The ‘Industrialists of Philosophy': Karl Marx,Friedrich Engels,and the ‘Discourse Network of 1840’

This paper is the first to examine Karl Marx's and Friedrich Engels's early materialism in light of the industrialization of European and German print. This examination suggests that, whereas the Hegelian system was a relic of a pre-industrialized print culture, in which written language was held up as a portal to metaphysical abstractions, the industrialization of print opened the way for Marx and Engels to consider the prevailing socio-economic realities as manifestations of the capitalist system. In broader terms, the paper calls for a widening of conventional analysis of political ideas by considering them in light of the media setting in which they were originally cast.     

Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous: Celebrity Media Diet and the Cultivation of Emerging Adults’ Materialism

The present study used cultivation theory to explore the relationships between celebrity media diet and materialism for a sample of 224 emerging adults. Results indicated main effects between both celebrity magazine consumption and celebrity TV news consumption on materialism. Total celebrity media diet was also significantly related to materialism. Findings suggest that a media diet high in celebrity culture and lifestyle has significant impact on emerging adults’ preoccupation with consumerism, particularly for women. This research contributes to a growing body of literature on the effects of a celebrity-saturated media environment and the cultivation of materialistic attitudes.     

‘Terrible Panizzi’: Patriotism and Realism of the ‘Prince of Librarians’

Abstract

This article deals with the figure of Antonio Panizzi, considered as an Italian patriot and English librarian. It highlights the constant attention he devoted to the Italian political events throughout his life: from his arrival in London (1823) as a political exile, to his informal ambassador in United Kingdom, a role that allowed him to lobby the political class and the press on behalf of the cause of Italian patriots forced in the prisons of Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. The article describes the multifaceted library activity carried out by Panizzi at the British Library, of which he became Principal Librarian in 1856. Panizzi is considered to be the first Promethean Librarian of the 19th century, a great reformer with new ideas on library services, innovative methodologies, and working practices in librarianship. Panizzi rigorously carried out the activity of librarian at the British Library without ever forgetting the need for a free, unified, and democratic Italian state.     

Characterization,weathering, and protection of sandstones: The case of ‘Agro d'Ardesia’

Abstract

The conservation of roofing and cladding materials has both environmental and cultural heritage bearing. Our research aimed at comparing the performances of some polymeric products used for the protection of a typical Italian sandstone, the ‘Agro d'Ardesia’, used mostly as cladding, paving, roofing, and building material. These products belong to three different classes: polysiloxanes, acrylics, and fluoropolymers. In addition, an acrylic–silicone mixture was chosen for testing. After the application onto the Agro sandstone by capillary absorption, both efficacy and durability were assessed. Particularly, two types of weathering tests were performed to check the stability over time of the protective products: the exposure to ultraviolet radiation in a climatic chamber and the ageing by exposure to acid rain, expressly designed to represent realistically natural and anthropogenic changes. Detailed information on treatment performances was obtained. The polysiloxane was shown to be the most effective protective material for the Agro sandstone.     

The Constables and the ‘Garage Girl’

In the summer of 1928, the arrest on a disorder charge of a young woman in north London who gave her name as Helene Adele led to a press sensation after she claimed that the officers had falsely accused her in order to discredit her claim that one of them had sexually assaulted her. The constables were ultimately prosecuted, convicted and discharged from the Metropolitan Police. This article considers the Adele case in the context of intense concerns about the possible abuse of police powers—particularly in cases involving women—in the late 1920s. Adele was catapulted onto the front pages of Britain's sensationalist press: her serialised memoir appeared in a newspaper and was reprinted in a women's magazine. However, her case was more than just a tabloid spectacle. Contributing to historians' reconsideration of the sensationalist inter-war press, this article shows how the coverage of the case fit into the press's interest in young working-class women's lifestyles and sexuality, highlighting how ‘human interest’ journalism could be intermixed with social critique.     

That Sounds Familiar: The Relationship Between Listeners’ Recognition of Celebrity Voices,Perceptions of Vocal Pleasantness,and Engagement with Media

The human voice is a major component of popular media, yet its role in people’s media experiences has received minimal research attention. To address this gap, we investigated how recognition of celebrity voices interacted with perceptions of and engagement with audio-only media. After listening to famous actors reading stories, participants indicated whether they recognized each voice, rated its pleasantness, and completed parasocial interaction and narrative transportation measures. Results indicate that recognized voices were perceived as more pleasant. Additionally, vocal pleasantness was associated with increased parasocial interaction and transportation. Findings partially support the prediction that vocal recognition enhances parasocial interaction.     

The Restoration of the ‘Vienna Dioscorides’

Abstract

Very small paint samples from Cosimo Tura's ‘The Annunciation with Saint Francis and Saint Louis of Toulouse’ were submitted to amino acid analysis in order to determine the nature of the binding media. The four panels appeared to have been painted with egg tempera, and showed extensive localized deterioration in the blue areas but not in the other coloured areas. Following the Picotag method, the samples were hydrolyzed in an acid vapor, derivatized with iso-thiocyanatobenzene, and analyzed using reversed phase high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). Amino acid analysis demonstrated that the red and brown areas were painted using egg yolk as the binding medium, while the blue areas were painted with animal-skin glue (distemper). Analysis of the green paint indicated a mixture of egg yolk and glue. The use of these techniques makes it possible to identify proteinaceous materials in art objects from samples in the microgram range.     

The BBC,Group Listening,and ‘The Changing World’

This article examines the content and impact of a series of BBC lecture courses broadcast in the early 1930s. The Group Listening Scheme was established in 1928: experts working in a variety of fields were invited to broadcasts a series of evening lectures. Adults across the country were encouraged to gather for the lectures and stay on afterwards to discuss them. ‘The Changing World’ consisted of half-hour talks over six evenings a week during a six-month period. The broadcasts amounted to a two-term syllabus, with 24 talks devoted to each of the six themes (the modern dilemma, industry and trade, literature and art, science, the modern state, and education and leisure). This article will sample some of these broadcasts and explore the listener response to the series in order to reach an understanding of the BBC’s achievements in adult education during the interwar period.     

‘This nation under God’: The broadcast and film commission of the national council of churches and the new medium of television

Throughout American history that form of Protestantism that designates itself and is publicly conceived as “old‐time religion” has regularly been the innovator in the area of media. In stark contrast, its more staid establishment counterpart has tended to be antagonistic to these new media, dismissing them with harsh theological and aesthetic judgments. In this process, the self‐proclaimed theological conservatives actually behaved in remarkably adaptive and imaginative ways, while the self‐proclaimed liberal establishment often acted as the cultural conservator, pressing for the preservation of the status quo. This article seeks to understand why those Protestants who define themselves as “modernist” and “adaptive” have been far less successful in using the media than their conservative “anti‐modernist” counterparts. The focus is upon a case study—the reception of television by the Broadcast and Film Commission of the National Council of Churches. The conclusion is ironic: those Protestants who depended upon “modern,” “social scientific” criterion to guide their television policies fundamentally misunderstood the power of television and its impact upon society.     

The “Most Thrilling Invention Since the Radio Itself!”: The Evolution of the Radio Remote Control in the 1920s and 1930s

This article examines the early history of the media remote control, focusing on the technical development of radio remotes in the 1920s and 1930s. Using a co-evolutionary model of technical change, it considers the technical and social conditions that served as the foundation for the first radio remotes. Drawing on patent records, it then examines the development, firstly, of wired radio remotes and, secondly, of wireless radio remotes, offering evidence of a direct patent-based link between the latter and the earliest successful wireless television remote of the 1950s.     

The rhetoric of a lobbyist: Benjamin Franklin in England, 1765‐1775

During his ten‐year stay in England as a colonial representative, Benjamin Franklin exhibited the qualities of a skillful lobbyist. He was committed to, and accurately represented, American interests; he urged moderation on British leaders and moderate resistance on his own clients; he based his major appeal to the British Government on the grounds of practical self‐interest.     

The powerful image and the imagination of power: the ‘new visual turn’ of the CPC’s propaganda strategy since its 18th National Congress in 2012

This paper adopts the academic tool of discourse analysis to examine the ‘new visual turn’ of the Communist Party of China’s propaganda work since the 18th CPC National Congress when Xi Jinping was inaugurated as the leader of Chinese Communists. A thorough review of the new visual means the Party uses for photojournalism, TV news, animated cartoons and online promotional videos points to three developments markedly different from traditional discursive strategies: a full embrace of Confucian ethics, articulation of the Internet-based popular culture and subcultures, and an effort to fortify Xi’s personal authority as a political idol. The paper concludes that the ‘new visual turn’ of CPC propaganda after the 18th Party Congress suggests that the Communist discourse has evolved to a new stage where sophisticated manipulation of sleek technological tools substantiates a rigorous, dynamic CPC discursive system more at ease with itself and more powerful than ever in shaping the mainstream political culture in China.     

Interpreting and shaping geopolitics in Chinese media: the discourse of the ‘New style of great power relations’

Chinese leaders have attempted to alleviate international anxiety about its rise to global prominence describing its development as a ‘peaceful rise’ or ‘peaceful development’. Most recently, Chinese leaders have begun deploying a new term, the ‘New Style of Great Power Relations’ (新型大国关系). The purpose of this study is to examine the treatment of the ‘New Style of Great Power Relations’ as a political slogan within the Chinese media as a means to shape a geopolitical worldview among Chinese citizens and international actors. Researchers identified 541 articles from 25 different Chinese media sources selected to represent varying levels of government influence and editorial perspectives. This study found the concept primarily intended to engage the United States by stressing cooperative aspects of U.S.–China relations, but also challenges specific U.S. actions. Those U.S. policies challenged within the Chinese media are portrayed as inconsistent with the ‘new style’ concept’s principles. This forms a ‘rhetorical trap’, as it were for the United States, in that the framing of the discourse implicates U.S. intentions and policies as disingenuous unless the United States changes its policy stances. The essay examines the implications of the discourse for understanding Chinese political communication.     

‘Play mas’: carnival in the archives and the archives in carnival: records and community identity in the US Virgin Islands

Over the past several decades, scholars concerned with post-colonial and indigenous populations have focused on archives as one method of excavating the cultures and lives of marginalized peoples. The limitations of textual and bureaucratic records, combined with the recognition that an archive can consist of interrelated knowledge constructs composed of many different kinds of documentation, have led these scholars to seek ‘archives’ beyond the walls of official buildings. For archivists likewise engaged in documenting post-colonial and other communities, expanding the definitions of what an archive could be, and suggesting new ways of seeing ‘records’, offers the potential of creatively representing and preserving the cultural expressions of these communities. This paper examines carnival as a cultural archive. Carnival, an annual tradition in many Caribbean islands was initially created by both enslaved and freed Africans as a counter-narrative to the festivals of the colonizers. In the US Virgin Islands, carnival began in the eighteenth century when the islands were Danish colonies. It was briefly revived at the beginning of the twentieth century and again in 1952 as an annual public celebration, which it remains today. While carnival produces traditional records, the week-long event also embodies the continuum of a local culture through a variety of non-traditional records that transmit genealogies, folkways, food customs, and history.     

‘My music,my freedom(?): the troubled pursuit of musical and intellectual independence on the Internet in Indonesia’

In Indonesia, the Internet has reshaped music industry praxis, particularly artist marketing and promotion. It is also a primary resource for artistic inspiration, providing musicians and producers with unprecedented access to recording artists worldwide. Finally, for the nation's top musicians, the Internet can lead to national and even international recognition, by means independent of – and even superior to – the production, distribution, or promotional support Indonesia's major record labels can provide. Answering Lysloff's call that examinations of digital media should consider how and why they are meaningful,this qualitative analysis examines the Internet practices consultants believe have radically reshaped Indonesia's national music industry and advanced its global impact. Particularly among the nation's self-described non-mainstream or independent music professionals, the Internet has revolutionized professional and social communication. Furthermore, through online intellectual critique, individual contributors also debate artistic ideals, as well as broader social and political problems. The Internet, thus, circumscribes a network of musically and socially likeminded individuals who engage in thoughtful debate about the arts and society in a presumably safe and egalitarian environment. There are limits to the Internet's equanimity and its users’ abilities to secure artistic and intellectual independence; however, spatial proximity to the music industry's epicenter in Jakarta, rhetorical dexterity in Internet correspondence, and Internet legislation all pose particular challenges to the democratization of Indonesia's independent music industry network and the professional and social relationships that happen through its channels.