Suchergebnisse

Argues that residual problems stemming from the era of colonization must still be addressed even though colonialism has been replaced by globalization as the prime topic in discourse about national misfortune. Attention is called to the war that erupted between Ethiopia & Eritrea over a colonial border & problems related to colonial land ownership patterns in nations like Zimbabwe. It is maintained that colonial-era distinctions that resulted in the unequal distribution of state resources continue to create conflict today, & boundaries drawn in colonial times still impact national unity, especially in Africa, where colonial constructions arbitrarily grouped peoples together in spite of their differences, destroying tribal & clan loyalties in the process. The potential for increased conflicts arising from the crisis of governance in many African countries is discussed, noting that very few former colonies have the capacity to compete in an increasingly globalized world. Finding effective solutions will require understanding the historical roots of the problems as well as the dangers that are emerging from legacies of the past. J. Lindroth

The attempts to interpret Russian and Southeast European history in light of a Byzantine background tend to focus on traditions of political culture, and to claim that patterns characteristic of the late Roman Empire have had a formative impact on later developments. But the effects attributed to political culture presuppose a civilizational framework, and arguments on that level must come to grips with evidence of historical discontinuity, during the Byzantine millennium as well as in later centuries and on the periphery of the Byzantium cultural world. The path to a historically grounded civilizational analysis is, however, obstructed by persisting images of Byzantium as a stagnant culture, immobilized by a complete fusion of secular and sacred authority. The article discusses and criticizes some of the most influential versions of this view.

The attempts to interpret Russian & Southeast European history in light of a Byzantine background tend to focus on traditions of political culture, & to claim that patterns characteristic of the late Roman Empire have had a formative impact on later developments. But the effects attributed to political culture presuppose a civilizational framework, & arguments on that level must come to grips with evidence of historical discontinuity, during the Byzantine millennium as well as in later centuries & on the periphery of the Byzantine cultural world. The path to a historically grounded civilizational analysis is, however, obstructed by persisting images of Byzantium as a stagnant culture, immobilized by a complete fusion of secular & sacred authority. The article discusses & criticizes some of the most influential versions of this view. 52 References. Adapted from the source document.

Lynn reviews LEARNING PLACES: The Afterlife of Area Studies edited by Masao Miyoshi and H.D. Harutoonian.