The origin of ambergris, an intestinal pathologic secretion of the sperm-whale, used in perfumes and medieval pharmacology, had been long debated among Arab scholars. The paper exposes the various hypotheses related to this origin, and its textual transmission during medieval times. These traditions show a good example of complex relations between…[Read more]

Alfred von Reumont published popular books on the legends of Aachen and the Rhine: Aachens Liederkranz und Sagenwelt (1829, new edition 1873: Aachener Liederchronik) and Rheinlands Sagen, Geschichten und Legenden (1837, English: Ruins of the Rhine. Their Times and Traditions). They are contextualized in the framework of German legend production…[Read more]

In 2013 the Israeli historian Otto Dov Kulka published a recollection of his childhood in concentration camps, Landscapes of the Metropolis of Death. Historians and general audiences praised the poetic and reflective tone of the book. Deported at 11 years of age from Theresienstadt, Kulka spent a year and half at Auschwitz and is one of the very…[Read more]

Overview article on history and logistics of the Westerbork transit camp, making extensive use of the original Westerbork records in the NIOD. The paper also specifies the connection between the Jewish Council in Amsterdam and Westerbork, as well as the set-up of transports and the system of “Sperren”. The article includes a complete and revised…[Read more]

In this essay, I will discuss a conflation of knowledge and demands for political reform in mid-nineteenth-century India. At the centre of my discussion is an objection to the often-reiterated argument that emphasizes how colonial forms of knowledge underpinned the British regime in its bid to control and subjugate Indians. Rather, I would suggest…[Read more]

John Lakenheath reorganized the archives of the Benedictine abbey of Bury St Edmunds in the 1370s, a key tool in his administrative work on its estates that was still in disorder after it was sacked by the townspeople in 1327. This culminated in the ‘Lakenheath Registry’ (London, British Library, Harley MS 743), an indexed directory of the Bur…[Read more]

The aim of this paper is to explore and call into question the account of the insurrection of a number of Germanic tribes against the Huns, in the so called Battle of Nedao River (second half of the fifth century). The testimony of this battle, recorded by Jordanes, represents the end of the submission of many Germanic and nomadic groups and the…[Read more]

Over the years, jürgen Habermas and Andrew Moravcsik have both written an impressive collection of academic works and public literature, dealing with one of the most contentious issues in the socio-political field, namely the process of European integration. Despite their shared interest in subjects as the European constitution, the democratic…[Read more]

This essay examines some of the curricular and pedagogical practices in place in English departments during the early years of the “Seven Sisters” — the women’s colleges of the late nineteenth century — to address contemporary issues in English studies. The experimental nature of the woman’s college allowed for pedagogical innovation, so that…[Read more]

This chapter discusses the quasi-juridical mode of argumentation that Francisco de Vitoria applies in his lecture on the Indians. Even though he emphasises his theological competence and starts from a biblical command (“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them …” Mt 28:19), the questions he then discusses concern specifically the…[Read more]

Die Analyse der epigraphischen Kultur der römischen Koloniestadt Augusta Raurica ist geprägt von der prekären Überlieferungslage der inschriftlichen Monumente. Erhalten haben sich primär diejenigen Inschriften, welche noch in der Spätantike ins Castrum Rauracense oder im Mittelalter und vor allem in der Frühen Neuzeit nach Basel verschleppt und an…[Read more]

This article has been conceived as a reflexion point about the influence of philosopher Ramon Llull in the Anglo-Saxon area (namely England and Scotland) during the Late Middle Ages. The aim is to show the ‘state of the art’, in order to highlight possible research lines in the future. To achieve our goals, it will be presented all the data abo…[Read more]

This paper examines Anne Michaels’ Fugitive Pieces (2007) in the context of Holocaust literature and historiography. It begins with an introduction to the genre of Holocaust literature and the problematic nature of ‘survivor’ testimony. Michaels’ work is then contextualized within this body of literature. The essay goes on to examine the means t…[Read more]

The main aim of this work is to present the most relevant news about the history of Lullism (the influence of Ramon Llull’s work and thoughts) in Portugal during the 14th and 15th centuries. Among other considerations on Lullian Portuguese studies (mainly the Livro da Corte Enperial and Boosco deleitoso), the textual links between D. Duarte’s Lea…[Read more]

The aim of this paper is to present an overview on the Portuguese-influenced heritage in the African Portuguese-spoken countries (Cape Verde, São Tomé and Príncipe, Guinea-Bissau, Angola and Mozambique). Special attention will be paid to religious (churches, chapels and convents) and military (fortresses and forts) buildings. Chronologically, th…[Read more]