bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Consolidating Indian Identities in Post-Independence Singapore: A Case Study of the Malayalee Community
Authors: Gomez James 
Published: April 2008

AbstractThis paper examines the changing role of national and ethnic identity in post-independence Singapore. It argues that in comparison with 10-15 years ago, ethnic identities have gained importance over the national one. Examining the case of the Indians, in particular, that of the Tamil-speaking community, the paper argues that conditions for preserving the identity of the Tamil community are much improved. This is also true for the Sikh community. However, for the Malayalee community, given its fragmented nature, the prospects look bleak. The inability to gather the various segments of the community into a collective working whole is central to its problems. There is also a division between the younger and older members of the community. The younger Malayalees, having been socialized differently from the older generation in post-independence Singapore, find the current calls to return to ethnic roots unconvincing. The deliberations surrounding identity maintenance within the Malayalee community are sociologically interesting. They illustrate how recent national policies affect ethnic identity maintenance in contemporary Singapore.
Between Kingdom and Nation: The Metamorphosis of Malay Identity in Malaysia
Authors:   Lian Kwen Fee
Published: April 2008

AbstractConceptions of Malay identity have undergone various transformations in the face of political and economic changes over time. In the pre-colonial period it was centred on personal loyalty and kinship ties within a sultanate. During the colonial years the establishment of territorial jurisdiction and an incipient state by the British extended the basis of the Malay identification. At the same time a pan-Malay consciousness was competitively articulated for the first time between the non-Malay Muslim and Malay Muslim intelligentsia. Decolonization and impending nationhood engendered an exclusive formulation of Malay identity in response to the Chinese presence. As a consequence of the modernization of Malay society and the emergence of a significant Malay middle class, new definitions are being sought to accommodate changing circumstances.
Post-Independence Educational Change, Identity and Huaxiaosheng Intellectuals in Singapore: A Case Study of Chinese Language Teachers
Authors:   Sai Siew Yee
Published: April 2008

AbstractThe impact of educational changes on the identity of the Chinese-educated or Huaxiaosheng as an analytical social category is examined in this article. Focusing on the Huaxiaosheng intellectuals, specifically the Chinese language teachers, this article seeks to capture the transformation of identity across generations. The fluid sense of identity is defined by the social location of individuals embedded within the larger social category of Huaxiaosheng, which is generation-specific. Identity is ultimately tied to the individual's biography, in this case, educational experiences in a particular medium within a specific social-historical configuration. This article argues that educational experiences in a particular medium, in this case, Chinese education, influence ethnic identity.
"It Really Resembled an Earthly Paradise"
Authors: Busto Rudy V. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractThe 1539 colonial Mexican drama, La caida de nuestros primeros padres ("The Fall of Our First Parents") is known only through a description of the performance by the Spanish Dominican priest Motolinia. A reading of this text alongside other colonial documents and through the pre-Cortesian Nahuatl worldview reveals that despite its biblical theme, a vital and assertive indigenous presence undermines this use of theater as a Christian missionizing tool.
Faithful Reading: Poststructuralism and the Sacred
Authors: Rutledge David 
Published: April 2008

AbstractIn its subversive interrogations of universal values, objective criteria for meaning, canonicity and other hallmarks which distinguish the Literary, poststructuralism appears to confront all that is "sacred" in the privileged texts of Western culture. Particularly in biblical criticism, insofar as the sanctity of the text and the inviolability of its truth claims are held to be unquestionable, poststructuralism is often denounced as anathema, or at least inappropriate, to exegesis. It is argued that if determinate meaning is inaccessible through language, and universal truth a chimera, then according to poststructuralist tenets the Bible is, like all literature, "Just another text." This paper entertains another possibility: that poststructuralism in fact places the Bible in a position of singular significance. If claims for the "sacredness" of certain texts are precisely where poststructuralist critics direct their efforts, then biblical texts, whose claims for sacredness are more insistent and dogmatic than most, should provide poststructuralism's most contentious (and therefore most important) field of operation. Interrogating the sacred, far from being an iconoclastic pursuit, is an inevitable consequence of the reception of sacred texts-indeed, of language-in culture. By way of illustrating this point, I offer a reading of the Garden of Eden story (Gen. 2:4b-3:24) which incorporates insights offered by Jacques Derrida's critique of logocentrism. What poststructuralism demands, in the final analysis, is not the abandonment of meaning but its reconfiguration: notions of faithful reading and respect for the text which embrace difference, ambiguity and an understanding of the sacred as the site not of uncontestable command, but of enquiry and interpretation.
The Undecidability of in the Prologue To Job and Beyond1
Authors: Linafelt Tod 
Published: April 2008

AbstractIn his treatment of the Platonic dialogue, the Phaedrus, Jacques Derrida teases out the striking way in which the dialogue pivots around the undecidability of the word pharmakon, which can (and does) simultaneously carry the two antithetical meanings of "poison" and "cure." In the book of Job, we find a similarly curious phenomenon with the Hebrew root The accepted primary meaning of is "to bless." Four occurrences of in the prologue to Job (1:5, 11; 2:5, 9), however, are commonly taken as euphemisms and rendered in the antithetical sense of "to curse." The assured rhetoric and virtual unanimity of interpreters indicates that they have experienced little difficulty in determining its euphemistic sense in these cases. On closer examination we find that the apparent ease with which the meaning of is settled in these instances is illusory. To begin with, the control group of "euphemistic" uses of outside the book of Job consists only of two occurrences in 1 Kings 21, which prove to be as much a result of narrative artistry as scribal piety. Likewise, in reconsidering the four occurrences in Job, we discover that each may indeed be translated in the primary sense of "to bless" and make sense in the narrative. The point of this exercise in counter-reading is not to prove that always means "to bless" in the prologue to Job, but rather that it is the site of conflicted meaning in each occurrence. Too hastily resorting to "euphemisms"-thereby settling the semantic undecidability - results in an under-reading of the prologue and of the book as a whole. Instead, we find that the faultline within runs much deeper than a single word, extending throughout the book and evincing a fundamental ambivalence about the character of God.
Biblical Criticism and the Rhetoric of Inquiry
Authors: Matlock R. Barry 
Published: April 2008

AbstractRhetoric has risen once more to academic prominence, an apparently "postmodern" restoration of (part of) its "premodern" status. One aspect of this resurgence is the recently emerging extension of rhetoric known as "rhetoric of inquiry," according to which "rhetoric" is sought and analyzed in places where, putatively, it ought not be: in academic discourse itself (rhetoric thus wreaking vengeance on "modern" science, the instrument of its former decline). The present study introduces this "rhetoric of inquiry" movement, suggesting some of its possibilities for examining the discipline of biblical studies. A hermeneutical application (hermeneutics, a near relation of rhetoric, having experienced a similar restoration) is sketched in criticizing the objectivist and anti-rhetorical conception of inquiry that has characterized modern biblical criticism; in this connection, classic objectivist statements and alternative critical perspectives are sampled. Also, the question of the possible improvement of the academy and inquiry by a self-consciously rhetorical perspective is raised with reference to scholarly biblical interpretation, and it is suggested that such a perspective can assist interpretive dialogue simply by clarifying differences.
Rembrandt the Etcher: Mission and Commission as Factors in New Testament Interpretation
Authors: Clive Marsh 
Published: April 2008

AbstractThis study examines the content and context of production of Rembrandt's etching Christ Preaching. After an exposition of the etching's key features, consideration is given to the place of the etching in Rembrandt's life and work. Particular attention is paid to Rembrandt's own religious outlook, to the level of his awareness as to the artistic and theological traditions within which he stood, and to the impact upon his work of the dynamics of commissioning and selling the results of his efforts. The study suggests a possible religious dimension to his choice of an etching for this particular image. The significance of the exploration of this "biblical" etching by Rembrandt for the contemporary task of the interpretation of the Gospels is then drawn out in a series of nine points: the relationship between single texts and the "big picture" of Jesus which an interpreter carries; the impact of a variety of interpretative frameworks within which interpreters work; acknowledgement of the inevitability of working with a "canon within the canon"; attention to the specific communities within which one interprets; recognition of a present interest at work; respect for the rhetorical strategies which are operative in the interpretation (as well as the text being interpreted); the need to examine the reasons for the choice of medium through which an interpretation of a text is conveyed; acknowledgement that interpretations are sometimes affected by factors beyond the control of those who fashion them; and consideration of the place of fiction in biblical interpretation.
In the Beginning Was the Word?
Authors: Jasper David 
Published: April 2008

AbstractLeo Steinberg's republished and much expanded work, The Sexuality of Christ in Renaissance Art and in Modern Oblivion, argues that the custom in Renaissance paintings of portraying the genitals of the Christ Child has a serious theological purpose which our word-based culture and tradition has consigned to 'oblivion'. His book has profound implications for the status of the visual image in theological reflection and the nature of the 'textuality' of art as it reads, and is read by, the textuality of the Bible. Furthermore, such images contribute to contemporary debates concerning gender and the nature of our response to images which may indicate different associations in different cultural circumstances. Steinberg's book is a major contribution to the interdisciplinary study of theology and art and the importance of 'seeing' what the niceties of 'modern oblivion' and our 'wordy culture' prefer to avoid or cover up.
Early Christianities and the Synoptic Eclipse: Problems in Situating the Gospel of Thomas
Authors: Thatcher Tom 
Published: April 2008

AbstractThis article questions the applicability of traditional Form Criticism to noncanonical gospels. Traditional Form Criticism has relied heavily on assumptions about the evolution of the Jesus tradition which were developed exclusively from observations of the Synoptic Gospels. These assumptions generally relate to the ideological climate in which Jesus materials developed, including issues such as the tradition users' Christology and sense of "history." Because noncanonical gospels developed in contexts of alternate, non-synoptic ideologies, it is unreasonable to presuppose that the surface texts of these gospels developed in ways identical to the development of Synoptic materials. The methodological priority granted to the Synoptic Gospels in NT Form Criticism is described here as "Synoptic Eclipse." This issue is explored by examining Helmut Koester's extensive work on the Gospel of Thomas. It is demonstrated that Koester's consistent advocacy of the value of Gos. Thom. is hindered methodologically as Koester is forced to utilize the tools of traditional NT Form Criticism. Koester is typical in this respect of the recent wave of scholars who seek to learn more about the primitive Jesus tradition by examining noncanonical materials.
Quelques Considérations Sur La Responsabilité Civile En Matière De Vente Et D'Usurpation Chez Les Premiers Hanafīs
Authors: Yanagihashi Hiroyuki 
Published: April 2008

AbstractOn entend, en droit islamique, par damân l'attribution de la perte d'une chose, quelle qu'en soit la cause. En dehors des cas limités où la perte est reconnue comme étant due à un fait dommageable, c'est le propriétaire qui assume la perte, parce que le damān est, en principe, considéré comme un des effets de la propriété. Ce système aboutit souvent à des conclusions peu satisfaisantes: l'acheteur devrait au vendeur le prix même lorsque la chose vendue est arrivée à la perte fortuite avant la prise de livraison, si on tient au principe consensualiste en matière de vente portant sur un corps certain; le propriétaire ne pourrait se faire indemniser par l'usurpateur lorsque la chose usurpée est perdue fortuitement entre les mains de ce dernier. C'est pour éviter ces conséquences injustes que les hanafīs ont recours, dans ces hypothèses, à la technique de l'attribution rétroactive de propriété au détenteur.
Social Groups and Ranking: an Aspect of Ancient Indian Social Life Derived From the Pali Canonical Texts
Authors: Wagle N.K. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractIn summing up, a number of conclusions can be drawn. We have tried on the one hand to establish the various de facto social groups implied in the formulae of address, reference and salutation ascertaining the group affiliation of the persons involved. We have also tried to bring out the meaning of various terms and establish a triple system of ranking. The meaning attached to these terms, we may point out, is specifically interactional, and the proof of its validity lies only in its consistency. We have demonstrated this throughout our presentation of the data as well as the conclusions. Our conclusions mainly indicate a three-fold system of ranking. In the social sphere the brāhmanas successfully maintain their hostile equality with the Buddha. But in the religious and political fields, they are not as successful. In the religious field the Buddhist order more than holds its own and claims several distinguished brāhmanas within its fold. Politically too, the Buddha is less encumbered than the brāhmanas. Unlike them, he is not servile to the king. Despite their actual humility in the king's presence, in their mode of address the brāhmanas recognize no superior in any system of ranking, but at the most only equals. They and the Buddhists have an equal hold on the gahapatis, who represent the secular population, the prizes in the religious struggle. Having analysed the social groupings, we may further comment on them and see if we can relate our "inferred" social ranking of the groups to what is already stated about them in the texts. We may
Official Landscapes in Traditional China
Authors: Leeming Frank 
Published: April 2008

AbstractThis article is arranged in seven sections. In the first section, attention is drawn to the remarkable and extremely extensive rectilinear land layouts which can be deduced from large-scale topographical maps of northern China, to the likelihood of their having been constructed in periods of official land allocation schemes, and to various problems of procedure which arise in the attempt to study them systematically. The second section surveys the chün-t'ien land management systems, as they are known from the traditional historic sources, and a number of special features of these systems, especially the relations between changes in land allocations and changes in the official units in which they were measured. It is argued that the rectilinear forms indicated by the maps could not easily have been set up in chün-t'ien times, because the land was then already closely settled, and that the prominent strip systems which can be found on most of the maps, not always clearly an outcome of the chun-t'ien systems, suggest an earlier origin for these basic rectilinear forms. This reasoning, and even more the study of the dimensions used in the strip systems, leads back to the tradition of ching-t'ien. In the third section, examples are given of military farm layouts, which are a special and local feature of some of the maps. In the fourth section, two examples of contrasting rectilinear layouts are described and analysed as types-one from Anhwei, the other from Shensi. Both appear to be T'ang reconstructions of much older formal layouts, and both are thought to lead back to ching-t'ien through detectable steps in Ch'in or Han time. The fifth section gives three examples of layouts from Shantung, all apparently rebuilt under Northern Ch'i, but all based upon ching-t'ien foundations. The sixth section illustrates and analyses a layout from Honan, apparently reconstructed in Sui times but also apparently built upon ching-t'ien foundations. In the seventh and last section, the salient features of the argument and the interpretations are summarised.
The Inscribed Calculi and the Invention of Writing: the Indus View
Authors: Shendge Malati J. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractIn the earlier layers of Harappa are found small inscribed objects of steatite faience and terracotta whose use is not yet clearly known. They have been named by the excavator M. S. Vats as 'miniature' or 'tiny' seals or 'amulets'. However, with the recent findings on the use of calculi at Susa, it seems that these small inscribed objects at Harappa have to be treated as a part of a reckoning system, as inscribed calculi and not seals. Their tiny size, the different shapes, the not-so-deeply engraved inscriptions, and lastly the signs on one side which seem to be related to the numerical calculi impressions at Susa, give them the character of calculi i.e. pieces recording details of individual transactions1).
Baba Ghor and the Ratanpur Rakshisha
Authors: Francis Peter 
Published: April 2008

AbstractAs the patron saint of the Indian agate bead industry, Baba Ghor is very important in any reconstruction of its history. The facts about him are quite scanty; we can only hypothetically reassemble them and understand his myth. Abbas, or Habash, a scion of the Malwa Ghors, died in a skirmish near Ratanpur in the early 15th century, probably fighting Ahmed Shah of Gujarat. He was buried on the hill which had long been sacred and was once graced with a fine temple of Makkhan Devi, the Mother Goddess. Her temple was likely destroyed by Ahmed's troops, not those of the Malwa Ghors. Ghor's grave became a place of pilgrimage, first serving the waxing Muslim strength in the area by providing an approved focus of worship. In time it became even more important to the Siddis, who appropriated Ghor as one of their own. He gave the Ratanpur Siddis respectability: in turn they serve his memory. The legends of Baba Ghor and the Ratanpur Rakshisha are not mere fantasy, for they serve the truth as symbols. Ghor represents the coming of Islam, the loss of the old gods, the destruction of the temples, and the forgetting of the old ways. A new dispensation came to Ratanpur and the agate bead industry, and as a result the age-old commerce changed its focus as Cambay replaced Limodra as the lapidary center. Ghor is alive for the Siddis and other Muslims in whose hands the industry is still concentrated. In a very real sense Ghor did encounter the Ratanpur Rakshisha. The Indian agate bead industry has never been the same since, nor can it be understood without taking their battle into account.
Milk and Scent: Works About Women in the Shishuo Xlvyu Genre
Authors: Nanxiu Qian  
Published: April 2008

Abstract"Milk and Scent" presents an interdisciplinary study of two Chinese works about women, both written after the genre of the famed Six Dynasties work, the Shishuo xinyu (A new account of tales of the world), and therefore entitled Nü Shishuo (Women's Shishuo). The two authors, one a man and the other a woman, both lived during the late imperial period and each endeavored to establish a female value system upon their disappointment with men and conventional patriarchal values. Caused by their different gender, social, and cultural positions, their viewpoints about the values of women's life conflicted, coincided, and interacted with each other. Occupying the center of this joint venture were two pivotal elements associated unmistakenably with the female body-milk and scent-the fluid and penetrating essence of which connected the female body to the rest of the world, and hence defined the value relationships in between.
Reflections of Desire: the Poetics of Gender in Dream of the Red Chamber *
Authors: Epstein Maram 
Published: April 2008

AbstractWoven into the structure of the Dream of the Red Chamber is an exploration of the self-expressive values associated with the late imperial cult of qing and an explicit warning about the self-destructive potential of desire. Rather than being rooted in biological sex, Cao Xueqin's polysemous use of gender reflects the competing visions of Confucian orthodoxy and the cult of qing. This paper analyzes the structural and ideological values associated with masculine and feminine in Dream to argue that manipulation of gendered identities was an explicit aspect of the poetics of eighteenth-century xiaoshuo fiction.
The Mother Earth Conspiracy: an Australian Episode1
Authors: Swain Tony 
Published: April 2008

AbstractIt has become almost a truism in Religious Studies that not only is the belief in a Mother Earth universal but also that this is amongst the most ancient and primordial of all human religious conceptions. Olof Pettersson has criticized the validity of this assumption as a comparative category, whilst Sam Gill has demonstrated the problem in applying the paradigm to Native American traditions. This article extends their re-examination of Mother Earth, taking the particularly revealing case of the Australian Aborigines. It is shown that those academics advocating an Aboriginal Mother Earth have clearly taken this leap beyond the ethnographic evidence with a Classical image in mind, and with either theological or ecologist agendas influencing their thinking. It is further revealed that this scholarly construct has, in only the last decade or so, been internalised and accepted by Aboriginal people themselves. Far from being an ancient belief, it is argued that Mother Earth is a mythic being who has arisen out of a colonial context and who has been co-created by White Australians, academics and Aborigines. Her contours in fact only take shape against a colonial background, for she is a symbolic manifestation of an "otherness" against which Westerners have defined themselves: the autochthonous and female deity of indigenous people against the allegedly world-defiling patriarchy of Western ideology.