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.     

Measuring Communication Styles in the Malaysian Workplace: Instrument Development and Validation

The aim of the present study is to access communication style in the Malaysian workplace through the development and validation of a communication scale appropriate to the Malaysian workplace. The analysis involved data from 200 state development employees, and construct and criterion-related validation using data from 510 employees, representing three organizations in Malaysia. The results provided support for the use of language (pekerti) and communication and interaction (bicara) as crucial communication dimensions for the Malaysian workplace, which are identified from the item-generation procedure.     

论文化互动教育研究的价值取向、对象与方法

在联合国教科文组织大力推进文化互动教育走向国际化的进程中,愈来愈多的国家开始关注并积极助推文化互动教育的现代发展。纵观当前我国学界关于文化互动教育的研究成果,价值取向上,理论价值与实践价值并举;研究对象上,宏观、中观与微观相联结;研究方法上,时间—历史研究与空间—比较研究相互演进。然而,文化互动教育研究依然存在着理论研究的“薄弱化”、实践研究的“片段化”、综合研究的“浅表化”等问题。为此,今后的相关研究需要注重丰富更多视域的理论研究、畅显文化互动教育的具体实践研究、开展三观互联的综合性研究。     

“His body is human,but he has a tiracchāna heart”: An ethnographic study of the epigenesis of child abuse in Cambodia

In Cambodia, more than half of all children experience physical, emotional, or sexual abuse. This article examines how Cambodians view the causes and effects of child abuse and analyses its underlying cultural forces. Adopting a conceptual framework originally developed for the cultural context of violence against women, 110 cases of child abuse were ethnographically studied, comprising 61 cases of sexual abuse (50 girls and 11 boys), 26 cases of physical abuse (13 girls and 13 boys), and 23 cases of emotional abuse or neglect (13 girls and 10 boys). The perpetrators included fathers and other close relatives, lay Buddhist officiants and monks, and neighbors. Most informants viewed the sexual or physical abuse of children as stemming from “cultural attractors,” including blighted endowment caused by deeds in a previous life, a bad character starting early in life, astrological vulnerability to abuse, preordained entanglement between the child and the abuser (they are “fated” to meet), sexual craving, “entering the road to ruin,” and a moral blindness that portrays the abuser as blameless. Although these traits are similar to those identified in the explanations of violence against women, there were notable differences such as the role of the tiracchāna in explaining sexual abuse, including incest. Using these findings, this article identifies a cultural epigenesis of child sexual abuse, and provides a blueprint for developing a culturally responsive plan to prevent child abuse.     

Individual and cultural factors in teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion: A meta-analysis

The success of inclusive education is dependent upon classroom teachers implementing adaptations for children with disabilities. Given that willingness to make such adaptations is influenced by teacher attitudes, the current study examined teachers’ attitudes towards inclusive education through a meta-analysis of 64 samples that were found via a systematic literature search. The results indicated that teachers hold a positive attitude towards inclusion of children with disabilities in mainstream schools and that these attitudes are moderated by an interplay of cultural and demographical factors. The findings offer a renewed basis for intervention research into improving educational opportunities for children around the world.     

数字记忆:文化记忆的数字宫殿

信息化进程对于人类记忆是双刃剑,信息技术在强化社会生活记录能力的同时也引发了新的社会失忆现象,数字记忆成为新一代文化记忆。本文在简要爬梳数字记忆由来和现状的基础上,阐述数字记忆的基本原理和社会价值,归纳出多资源互补、多媒体连通、迭代式生长、开放式构建等特点,从目标定位、文化阐释、资源整合、编排展示、技术支撑五个方面提出构建数字记忆项目的架构和要领。本文还分析了图书馆、档案馆、博物馆等记忆机构在数字记忆建设中的重要角色及其原因,倡导图档博机构在数字记忆构建中拓展职能,增加活力。参考文献31。     

Outstanding performances during elite-standard short and middle-distance finals and the hyperandrogenism regulation—A detailed analysis of Caster Semenya’s results

ABSTRACT

Recently, there has been much controversy over the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) regulations regarding eligibility to compete and natural testosterone levels in female athletes. Much interest lies in the analysis of Caster Semenya's extraordinary performance. The objective of this work were, a) Complete an analysis of Caster Semenya's results during the 800m finals and b) search for existing similar performances by other female athletes. We analysed the results of the finals of all IAAF World Championships and Olympic Games from 1984–2016, including the 800m results of the Diamond Leagues 2016–2018. Exponential curves were fit to the data to characterise and predict performance for each event. Caster Semenya's finishing times before her ineligibility to compete and after the suspension of the IAAF hyperandrogenism regulation were found to be 1.24% and 1.49%, respectively, faster than the characteristic performance of the elite-standard in the women’s 800m final. Other female athletes, with finishing times faster than the ones predicted by the characteristic curves were also discovered. The percentage difference in performance between Caster Semenya and the other participants did not reach 3% in the 800m event. No conclusions can be drawn regarding extraordinary results ever performed during the 100m, 200m or 400m finals.     

文化认同视域下传统武术文化变迁反思

文章运用文献资料法和逻辑分析法,以传统武术的发展现状为研究对象,从文化认同研究视角,对传统武术发展的文化变迁进行理性的分析。研究发现：传统武术在发展历程中在对异文化认同的境遇下产生了相应的文化变迁,正是由于这种对异文化的认同而导致了传统武术的异化发展。在这种认知的基础上。研究认为：传统武术的发展需要以中国文化传统作为其发展基点,在凸显文化的作用与影响下寻求传统武术发展新的内在动力,以实现对于传统武术文化多元发展。     

开发高校龙狮文化创意产业培育创新应用人才

龙狮文化创意产业是一项新兴的热门产业,蕴藏着强大的精神财富,具有无可估量的经济价值。文章运用文献资料法,阐述了高校开发龙狮文化创意产业实现意义,不仅能促使龙狮运动在高校得到持续发展,而且有助于培育出高素质、多功能的创新应用人才,有利于促进地方经济发展和城市文化的繁荣,有助于大学生的创业与就业。文章提出了全面实施改革龙狮运动教学课程,加速培育创新应用人才。创造有利条件,开发龙狮文化创意产业,为地方经济建设服务的战略思路。     

导致古代中西方体育差异性因素分析

有着相似起源的古代中西方体育,在历史演变的过程中形成两种截然不同的体育形态。研究表明,造成两者差异性的主要因素在于中西方社会对体育本质的认识不同,对休战的态度不同,以及体育对培养人的作用方面产生不同理解,最终导致两种不同特征的体育文化在各自的空间平行发展。