment? Studying Matthew Effects in Activation Measures
Authors: Knize Veronika J. , Wolf Markus , Zabel Cordula
Published: October 2021

In Germany, social investment can be crucial for disadvantaged young adults, as intergenerational mobility is low and credentials are decisive for employment. However, the literature on policy implementation calls attention to ‘Matthew effects’, by which the most disadvantaged often have the least access to social investment. We contribute to ongoing research on Matthew effects by examining whether the worst-off among young German welfare recipients are assigned to active labour market policy measures that are more advantageous or less advantageous. Findings for a register sample of 20–22 year olds in 2014 support hypotheses that those with the lowest education and employment experience participate less often in the most advantageous measures; particularly in firm-based upskilling and employment assistance, and more often in measures that proved to be not as beneficial, such as workfare programmes. On a positive note, welfare experience during adolescence as an indicator of low socio-economic status in the family of origin does not additionally affect access to social investment policy measures.
Lire Beauvoir à La Paz lorsqu’ on a vingt ans
Authors: Alvizuri Verushka
Published: October 2021

À mi-chemin entre le témoignage de lecture et l’ analyse de la réception du Deuxième Sexe à La Paz, Bolivie, entre 1990-2019, le présent article examine comment l’ essai y a circulé. Le récit de l’ expérience de lecture de l’ autrice est complété par d’ un exercice d’ objectivation sociologique à la lumière de l’ intersectionnalité. Suit une analyse de l’ image de Beauvoir dans les milieux lettrés et féministes. L’ autrice conclut par une étude des usages bibliographiques du livre dans un corpus de travaux universitaires.
Evaluating Syntactic Annotation of Ancient Languages
Authors: Biagetti Erica , Hellwig Oliver , Scarlata Salvatore , Ackermann Elia , Widmer Paul
Published: October 2021

In this paper we introduce an extended version of the Vedic Treebank (vtb, Hellwig et al. 2020) which comes along with revisited and extended annotation guidelines. In order to assess the quality of our annotations as well as the usability and limits of the guidelines we performed an inter-annotator agreement test. The results show that agreement between annotators is hampered by various factors, most prominently by insufficient understanding of the content because of the cultural and temporal gap and incomplete knowledge of Vedic grammar. An in-depth discussion of disagreeing annotations demonstrates that the setup of the workflow, too, has a major influence on inter-annotator agreement. We suggest some measures that can help increase the transparency and annotation consistency according to current knowledge of the language when annotating Vedic Sanskrit, or ancient language varieties in general.
Multilateral Principles in a Bilateral World
Authors: Mistelis Loukas , Rao Giammarco
Published: October 2021

Multilateralism in international investment law is a multifaceted concept with a complex and eventful history. Multilateralism is a paradigm for international investment relations and is also present in the caselaw of investment arbitral tribunals, regardless of whether they consider bilateral or multilateral investment treaties. Indeed, in most cases, they interpret treaty provisions as part of a multilateral system. Further, multilateralism is present every time States act in concert with other States or consider other States’ investors’ legitimate interests.

It also emerges that, in some instances, multilateralism has become mandatory. For example, this is the case concerning sustainable development or climate change. In these areas, international law requires multilateralism. States are under an obligation to co-operate for purposes of achieving or promoting multilateral solutions. However, concerning the international investment law context, such a concept is not present. The general assumption is that States’ participation in multilateral practises is left to their discretion: it is voluntary or consensual. In this article, we question that assumption.

In this article, we offer a brief review of multilateral experiences in international investment law in the 20th century and provide an analysis of multilateralism in a historical context. Then we turn our attention to the current state of affairs to appreciate it in light of the past. Further, we discuss the future, and in particular, mandatory multilateralism in international law with respect to sustainable development. Here we identify the principles, which might justify mandatory multilateral approaches. Finally, we consider whether the principles justifying mandatory multilateralism in international law are applicable in the context of international investment law as well. We attempt to answer this question in the affirmative and point out further areas of research.
Adoption v. Surrogacy: New Perspectives on the Parental Projects of Same-Sex Couples
Authors: Tonolo Sara
Published: October 2021

In Italy all forms of surrogacy are forbidden, whether it be traditional or gestational, commercial or altruistic. Act n. 40 of 19/2/2004, entitled “Rules about medically-assisted reproduction”, introduces a prohibition on employing gametes from donors, and specifically incriminates not only intermediary agencies and clinics practising surrogacy, but also the intended parents and the surrogate mother too. Other penal consequences are provided by the Criminal Code about the registration of a birth certificate where parents are the intended ones, as provided by the lex loci actus (art. 567 of the Italian Criminal Code, concerning the false representation or concealment of status). Apart from the mentioned criminal problems, several aspects of private international law are involved. In the cases where national rules forbid the transcription of birth certificates for public policy reasons, specifically the prohibition of surrogacy, Italian Judges often seek solutions to enforce the status filiationis. In this case, the Italian Supreme Court intervenes in the debate, allowing the recognition of a foreign adoption order related to a procedure of surrogate motherhood in favour of a same-sex couple. Focusing on the recent evolution of the notion of international public policy the Supreme Court affirms that the inherent adoptive parental status acquired by a homogenitorial couple is not contrary to international public policy, when the effects of the act from which this status derives are not incompatible with the limits that cannot be exceeded constituted by the founding principles of the relational choices between intended parents and child (Article 2 of the Constitution, Article 8 ECHR), by the Best interest of the child as codified in the Italian Law 219/2012, by the principle of non-discrimination, by the principle of solidarity that is the basis of social parenting. Splitting the problem of the surrogacy, underlying the adoption order to recognize in this case, and narrowing the public policy exception, is highly evident the risk to suggest to same-sex couples to realize their parental projects putting in place the surrogacy within the legal systems where contemporary it is possible to carry out the adoption of the child born as a result of this procedure.