What Makes a Muslim Intellectual? On the Pro's and Con's of a Category

<p style="margin-right: 1cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: 100%;" lang="en-GB">At its core, this essay contains a substantiated plea for bringing about conceptual clarity to the notion of “Muslim intellectual”, which the frequent and highly ideologically charged public usage of this term seems to distort. In search for a sound analytical concept of “intellectual” first, relevant sociological and philosophical deliberations are highlighted, indicating that both of their notions differ to such an extent that their applicability to academic pursuit must be doubted. Yet, by discussing some considerations by a Study of Islam open to the approaches of the Social Sciences a possible framework for an analytically meaningful concept of “Muslim intellectual” is presented. At the same time, however, arguments are presented for why those contemporary Muslim thinkers who are usually credited with being “Muslim intellectuals” would hardly fit the analytical criteria for such label.</p

A brief history of the bryological exploration of the Azores

An account of the bryological activities on the Azores is given. Three phases can be distinguished: one at the end of the 19. century, when first collections of non-bryologists were made, which resulted in the discovery of less than one third of the presently known species and the description of many so called endemics. A second phase in the thirties of the 20. century is characterized by an intensive collecting activity of some bryologists, which enormously raised the species numbers. In a third phase at the end of the 20. century, tourism as well as activities of local bryologists raised again the species numbers. Revisions of genera reduced the number of endemic species and revisions of herbarium specimens of doubtful records even reduced the species numbers of hepatics

Frullania tamarisci var. azorica (Jubulaceae, Marchantiopsida) : a new taxon from the Azores

Frullania tamarisci (L.) Dumort. var. azorica J.-P.Frahm (subg. Frullania) is described as new from the islands of Terceira and Pico (Azores, Portugal). It resembles var. tamarisci, but differs in longly apiculate, incurved leaf apex ending in an unicellular tip and not decurrent underleaves

The taxonomic status of Bryum arachnoideum C. Müll. and B. lanatum (P. Beauv.) Brid.

A study of an isotype of Bryum arachnoideum C. Müll., a poorly understood species described from tropical Africa, revealed that this species is distinct from B. argenteum Hedw. var. lanatum (P. Beauv.) Hampe. The differences between both species are listed. All specimens from tropical Africa named as B. arachnoideum by the author must be attributed to B. argenteum var. lanatum. The differences between B. argenteum var. argenteum and var. lanatum, both morphologically and ecologically, are so important that it is proposed to treat var. lanatum on a species level as B. lanatum (P. Beauv.) Brid

New records of mosses from Dominican amber

Hypnum cupressiforme, Entodon macropus, Homalia glabella and Calyptothecium duplicatum are recorded as new from Dominican amber. Earlier records of Neckera spec. have to be transferred to Calyptothecium duplicatum. These records raise the total number of all mosses known from Dominican amber to 14. All mosses so far reported from Dominican amber are extant species which occur today in the Dominican Republic. This could indicate that the mossflora in the island of Hispaniola has not changed during the past 20-40 Mio years, but also falsifications of fossils in amber have to be taken into account, which can be suspected from the quality of some of the specimens

More records of mosses from Dominican amber

Hypnum spec., Orthostichella cf. pentasticha, Syrrhopodon flexifolius and Porotrichum aff. substriatum are recorded from Dominican amber (c. 25 mio yrs. b.p.). The first two species were known before from Dominican amber, the last two are newly reported

Designs on governance : development of policy instruments and dynamics in governance

The thesis analyses the role of policy instruments for dynamics of governance, using case studies on ‘emissisons trading’ and ‘network access regulation in the utilities’. It opens by observing a paradox: Policy instruments are criticised for misrepresenting the complex and contested reality of public policy-making by portraying it as technical problem-solving, yet, policy instruments play an increasingly central role in policy analysis, design and public debate. \ud The first part of the thesis develops a conception of policy instruments as ‘designs on governance’. This implies a double life: as models of governance and as configurations that work in real world governance contexts. Understanding the role of policy instruments requires to study the development of trajectories in governance patterns that result from the interaction of models and configurations. Concepts from innovation studies are mobilised and the notion of an ‘innovation journey’ is adopted as a heuristic framework. \ud The second part of the thesis presents two case studies examplifying different innovation patterns: design push (case of emissions trading) and dynamics pull (case of network access regulation). For each pattern typical phases and transitions as well as ironies that undermine the instrumentality of designs on governance are discussed. Conclusions of the thesis address the co-evolution of policy instruments with broader governance dynamics and specify conditions under which momentum of instruments may dominate over dynamics of problem formulation and political authority, or vice versa. Key insights are formulated with respect to the division of design labour between local and global in the context of emerging cosmopolitan governance regimes, the social life of policy instruments and the ambivalent role of technical models of governance for effectiveness as well as democratic legimitacy of public policy

New combinations in the genera Atractylocarpus and Metzleria

The type species of Atractylocarpus has revealed to be a species of a genus which was later introduced as Camylopodiella. To avoid taxonomic confusions, it was proposed to keep the current use of Atractylocarpus and Campylopodiella by amending the genus Atractylocarpus. This proposal was rejected by the ICBN committee. Therefore the valid genus for all species so far comprised in Atractylocarpus is Metzleria and all species so far included in Campylopodiella must be transferred to Atractylocarpus. Accoringly, all necessary new combinations are introduced here: Atractylocarpus himalayanus (Broth.) J.-P. Frahm , Atractylocarpus malagensis (Herz.) J.-P. Frahm Metzleria comosa (Dix.) J.-P. Frahm, Metzleria madagascariensis (Thér.) J.-P. Frahm, Metzleria nana (Williams) J.-P. Frahm, Metzleria patagonica (Herz. et Thér.) J.-P. Frahm

Campylopus, a modern and successful genus!?

Campylopus with nearly 200 revised species is one of the largest genera of mosses in the world and has extremely broad geographical, altitudinal and ecological ranges. Factors to be considered for the rich speciation are 1) the enormous anatomical plasticity of the structure of the costa, 2) the ability for vegetative propagation utilizing different methods, and 3) the special twist mechanism of the cygneous setae. Phytogeographical interpretations of present ranges of species of Campylopus lead to the conclusion that this genus is of Gondwanalandic origin. Most of the species seem to be cool temperate in origin. They have adapted to dry habitats in the Mesozoic and invaded the tropical mountains during the Tertiary, accompanied by rich speciation. This is supported by the physiology of these species. According to preliminary gas exchange measurements, tropical montane species do not differ from temperate species, and are not able to stand climatic conditions of the tropical lowland rainforests; a relatively young habitat for bryophytes. A cladistic analysis of the infrageneric categories of Campylopus using phytogeographical evaluations of apomorphic character states shows that the section Homalocarpus seems to be the most primitive and the subgenera Campylopidulum and Thysanomitrion the most derived

An evaluation of the bryophyte flora of the Azores

The diversity of bryophytes on the different islands of the Azores varies much between 104 and 324 species. Attempts have been made to explain the heterogenity of the bryoflora. There is a correlation between species numbers and age of the islands in the way that the youngest islands (Pico) has the lowest species numbers in spite of the fact that it is the highest island. The species numbers of the other islands are correlated with the maximum elevation and with the size of the islands. The liverwort-moss ratio varies between 1.21 and 1.67 and shows a distinct humidity gradient between the islands. The floristic affinities between the islands are calculated by a cluster analysis. They show no correlation with the location of the islands (nearest neighbour), size, age, elevation or species numbers, which indicates that the species composition is mainly determined by chance. Ten species (2,3%) are endemic to the Azores and 14 species (including one genus) are endemic to the Macaronesian Islands. Some of the endemics are questionable, others may occur elsewhere in the tropics under a different name, but there is fossil prove that the others are relicts from the Tertiary which survived extinction during Quaternary in Europe