Past Imperfect (Journal)
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The Mexican Imperial Dream: The Role of the State, the Civilian and Institutions of Tenochtitlan
No full textThe Mexica in the Central Valley of Mexico witnessed the development, expansion and collapse of their empire in the space of only two hundred years. Although the Empire’s collapse was swift and thorough, suggesting a weak structure in the first place, the sophisticated political and ideological development and the whirlwind expansion of the Mexican state, suggests just the opposite. The imperial leadership at Tenochtitlan accomplished the loose organization of city-states that was empire by the coercive and manipulative ideological domination of its civilian populations. The state ideology or value system of the elite was a unique product of the political environment of Central Mexico and the predominance of violent confrontation in that environment
New Frontiers of Knowledge: Science and Technology in the Late 1950s American Cold War Propaganda
No full textMy essay assesses how science and technology were depicted in American Cold War propaganda and suggests these themes were vital to the US propaganda strategy of the late 1950s. Focusing on the United States Information Agency and its radio organ the Voice of America, I examine the significant role played by the VOA, tracing a shift towards the exploitation of science and technology themes in the late 1950s, and briefly analyzes the content of the 1957 science-themed VOA series “New Frontiers of Knowledge.” Finally, some concluding remarks explore how science was used to advance the broad foreign policy strategy of the United States
Political Memoirs, Myth, Policy, and the Wars of Yugoslav Secession
No full textAn outpouring of academic interest in the collapse of Yugoslavia and the subsequent wars of secession has developed key areas of critical analysis to approach the subject. While much of this recent work has emphasized the importance of persistent myths about the region and its people, little work has conclusively demonstrated the correlation between these misconceptions and policy formation. The use of popular, political memoirs as historical sources has been lightly treated in recent historiography, suggesting a reluctance to critically engage with the genre or accept these texts as valid sources of information. This case study argues that the political memoirs surrounding the collapse of Yugoslavia and the subsequent wars of secession complicate the assumed relationship between widespread myths of the region and the formation of policy at the military and diplomatic level
The Evolution of the Roman Calendar
No full textThe Roman calendar was first developed as a lunar calendar, so it was difficult for the Romans to reconcile this with the natural solar year. In 45 BC, Julius Caesar reformed the calendar, creating a solar year of 365 days with leap years every four years. This article explains the process by which the Roman calendar evolved and argues that the reason February has 28 days is that Caesar did not want to interfere with religious festivals that occurred in February. Beginning as a lunar calendar, the Romans developed a lunisolar system that tried to reconcile lunar months with the solar year, with the unfortunate result that the calendar was often inaccurate by up to four months. Caesar fixed this by changing the lengths of most months, but made no change to February because of the tradition of intercalation, which the article explains, and because of festivals that were celebrated in February that were connected to the Roman New Year, which had originally been on March 1
Sinking in Quicksand: The Demise of Victorian High Culture in America 1870-1915
No full textToday, the term Victorian implies snobbishness and rigidity. Our world, the result in part of a rebellion against Victorian formality and social hierarchy, celebrates the classless, the democratic, and the popular. It professes faith in the artistic judgment of all members of society regardless of ethnic origin, level of education or wealth. From the Victorian point of view, however, twentieth-century mass culture is accessible to all by appealing to the lowest common denominator; it is inclusive at the cost of a loss of education, refinement, and profundity. Turn-of-the-century America is the ideal subject for a study of the interaction between Victorian high culture and modern mass culture; the period from 1870 to 1915 was one of drastic cultural metamorphosis. Social change threatened the foundations of high culture and eventually killed it, but not without the unintentional help of the Victorians\u27 own self-alienating behaviour
The Development of United States Government Policy Toward Indian Health Care, 1850-1900
No full textBy 1850 the United States government already had a half century\u27s experience providing health services to its Indian population. During the first halfof the nineteenth century, however, these services were focused primarily on containing epidemic diseases, especially smallpox. By mid-century, the rise of intemperance and venereal diseases among Indians convinced the government that more control over Indians\u27 health was necessary. Professionally trained physicians, bolstered by advances in medical knowledge, led this interventionist effort at improving Indian health care. Government health care providers increasingly came to believe that success depended on undermining traditional lifestyles and leadership
Africville: The Test of Urban Renewal in Halifax, Nova Scotia
No full textDonald Clairmont\u27s Africville Relocation Report portrays the Africville relocation as a grave injustice inflicted upon a voiceless minority by an insensitive city administration. Initially, however, the relocation enjoyed the support of Black leaders, community residents, and city administrators. This paper argues that two major factors caused the transformation of the Africville relocation from a symbol of civic and humanitarian progress to a symbol of human and perhaps racial injustice. First, the relocation process took fifteen years to complete. During that time the initial confidence exuded by Haligonians because of the postwar boom had begun to dissipate, and with it, their devotion to urban renewal schemes. Second, criticism of the project reflected changing expectations and developing sociological methodologies concerning the alleviation of poverty
"Measures are being taken to eliminate the consequences of the accident": Ideology and the Soviet Response to the Chornobyl Accident
No full textAlthough Soviet ideology has been identified as a factor leading to the Chornbyl disaster, there has previously been no discussion of its role in the official response to the accident or to its aftermath. Yet, as seen in the Soviet media, this nuclear catastrophe triggered an ideological crisis which authorities struggled to respond to within a traditional dialectical framework. Paradoxically, their appeal to ideology in the management of this crisis contributed to growing disillusionment with the Soviet state and a reconsideration of Communism, leading, ultimately, to the collapse of the USSR
Solitary Sex: A Cultural History of Masturbation
No full textSolitary Sex: A Cultural History of Masturbation. By Thomas W. Laqueur. New York: Zone Books, 2003. 501 pp. $34.00 (cloth)