Hezbollah's identities and their relevance for cultural and religious IR

This working paper analyses the role of religious and resistance identities in Hezbollah’s transformation and foreign relations. It argues that this Islamist movement has privileged material concerns over the religious dogma when both factors have not been coincidental. To do so, it uses a theoretical framework that presents the main characteristics of the anthropological and political interpretations of the role of culture and religion in defining the behaviour of international actors. In the chapter dedicated to Hezbollah, close attention is paid to the domestic and regional levels of analysis. When assessing Hezbollah’s religious identity, this paper argues that the salience of the pan-Islamic religious identity in Hezbollah’s origins has been replaced by an increased political pragmatism. It also argues that the fight against Israel represents Hezbollah’s raison d’être and that its resistance identity has not suffered major transformations and has been easily combined with religious rhetoric. Linking Hezbollah’s case study with the theoretical framework, this paper argues that political conceptions of cultural and religious identities provide the best analytical tool to understand the evolution of this Islamist movement.

Vintage capital growth theory: three breakthroughs

Vintage capital growth models have been at the heart of growth theory in the 60s. This research line collapsed in the late 60s with the so-called embodiment controversy and the technical sophisitication of the vintage models. This paper analyzes the astonishing revival of this literature in the 90s. In particular, it outlines three methodological breakthroughs explaining this resurgence: a growth accounting revolution, taking advantage of the availability of new time series, an optimal control revolution allowing to safely study vintage capital optimal growth models, and a vintage human capital revolution, along with the rise of economic demography, accounting for the vintage structure of human capital similarly to physical capital age structuring. The related literature is surveyed.

La práctica médica en el ejercico físico en Barcelona en los principios del siglo XX

La tesis titulada “La práctica médica en el ejercicio físico en la Barcelona de principios del siglo XX” trata de examinar cómo se relacionaba la práctica médica con los ejercicios físicos como la gimnasia y el deporte, y saber si realmente se llegó a formar una especialidad médica llamada medicina del deporte en la Barcelona de los principios del siglo XX. La primera parte se titula “Perspectiva histórica del ejercicio físico y la medicina”, y trata de la relación general entre el ejercicio físico y la medicina desde el punto de macro-vista histórico y regional. La segunda parte se titula “Hacia la formación de la especialización de la medicina del deporte en Barcelona”, y analiza la práctica médica relacionada con el deporte en una ciudad concreta durante un tiempo determinado, es decir, desde un punto de micro-vista. En el fondo de la creación de las especialidades médicas a partir de mediados del siglo XIX existe la formación de una sociedad moderna, simbolizada por el sistema administrativo de la democracia nacional y el sistema económico del capitalismo. Considerando los elementos comprendidos dentro del sistema de la modernidad que provocaron la especialización médica tales como la urbanización, la industrialización, el aumento de la población, el interés estatal, el desarrollo de la prensa, el elevado interés público, el progreso intelectual y tecnológico de la ciencia y la medicina, la creación de un sistema de atención de la salud, la formación y participación en las instituciones internacionales, el cambio de la identidad de los médicos, y la reposición de la medicina holística, investigo integralmente la formación de la especialidad de la medicina del deporte en Catalunya, y lo caracterizo por las iniciativas privadas emprendidas por un sector experto y profano, y la ausencia de un interés estatal suficiente en la dicha especialidad.

Cross-Border Cooperation Between Spain and Portugal: A case Study of the Southern Regions

After centuries of lack of contacts between Spain and Portugal, the democratization of both countries allowed for a rapprochement which today is becoming more intensive. The crucial factor of the growing integration of Spanish and Portuguese border regions into a cross-border region is naturally the INTERREG programme. Both regions are disadvantaged within the European Union and their respective countries as poor regions. They have the status of a ‘double periphery’. In the 1980s and particularly 1990s actors on both sides of the border intensified their contacts in order to overcome their double peripherality. The growing number of projects, the improvement of infrastructures and the revival of associationism will certainly change the quality of life of these regions, which are still among the lowest in both countries. The continuation of the INTERREG programme after 2007-2013 will be an important consolidating tool for the further development of cross-border cooperation.

Metallic and nonmetallic shine in luster: An elastic ion backscattering study

Luster is a metal glass nanocomposite layer first produced in the Middle East in early Islamic times ( 9th AD) made of metal copper or silver nanoparticles embedded in a silica-based glassy matrix. These nanoparticles are produced by ion exchange between Cu+ and Ag+ and alkaline ions from the glassy matrix and further growth in a reducing atmosphere. The most striking property of luster is its capability of reflecting light like a continuous metal layer and it was unexpectedly found to be linked to one single production parameter: the presence of lead in the glassy matrix composition. The purpose of this article is to describe the characteristics and differences of the nanoparticle layers developed on lead rich and lead free glasses. Copper luster layers obtained using the ancient recipes and methods are analyzed by means of elastic ion backscattering spectroscopy associated with other analytical techniques. The depth profile of the different elements is determined, showing that the luster layer formed in lead rich glasses is 5–6 times thinner and 3–4 times Cu richer. Therefore, the metal nanoparticles are more densely packed in the layer and this fact is related to its higher reflectivity. It is shown that lead influences the structure of the metal nanoparticle layer through the change of the precipitation kinetics

Benchmarking for routines and organizational knowledge

We use best practice benchmarking rationales to propose a dynamic research design that accounts for the endogenous components of across-firms heterogeneous routines to study changes in performance and their link to organizational knowledge investments. We thus contribute to the operationalization of management theoretical frameworks based on resources and routines. The research design employs frontier measures that provide industry-level benchmarking in organizational settings, and proposes some new indicators for firm-level strategic benchmarking. A profit-oriented analysis of the U.S. technology industry during 2000-2011 illustrates the usefulness of our design. Findings reveal that industry revival following economic distress comes along with wider gaps between best and worst performers. Second stage analyses show that increasing intangibles stocks is positively associated with fixed target benchmarking, while enhancing R&D spending is linked to local frontier progress. The discussion develops managerial interpretations of the benchmarking measures that are suitable for control mechanisms and reward systems.

Chemical characterization of majolica from 14th-18th century production centers on the Iberian Peninsula: a preliminary neutron activation study

Majolica pottery is one of the most characteristic tableware produced during the Medieval and Renaissance periods. Majolica technology was introduced to the Iberian Peninsula by Islamic artisans during Medieval times, and its production and popularity rapidly spread throughout Spain and eventually to other locations in Europe and the Americas. The prestige and importance of Spanish majolica was very high. Consequently, this ware was imported profusely to the Americas during the Spanish Colonial period. Nowadays, Majolica pottery serves as an important horizon marker at Spanish colonial sites. A preliminary study of Spanish-produced majolica was conducted on a set of 246 samples from the 12 primary majolica production centers on the Iberian Peninsula. The samples were analyzed by neutron activation analysis (NAA), and the resulting data were interpreted using an array of multivariate statistical procedures. Our results show a clear discrimination between different production centers. In some cases, our data allow one to distinguish amongst shards coming from the same production location suggesting different workshops or group of workshops were responsible for production of this pre-industrial pottery.

Psychosocial analysis of the collective processes in the United States after September 11

This article studies alterations in the values, attitudes, and behaviors that emerged among U.S. citizens as a consequence of, and as a response to, the attacks of September 11, 2001. The study briefly examines the immediate reaction to the attack, before focusing on the collective reactions that characterized the behavior of the majority of the population between the events of 9/11 and the response to it in the form of intervention in Afghanistan. In studying this period an eight-phase sequential model (Botcharova, 2001) is used, where the initial phases center on the nation as the ingroup and the latter focus on the enemy who carried out the attack as the outgroup. The study is conducted from a psychosocial perspective and uses "social identity theory" (Tajfel & Turner, 1979, 1986) as the basic framework for interpreting and accounting for the collective reactions recorded. The main purpose of this paper is to show that the interpretation of these collective reactions is consistent with the postulates of social identity theory. The application of this theory provides a different and specific analysis of events. The study is based on data obtained from a variety of rigorous academic studies and opinion polls conducted in relation to the events of 9/11. In line with social identity theory, 9/11 had a marked impact on the importance attached by the majority of U.S. citizens to their identity as members of a nation. This in turn accentuated group differentiation and activated ingroup favoritism and outgroup discrimination (Tajfel & Turner, 1979, 1986). Ingroup favoritism strengthened group cohesion, feelings of solidarity, and identification with the most emblematic values of the U.S. nation, while outgroup discrimination induced U.S. citizens to conceive the enemy (al-Qaeda and its protectors) as the incarnation of evil, depersonalizing the group and venting their anger on it, and to give their backing to a military response, the eventual intervention in Afghanistan. Finally, and also in line with the postulates of social identity theory, as an alternative to the virtual bipolarization of the conflict (U.S. vs al-Qaeda), the activation of a higher level of identity in the ingroup is proposed, a group that includes the United States and the largest possible number of countries¿ including Islamic states¿in the search for a common, more legitimate and effective solution.

Science in Western Islam. The circulation of knowledge in Mediterranean region

La Mediterrània ha estat gresol de la circulació d¿idees i persones des de fa mil·lennis. Durant l¿edat mitjana, però, el moviment més rellevant va ser, tal vegada, el que es va produirentre l¿Orient (Maixriq) i l¿Occident (Magrib) islàmics. Els viatges d¿estudis, íntimament units a les prescripcions religioses,varen convertir els científics musulmans en membres especialment actius en la difusió dels coneixements i dels avenços ques¿anaven adquirint a la capital de l¿imperi, Bagdad. Lluny de ser mers «transportistes» de la ciència, el nivell cultural assolit durantl'edat d'or abbassí els va convertir en un dels clímaxs intel·lectuals de la història. Al principi, tot i restar en un discret segonpla, els científics del nord d¿Àfrica i, especialment, els científicsd'al-Andalus varen tenir un paper essencial en la transmissióde la ciència oriental cap a una Europa que en va recollir el testimoni.Per això l¿aportació de la cultura araboislàmica és un esglaó sense el qual és impossible entendre la ciència posterior.Els camps conreats foren diversos: medicina, agronomia,òptica... però l¿àmbit que presidí la ciència fou, sens dubte,l¿astronomia (relacionada, al seu torn, amb les matemàtiques i la geografia). Els noms dels astrònoms més rellevants (desd¿al-Khwarizmi fins a Azarquiel) i les fites que varen assolir justifiquen que fossin coneguts per un públic ampli. Malgrat tot, continuen essent uns grans desconeguts.

Psychosocial analysis of the collective processes in the United States after September 11

This article studies alterations in the values, attitudes, and behaviors that emerged among U.S. citizens as a consequence of, and as a response to, the attacks of September 11, 2001. The study briefly examines the immediate reaction to the attack, before focusing on the collective reactions that characterized the behavior of the majority of the population between the events of 9/11 and the response to it in the form of intervention in Afghanistan. In studying this period an eight-phase sequential model (Botcharova, 2001) is used, where the initial phases center on the nation as the ingroup and the latter focus on the enemy who carried out the attack as the outgroup. The study is conducted from a psychosocial perspective and uses "social identity theory" (Tajfel & Turner, 1979, 1986) as the basic framework for interpreting and accounting for the collective reactions recorded. The main purpose of this paper is to show that the interpretation of these collective reactions is consistent with the postulates of social identity theory. The application of this theory provides a different and specific analysis of events. The study is based on data obtained from a variety of rigorous academic studies and opinion polls conducted in relation to the events of 9/11. In line with social identity theory, 9/11 had a marked impact on the importance attached by the majority of U.S. citizens to their identity as members of a nation. This in turn accentuated group differentiation and activated ingroup favoritism and outgroup discrimination (Tajfel & Turner, 1979, 1986). Ingroup favoritism strengthened group cohesion, feelings of solidarity, and identification with the most emblematic values of the U.S. nation, while outgroup discrimination induced U.S. citizens to conceive the enemy (al-Qaeda and its protectors) as the incarnation of evil, depersonalizing the group and venting their anger on it, and to give their backing to a military response, the eventual intervention in Afghanistan. Finally, and also in line with the postulates of social identity theory, as an alternative to the virtual bipolarization of the conflict (U.S. vs al-Qaeda), the activation of a higher level of identity in the ingroup is proposed, a group that includes the United States and the largest possible number of countries¿ including Islamic states¿in the search for a common, more legitimate and effective solution.

The use of micro-XRD for the study of glaze color decorations

The compounds responsible for the colours and decorations in glass and glazed ceramics include: colouring agents (transition metal ions), pigments (micro-and nano-precipitates of compounds that either do not dissolve or recrystallize in the glassy matrix) and opacifiers (microcrystalline compounds with high light scattering capability). Their composition, structure and range of stability are highly dependent not only on the composition but also on the procedures followed to obtain them. Chemical composition of the colorants and crystallites may be obtained by means of SEM-EDX and WDX. Synchrotron Radiation micro-X-ray Diffraction has a small beam size adequate (10 to 50 microns footprint size) to obtain the structural information of crystalline compounds and high brilliance, optimal for determining the crystallites even when present in low amounts. In addition, in glass decorations the crystallites often appear forming thin layers (from 10 to 100 micrometers thick) and they show a depth dependent composition and crystal structure. Their nature and distribution across the glass/glazes decorations gives direct information on the technology of production and stability and may be related to the color and appearance. A selection of glass and glaze coloring agents and decorations are studied by means of SR-micro- XRD and SEM-EDX including: manganese brown, antimony yellow, red copper lusters and cobalt blue. The selection includes Medieval (Islamic, and Hispano Moresque) and renaissance tin glazed ceramics from the 10th to the 17th century AD.

Paisatge, poblament, cultura material i història de l'Ager Tarraconensis. Resultats i comparacions

Síntesi dels primers resultats del Projecte Ager Tarraconensis i de les aportacions al simposi, de les quals s’extreuen reflexions i coneixements nous sobre el tema de l’estudi entorn del conjunt de l’espai de la ciutat romana, del paisatge, tractat com un sistema. Les aportacions se centren en la varietat de les primeres estratègies de control romà del territori, de les tipologies i evolució dels establiments, dels aspectes econòmics i de la dinàmica del poblament. Tot plegat fa referència molt especialment al territori de Tarraco, per bé que es fan nombroses comparacions amb altres territoris de l’àrea catalana i saguntina i també d’altres províncies romanes. Tarraco es va perfilant com una ciutat amb un territorium molt productiu, no sols en agricultura, sinó també en indústries, producció tèxtil, explotacions de recursos minerals com les pedreres i el ferro, i amb un comerç molt actiu que la devia convertir en un port important de la Mediterrània occidental romana. La jerarquia dels hàbitats rurals també s’està demostrant més complexa gràcies al coneixement de noves aglomeracions. L’evolució posterior al període romà també ha entrat en discussió, especialment pel que fa a l’època islàmica, sobre la qual es discuteix si el camp va quedar poblat o despoblat, tema que resol en sentit positiu el diagrama pol·línic realitzat dins del marc del projecte.

La integración de Tarrakuna y su territorio en al-Andalus (s. VIII)

A inicios del siglo VIII, el antiguo regnum gothorum se vio fragmentado en diferentes territorios políticos, como muestra la simultaneidad de dos reyes (Rodrigo y Akhila) entre 710-711. Con la conquista islámica de la Península Ibérica y la formación de al-Andalus, las diversas regiones conocieron distintos destinos: algunas aristocracias pactaron con los conquistadores, otras se vieron sometidas por la fuerza. Pero la tradición historiográfica ha visto en la ciudad de Tarragona una excepción, un caso aislado. El objetivo de este artículo es plantear una nueva hipótesis, según la cual, durante todo el siglo VIII, madinat Tarrakuna formó parte del Estado andalusí de la misma forma que otras antiguas sedes episcopales visigodas.