20,293 research outputs found
Writing from the shadowlands: how cross-cultural literature negotiates the legacy of Edward Said
No full textThis thesis examines the impact of Edward Said's influential work Orientalism and its legacy in respect of contemporary reading and writing across cultures. It also questions the legitimacy of Said's retrospective stereotyping of early examples of cross-cultural representation in literature as uncompromisingly 'orientalist'.
It is well known that the release of Edward Said's Orientalism in 1978 was responsible for the rise of a range of cultural and critical theories from multiculturalism to postcolonialism. It was a study that not only polarized critics and forced scholars to re-examine orientalist archives, but persuaded creative writers to re-think their ethnographic positions when it came to the literary representations of cultures other than their own. Without detracting from the enormous impact of Said, this thesis isolates gaps and silences in Said that need correcting. Furthermore, there is an element of intransigence, an uncompromising refusal to fine-tune what is essentially a binary discourse of the West and its other in Said's work, that encourages the continued interrogation of power relations but which, because of its very boldness, paradoxically disallows the extent to which the conflict of cultures indeed produced new, hybrid social and cultural formations.
In an attempt to challenge the severity of Said's claim that 'every European, in what he could say about the Orient, was consequently a racist, an imperialist, and almost totally ethnocentric', the thesis examines a number of different discursive contexts in which such a presumption is challenged. Thus while the second chapter discusses the 'traditional' profession-based orientalism of nineteenth-century E. G. Browne, the third considers the anti-imperialism of colonial administrator Leonard Woolf. The fourth chapter provides a reflection on the difficulties of diasporic 'orientalism' through the works of Michael Ondaatje while chapter five demonstrates the effects of the dialogism used by Amitav Ghosh as a defence against 'orientalism'. The thesis concludes with an examination of contemporary writing by Andrea Levy that appositely illustrates the legacy of Said's influence.
While the restrictive parameters of Said's work make it difficult to mount a thorough-going critique of Said, this thesis shows that, indeed, it is within the restraints of these parameters and in the very discourse that Said employs that he traps himself. This study claims that even Said is susceptible to 'orientalist' criticism in that he is as much an 'orientalist' as those at whom he directs his polemic
Les révolutions arabes: Entre la « main invisible » et la « désintégration sociale » - Ghomari Taibi
No full textبعد ثلاث سنوات على الربيع العربي، يبدو أن الأحداث العنيفة التي عرفتها الدول العربية قوضت بشكل خطير استقرار الأنظمة القائمة. عند محاولتهم تفسير هذه الأوضاع، هرول الحكام العرب نحو التفسيرات الجاهزة، التي تربط هذه الأحداث باليد الخفية الأجنبية والداخلية، إنه التفسير السياسي الذي يبرر أكثر ما يشرح الأوضاع. في مقابل هذا التفسير السياسي، مكننا أن نقدم أطروحة مختلفة، تعبر عن التفسير الاجتماعي، والذي تحاول هذه المقالة من خلاله شرح وتفسير هذه الأحداث، متبنية فرضية مفادها، أنه حتى ولو كان لليد الخفية دور في هذه الأحداث، فإن السبب الحقيقي ف قيام هذه الاضطرابات، يعود إلى التفكيك المنهجي الذي مارسته الأنظمة الشمولية على بمجتمعاتها، حيث أفرغت كل المؤسسات الاجتماعية الفاعلة من قيمتها، محولة مجتمعاتها إلى ملك شاغر، يمكن لأي مغامر أن يتلاعب به كيفما يشاء، من هنا إن محور هذه المقالة هو تقدم مختلف أشكال التفكيك الاجتماعي التي مارستها الأنظمة الشمولية على مجتمعاتها، تفكيك حول هذه المجتمعات إلى كيانات قابلة للانفجار في أي وقت.Three years after "the Arab Spring", which sowed drastically several political regimes, the Arab rulers blamed the "invisible hand", whether external or internal, in an attempt to explain the said events. However, this theory did not offer any valid explanation of what has truly happened.
This article proposes a completely different theory based on the notion of "social disintegration". Its hypothesis is: for over fifty years, totalitarian regimes have systematically disintegrated all social institutions (civil society, political society, family and religious institutions). This disintegration has transformed the Arab societies into a vacant property at the disposal of the adventurers who manipulated them, thus facilitating the failure of existing regimes and the fall of dictators.Trois ans après « le printemps arabe », qui a sérieusement secoué plusieurs régimes politiques, les pouvoirs en place se sont précipités vers la thèse de la « main invisible », externe ou interne, pour expliquer les dits événements. Or, cette thèse n 'avance rien, puisqu 'elle n 'explique pas ces événements. Cet article soutient une thèse complètement différente, axée sur la notion de la « désintégration sociale Il propose l'hypothèse suivante : durant plus de cinquante ans, les régimes totalitaires ont procédé à une désintégration systématique de toutes les institutions sociales : la société civile, la société politique, la famille et l'institution religieuse. Cette désintégration a transformé les sociétés arabes en un bien vacant mis à la disposition des aventuriers qui les manipulent, facilitant ainsi la faillite des régimes et la chute des dictateurs
What said the economic theory about Portugal. Another approach
No full textWith this work we try to analyse the agglomeration process in the Portuguese regions, using the New Economic Geography models. This work aims to test, also, the Verdoorn Law, with the alternative specifications of (1)Kaldor (1966), for the 28 NUTS III Portuguese in the period 1995 to 1999. It is intended to test the alternative interpretation of (2)Rowthorn (1975). With this study we want, also, to test the Verdoorn´s Law at a regional and a sectoral levels (NUTs II) for the period 1995-1999. The importance of some additional variables in the original specification of Verdoorn´s Law is yet tested, such as, trade flows, capital accumulation and labour concentration. This study analyses, also, through cross-section estimation methods, the influence of spatial effects in productivity in the NUTs III economic sectors of mainland Portugal from 1995 to 1999, considering the Verdoorn relationship. The aim of this paper is, yet, to present a contribution, with panel data, to the analysis of absolute convergence and conditional of the sectoral productivity at regional level (from 1995 to 1999). The structural variables used in the analysis of conditional convergence is the ratio of capital/output, the flow of goods/output and location ratio.new economic geography; Verdoorn law; convergence; cross-section and panel data; Portuguese regions
Translating for pilgrims in Saudi Arabia : a matter of quality
No full textEvery year, multitudes of Muslims visit Saudi Arabia to perform one of the most important Islamic rituals, the Hajj (pilgrimage). During the Hajj, which takes place in the last month in the Islamic calendar, Ḏū al-Ḥijjah, approximately three to four million pilgrims gather and move in a limited area (at and around the Holy Mosque, in Mecca) and for a limited time (a few days for the obligatory rituals, but up to a few weeks for optional visits and activities). In addition to this annual event, thousands of religious visitors arrive in Mecca and Medina throughout the year, especially during the month of Ramadan. They travel to the two holy cities to perform Umrah (the optional pilgrimage to the Kaaba, in Mecca), pray at the Prophet Muhammad’s Mosque, and visit his tomb and other religious sites at Medina. It goes without saying that these large numbers of pilgrims require various community services, including transport, healthcare, safety awareness, accommodation, legal and administrative advice and so on. Naturally, given the different nationalities and languages that are represented, these and other services cannot be effectively provided without translation and interpreting services. Saudi authorities have made laudable efforts to improve Hajj services and the pilgrim experience. A number of construction, expansion, and renovation projects (e.g. the multilevel Jamarat Bridge and circumambulation space around the Kaaba) have been undertaken to reduce overcrowding hazards and make Hajj rituals more comfortable. Ambitious transport projects have been completed or are in progress (e.g. Makkah Mass Rail Transit and Haramain High Speed Rail). A number of disease control and prevention measures have been implemented, including continuous monitoring of local and international health hazards, health requirements for Hajj and Umrah visas, and healthcare advice and services before and during visitation. These and other improvements have been complemented with awareness-raising initiatives such as TV and radio programmes that specifically address Hajjrelated issues, as well as flyers, road signs, and illuminated panels that display information and advice. Institutions such as the Hajj Research Institute (Umm Al-Qura University) have also contributed to understanding the needs of pilgrims and improving Hajj services by undertaking Hajj-focused research in diverse areas such as administration, humanities, environment, health, architecture, engineering, information systems, and communication. However, although developments in infrastructures, logistics, and public services are impressive, it appears that the same cannot be said about communication with pilgrims. Little research has been conducted on interpreting and translation services during this large-scale annual event, but the few studies available as well as anecdotal evidence suggest that the current offering is still far from covering the needs of pilgrims or meeting quality standards. In this chapter, we discuss written translations with a view to exploring these issues. Specifically, we focus on translations provided for English-speaking pilgrims. Twelve samples of translated materials, randomly collected from different Saudi pilgrim services, are analysed qualitatively to establish the extent to which they meet basic quality standards such as content accuracy, grammatical and lexical appropriateness, functional equivalence, cohesion, and clarity of meaning. Before proceeding however, it is worthwhile to contextualise our subsequent analysis and commentary with a brief discussion of translation for pilgrims in terms of its community-oriented (public service) dimension, and the situation of Hajj-related translation and interpreting services in Saudi Arabia
Interpreting taboo : the case of Arabic interpreters in Spanish public services
No full textOne of the distinctive features of community interpreting (also known as public service interpreting) is the presence and participation of at least three persons in the interpreted communicative event: a service provider, a user, and an interpreter. Whether or not the interpreter is considered a party is the subject of ongoing debate (e.g. Barsky, 1996; Hale, 2007, 2008; Wadensjö, 1998), but there is indisputably a communicative situation comprising three vertices, as the title of Mason’s (2001) book, Triadic Exchanges, makes plain. The presence of three interlocutors (whether they are all considered as parties, or as two principal participants and an interpreter) conditions the manner in which utterances are formed and interpreted. A principal participant formulates and constructs a message; an interpreter decodes and recodes it; and another principal participant subsequently processes and responds to the interpreter’s rendering. As Wadensjö (1998) argues, the interpreter also co-constructs meaning with the main interlocutors and shares responsibility for the development of their exchange. As the interpreter’s clients usually come from linguistically and culturally distant communities, their exchanges typically involve linguistic and cultural asymmetries. Each principal participant (and the interpreter as well) follows a set of linguistic, social, and cultural norms that determine what and how much may be said, as well as how it may be said. These norms inform the way utterances are constructed and how they are supposed to be interpreted, in both senses of the word (interpretation as understanding or conceptualisation, and interpretation as oral or signed translation). This information implies that the interpreter must have a good command not only of the two working languages but also of their respective social and cultural conventions. Starting from the premise that linguistic output can hardly be disassociated from its social and cultural contexts, this chapter addresses the challenges that sex-related taboos present in community interpreting settings. Culture is understood herein as constituting a mould that shapes linguistic expressions in general, and linguistic forms relating to the human body and sexuality in particular. In this sense, feelings such as love, hate, and pleasure may be universal but cultural norms determine where, when, and how they may be expressed. The same feeling may have multiple verbal (and nonverbal) manifestations. Similarly, the same verbal (or nonverbal) representation may have a completely different impact on different audiences: what is an acceptable topic or expression for some cultural groups might be viewed as extremely offensive for others, at least in some contexts. Our focus in this chapter is upon interpreting in communicative situations that involve Arab cultural taboos, especially in public service settings such as hospitals and courts. In this chapter, the issue of taboo in community interpreting is discussed with special reference to the Spanish public service context and its Arab users. But the discussion is intended to draw attention to a number of issues generally related to intercultural communication and interpreting in public service settings, which may apply to other contexts and cultural groups as well. Our primary aim is to raise awareness among public instrumentalities and their staff of the need for intercultural sensitivity and special arrangements when engaging with users on intimate or sensitive subjects. Second, we explore the conflicting views among interpreters on the most appropriate manner to handle taboo topics and language. Finally, we distinguish between the situations and discourse constraints of different participant combinations and participation frameworks in interpreter-mediated public service encounters (e.g. male interpreter–female user–female provider; female interpreter–male user–male provider; culturally uniform user and interpreter; culturally different user and interpreter). Authentic examples are taken from public service situations involving an Arabic-Spanish interpreter, so as to illustrate the complexity of the task and analyse both observable and potential interpreting strategies
What said the new economic geography about Portugal? An alternative approach
No full textWith this work we try to analyse the agglomeration process in Portugal, using the New Economic Geography models, in a linear and in a non linear way. In a non linear way, of referring, as summary conclusion, that with this work the existence of increasing returns to scale and low transport cost, in the Portuguese regions, was proven and, because this, the existence of agglomeration in Portugal. We pretend, also, in a linear way to explain the complementarily of clustering models, associated with the New Economic Geography, and polarization associated with the Keynesian tradition. As a summary conclusion, we can say which the agglomeration process shows some signs of concentration in Lisboa e Vale do Tejo and the productivity factor significantly improves the results that explain the regional clustering in Portugal. The aim of this paper is to analyze, yet, the relationship between the regional industry clustering and the demand for labor by companies in Portugal. Again, the results are consistent with the theoretical developments of the New Economic Geography, namely the demand for labor is greater where transport costs are lower and where there is a strong links "backward and forward" and strong economies of agglomeration.new economic geography; linear and non linear models; Portuguese regions
Nobody Said Not to Go The Life, Loves, and Adventures of Emily Hahn
No full textCover Page -- Title Page -- Dedication -- Contents -- Preface -- Introduction -- I In the Beginning -- 1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4 -- 5 -- 6 -- II "First, We'll Take Manhattan" -- 7 -- 8 -- 9 -- III Traveling Light in the Dark Continent -- 10 -- 11 -- 12 -- 13 -- IV China -- 14 -- 15 -- 16 -- 17 -- 18 -- 19 -- V Hong Kong: Sunset on the Empire -- 20 -- 21 -- 22 -- 23 -- 24 -- 25 -- VI Happily Ever After? -- 26 -- 27 -- 28 -- 29 -- 30 -- 31 -- Afterword -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index -- About the Author -- Copyright PageDescription based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, YYYY. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries
Method for removing a high definition nanostructure, a partly freestanding layer, a sensor comprising said layer and a method using said sensor
No full textThe present invention is in the field of a method for removing a high definition nanostructure in a partly free-standing layer, the layer, a sensor comprising said layer, a use of said sensor, and a method of detecting a species, and optional further characteristics thereof, using said sensor. The sensor and method are suited for detecting single ions, molecules, low concentrations thereof, and identifying sequences of base pairs, e.g. in a DNA-strand.QN/Quantum NanoscienceApplied Science
What Shall We Do Without Exile? : Said and Darwish Address the Future / ﻣﺎﺫﺍ ﺳﻨﻔﻌﻞ ﻣﻦ ﺩﻭﻥ ﻣﻨﻔﻰ؟ ﺳﻌﻴﺪ ﻭﺩﺭﻭﻳﺶ ﻋﻦ ﺍﻟﻤﺴﺘﻘﺒﻞ
No full text[In a contrapuntal reading, this article revisits Edward Said\u27s final speculations on binationalism in the context of Palestine and Israel, suggesting that binationalism may offer a way of undoing the problematic ideology of nationalism. The author sets Said\u27s thoughts on the topic against Mahmoud Darwish\u27s farewell poem to Edward Said (itself, a contrapuntal text). Engaging the question of exile and what it must signify to a people displaced, the author asks what it means to move forward when the historical past is still disputed, focusing specifically on the right of return and its seeming impossibility under the current political conditions in which it is discussed. ﻓﻲ ﻗﺮﺍﺀﺓ ﻃﺒﺎﻗﻴﺔ، ﺗﺴﺘﻜﺸﻒ ﻫﺬﻩ ﺍﻟﻤﻘﺎﻟﺔ ﻣﻮﺍﻗﻒ ﺇﺩﻭﺍﺭﺩ ﺳﻌﻴﺪ ﻭﺗﺄﻣﻼﺗﻪ ﺍﻷﺧﻴﺮﺓ ﺣﻮﻝ ﻭﻃﻦ ﺛﻨﺎﺋﻲ ﺍﻟﻘﻮﻣﻴﺔ ﻓﻲ ﺳﻴﺎﻕ ﻓﻠﺴﻄﻴﻦ ﻭﺇﺳﺮﺍﺋﻴﻞ، ﻣﺸﻴﺮﺓﹰ ﺇﻟﻰ ﺃﻥ ﻭﻃﻦ ﻭﺍﺣﺪ ﺛﻨﺎﺋﻲ ﺍﻟﻘﻮﻣﻴﺔ ﻗﺪ ﻳﻜﻮﻥ ﺍﻟﺤﻞ ﻹﻳﺪﻳﻮﻟﻮﺟﻴﺔ ﺍﻟﻘﻮﻣﻴﺔ ﺍﻷﺣﺎﺩﻳﺔ ﻭﺍﻟﻤﺸﺎﻛﻞ ﺍﻟﺘﻲ ﺗﺜﻴﺮﻫﺎ . ﺗﻘﺎﺑﻞ ﺍﻟﻤﻘﺎﻟﺔ ﺑﻴﻦ ﺃﻓﻜﺎﺭ ﺳﻌﻴﺪ ﻭﻗﺼﻴﺪﺓ ﻣﺤﻤﻮﺩ ﺩﺭﻭﻳﺶ ﺍﻟﻮﺩﺍﻋﻴﺔ ﻟﺼﺪﻳﻘﻪ ﺑﻌﻨﻮﺍﻥ « ﻃﺒﺎﻕ: ﻋﻦ ﺇﺩﻭﺍﺭﺩ ﺳﻌﻴﺪ » ﺍﻟﺘﻲ ﺗﺮﻯ ﻓﻴﻬﺎ ﻧﺼﺎﹰ ﻃﺒﺎﻗﻴﺎﹰ ﺑﺈﻣﺘﻴﺎﺯ . ﺗﺘﻨﺎﻭﻝ ﺍﻟﻤﻘﺎﻟﺔ ﻗﻀﻴﺔ ﺍﻟﻤﻨﻔﻰ ﻭﻣﺎ ﻳﻌﻨﻴﻪ ﻟﻠﻤﺴﺘﺒﻌﺪﻳﻦ ﻗﺴﺮﻳﺎﹰ، ﻭﻣﻦ ﺛﻢﱠ ﺗﺘﺴﺎﺀﻝ ﻋﻦ ﻣﻌﻨﻰ ﺍﻟﻤﻀﻲ ﻗﺪﻣﺎﹰ ﻋﻨﺪﻣﺎ ﻳﻈﻞ ﺍﻟﻤﺎﺿﻲ ﺍﻟﺘﺎﺭﻳﺨﻲ ﻣﺘﻨﺎﺯﻋﺎﹰ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ، ﻭﺗﺮﻛﺰ ﻋﻠﻰ ﺣﻖ ﻋﻮﺩﺓ ﺍﻟﻔﻠﺴﻄﻴﻨﻴﻴﻦ ﺇﻟﻰ ﺩﻳﺎﺭﻫﻢ ﻣﻊ ﺃﻥ ﻫﺬﺍ ﺍﻟﺤﻖ ﻳﺒﺪﻭ ﻣﺴﺘﺤﻴﻞ ﺍﻟﺘﺤﻘﻖ ﻓﻲ ﻇﻞ ﺍﻷﻭﺿﺎﻉ ﺍﻟﺴﻴﺎﺳﻴﺔ ﺍﻟﺮﺍﻫﻨﺔ .
SAID (1947-)
No full textSAID, who goes by this pen name for security reasons, was born in 1947 in Tehran, Iran and went to West Germany as a student in 1965. He has lived in Germany ever since except for a brief return to Iran in 1979. SAID writes in the German language and is a versatile author having written numerous works in a variety of genres including poetry, radio plays, short fiction, essays, satirical and humorous nonfiction, memoir, and children\u27s books. He has been the recipient of numerous literary awards
- …
