Repetition, pattern and the domestic: notes on the relationship between pattern and home-making

Repetition constitutes the very essence of pattern. Repetition is also the basis of our most ordinary actions. Repetitive gestures are usually so integrated in our lives that we tend to take them for granted. It is only when repetition is excessive or absent that we become aware of its importance to us. Not least because of their everyday properties, pattern and repetition are also closely related to the domain of the domestic. On the one hand, patterned artifacts, such as wallpapers, rugs, latticed curtains, and other fabrics seem to operate naturally as signifiers of an idea of domesticity, denoting privacy, comfort and, eventually, also seclusion and confinement. On the other hand, the repetitive rituals of pattern fabrication bear strong resonance with the traditional routines of household maintenance—cleaning, sorting, laundering, and so on. Not only are both dependent on a logic of continuous reiteration, but they also tend to be considered equally mindless and prosaic, as their processes are often rated inferior in comparison to less repetitive forms of production. In “Repetition, Pattern, and the Domestic” I investigate the foundations and implications of the identification between pattern and the home, drawing on material from historical, mythological, and psychological sources. This investigation aims to show how the repetitive mechanisms of pattern-making integrate the very dynamics of inhabitation, being essentially entangled, if sometimes inconspicuously, with the practice of spatial design

Polarized minimal families of rational curves and higher Fano manifolds

In this paper we investigate Fano manifolds $X$ whose Chern characters $ch_k(X)$ satisfy some positivity conditions. Our approach is via the study of polarized minimal families of rational curves $(H_x,L_x)$ through a general point $x\in X$. First we translate positivity properties of the Chern characters of $X$ into properties of the pair $(H_x,L_x)$. This allows us to classify polarized minimal families of rational curves associated to Fano manifolds $X$ satisfying $ch_2(X)\geq0$ and $ch_3(X)\geq0$. As a first application, we provide sufficient conditions for these manifolds to be covered by subvarieties isomorphic to $\mathbb P^2$ and $\mathbb P^3$. Moreover, this classification enables us to find new examples of Fano manifolds satisfying $ch_2(X)\geq0$.Comment: 17 page

Slavery, Royalty, and Racism : Representations of Africa in Brazilian Carnaval

Cet article examine les représentations de l’Afrique dans le carnaval de Rio de Janeiro. Pendant la deuxième moitié du XXe siècle, les mouvements afro-brésiliens d’affirmation culturelle se sont inspirés du mouvement nord-américain pour les droits civils. En même temps, l’affirmation culturelle dans l’espace publique fut largement basée sur la recréation des liens avec l’Afrique, très souvent perçue comme un continent idéalisé. Cette africanisation, d’abord développée dans la sphère religieuse, plus tard devint visible dans d’autres manifestations culturelles telles que la musique, la danse, la mode et le carnaval. L’examen de l’exemple des parades des escolas de samba tenues lors du carnaval de Rio de Janeiro depuis les années 1950 démontre comment la promotion des liens avec l’« Afrique » fait partie d’un processus de reconstruction dans lequel l’Atlantique Sud devient une zone commune de réclamation pour la reconnaissance de multiples identités, dans lequel l’héritage de l’esclavage et de la traite des esclaves se renouvelle.This paper examines the representations of Africa in Rio de Janeiro’s carnaval. During the second half of the twentieth century, Afro-Brazilian self-assertion movements took inspiration from the African American movement for civil rights. At the same time, public cultural assertion largely relied on recreated connections with Africa, often perceived as an idealized continent. This Africanization, first developed at the religious level, later also became visible in other cultural manifestations such as music, dance, fashion, and carnaval. The analysis of the example of the escolas de samba’s parades held during Rio de Janeiro carnaval since the 1950s demonstrates how the promotion of bonds with “Africa” is part of a reconstruction process in which the South Atlantic becomes a common zone of claims for recognition of multiple identities, in which the legacy of slavery and the slave trade is reconstructed and renewed

Black purgatory: Histories of Two Enslaved Women Who Resist Slavery in Brasil’s Deep South

En este artículo analizamos los casos de dos esclavas criollas (nacidas en Brasil) que fueron condenadas por infanticidio y asesinato en la ciudad de Porto Alegre en la década de 1820. Se les impuso la pena de ser públicamente azotadas y enviadas en degredo (destierro) en Benguela, una colonia portuguesa en la costa occidental del África Central. Estos casos nos sugieren que en el marco de la esclavitud de Río Grande do Sul las escasas posibilidades de negociación entre amos y esclavos provocaron que las esclavas cometieran actos violentos de resistencia individual que, aunque aparentaban ser actos fruto de la desesperación, no eran si no resultado de una estrategia más compleja.This article explores the cases of two Brazilian-born enslaved women who were convicted of infanticide and murder and in the city of Porto Alegre in the 1820s. They were sentenced to be publicly flogged then sent into degredo (penal exile) in Benguela, a Portuguese colonie in West Central Africa. These cases suggest that in the context of slavery in Rio Grande do Sul, the limited possibilities of negotiation between masters and slaves resulted in enslaved women committing violent acts of individual resistance, which although apparently desperate acts, were also the result of a larger strategy

¿Variabilidad amplia o diversidad oculta? sistemática del orden runcinida (Gastropoda, Heterobranchia) como ejemplo de la necesidad de una reevaluación de la biodiversidad marina europea

El orden Runcinida (Heterobranchia, Euthyneura) está constituido por pequeñas babosas limaciformes que alcanzan un máximo de 8 mm de longitud. Tradicionalmente considerado un suborden dentro de Cephalaspidea, Runcinida fue elevado al rango de orden tras diversos estudios que demostraron que no formaba parte de la radiación de Cephalaspidea. La clasificación dentro de Runcinida también ha sufrido cambios en cuanto al número de familias y subfamilias que lo integran según los autores. Los caracteres morfológicos tradicionalmente utilizados para identificar y delimitar especies son insuficientes, ya que en muchos casos son muy semejantes e incluso las pequeñas variaciones plantean dudas de si serían variaciones intra o interespecíficas. Asimismo, la mayoría de las especies conocidas de runcínidos se encuentran en aguas europeas. Por lo tanto, el objetivo de la presente Tesis Doctoral es el estudio del orden Runcinida en Europa con el objetivo de evaluar su diversidad a partir de la realización de estudios filogenéticos. De este modo se podrá: 1) revisar la sistemática de las especies europeas, 2) detectar potenciales complejos de especies, así como definir criterios para delimitar sus especies, con la descripción de nuevos taxones si fuera necesario, 3) testar la validez de los caracteres diagnósticos tradicionales, 4) actualizar el conocimiento de la distribución geográfica de las especies estudiadas y 5) contribuir para la actualización de los inventarios de la fauna marina de diferentes países europeos. Para ello, se han llevado a cabo análisis filogenéticos basados en las secuencias parciales de dos marcadores mitocondriales (citocromo c oxidasa subunidad I y 16S rRNA) y uno nuclear (Histona 3). Además, se ha estudiado la morfología y anatomía interna de ejemplares procedentes del litoral atlántico europeo, incluyendo el mar Mediterráneo. Los resultados obtenidos en este Tesis apoyan la monofilia del orden Runcinida y la del género Runcina, si se excluyen varios ejemplares de runcínidos incorrectamente atribuidos inicialmente a dicho género. Además, se han detectado cuatro complejos de especies bajo los nombres de Runcina coronata, Runcina brenkoae, Runcina ferruginea y Runcina adriatica, lo que ha permitido la descripción de 10 especies y un género nuevo para la Ciencia. Se confirma la presencia del género Runcinida en aguas europeas. Se rechaza el nombre Pseudoilbia avellana, rescatando el nombre original de la especie, Runcina avellana, así como se confirma la validez del nombre Lapinura divae. En relación a los caracteres morfológicos, estos resultaron ser muy poco informativos y de poca fiabilidad a la hora de separar especies, aunque pueden ser algo más informativos para diferenciar géneros. Finalmente, los resultados contribuyen a la actualización de los inventarios de la fauna marina de diferentes países europeos (Croacia, Italia, Francia, Portugal), y muy especialmente a la del Inventario Español de Especies Marinas.The order Runcinida (Heterobranchia, Euthyneura) is composed of small limaciformsea slugs that can reach a maximum length of 8 mm. Traditionally considered a suborder within Cephalaspidea, Runcinida was included in its own Order after several studies that demonstrated that it was not part of the Cephalaspidea radiation. Classification within Runcinida has also changed in terms of number of families and subfamilies that comprised it according to various authors. Morphological characters traditionally used to identify and delimit species are insufficient, because in many cases they look alike and also because small variations have raised doubts as to whether they may refer to intraspecific variability or reflect distinct species. Most of the known species of runcinids are in European waters. Therefore, the aim of this PhD thesis is to study the order Runcinida in Europe in order to assess their diversity phylogenetic analyses. The specific objectives are: 1) to review the systematics of European species, 2) to detect potential species complexes, as well as define criteria to delimit their species, with the description of new taxa if necessary, 3) to test the validity of the traditional diagnostic characters, 4) to update knowledge about the geographical distribution of the species studied and 5) to contribute to the updating of marine fauna inventories in different European countries. For this, phylogenetic analyses based on partial sequences of two mitochondrial markers (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I and 16S rRNA) and a nuclear marker (Histone H3) were performed. In addition, the morphology and internal anatomy of specimens from the European Atlantic coast, including the Mediterranean Sea, were studied. The results obtained in this thesis support the monophyly of the order Runcinida and the genus Runcina, after excluding several specimens initially incorrectly attributed to that genus. In addition, four species complex have been detected under the names Runcina coronara, Runcina brenkoae, Runcina ferruginea and Runcina adriatica, which has led to the description of 10 new species and a new genus. The presence of the genus Runcinida in European waters is confirmed. The name Pseudoilbia avellana is rejected, recovering the original name of the species, Runcina avellana, and the validity of the name Lapinura divae is also confirmed. Concerning the morphological characters, these resulted to be uninformative and unreliable to separate species, although they may be somewhat more informative to differentiate genera. Finally, the results contribute to updating the marine fauna inventorie of different European countries (Croatia, Italy, France, Portugal) and, specially the "Inventario Español de Especies Marinas

Toyin Falola & Aribidesi Adisa Usman (eds.) – Movements, Borders, and Identities in Africa

The book Movements, Borders, and Identities in Africa edited by scholars Toyin Falola, and Aribedesi Usman offers an overview of different aspects of migration in the African continent. This solid volume contains thirteen chapters, essentially based on the drafts presented at the conference “Movements, Migrations, and Displacements in Africa” held at the University of Texas in March 24-26, 2006. In the various chapters, authors use oral, archeological and written sources to study numerous asp..