Modernising gender,civilising sex: perverse imaginary in the state feminist politics of Liu Yu‐hsiu

Abstract

The gender sexual politics of Liu Yu‐hsiu has been pivotal in the hegemonic ascendancy of Taiwan state feminism in recent years. Through an examination of Liu’s psychoanalytically mediated essays of cultural criticism, this article traces the contour of Liu’s sexual imaginary within the context of 1990s feminist and queer politics. Liu’s modernising project of gender equality, I argue, upholds heterosexual monogamy as a feminist ideal that seeks to purge all the masculine ills, including perversion and promiscuity. Meanwhile, queers and prostitutes come to be figured as the very negativity that must be repressed. Yet, like the Lacanian Real, they impinge on the symbolic order that Liu ordains as they thwart her desire to civilise sex.     

Passing on Political Information between Major Powers: The Key Role of Ambassadors between Byzantium and some of its Neighbours

Ambassadors and embassies were numerous between Byzantium and its Muslim and Western Christian neighbours during the Middle Byzantine Period. This article seeks to demonstrate that these official envoys constituted major players involved in the transfer of political information between the courts considered. Ambassadors were those who travelled the most in the Mediterranean area during our period – at least between 700 and 900. Furthermore, as official envoys acting for sovereigns, they were carefully listened to by those sovereigns when they returned. Information coming from ambassadors is found in various sources and concerned military matters and foreign policy. But we also find precise data on domestic affairs and internal political information. Furthermore, news of usurpations and troubles in Byzantium may have constituted an important part of the information transferred beyond the Empire. Foreign ambassadors witnessed usurpations and palace revolutions. Their testimonies could have nourished the idea of a Byzantine government weakened by political instability and this theme became prominent during the twelfth century in some Western Christian courts.     

The Use of Telidon in Canada

Telidon is the result of the marriage between a computer and a telephone. There are multiple configurations that can be devised with its constituent elements: a TV monitor, a keyboard or keypad; a decoder; a telephone signal, wired or wireless; and a computer.     

Berlin Film Week

From 12 to 16 March 1979 the 15th International Week of Educational and Teaching Films took place at the AV-Centre Berlin (West), a centre for audio-visual media. About 100 visitors from 17 different member count everybody the opportunity to select films according to his particular interests. However, how should a reporter go about trying to give a comprehensive impression of the Film Week? What I did was to talk to as many visitors as possible, compare their remarks and comments, and try to formulate some results.     

Influence of a stressing constraint on stiffness and damping functions of a ski simulator's platform motion

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of stress on a previously acquired motor coordination. Following a longitudinal learning experiment, four participants performed oscillations on a ski simulator, either in normal or stressful conditions. The results showed that the amplitude of the oscillations decreased under stress, but no significant effect was seen regarding coordination, suggesting the strong resistance to stress of overlearned behaviour. Nevertheless, for one participant, a transient regression towards a former stage of learning was observed. This result was consistent with the regression hypothesis formulated by Fuchs (1962).     

Institutional financial assessment: Methodology and meaning

This paper responds to the fourth annual report by W. John Minter and Howard R. Bowen on Independent Higher EducationFinancial and Educational Trends in Independent Higher Education, 1978. Primary thesis: established financial reporting does not tend to do justice to a sound assessment of the financial condition of colleges and universities. Because the latter belong to the service economy, we must know more than we do about changes in quality. Such studies also must say how well institutional objectives are being achieved. College presidents and deans have tended to provide researchers with overly optimistic information. When they later see that Bowen and Minter report this very fact, they complain that their conclusions are not gloomy enough. Such double standards damage realistic program assessment efforts. The blame falls on the respondents and not on the authors. Neither can the authors be blamed for shortcomings in financial accounting ignoring the total cost of institutional activity. If accounting practice were based on a total cost concept the news about higher education finance would more nearly reflect what we all know is true: colleges and universities are worse off than the statistics say.Presented at the Annual Forum of the Association for Institutional Research, Houston, Texas, May 1978.