Calculating Impact Factor: How Bibliographical Classification of Journal Items Affects the Impact Factor of Large and Small Journals

As bibliographical classification of published journal items affects the denominator in this equation, we investigated how the numerator and denominator of the impact factor (IF) equation were generated for representative journals in two categories of the Journal Citation Reports (JCR). We performed a full text search of the 1st-ranked journal in 2004 JCR category “Medicine, General and Internal” (New England Journal of Medicine, NEJM, IF = 38.570) and 61st-ranked journal (Croatian Medical Journal, CMJ, IF = 0.690), 1st-ranked journal in category “Multidisciplinary Sciences” (Nature, IF = 32.182) and journal with a relative rank of CMJ (Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciencias, AABC, IF = 0.435). Large journals published more items categorized by Web of Science (WoS) as non-research items (editorial material, letters, news, book reviews, bibliographical items, or corrections): 63% out of total 5,193 items in Nature and 81% out of 3,540 items in NEJM, compared with 31% out of 283 items in CMJ and only 2 (2%) out of 126 items in AABC. Some items classified by WoS as non-original contained original research data (9.5% in Nature, 7.2% in NEJM, 13.7% in CMJ and none in AABC). These items received a significant number of citations: 6.9% of total citations in Nature, 14.7% in NEJM and 18.5% in CMJ. IF decreased for all journals when only items presenting original research and citations to them were used for IF calculation. Regardless of the journal’s size or discipline, publication of non-original research and its classification by the bibliographical database have an effect on both numerator and denominator of the IF equation. Preliminary results of the study were presented at the 2006 ORI Research Conference on Research Integrity, Tampa, FL, December 1–3, 2006.     

Modeling talent development pathways in alpine ski racers

We explore developmental pathways to excellence in sub-elite adolescent alpine ski racing by exploring athletes' engagement in practice activities that characterize sport specialization and/or diversification. Moreover, we extend previous research by using more refined linear mixed-effects models to examine changes in practice and performance data over time rather than relying on the less sensitive repeated measures ANOVAs typically used in previous research. Altogether, 174 individuals (M = 15.9 yrs, women = 91) from professional development academies in the United States completed a sport-specific Practice History Questionnaire (PHQ). We recorded national rankings in technical events to assess performance. Mixed-effects models indicated that hours in ski-related activities generally increased over time (linear β = 1.38, p's < 0.001), except time spent in play, which decreased over time (β = 102.8, p = 0.002). Performance rankings also improved over time (β = 30.99, p < 0.001), with more time spent in ski-activity associated with greater rates of improvement, particularly in younger skiers (β = 9.77, p's < 0.001). The effects were largely driven by time spent in coach-led group practice (β = 2.16, p < 0.001). Overall, an earlier age of first engagement was associated with better rankings (β = −15.40, p = 0.024), and accumulating more hours in other sports was also associated with greater rates of performance improvement (β = −8.87, p = 0.014). Sub-elite alpine ski racers engage early in the sport, with higher-ranked athletes spending more time in ski-specific practice, particularly group practice, during development. However, these athletes generally continued to participate in other sports across development, providing greater support for the early engagement hypothesis rather than early specialization per se.     

Book Reviews

Books reviewed Terence L. Donaldson, Paul and the Gentiles: Remapping the Apostle's Convictional World R. Alan Culpepper, The Gospel and Letters of John Stephen H. Webb, The Gifting God: A Trinitarian Ethics of Excess Simon Coleman and John Elsner, Pilgrimage Past and Present in the World Religions: Sacred Travel and Sacred Space in the World Religions John Delli-Carpini, Prayer and Piety in the Poems of Gerard Manley Hopkins: The Landscape of a Soul Joseph Pearce, Tolkien, Man and Myth: A Literary Life Shirley du Boulay, Beyond the Darkness: A Biography of Bede Griffiths Robert E. Daggy (ed), Dancing in the Water of Life: The Journals of Thomas Merton Vol. 5, 1963–1965 Patrick Hart (ed), The Other Side of the Mountain: The Journals of Thomas Merton Vol. 7, 1967–1968 Maria Harris and Gabriel Moran, Reshaping Religious Education André Laks and Glenn W. Most (eds), Studies on the Derveni Papyrus R. J. Hankinson, Cause and Explanation in Ancient Greek Thought Voula Tsouna, The Epistemology of the Cyrenaic School Karl R. Popper, The World of Parmenides: Essays on the Presocratic Enlightenment Cynthia A. Freeland (ed), Feminist Interpretations of Aristotle L. P. Gerson, God and Greek Philosophy: Studies in the Early History of Natural Theology Mary Beard, John North and Simon Price, Religions of Rome. Volume 1: A History; Volume 2: A Sourcebook Edwin Jones, The English Nation: The Great Myth J. C. Applebey and P. Dalton (eds), Government, Religion and Society in Northern England, 1100–1700 Heinrich Fichtenau, Heretics and Scholars in the High Middle Ages, 1000–1200 Daniel Weiss, Art and Crusade in the Age of Saint Louis Edwin D. Craun, Lies, Slander and Obscenity in Medieval English Literature: Pastoral Rhetoric and the Deviant Speaker James Muldoon (ed), Varieties of Religious Conversion in the Middle Ages James Muldoon, Canon Law, the Expansion of Europe and World Order Norman Doe, Canon Law in the Anglican Communion: A World-Wide Perspective John Shinners and William J. Dohar (eds), Pastors and the Care of Souls in Medieval England Chiara Frugoni, Francis of Assisi: A Life R. A. Houlbrooke, Death, Religion and the Family in England, 1480–1750 Judith Maltby, Prayer Book and People in Elizabethan and Early Stuart England Stuart Carroll, Noble Power during the French Wars of Religion: The Guise Affinity and the Catholic Cause in Normandy Bernard Heyberger, Les Chrétiens du Proche-Orient au temps de la Réforme Catholique (Syrie, Liban, Palestine, XVIIe–XVIIIe siècles) Jeffrey Chamberlain, Accommodating High Churchmen: The Clergy of Sussex, 1700–1745 Cliff Webb, The 1851 Religious Census: Surrey John Shelton Reed, Glorious Battle: The Cultural Politics of Victorian Anglo-Catholicism John Wolffe (ed), Religion in Victorian Britain, V: Culture and Empire Christopher Owen Lynch, Selling Catholicism: Bishop Sheen and the Power of Television Gregory D. Black, The Catholic Crusade against the Movies, 1940–1975 Gerald L. Sittser, A Cautious Patriotism: The American Churches and the Second World War Manuel A. Vásquez, The Brazilian Popular Church     

Book Reviews

Horst Dietrich Preuss, Old Testament Theology Rolf P. Knierim, The Task of Old Testament Theology: Essays, Substance, Method and Cases Daniel Patte, Ethics of Biblical Interpretation: A Re-evaluation Brian D. Ingraffia, Postmodern Theory and Biblical Theology: Vanquishing God's Shadow John Barclay and John Sweet (Eds), Early Christian Thought in its Jewish Context Stephen T. Davis, Daniel Kendall and Gerald O'Collins (Eds), The Resurrection: An Interdisciplinary Symposium on the Resurrection of Jesus Maureen A. Tilley, Donatist Martyr Stories: The Church in Conflict in Roman North Africa Maureen A. Tilley, The Bible in Christian North Africa: The Donatist World L. G. Patterson, Methodius of Olympus: Divine Sovereignty, Human Freedom and Life in Christ J. H. D. Scourfield, Consoling Heliodorus: A Commentary on Jerome, Letter 60 C. Moreschini and D. A. Sykes (Eds), St Gregory of Nazianzus: Poemata Arcana Peter O'Dwyer, Towards a History of Irish Spirituality Uinseann Ó Maid'n, The Celtic Monk: Rules and Writings of Early Irish Monks DáibhíÓ Cróinín, Early Medieval Ireland 400–1200 Gerhard Ladner, God, Cosmos, Humankind: The World of Early Christian Symbolism Kevin Trainor, Relics, Ritual and Representation in Buddhism: Rematerializing the Sri Lankan Theravãda Tradition Steven F. Ostrow, Art and Spirituality in Counter-Reformation Rome: The Sistine and Pauline Chapels in S. Maria Maggiore David Morgan, Visual Piety: A History and Theory of Popular Religious Images Colleen McDannell, Material Christianity: Religion and Popular Culture in America Sarah Coakley (Ed), Religion and the Body Paul F. Bradshaw and Lawrence A. Hoffman (Eds), Life Cycles in Jewish and Christian Worship Gordon P. Jeanes, The Day Has Come! Easter and Baptism in Zeno of Verona John Macquarrie, A Guide to the Sacraments Megan McKenna, Rites of Justice: The Sacraments and Liturgy as Ethical Imperatives Douglas J. Davies, Death, Ritual and Belief     

Effect of different residential settings on gait kinematic parameters in older adults with cognitive impairment

ObjectiveTo compare the parameters of gait kinematics of older adults with cognitive impairment who live in community dwellings or those living or spending most of the time in non-family environment settings.MethodsThe sample was composed of 33 older adults of both sexes with cognitive impairment. Participants were separated into three groups: a community-dwelling older adult group comprised of 11 subjects; a semi-institutionalized older adult group comprised of 10 older adults attended in a geriatric daycare institution; and an institutionalized older adult group comprised of 12 older adults living in long-term institutions. Gait kinematics were recorded by pressure sensors (footswitches). Fifty gait cycles at self-selected pace were analyzed to obtain: gait speed, stride length, stance, swing, and stride time. The variability of these parameters was also analyzed.ResultsMANCOVA identified the main effect of groups (p < 0.001). Gait speed of older adults living in long-term institutions and older adults attended in geriatric daycare institutions was slower than community-living older adults (p < 0.001 and p = 0.04, respectively). Swing and stride time variability was higher in older adults living in long-term institutions (p = 0.003 and p = 0.001) and in older adults attended in geriatric daycare institutions (p = 0.02 and p = 0.001) than in community-dwelling older adults.ConclusionThe most important finding was that older adults with cognitive impairment who need non-family residential setting care had higher gait kinematics abnormalities, which may increase the risk of falls, compared to those who live in the community.     

Prevalence,correlates, and psychosocial outcomes of sport participation in young adult cancer survivors

Young adult cancer survivors (YACS) face unique challenges from their disease and treatments that may influence their sport participation choices as well as their psychosocial response.ObjectivesTo examine the prevalence, correlates, and psychosocial outcomes of sport participation in YACS.DesignA provincial, population-based mailed survey of 588 YACS in Alberta, Canada, was completed in May 2008 and included measures of sport participation, psychosocial health (depression, self-esteem, and stress), quality of life (QoL), and medical and demographic variables.ResultsOne third (32.5%) of YACS reported participating in a sport in the past month with the most common being golf (40.8%) and ice hockey (8.3%). YACS participating in sport reported an average frequency of 1.7 (SD = 1.0) days/week and an average duration of 119 min/session (SD = 68) for a total of 189 (SD = 164) min/week. Independent t-tests showed that YACS who participated in sport reported better psychosocial health and QoL including physical QoL (p < 0.001), mental QoL (p < 0.001), self-esteem (p < 0.001), depression (p < 0.001), and stress (p < 0.001). In multivariate regression analysis, 8.5% (p < 0.001) of the variance in sport participation was explained by being male (β = 0.17, p < 0.001), Caucasian (β = 0.15, p = 0.001), in better general health (β = 0.15, p < 0.001), and having a normal body mass index (β = ?0.10, p = 0.024).Discussion/conclusionsSport participation is associated with better psychosocial health and QoL in YACS but only a third participated in the past month. Randomized controlled trials examining sport as an intervention strategy to increase physical activity and improve health outcomes in YACS are warranted.     

Putnam on what isn’t in the head

In “The Meaning of ‘Meaning’” Putnam argues, among other things, that “‘meanings’ just ain’t in the head”. Putnam’s central arguments in favor of this conclusion are unsound. The arguments in question are the famous intra-world Twin Earth arguments, given on pages 223–227 of the article in question. Each of these arguments relies on a premise to the effect that this or that Twin Earth scenario is both logically possible and one in which certain individuals are in the same overall “psychological [state] in the narrow sense”. The problem is that none of the scenarios are as advertised; that is, none of them are logically possible situations in which the relevant individuals are in the same overall “psychological [state] in the narrow sense”.     

Reviews

Books reviewed: L. E. Keck et al. (eds), Numbers, Deuteronomy, Introduction to Narrative Literature, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1&2 Samuel S. E. Gillingham, One Bible, Many Voices: Different Approaches to Biblical Studies Michael D. Goulder, The Psalms of the Return (Book 5, Psalms 107–150): Studies in the Psalter IV James D. G. Dunn, T. & T. Clark, The Theology of Paul the Apostle D. Mendels, Identity, Religion and Historiography: Studies in Hellenistic History William Horbury, Jewish Messianism and the Cult of Christ James S. McLaren, Turbulent Times? Josephus and Scholarship on Judaea in the First Century CE J. Neusner and B. Chilton, Jewish-Christian Debates: God, Kingdom, Messiah Ben Pink Dandelion, Douglas Gwyn and Timothy Peat, Heaven on Earth: Quakers and the Second Coming Adnan Aslam, Religious Pluralism in Christian and Islamic Philosophy: The Thought of John Hick and Seyyed Hossein Nasr W. Cantwell Smith, Believing: An Historical Perspective W. Cantwell Smith, Faith and Belief: The Difference Between Them Norman Doe, Canon Law in the Anglican Communion: A Worldwide Perspective G. R. Evans, Discipline and Justice in the Church of England Alan Falconer (ed.), Faith and Order in Moshi: The 1996 Commission Meeting Lewis S. Mudge, The Church as Moral Community: Ecclesiology and Ethics in Ecumenical Debate T. F. Best and D. Hellar (eds), Eucharistic Worship in Ecumenical Contexts: The Lima Liturgy – And Beyond Timothy Bradshaw ed, Grace and Truth in the Secular Age José Comblin, Called for Freedom: The Changing Context of Liberation Theology Karen Kilby, Karl Rahner Rosemary Radford Ruether, Women and Redemption: A Theological History Ian Markham, Truth and the Reality of God: An Essay in Natural Theology Johannes A. van der Ven, Formation of the Moral Self Robin Gill (ed.), Euthanasia and the Churches Richard Swinburne, Providence and the Problem of Evil John Polkinghorne, Science and Theology: An Introduction John P. Burgess (ed.), In Whose Image? Faith, Science and the New Genetics Stephen Platten (ed.), Seeing Ourselves: Interpreting Contemporary Society Jacques Derrida and Gianni Vattimo (eds), Religion Ursula King (ed.), Faith and Praxis in a Postmodern Age     

Different neuromuscular control mechanisms regulate static and dynamic balance: A center-of-pressure analysis in young adults

The analysis of the center of pressure (CoP) trajectory, derived from force platforms, is a widely accepted measure to investigate postural balance control. The CoP trajectory could be analyzed as a physiological time-series through a general stochastic modeling framework (i.e., Stabilogram Diffusion Analysis (SDA)). Critical point divides short-term from long-term regions and diffusion coefficients reflect the level of stochastic activity of the CoP. Sample Entropy (SampEn) allows quantifying the CoP complexity in terms of regularity. Thus, this study aimed to understand whether SDA and SampEn could discriminate the neuromuscular control mechanisms underpinning static and dynamic postural tasks. Static balance control and its relationship with dynamic balance control were investigated through the CoP velocity (Mean Velocity) and the area of the 95th percentile ellipse (Area95). Balance was assessed in 15 subjects (age: 23.13 ± 0.99 years; M = 9) over a force platform under two conditions: static (ST) and dynamic, both in anterior-posterior (DAP) and medio-lateral (DML) directions. During the DAP and DML, subjects stood on an unstable board positioned over a force platform. Short-term SDA diffusion coefficients and critical points were lower in ST than in DAP and DML (p < 0.05). SampEn values resulted greater in ST than in DAP and DML (p < 0.001). As expected, lower values of Area95 (p < 0.001) and Mean Velocity (p < 0.001) were detected in the easiest condition, the ST, compared to DAP and DML. No significant correlations between static and dynamic balance performances were detected. Moreover, differences in the diffusion coefficients were detected comparing DAP and DML (p < 0.05). In the anterior-posterior direction, the critical point occurred at relatively small intervals in DML compared to DAP (p < 0.001) and ST (p < 0.001). In the medio-lateral direction, the critical point differed only between DAP and DML (p < 0.05). Overall, SDA analysis pointed out a less tightly regulated neuromuscular control system in the dynamic tasks, with closed-loop corrective feedback mechanisms called into play at different time intervals in the three conditions. SampEn results reflected more attention and, thus, less automatic control mechanisms in the dynamic conditions, particularly in the medio-lateral task. The different neuromuscular control mechanisms that emerged in the static and dynamic balance tasks encourage using both static and dynamic tests for a more comprehensive balance performance assessment.     

BOOK REVIEWS

Books reviewed: V. Philips Long, David W. Baker and Gordon J. Wenham, Windows into Old Testament History: Evidence, Argument, and the Crisis of ‘Biblical Israel’ J. Cheryl Exum and H. G. M. Williamson, Reading from Right to Left. Essays on the Hebrew Bible in Honour of David J. A. Clines Martin Hengel, The Septuagint as Christian Scripture. Its Prehistory and the Problem of its Canon Erhard S. Gerstenberger, Theologies in the Old Testament Daniel L. Smith‐Christopher, A Biblical Theology of Exile P. M. Michéle Daviau, John W. Wevers and Michael Weigl, The World of the Aramaeans: Biblical Studies in Honour of Paul‐Eugéne Dion Carole R. Fontaine, Smooth Words. Women, Proverbs and Performance in Biblical Wisdom Volkmar Fritz, 1 and 2 Kings: A Continental Commentary Adele Berlin, Lamentations. A Commentary Vicky Balabanski, Eschatology in the Making. Mark, Matthew and the Didache A. Andrew Das, Paul and the Jews Steve Mason, Josephus and the New Testament John L.Thompson, Writing the Wrongs: Women of the Old Testament among Biblical Commentators from Philo through the Reformation Kim Paffenroth, Judas: Images of the Lost Disciple David R. Cartlidge and J. Keith Elliott, Art and the Christian Apocrypha Charles A. Robertz and David Brakke, Reading in Christian Communities. Essays on Interpretation in the Early Church Michael Fishbane, The Exegetical Imagination. On Jewish Thought and Theology Jacob Neusner and Bruce Chilton, Jewish‐Christian Debates. God, Kingdom, Messiah Paul Rhodes Eddy, John Hick's Pluralist Philosophy of World Religions Carl Starkloff, A Theology of the In‐Between: The Value of Syncretic Process B. Jakim, The Bride of the Lamb Nicolas Stebbing, Bearers of the Spirit: Spiritual Fatherhood in Romanian Orthodoxy Noel Dermot O'Donoghue, The Angels keep their Ancient Places. Reflections on Celtic Spirituality Mark Atherton, Celts and Christians: New Approaches to the Religious Traditions of Britain and Ireland. Graydon F. Snyder, Irish Jesus, Roman Jesus: The Formation of Early Irish Christianity. Brendan Bradshaw and Dáire Keogh, Christianity in Ireland: Revisiting the Story. Caterina Bruschi and Peter Biller, Texts and the Repression of Medieval Heresy Werner O.Packull and Geoffrey L. Dipple, Radical Reformation Studies. Essays presented to James M. Stayer. Geoffrey Dipple, Antifraternalism and Anticlericalism in the German Reformation. Johann Eberlin von Günzburg and the Campaign against the Friars. Philip B, Richard Hooker: Prophet of Anglicanism Rocco Pezzimenti, The Political Thought of Lord Acton: the English Catholics in the Nineteenth Century. Una Agnew, The Mystical Imagination of Patrick Kavanagh: A Buttonhole in Heaven? Edward R. Wierenga, The Nature of God: An Inquiry into Divine Attributes Jonardon Ganeri, Philosophy in Classical India: The Proper Work of Reason Naomi Reshotko, Desire, Identity and Existence: Essays in Honour of T.M. Penner Peter Kingsley, Reality Brian Jacobs and Patrick Kain, Essays on Kant's Anthropology. Smith, John Searle. Ruth Abbey, Charles Taylor Kees van Kooten Niekerk and Hans Buhl, The Significance of Complexity: Approaching a Complex World Through Science, Theology and the Humanities. Larry A. Witham, Where Darwin Meets the Bible: Creationists and Evolutionists in America. Ian Barbour, Nature, Human Nature, and God.     

Problem Behavior in Children of Chronically Ill Parents: A Meta-Analysis

The aim of this meta-analysis is to examine whether children of chronically ill parents differ from norm groups in problem behavior. We report moderator effects and overall effect sizes for internalizing, externalizing and total problem behavior assessed by children and parents. In fixed effect models, we found a significant overall effect size for internalizing problem behavior (number of studies k = 19, total sample size N = 1,858, Cohen’s d = .23, p < .01) and externalizing problem behavior (k = 13, N = 1,525, d = .09, p < .01) but not for total problem behavior (k = 7; N = 896). Effects for internalizing and externalizing problem behavior were larger in non-cancer studies, in samples including younger children and younger ill parents, in samples defined by low average SES and in studies including parents with longer illness duration. In addition, effects for externalizing problem behavior were larger in studies characterized by a higher percentage of ill mothers and single parents. With exclusive self-report, effect sizes were significant for all problem behaviors. Based on these results, a family-centered approach in health care is recommended.     

Exercising a free conscience: The conscientious objectors of the Soviet union and the German democratic republic

Die ukrainische katholische Kirche (The Ukrainian Catholic Church) 2nd expanded edition Munich: Kirche in Not, 1989.165pp.

Die römisch‐katholische Kirche in der Sowjetunion (The Roman Catholic Church in the Soviet Union) Munich: Kirche in Not, 1989.143 pp.

Tserkva v Ruyini — Church in Ruins. The Demise of Ukrainian Churches in the Eparchy of Peremyshl by Oleh Wolodymyr Iwanusiw, Shevchenko Scientific Society Ukrainian Studies Volume 56. Ontario: St Sophia Religious Association of Ukrainian Catholics in Canada, 1987. Parallel text in English and Ukrainian. 350 pp.

Áron Márton a lelkiismeret apostola (Áron Márton, the Apostle of Conscience) compiled by László Virt. Budapest: Ecclesia, 1988. Paperback, 262 pp., 85 Ft.     

Rumination as a transdiagnostic factor in depression and anxiety

The high rate of comorbidity among mental disorders has driven a search for factors associated with the development of multiple types of psychopathology, referred to as transdiagnostic factors. Rumination is involved in the etiology and maintenance of major depression, and recent evidence implicates rumination in the development of anxiety. The extent to which rumination is a transdiagnostic factor that accounts for the co-occurrence of symptoms of depression and anxiety, however, has not previously been examined. We investigated whether rumination explained the concurrent and prospective associations between symptoms of depression and anxiety in two longitudinal studies: one of adolescents (N = 1065) and one of adults (N = 1317). Rumination was a full mediator of the concurrent association between symptoms of depression and anxiety in adolescents (z = 6.7, p < .001) and was a partial mediator of this association in adults (z = 5.6, p < .001). In prospective analyses in the adolescent sample, baseline depressive symptoms predicted increases in anxiety, and rumination fully mediated this association (z = 5.26, p < .001). In adults, baseline depression predicted increases in anxiety and baseline anxiety predicted increases in depression; rumination fully mediated both of these associations (z = 2.35, p = .019 and z = 5.10, p < .001, respectively). These findings highlight the importance of targeting rumination in transdiagnostic treatment approaches for emotional disorders.     

Empty signifiers,education and politics

The paper assumes that education is part of the process of discursive construction of society. The theoretical framework on which this argument is based includes Ernesto Laclau’s theory of the “ontological impossibility and political necessity of society”, and the role discourse and empty signifiers play in the establishment of political identities. Laclau’s theory is supplemented here by ideas of Derrida, Lacan, Žižek and Marx, and by other traits in contemporary semiotics that relate to the notion of “the void” in semantic systems. My claim is that empty signifiers, crucial to the production of the totality of society, are discursively produced, among others, in pedagogical debates. This is illustrated by one historical example (Rouuseau), which gives ground for more contemporary analyses, and on the basis of the present economic discourse of educating and the idea of “knowledge society”. The main conclusion is that education, in contemporary discourse of learning, becomes a neurotic symptom of the lack of overt domination in social relations.

Reviews

Books reviewed: Alice Laffey, The Pentateuch: A Liberation-Critical Reading O. Keel and C. Uehlinger, Gods, Goddesses and Images of God in Ancient Israel J. J. McDermott, What are They Saying About the Formation of Israel? M. E. Mills, Historical Israel: Biblical Israel – Studying Joshua to 2 Kings N. P. Lemche, The Israelites in Israel and Tradition Gerbern S. Oegema, The Anointed and His People: Messianic Expectations from the Maccabees to Bar Kochba M. Forward, Jesus: A Short Biography Jeffrey T. Tucker, Example Stories: Perspectives on Four Parables in the Gospel of Luke J. A. Darr, Herod the Fox: Audience Criticism and Lukan Characterization Alison Jasper, The Shining Garment of the Text: Gendered Readings of John's Prologue Helen C. Orchard,Courting Betrayal: Jesus as Victim in the Gospel of John Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza, Sharing Her Word: Feminist Biblical Interpretation in Context T. M. Shaw, The Burden of the Flesh: Fasting and Sexuality in Early Christianity Bernard McGinn, The Presence of God: A History of Western Christian Mysticism. Vol. 3, The Flowering of Mysticism: Men and Women in the New Mysticism 1200–1350 Kathleen Powers Erickson, At Eternity's Gate: The Spiritual Vision of Vincent van Gogh Charles E. Curran and Richard A. McCormick SJ (eds), John Paul II and Moral Theology E. J. Harris, What Buddhists Believe G. Studdert-Kennedy, Providence and the Raj: Imperial Mission and Missionary Imperialism Leon Roth, Is There a Jewish Philosophy? Rethinking Fundamentals Frank E. Eakin Jr., What Price Prejudice? Christian Antisemitism in America R. K. Wüstenberg, A Theology of Life: Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Religionless Christianity Douglas John Hall,Remembered Voices: Reclaiming the Legacy of ‘Neo-Orthodoxy’ T. Parfitt and E. Trevisan Semi (eds), The Beta Israel in Ethiopia and Israel: Studies on Ethiopian Jews C. Smith and J. Prokopy (eds), Latin American Religion in Motion K. B. Lyon & A. Smith, Jr. (eds), Tending the Flock: Congregations and Family Ministry Nantawan Boonprasat Lewis (ed.), Revolution of Spirit: Ecumenical Theology in Global Context John Macquarrie (ed. J. H. Morgan), On Being a Theologian: Reflections at Eighty     

Muslim veil as politics: political autonomy, women and Syariah Islam in Aceh

This article examines the interlinking of political autonomy, Syariah law and women in contemporary Aceh. Looking at Aceh’s historical precedents, current sociocultural and political developments cannot be seen as manifestations of Islamic revival. It would be misleading to look at the implementation of Syariah Islam in general and the enforcement of veiling in particular as signs of the radicalization of Islam. Islam in Aceh has always had political meanings. It shapes an identity characterized by a long collective history of rebellion against foreign oppression and repression. The revival however is seen in notions of gender dominance and order, which have profound consequences for women’s lives. Using articles from 2005 to 2006 in Serambi, a locally published newspaper in Aceh, an assessment is made of how Syariah Islam has affected women’s lives.

Mandela’s “Force of law”

In “Force of Law: The ‘Mystical Foundation of Authority’,” Jacques Derrida argues that the law’s authority is mystical, unattainable in its origins, theforce of law therefore precipitating conditions for its perpetual contest. The force of Derrida’s “Force of Law” is illustrated in his study of Nelson Mandela (“The Laws of Reflection: Nelson Mandela, In Admiration”). Derrida’s Mandela reflects the law’s divisibility, and therefore its iterability in representation beyond the force of its founding letter—of which apartheid was an extreme example. Mandela makes visible the need for the law’s supplement, as performative justice in the face of inherent violence in the law’s conserving force. Mandela’s performativeforce of law, contesting the inaugural violence of law, is inseparable from an implicit warp and weft of historical and theological influences.     

Carnap,Kuhn, and revisionism: on the publication of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Structure</Emphasis> in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Encyclopedia</Emphasis>

In recent years, a revisionist process focused on logical positivism can be observed, particularly regarding Carnap’s work. In this paper, I argue against the interpretation that Kuhn’s The Structure of Scientific Revolutions having been published in the International Encyclopedia of Unified Science, co-edited by Carnap, is evidence of the revisionist idea that Carnap “would have found Structure philosophically congenial”. I claim that Kuhn’s book, from Carnap’s point of view, is not in philosophy of science but rather in history of science (in the context of a sharp discovery–justification distinction). It could also explain the fact that, despite his sympathetic letters to Kuhn as editor, Carnap never refers to Kuhn’s book in his work in philosophy of science.     

The being-with of being-there

In Being and Time, Heidegger affirms that being-with or Mitsein is an essential constitution of Dasein but he does not submit this existential to the same rigorous analyses as other existentials. In this essay, Jean-Luc Nancy points to the different places where Heidegger erased the possibility of thinking an essential with that he himself opened. This erasure is due, according to Nancy, to the subordination of Mitsein to a thinking of the proper and the improper. The polarization of Being-with between an improper face, the Anyone, and a proper one, the people, which is also, as Nancy shows, a polarization between everydayness and historicity, between a being-together in exteriority (indifference and anonymity) and a being-together in interiority (union through destiny), between a solitary dying and the sacrificial death in combat, leaves the essential with unthought. This essay shows not only the tensions that arise out of Heidegger’s own analyses of Mitsein and affect the whole of Being and Time but also underlines in the end a “shortfall in thinking” inherent not only to Heidegger’s work but, as Nancy claims, to our Western tradition, a shortfall which Nancy has attempted to remedy in his Being Singular Plural. A slightly different version has been published under the title “L’être-avec de l’être-là” in Lieu-Dit 19 “Communauté” (Spring 2003). All additions in square brackets are the translators’ unless otherwise indicated. The German words in parentheses are Nancy’s additions. For the translation of citations from Being and Time, we have used the Macquarrie & Robinson’s translation which we have modified only when constrained by Nancy himself. Overall, we have tried to be faithful to the Heideggerian tone of Nancy’s text by using the accepted English translation of the central concepts of Being and Time. When we depart from the accepted translations, it is to remain true to Nancy’s paraphrases, emphases, and displacements. For example, we refrain from using “authentic” and “inauthentic.” Translated by Marie-Eve Morin Department of Philosophy, 4-97 Humanities Centre, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada T6G 2E5 e-mail: mmorin1@ualberta.ca

---