Bøger udgivet af Leuven University Press

Unique cross-cultural and multimedial approach to class identity and precarity in literature, theatre, and filmContemporary culture not merely reflects ongoing societal transformations, it shapes our understanding of rapidly evolving class realities. Literature, theatre, and film urge us to put the question of class back on the agenda, and reconceptualize it through the lens of precarity and intersectionality. Relying on examples from British, French, Spanish, German, American, Swedish and Taiwanese culture, the contributors to this book document a variety of aesthetic strategies in an interdisciplinary dialogue with sociology and political theory. Doing so, this volume demonstrates the myriad ways in which culture opens up new pathways to imagine and re-imagine class as an economic relation, an identity category, and a subjective experience. Situated firmly within current debates about the impact of social mobility, precarious work, intersectional structures of exploitation, and interspecies vulnerability, this volume offers a wide-ranging panorama of contemporary class imaginaries. Contributors: Magnus Nilsson (Malmö University), Christian Claesson (Lund University), Christoph Schaub (University of Vechta), Olaf Berwald (Middle Tennessee State University), Valeria Pulignano (KU Leuven), Lander Vermeerbergen (Radboud University), Markieta Domecka (KU Leuven) Deborah Dean (Warwick University), Sula Textor (Potsdam University), Irene Husser (University of Tübingen), Katrin Becker (University of Siegen), Marissia Fragkou (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki) Sarah Pogoda (Bangor University), Daniel Brookes (University of Worcester), Tim Christiaens (Tilburg University), Joeri Verbesselt (KU Leuven), Syaman Rapongan (writer). Ebook available in Open Access. This publication is GPRC-labeled (Guaranteed Peer-Reviewed Content).

The question of whether to disclose that a text is a translation and thereby give visibility to the translator has dominated discussions on translation throughout history. Despite becoming one of the most ubiquitous terms in translation studies, however, the concept of translator (in)visibility is often criticized for being vague, overly adaptable, and grounded in literary contexts. This interdisciplinary volume therefore draws on concepts from fields such as sociology, the digital humanities, and interpreting studies to develop and operationalize theoretical understandings of translator visibility beyond these existing criticisms and limitations. Through empirical case studies spanning areas including social media research, reception studies, institutional translation, and literary translation, this volume demonstrates the value of understanding the visibilities of translators and translation in the plural and adds much-needed nuance to one of translation studies' most pervasive, polarizing, and imprecise concepts.Peter J. Freeth is senior lecturer in translation at London Metropolitan University. Rafael Treviño is a sign language interpreter at the U.S. Department of State and is completing his doctoral studies at Gallaudet University.In this excellent collection, Freeth and Treviño offer a long overdue perspective on the in/visibilities (in plural) of translation and translators, challenging prevailing conceptions of visibility. The importance of this volume lies in its critical approach questioning the assumption of invisibility, as well as how desirable it is for translators to be visible. This book certainly has the potential of reshaping the discourse on a topic ubiquitous in Translation Studies.- Rafael Schögler, University of Graz

The saxophone is a globally popular instrument, often closely associated with renowned players such as Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, or more recently, Kenny G. Less well known, however, is the historical presence of women saxophonists in the nineteenth century, shortly after the instrument's invention. Elise Hall (1853-1924), a prominent wealthy socialite in Boston at the turn of the twentieth century, defied social norms by mastering the saxophone, an unconventional instrument for a woman of her time. Despite her career's profound impact, Elise Hall remains relatively obscure in broader music communities. Her untiring work as an impresario, patron, and performer made a significant mark on the history of the instrument. Yet these contributions have been historically undervalued, largely due to gender bias.This collection of essays, written by mainly women saxophonists/scholars, re-evaluates Elise Hall's legacy beyond a discrete history, updating the narrative by highlighting the ways in which her identity and the saxophone itself have influenced historical accounts. By analyzing the sociocultural factors surrounding this innovative musician through a contemporary lens, the contributors challenge previously held narratives shaped by patriarchal structures and collectively affirm her place as one of the pioneers in the history of the saxophone.Kurt Bertels is a postdoctoral researcher at LUCA School of Arts (KU Leuven), Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel, and Royal Conservatoire Antwerp, Belgium, where he works on nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century saxophone history and performance practice.Adrianne Honnold is an assistant professor of Music at Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois, USA where she teaches saxophone and music history courses.This is a timely collection of research to help all saxophonists and musicologists rethink the cultural assumptions of the past, and opens up many new ideas and methodologies for future research. I highly recommend this text make its way onto every saxophonist's bookshelf. - Matthew Younglove, Tennessee Technological University

In medieval and early modern natural philosophy, very few issues were as controversial as the nature of the elements. From the thirteenth up until the sixteenth century, European thinkers discussed this problem with growing interest. Defining the nature of the elements was key to deciphering the very structure of the universe and the essence of things. Along with four primary texts, here edited for the first time, this book discusses one of the most original contributions to this debate, that of Renaissance philosopher Pietro Pomponazzi (d. 1525). Pomponazzi's account, developed in university lectures, holds significance for two reasons. First, it provides a thorough description of the most influential doctrines on the elements presented by medieval scholars, opening a window onto three hundred years of prior discussions on the topic. Second, Pomponazzi also develops his own views on the issue, explicitly defining them as 'heretical' to emphasise his departure from all opinions expressed before him.Luca Burzelli is postdoctoral researcher in History of Philosophy at the Department of Philosophy of the University of Siegen, and member of the De Wulf-Mansion Centre at the KU Leuven. He received the Thomas Ricklin International Award 2024 for his book 'Pietro Pomponazzi and the Renaissance Theory of the Elements: A Study with Editions of Unpublished Texts'.

The challenges and limits for musicians dealing with texts. To perform a musical score implies the transformation of a symbolically coded text into vibrant sound. In Performing by the Book? a carefully selected cadre of artist-researchers dissects this delicate act in critical ways. Offering first-hand insights into the notational, structural and interpretative challenges faced by musicians in dealing with texts of all kinds, the chapters traverse the spectrum between the Middle Ages and the age of Stockhausen. In a harmonious blend of scholarly allure and individual artistry, free from academic obfuscation, the contributors keep a keen eye on the limits of interpretation, both in terms of the interpretative process itself and of the balance between textual faithfulness and artistic autonomy. This comprehensive volume is an indispensable guide for everyone interested in the relationship between musical performance and texts. Contributing authors: Niels Berentsen (Haute école de musique de Genève-Neuchâtel (HES-SO) / conductor of Diskantores), Björn Schmelzer (artistic director of Graindelavoix / independent researcher), Jonathan Ayerst (freelance organist and improviser), Elizabeth Dobbin (Le Jardin Secret / Haute école de musique de Genève (HES-SO)), Camilla Köhnken (freelance pianist-researcher / Bern Academy of the Arts), George Kennaway (cellist, conductor, teacher, publisher and musicologist / University of Leeds), Kate Bennett Wadsworth (cellist / Guildhall School of Music and Drama), Nir Cohen-Shalit (conductor and independent researcher), Xiangning Lin (pianist / Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, National University of Singapore), Clare Lesser (independent performer, musicologist and composer). Ebook available in Open Access. This publication is GPRC-labeled (Guaranteed Peer-Reviewed Content).

First English-language book on the history of commercial sex in BelgiumIn 2022, the Belgian parliament made a landmark decision by approving the decriminalisation of sex work. This move positioned the small nation as the first country in Europe ¿ and the second globally ¿ to abandon the hypocrisy of tolerance. Yet this was not the first time paid sex in Belgium gained international notoriety. The bathhouses of the fifteenth-century `frows of Flanders¿ were well-known throughout Europe. In the nineteenth century, Belgium faced international outrage as the alleged epicentre of white slavery. Although Belgians were then accused of forcing white women into prostitution, they were also free to include any suspect women in the prostitution registers of colonial Congo. Throughout the First and Second World Wars, both allied and German soldiers sought relief in Belgian brothels. The Business of Pleasure presents the compelling life stories of sex workers and their interactions with authorities, clients and pimps. Pushing beyond stereotypes, this history of commercial sex offers a nuanced understanding of the difficulties and opportunities associated with paid sex for women, men and trans persons past and present.Contributors: Elwin Hofman (Utrecht University), Magaly Rodríguez García (KU Leuven), Pieter Vanhees (former researcher KU Leuven), Jelle Haemers (KU Leuven), Amandine Lauro (Université libre de Bruxelles), Maarten Loopmans (KU Leuven), Ilias Loopmans (MA history student at University of Antwerp), Sonia Verstappen (former sex worker).

A critical edition of one of the key texts in psychoanalysis. Sigmund Freud's Beyond the Pleasure Principle stands as a foundational text in psychoanalysis, delving into profound questions about life, death, pleasure and pain. Through a combination of contextualising and philosophical contributions, this critical edition and commentary sheds new light on Freud's text. In a series of contributions spanning approaches from historical exegesis to philosophical reflections on key concepts and ideas presented in Beyond the Pleasure Principle, the evolution and inconsistencies found in the various versions of the text are highlighted. Particular emphasis is placed on the conceptualisation of the death and life drives. These commentaries also provide context for the work, examining its position within the Freudian corpus, its role in the collaborative project with Sándor Ferenczi in speculative bioanalysis, and its clinical insights into war neuroses, trauma, bonding and aggression in post-World War I society. By critically examining diverse interpretations of Freud's work, Towards the Limits of Freudian Thinking re-actualises this classic text in contemporary philosophy and psychoanalysis, rendering it accessible to both specialised and broader audiences. Contributors: Ulrike May (Berlin), Herman Westerink (Radboud University Nijmegen), Philippe Van Haute (Radboud University Nijmegen), Ulrike Kistner (University of Pretoria), Jenny Willner (LMU Munich), Jakob Staberg (Södertörn University Stockholm)This publication is GPRC-labeled (Guaranteed Peer-Reviewed Content). This book will be made open access within three years of publication thanks to Path to Open, a program developed in partnership between JSTOR, the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS), University of Michigan Press, and The University of North Carolina Press to bring about equitable access and impact for the entire scholarly community, including authors, researchers, libraries, and university presses around the world. Learn more at https://about.jstor.org/path-to-open/

A finales del siglo XVII, la América española no sufrió ninguna crisis destinada a la decadencia de su Imperio. El presente libro desentraña las causas y consecuencias de los cambios políticos que llevó a cabo Carlos II en uno de los reinos más poderosos de su patrimonio: el Perú. Este libro presenta, desde una perspectiva inédita, cómo la América hispánica fue precursora en las reformas sobre las cortes virreinales, las cuales fueron el prolegómeno de un punto de inflexión en el paradigma de gobierno y articulación de los reinos en la distancia. Desde entonces, la Monarquía hispánica basculó sus intereses hacia América bajo una rearticulación de sus territorios, lo que no solo le llevó a luchar por su resiliencia, sino a afianzar su protagonismo en la política internacional que heredó la dinastía borbónica. At the end of the 17th century, Spanish America was not yet in the throes of the crisis that would lead to the decadence of its Empire. This book unravels the causes and consequences of the political changes carried out by Carlos II in one of the most powerful kingdoms of his patrimony: Peru. This book shows, from a hitherto unexamined perspective, how Hispanic America was a forerunner in the reforms of the viceregal courts, which in turn reshaped the paradigm of government and interaction of the distant kingdoms. From then on, the Hispanic Monarchy shifted its interests towards America, in a reorganisation of its territories that led it not only to fight for its resilience, but also to strengthen its leading role in the international politics it had inherited from the Bourbon dynasty. Ebook available in Open Access. This publication is GPRC-labeled (Guaranteed Peer-Reviewed Content).

Occupation literature: a new perspective on European identitiesWhat does it mean to live under occupation? How does it shape the culture and identities of European nations? How does it affect the way we write and read literature? These are fundamental questions that set the stage for an in-depth exploration. Focusing on the literary works of writers from various European countries that were occupied by Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union or the Allies during and after World War II, the contributions in this edited volume seek to unravel the complex interplay between historical circumstances and literary expression. Centred on the concept of occupation literature as a genre in its own right, differentiating it from 'war literature', the book navigates this subtle distinction, drawing connections with the Holocaust novel and extending the timeframe beyond Nazi occupation. European Literatures of Military Occupation argues that the multifaceted experiences of occupation have played a pivotal role in shaping European identities. Moreover, the volume links European identities to the experience of occupation by unveiling the complex and diverse ways in which writers respond to historical and political circumstances. Introducing the concept of 'affective realism' and exploring its intersection with the occupation novel, the book provides nuanced insights into the intricate relationship between history, identity, and literature. It combines theoretical perspectives relevant to researchers in the humanities with detailed case studies, generating a truly interdisciplinary perspective, enriched by a strong transnational dimension, creating a cohesive narrative that intervenes innovatively in the fields of literary, cultural, and historical criticism. Ebook available in Open Access. This publication is GPRC-labeled (Guaranteed Peer-Reviewed Content). Contributors: Klaus-Michael Bogdal (Bielefeld University), Jan Andres (Bielefeld University), Benedikts Kalnacs (University of Latvia), Stefan Laffin (Leibnitz University of Hannover), Daniela Lieb (Centre national de littérature, Luxembourg), Atinati Mamatsashvil (Ilia State University), Christopher Meid (University of Freiburg), Aleksandar Momcilovic (independent scholar), Jeroen Olyslaegers (independent literary author), Joanna Rzepa (University of Essex), Sandra Schell (Heidelberg University), Meinolf Schumacher (Bielefeld University), Stefanie Siess (Heidelberg University)

Spatial borders as sites of meaningful adjacencies and exchange. Borders between countries, neighbourhoods, people, beliefs, and policies are proliferating and expanding despite what self-proclaimed progressive societies wish or choose to believe. For a wide variety of reasons, the early 21st century is caught struggling between breaking down barriers and raising them. Architecture is complicit in both. It is central to the perpetuation of borders, and key to their dismantling. Architectures of Resistance: Negotiating Borders Through Spatial Practices approaches borders as sites of meaningful encounter between others (other cultures, other nations, other perspectives), guided not by fear or hatred but by respect and tolerance. The contributors to this volume - including architects, urban planners, artists, human geographers, and political scientists - address spatial boundaries as places where social and political conditions are intensified and where new spatial practices of architectural resistance arise. Moving across contemporary, historical, and speculative conditions of borders, Architectures of Resistance discusses new and innovative forms of architectural, artistic, and political practice that facilitate constructive human interaction. Contributors: Nishat Awan (UCL Urban Laboratory), Teddy Cruz (University of California San Diego), Sofia Dona (independent artist), Ursula Emery McClure (Kansas State University), Fonna Forman (University of California San Diego), Marisa Gomez (University of Texas at Arlington), Mohamad Hafeda (Leeds Beckett University), Paul Holmquist (Louisiana State University), Panos Leventis (Drury University), Eugene McCann (Simon Fraser University), Aya Musmar (University of Petra), Kristopher Palagi (Louisiana State University), Marc Schoonderbeek (TU Delft), Nicholas Serrano (University of Florida), Angeliki Sioli (TU Delft), Aleksandar Stanicic (TU Delft). Ebook available in Open Access. This publication is GPRC-labeled (Guaranteed Peer-Reviewed Content).

Philosophy is essentially historical. The element of wonder that drives philosophical inquiry, as well as the timeless nature of questions about humanity and the world, are both intertwined with their specific contexts of origin. The answers to these questions are historically situated interpretations of reality.Moreover, historicity itself is part of philosophical reflection. Any engagement with history (including this book) is inherently situated within a historical framework. A comprehensive understanding of the history of philosophy is, therefore, indispensable if one wishes to function as a philosopher.This historical introduction to European philosophy addresses the historicity of philosophy in its twofold sense. The first part provides insight into the vicissitudes of philosophical rationality from antiquity to the present day, with an emphasis on the relation between philosophical reflection and other domains of European intellectual history, such as science, politics, art, and literature. The second part deals with philosophy as a ¿historical-hermeneutical¿ discipline.The book functions both as a handbook for introductory philosophy courses and as a monograph on European philosophy and intellectual history for a non-specialist audience.Gerd Van Riel is professor of ancient philosophy at the KU Leuven Institute of Philosophy. Guy Claessens is postdoctoral researcher at the KU Leuven Institute of Philosophy.

As well as presenting articles on Neo-Latin topics, the annual journal Humanistica Lovaniensia is a major source for critical editions of Neo-Latin texts with translations and commentaries. Its systematic bibliography of Neo-Latin studies (Instrumentum bibliographicum Neolatinum), accompanied by critical notes, is the standard annual bibliography of publications in the field. The journal is fully indexed (names, mss., Neo-Latin neologisms). Please visit www.lup.be for the full table of contents.

In the month of June, 1995, the Society for the Promotion of Eriugenian Studies held its ninth International Colloquium at Leuven and Louvain-la-Neuve. The Colloquium was devoted to Eriugena's hermeneutics and his interpretation of the Bible. The feature of Biblical hermeneutics is of main interest for a thinker like Eriugena. For him the source and the end of all truth is the understanding of Sacred Scripture. To unravel this inconcussa auctoritas diuinae Scripturae all hermeneutical skills have to be brought into play, in order to give rise to a true spiritual understanding of the Bible.This volume contains the contributions presented at the Colloquium, which shed light on numerous aspects of Eriugena's hermeneutics of Scripture. Without imposing too rigid a classification, the contributions to this book can be listed under four headings. The first two studies present large-scale tableaux, establishing the context within which Eriugena undertook his biblical studies. In a second group of articles, attention is paid more directly to the specifically Eriugenian method of understanding Sacred Scripture. The theoretical aspects of Eriugena's exegesis, as established in the second part, are adapted in the third, in which Eriugena's interpretation of particular Biblical texts is investigated. The fourth and last heading, then, would contain studies in the range and method of Eriugena's exegesis, with particular attention to manuscript sources, and to new texts to be included into the opera of John Scottus.

Henry of Ghent's Summa, art. 1-5, composed probably before 1276, are the opening articles of Henry's grand masterpiece, his Quaestiones ordinariae or Summa. This Summa was, from what Henry himself indicated, to be in two sections: a section De Deo and a section De creaturis, but the second part was never composed, probably due to Henry's death in 1293. What has survived is an "unfinished cathedral," as Bayerschmidt has described. These opening articles are part of the "prolog" and they treat epistemological issues such as skepticism and the very possibility of human knowledge, divine "illustration," teaching, certitude, knowledge of non entities, the desire for knowledge, and the nature of study. This "epistemological" concern marked deeply the development of thought in the High Middle Ages and influenced the Franciscan, John Duns Scotus, and through Scotus, William of Ockham. The text of the critical edition is reconstructed based upon a manuscript of Godfrey of Fontaines containing these articles which was willed to the Sorbonne when Godfrey died. This manuscript seems to have been composed in the very school of Henry. Other manuscripts which were used were two that may have been copied from the apograph, three copied from the first Parisian exemplar divided into pieces (peciae), and two copied from a second exemplar.

This volume constitutes the first attempt to analyse the phenomenon of Western European Left Catholicism from a comparative and transnational perspective. Decisively shaped by the turbulent atmosphere of war, occupation and resistance, the years 1943-1955 gave rise to a most unusual flowering of progressive initiatives in Catholic politics, theology and apostolic missions. Though suffering severe setbacks in the deep freeze of Cold War politics, mid-century Western European Left Catholicism was not without influence in the subsequent emergence of Latin American Liberation Theology and the deliberations of Vatican II.

Textual Mobility and Cultural Transmission is the first publication of the research and documentation Centre for the Study of English Literatures in Dutch Translation. The first part explores the notion of 'textual mobility' from a theoretical, book historical and descriptive perspective. Having thus established a broad and dynamic framework, the second part subsequently provides four case studies on Byron, Carlyle, Woolf and Beckett.

Lieven Gevaert Series 5Surrealism's French manifestations are best known, but Belgium also had a complex history of Surrealist activity in the early twentieth century, one as radical and visionary as that in France. A number of groups affiliated with the movement met formed, split up, and reformed; it is almost impossible to summarize them. The essays in Collective Inventions offer glimpses into Belgian surrealism that range from explorations of specific historical turning points and comparisons with other versions of Surrealism to detailed portraits of individual artists and the meanings of their work. The authors use contemporary theoretical and critical models to explore artistic production in a variety of media, including painting and photography, film and fashion, postcards and Perspex.

Towards Tonality is a collection of essays based on lectures presented at the International Orpheus Academy for Music and Theory on "Historical Theory, Performance, and Meaning in Baroque Music". The often complex connections and intersections between, e.g., modal and tonal idioms, contrapuntal and harmonic organisation, were considered from various perspectives as to the transition (towards tonality) from the Renaissance to the Baroque era. Contents: Thomas Christensen Genres of Music Theory, 1650-1750 Penelope Gouk Science and Music, or the Science of Music: Some Little-known Examples of "Music Theory" between 1650 and 1750 Gérard Geay L'édition de la polyphonie française du 17e siècle Susan McClary Towards a History of Harmonic Tonality Markus Jans Towards a History of the Origin and Development of the Rule of the Octave Joel Lester Thoroughbass as a Path to Composition in the Early Eighteenth Century Marc Vanscheeuwijck Giovanni Paolo Colonna and Petronio Franceschini: Building Acoustics and Compositional Style in Late Seventeenth-Century Bologna

Manuscripts are the source material par excellence for diverse academic disciplines. Art historians, philologists, historians, theologians, philosophers, book historians, and even jurists are known to gather around codices. In Medieval Manuscripts in Transition, various scholars investigate the ways in which the study of manuscripts can contribute to interpretation or provide insight. The essays in this book cover a broad range of topics from the development of classical themes to the transmission of lyrical models, from visual material that provides evidence of the reception of literary texts to the literary arts used as vehicles for love stories.Mediaevalia Lovaniensia 36

The present volume has been built up around fifteen papers presented at an international conference co-organised by the Department of Medieval Studies of the Central European University, Budapest, the Centre d'Etude des Religions du livre, Paris, the De Wulf-Mansion Centre at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven and the Benedictine Abbey of Tihany, Hungary. The conference was convened to discuss the general conceptual, doctrinal and - broadly speaking - theological and philosophical aspects of the developments concerning the Eucharistic doctrines of the Christian Churches, not just the Western ones, but the Byzantino-Slavic and Oriental ones, too.When organizing the final shape of the volume at hand, the editors were eager to get contributions with a wide divergence of perspectives. In this way, the so-called "Nestorian Controversy" and the aftermath of Chalcedon received great emphasis, their problems being several times approached in the Patristic section of this book, by authors who in no way agree in its evaluation, but rather, for a long while, have been in debate with each other. Similar is the case with the crucial debates in the medieval theology of the Eucharist, be it Eastern or Western.Even more tangibly, the great questions of a "symbolist" or "realist" interpretation of the presence of Christ in the bread and the wine, or, once the doctrine of the "real presence" had been affirmed, its modalities, such as "transsubstantiation" or "transformation", or the question of what happens to the bread and the wine, and when, during the liturgical celebration, in order that they might become the real body and blood of Christ, are treated over and over in these contributions just as they have been treated over and over during the intellectual history under review.This recurrence of the same or similar doctrinal problems in diverse circumstances, envisaged from different theological, philosophical or historical perspectives, is one of the factors that give this volume its unity.

In this book some 25 scholars focus on the relationship between religion, children's literature and modernity in Western Europe since the Enlightenment (c. 1750). They examine various aspects of the phenomenon of children's literature, such as types of texts, age of readers, position of authors, design and illustration. The role of religion in giving meaning both in a substantive sense as well as through the institutionalised churches is studied from an interdenominational point of view (Judaism, Roman Catholicism, Protestantism and Anglicanism). Finally, the contribution of pedagogy and child psychology in the interaction between modernity, religion and children's literature is also discussed.Various articles give a broad overview of the tensions between aesthetics and ethics and the demand for cultural autonomy in the development of children's literature. Children's bibles and missionary stories played an important part in the growing diversification of children's literature, as did the publication of illustrated reviews for children. Remarkable differences are highlighted in the involvement of religious societies and institutions, episcopally approved publishing houses and supervisory bodies in the publication, distribution and supervision of children's literature. This volume adopts a comparative approach in exploring the underlying religious, ideological and cultural dimensions of children's literature in modern society.)

Wafer-thin glass fibre composites can possess an almost transparent, esoteric fragility, yet you can mix this same material with stone dust to make a super-tough 'granite', or instantly bake a colourful enamel-like coating into it. And when a satin weave of carbon fibres can be seen through an acrylic or epoxy resin on the dashboard of a Ferrari, the link with a sexy black satin evening gown or evening suit seems far less remote. The association with the sophisticated, high-tech world of the aerospace industry and, more recently, top-level sport, further enhances the intangible attractiveness of 'carbon'. For this high-tech world, composite materials have been developed. Through the intelligent combination of light, colourful plastics with strong and stiff glass or carbon fibres, one obtains materials which are simultaneously light, strong and stiff. Finally, one very new development is the rediscovery of natural fibres as an outstanding reinforcement for synthetic materials. Xtra Strong/Light - Composites, a book which is being published as part of the science communication project Composites-on-Tour-2, offers an accessible account of the properties and possibilities of composite materials. It also discusses the ways in which the Belgian designers Clem van Himbeeck and Weyers & Borms and the Israeli designer Ron Arad, who runs a design agency in London, use composite materials. These applications are both high-tech and strikingly artistic, and bear witness to intelligent and unconventional design visions.

Ancient and Medieval Philosophy, Series 1, No. 36 Henry of Ghent stands out as a leading thinker, together with Thomas Aquinas and Bonaventure, of the second half of the thirteenth century. His rich and multifaceted thought influenced many different traditions; he has been seen as an eclectic. This book elucidates Henry of Ghent's philosophical and theological system with special reference to his Trinitarian writings. It also shows how Henry (d. 1293), the most influential theologian of his day in Paris, developed the Augustinian tradition in response to the Aristotelian tradition of Aquinas.

In the first part about the specific Stoic doctrine on moral progress (prokopê) attention is first given to the subtle view developed by the early Stoics, who categorically denied the existence of any mean between vice and virtue, and yet succeeded in giving moral progress a logical and meaningful place within their ethical thinking. Subsequently, the position of later Stoics (Panaetius, Hecato, Posidonius, Seneca, Musonius Rufus, Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius) is examined. Most of them appear to adopt a basically 'orthodox' view, although each one of them lays his own accents and deals with Chrysippus' tenets from his own personal perspective. Occasionally, the 'heterodox' position of Aristo of Chios proves to have remained influential too. The second part of the study deals with the polemical reception of the Stoic doctrine of moral progress in (Middle-)Platonism. The first author who is discussed is Philo of Alexandria. Philo deals with the Stoic doctrine in a very ideosyncratical way. He never explicitly attacked the Stoic view on moral progress, although it is clear from various passages in his work that he favoured the Platonic-Peripatetic position rather than the Stoic one. Next, Plutarch's position is examined, through a detailed analysis of his treatise 'De profectibus in virtute'. Finally, attention is given to two school handbooks dating from the period of Middle-Platonism (Alcinous and Apuleius). In both of them, the Stoic doctrine is rejected without many arguments, which shows that a correct (and anti-Stoic) conception of moral progress was regarded in Platonic circles as a basic knowledge for beginning students.The whole discussion is placed into a broader philosophical-historical perspective by the introduction (on the philosophical tradition before the Stoa) and the epilogue (about later discussions in Neo-Platonism and early Christianity).

The Coimbra Group can be seen as a sample selection of traditional universities in Europe that want to continue the old traditional idea of 'Universitas'.A variety of factors led to bring out a second edition of the member universities' Charters of Foundation and Early Documents, eleven years after the appearance of the first edition. With eight new members, the Coimbra Group has grown substantially in the past eleven years. Moreover, historians and scholars working in the field of manuscripts and early documents have continued to add to our existing pool of knowledge.The new edition documents the early times of our universities by means of accurate transcriptions and critical discussions of the Charters of Foundation and Early Documents of the Group's thirty-seven universities. It is the result of the valuable work of specialists co-ordinated by the editors, Marc Nelissen and Jos M.M. Hermans.

On the corner of the Croylaan and the Celestijnenlaan stands a red wall. An introverted building which does not immediately reveal its past is hidden behind the wall. Nevertheless, it has an extremely prestigious history. It is as though it was written entirely in capital letters and golden initials: a monastery of the order of the Celestines, unique in the Netherlands, with a founder who was a politician of European stature, William of Croy, counsellor of Philip the Fair and Charles V.Rombaut Keldermans was appointed for its construction and Jan Mone, the most important representative of Renaissance sculpture in the Netherlands, for the sculpture. The ruins of the monastery were recently restored by the internationally celebrated Rafael Moneo and integrated in the Campus Library Arenberg.

The editon of Henry of Ghent's Quodlibet VII makes available the critical text of an influential work. Written near the end of 1282, this Quodlibet is perhaps best known because it contains Henry's initial discussion of the papal bull Ad fructus uberes, which had granted certain exaggerated privileges to the mendicants. Henry's text puts forward arguments which limit wide interpretations of the bull and sets forth a position which favors the secular clergy. These arguments set the stage for discussions of the privileges granted by the papal bull. Indeed, Richard of Mediavilla in his Quaestio Privilegii Papae Martini makes a case for the mendicants by addressing the arguments of Quodlibet VII point by point. Henry himself reiterates and elaborates his arguments in subsequent Quodlibeta and in the Tractatus super facto praelatorum et fratrum. His analyses of Ad fructus uberes leads to discussions of poverty in the religious life, which Henry argues is not a perfection but a means to perfection. Quodlibet VII also treats more philosophical matters, e.g. transcendentals, God's essence and knowledge, knowledge of the divine essence, genus, difference, matter, relation, quantity, human knowledge, and the human body. In addition, the text contains a response to some claims in Berthaud of Saint Denis' Quodlibet I, q17. This fellow secular master has not been studied or edited, but he emerges here and in the Tractatus as a secular master with whom Henry disagreed.

In the 19th century, religious institutes (orders and congregations) underwent an unprecedented revival. As partners in a large-scale religious modernisation movement, they were welcomed by the Roman Catholic Church in its pursuit of a new role in society (especially in the educational and health-care sectors). At the same time, the Church also deemed it necessary to keep their spectacular growth in check.Until the 1960s religious institutes played an important role both in society at large as well as within the church (for example, at the level of the missions, liturgy and art). Yet, relatively little research has been done on their development either in ecclesiastical or in broad cultural history. As a basis for further study, The European Forum on the History of Religious Insitutes in the 19th and 20th Centuries offers this study of the historiography of religious institutes and of their position in civil and canon law.