Touching the void: affective history and the impossible

In order to understand the persistence of History, we need to understand the appeal of historical work, its pleasures. Without such an understanding, theory and research will continue to talk at cross purposes, the one insisting that the past is unknowable; the other unable to ignore the vitality of its sources. The contention of this essay is that historical research is an affective experience of such intensity that it has been able to withstand the challenges of post-structuralism and postmodernism and so continue with ‘business as usual’ (Jenkins 2003, 15). While the intensity of the archival encounter is not often admitted in print, it continues to motivate the efforts of individual historians. The abstractions of theory cannot intrude upon the physical experience of holding a piece of the past. It demands our attention. But the intellectual consequences of the physicality of the archival encounter need to be effectively theorised: what is the role of touching and feeling in the pursuit of knowing? The archive is the place where historians can literally touch the past, but in doing so are simultaneously made aware of its unreachability. In a maddening paradox, concrete presence conveys unfathomable absence. In the archive, researchers are both confronted with the absolute alterity of the past and tempted by the challenge of trying to overcome it. It is suggested that this impossibility underpins the powerful attraction of the historical endeavour

2004 Statistics

2004 Men\u27s Cross Country Statistics, George Fox College

The Seven Sleepers And The Seven Kneelers: Prolegomena To A Study Of The Belles Verrières Of The Cathedral Of Rouen

The recomposed, much-altered, and partially dispersed vestiges of the original nave-aisle glazing of Rouen Cathedral--the so-called Belles Verrières --constitute one of the most important but least studied ensembles of early 13th-century French stained glass. This article will address two windows represented in the Belles Verrières as a means of exploring a working methodology for reconstructing the Rouen nave-aisle glazing. From a close analysis of all remaining fragments, the original design of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus and John the Evangelist windows will be reconstructed. Once assembled, each window will be evaluated in relation to stylistic, iconographic and historical contexts. The iconography of the Seven Sleepers, closely tied to the political history of Normandy at the turn of the 13th century, will allow that window to be dated with rare precision to the years between 1200-1202. The stylistic relationship between the John the Evangelist window and other glass at Rouen and Beauvais will argue for a date significantly later, in the 1240s. It thus appears that the glazing of the nave aisle at Rouen extended throughout the first half of the 13th century, rather than being restricted to the first two decades, as is usually assumed

Kinkon biobib: life and work of Dom Sylvester Houedard

Bio-bibliographical essay on British Benedictine monk, scholar, translator, concrete poet and artist Dom Sylvester Houédard (1924–92). Based on scarce published materials and primary sources, this chronology emphasises artistic over religious and other activities, and public over private ones. It lists events where Houédard had an active involvement (group and solo exhibitions – focusing on UK based ones, and those where a catalogue was published; talks, readings and performances – including recordings; collaborations), significant artworks, monographic publications (broadsheets, print folders, cards, pamphlets, monographs, exhibition catalogues, anthologies) and serial publications (articles and magazines)

BUSM Alumni Association Annual Report

Annual Report of the activities of the Boston University School of Medicine Alumni Association

The concept of solidarity: emerging from the theoretical shadows?

The concept of solidarity has been relatively neglected by social scientists since Durkheim's pioneering work in the late 19th century. The discipline of politics has been guilty of overlooking this 'subjective' element of community life, but recent works by Stjernø and Brunkhorst reflect a growing awareness of the theoretical significance of the concept. Whereas early liberal attempts to theorise solidarity took the nation state to be the appropriate community for its realisation, the emergence of globalisation raises the possibility of human solidarity developing in the global community. Traditional forms of solidarity have been dissipated by the social changes accompanying globalisation, but they were often locked into the defence of particular interests. New forms may be emerging to rekindle the broader vision of human solidarity. Recent work by writers such as Habermas, Honneth, Rorty and Touraine focuses on widening and deepening democratic participation and/or the articulation of our ethical obligations in various ways. It is argued here that these perspectives need to be supplemented by a radical humanist approach grounded in a normative theory of human self-realisation