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Ce qui nous est parvenu des écrits glyphiques réalisés sur support souple par les Mayas ne comprend que quelques manuscrits, peints à l’encre noire et couleurs sur du papier mésoaméricain. Ces manuscrits sont constitués chacun d’une longue bande de papier, obtenue en assemblant de nombreux feuillets – hauts d’une vingtaine de centimètres et larges d’une dizaine environ – l’un à côté de l’autre. L’ensemble était plié d’un côté puis de l’autre, comme un paravent. La fragilité de leur support face au climat de la zone maya, mais aussi les destructions d’origine anthropique ont eu pour conséquence que la grande majorité d’entre eux a disparu. N’en ont réchappé que trois, peut‑être quatre. Les trois dont l’entière authenticité est admise à l’unanimité sont conservés dans l’Union européenne et sont appelés le Codex de Dresde, le Codex de Paris et le Codex de Madrid. Si l’ensemble de ces exceptionnels documents s’est essentiellement réduit à cela, ce type de sources a probablement constitué à l’origine le principal genre d’écrits mayas. Les rares exemples à nous en être parvenus sont par ailleurs très tardifs, datant de l’époque postclassique récente voire des débuts de l’époque coloniale. En ce qui concerne leur contenu, ces codex qui nous sont parvenus sont du même genre. Il s’agit en effet de recueils d’almanachs divinatoires, à contenu astrologique et/ou prophétique, laissant à penser que ces manuscrits étaient essentiellement des sortes de manuels pour devins. Le type d’almanach qui y est le plus fréquent est celui qui, sous de multiples formes, se réfère aux cycles de 260 jours du tzolkin ou « compte des jours ». Mais on y trouve également d’autres types plus ou moins complexes, où le lien avec l’astronomie est éventuellement plus manifeste, tel que dans l’« almanach vénusien » du Codex de Dresde. Surviving glyphic texts produced by Mayas on a soft medium only include a few manuscripts, which were painted in black ink and colors on Mesoamerican paper. Each of these manuscripts was made with a long band of paper, resulting from the side to side assemblage of numerous folios (each page is around twenty centimeters high and ten centimeters wide). The whole was then folded on one side and then on the other, like a screen. The fragility of this kind of paper due to the Mayan climate -high heat and humidity- and also to anthropic destructions, contributed to the fact that many of them simply disappeared. Only three of them, perhaps four, have survived. The three that most scholars truly believe to be authentic remain in the European Union, and they are called the Dresden Codex, the Paris Codex and the Madrid Codex. If all these exceptional documents have been reduced to such a small sample, these kinds of sources were probably the main kind of original Maya glyphic writings. The few examples that survived so well are very late, dating back to the late post‑classic period or even the beginning of colonial times. When looking at their content, these codices all belong to the same category. That is, they are indeed divinatory almanacs, with astrological and/or prophetic content, which leads us to believe that these manuscripts were above all handbooks for soothsayers. The most common type of almanac they contain is the one which, under multiples aspects, refers to the 260‑day cycles of the tzolkin or « count of the days ». However, we can also find other more or less elaborate types, where astronomy can be more visible, such as in the so‑called "Venusian almanac" of the Dresden Codex. Lo que subsistió de escritos glíficos realizados en soporte blando por los mayas sólo contiene algunos manuscritos, pintados con tinta negra y colores sobre papel mesoamericano. Esos manuscritos están constituidos cada uno por una larga cinta de papel, que se consiguió juntando numerosos pliegos de una veintena de centimetros de alto y una decena de ancho, uno al lado del otro. Se doblaba el conjunto de un lado y otro, a la manera de un biombo. La fragilidad de su soporte frente al clima de la zona maya y también las destrucciones de origen antrópico tuvieron como consecuencia que la gran mayoría de ellos ha desaparecido. Solamente tres, o quizás cuatro, han sobrevivido. Los tres cuya entera autenticidad se admite por unanimidad están conservados en la Union Europea. Se llaman el Códice de Dresde, el Códice de Paris y el Códice de Madrid. Si el conjunto de esos excepcionales documentos se ha practicamente reducido a eso, este tipo de fuentes parece haber sido originalmente la principal forma de escritos mayas. Los pocos ejemplos que han subsistido son además muy tardíos, fechándose de la fase reciente de la época postclásica o aun principios de la época colonial. En cuanto a su contenido, esos códices pertenecen al mismo género. Se trata efectivamente de libros de almanaques divinatorios, con contenido astrológico y/o profético, lo que deja suponer que esos manuscritos eran sobre todo unas especies de manuales para adivinos. El tipo de almanaque que más frecuentemente se encuentra ahí es el que, bajo multiples formas, se refiere a los ciclos de 260 días del tzolkin o « cuenta de los días ». Sin embargo se encuentran también otros tipos más o menos complejos, adonde lo que tiene que ver con la astronomía puede ser más patente, así como en el llamado "almanaque venusiano" del Códice de Dresde.

L’histoire de la monnaie en Asie orientale est intimement liée à celle de la Chine. En effet, le modèle monétaire chinois a inspiré ceux des voisins immédiats. Dès le viie siècle avant notre ère, sont utilisés en Chine divers signes monétaires manufacturés en bronze dont la valeur d’échange excède la valeur métallique. La Chine invente donc très tôt le principe d’une monnaie fiduciaire faite pour circuler et non pour être thésaurisée. Du premier au dernier empereur, la monnaie garde le même aspect, à savoir une pièce ronde trouée en son centre. Cette monnaie, appelée sapèque en français, se répand grâce au commerce dans toute l’Asie orientale. Le Japon, puis le Vietnam et enfin la Corée l’imitent pour produire leur propre monnayage. East Asian monetary history is closely linked to that of China. The Chinese monetary system was used as a model by neighbouring countries. Starting from the 7th century before the Common Era, China used various coinages made out of bronze. Because their exchange value exceeded the metallic value, this was an early invention of a fiduciary coinage made for circulation and not for hoarding. From the first to the last emperor, Chinese coins shared the same shape. They are round coins with a hole in the centre. These cash coins circulated among traders throughout East Asia. First Japan, then Vietnam and finally Korea imitated them to produce their own coinage. 中国的货币形制启发了周围邻国。中国很早就创造了用于流通而不是储藏的法定货币。从公元前七世纪起，中国就拥有了青铜制的布币及刀币。这些货币的交换价值超过其金属价值。中国因此很早就创造了货币用于流通而不是储藏的原则。从秦始皇帝开始一直到清朝末代皇帝溥仪，中国钱一直是圆形中部为方孔的。这种钱币英文叫 cash coin, 法文叫 sapèque。宋朝时中国钱币通过贸易传遍全东亚。从日本到越南、韩国都相继模仿中国钱币而铸成了自己的货币。

The masculinization of births is a recent phenomenon resulting from prenatal sex selection. This paper reviews recent research on imbalances in the sex ratio at birth and the corresponding mechanisms, determinants and future implications. The mechanisms affecting the sex ratio at birth are reviewed, with an emphasis on factors relating to sex discrimination. The figures available provide an overall picture of skewed sex ratios since the 1980s in Asian and Eastern European countries. Large differences in the male surplus are also observed across birth orders, region and social group, owing above all to the conjunction of three phenomena: a preference for male children inherited from socio-familial systems, the emergence of assisted reproductive technology enabling prenatal sex selection, and a decrease in fertility that heightens the risk of not having a son. Recent research has analysed the demographic consequences of the masculinization of births on the future composition of the population and explored how social systems may adjust to these imbalances, with political responses to prenatal discrimination still proving relatively ineffective. The paper also reviews some of the main future research avenues.

"This paper studies the Vietnamese family by exploring family structures. A brief analysis of historical data from the colonial period is followed by a more detailed examination of data from the World Bank Living Standards Study 1992-93 including data on 4,800 households. In addition to presenting the first nationwide findings on the makeup of Vietnamese households, the paper analyzes the data from an individual viewpoint.... Overall, the findings show the complexity of the family environment, the importance of intergenerational relations and the lack of a significant increase in the nuclear family in Vietnam." (EXCERPT)

Résumé : Entre les années difficiles de la « déflation Matsukata » (années 1881‑1884) et le « boom des entreprises » (années 1887‑1889) considéré comme le début de la Révolution industrielle au Japon, l’histoire économique japonaise est comme marquée par un vide. En étudiant le port de Moji, à la pointe Nord de Kyûshû, on peut a priori vérifier cette vision générale : un endroit réputé « perdu » avant que le gouvernement décrète en 1889 son ouverture aux exportations internationales, ouvrant la success story de ce port devenant à partir des années 1890 le poumon industriel de l’Asie du Nord-Est… Or, nous montrons ici que les années 1885‑1886 ne furent en réalité pas « vides » mais qu’elles furent au contraire celles de la première ouverture du port au commerce international, à l’initiative d’ une combinaison d’acteurs régionaux et locaux, associant les milieux marchands d’Ôsaka et miniers du Chikuhô sur le port de Moji. Étudiant la structure et la stratégie de l’entreprise, le traitement administratif par le gouvernement de sa demande d’action internationale et l’évolution du marché intérieur et extérieur, nous montrons que l’élément majeur qui explique l’échec des exportations internationales de charbon depuis Moji fut le refus du ministre des Affaires étrangères, Inoue Kaoru d’autoriser à l’entreprise d’employer des navires étrangers. Cela nous amène à interroger les raisons profondes d’Inoue et ses liens bien connus avec le groupe Mitsui, montrant que si les forces fondatrices de la Révolution industrielle japonaise ont bien été régionales, elles ont pu être très tôt contraintes par l’action de certaines forces gouvernementales liées aux grands groupes (zaibatsu) en formation. There is an apparent gap in Japanese economic history between the difficult years of the “Matsukata deflation” (1881‑1884) and the “enterprise boom” (1887‑1889) considered as the beginning of the Japanese Industrial Revolution. This general vision seems confirmed by the study of the port of Moji, located in northern Kyûshû: a place known as “lost” before the government opened it to international exportations in 1889, triggering the success of this port, which became, in the 1890s, the industrial heart of North-East Asia… Yet, this paper shows that 1885‑1886 were in fact not “empty” years, but that they were quite the opposite in fact: the years of the first opening of the port to international trade, in light of the initiatives of a set of regional and local actors, connecting Ôsaka merchants and the Chikuhô mining industry. By studying the structure and the strategy of the company, the government’s administrative answer to its demand for international action, and the evolution of domestic and international markets, we show that the main factor explaining the failure of international exportations of coal from Moji was the Foreign Minister Inoue Kaoru’s refusal to allow the company to use foreign ships. Consequently, we investigate Inoue’s motivations and his well-known connections with the group Mitsui, revealing that, even though the Japanese Industrial Revolution was indeed triggered by regional forces, those have been, early in history, limited by the action of certain government forces linked with the emerging conglomerates (zaibatsu).

This paper describes the reported distribution of AIDS cases in each country reporting 25 cases or more by November 20, 1997, by age and sex, as well as by assumed mode of transmission. These data come from surveillance systems of varying quality and must be interpreted with care when used for international comparisons, for the proportion of AIDS cases reported ranges from 10% in some countries to more than 90% in others. Moreover, AIDS develops rather late in the natural history of the disease and most people currently living with HIV infection have not yet developed AIDS. People who have developed AIDS are largely those who were initially infected with HIV up to a decade ago. The AIDS data presented in this paper therefore represent HIV transmission which occurred years ago. There is also considerable variation in the speed of progression from HIV to AIDS between children and adults, between those receiving treatment and those without treatment, and between different regions of the world. Finally, there is considerable variation in the way in which the data have been reported by countries.

Appliquant aux Lettres persanes de Montesquieu la réflexion de Carlo Ginzburg sur la démystification de la vie ordinaire, cette contribution entend distinguer trois figures de l’estrangement : 1) l’estrangement comme stratégie de défamiliarisation ; 2) l’estrangement comme dispositif spéculaire ; 3) l’estrangement comme figure de l’impossible lucidité sur soi, comme révélateur de l’angle mort de la philosophie et de la culture. Applying to Montesquieu’s Persian Letters Carlo Ginzburg’s theory (the unveiling of ordinary life), this paper will highlight three concepts of estrangement : 1) estrangement as a strategy of defamiliarization ; 2) estrangement as a specular device ; 3) estrangement as an impossible path to self-awareness, revealing the blind spot of both philosophy and culture.

La photographie de studio a connu un grand succès sur le marché de l’art grâce à l’esthétisation des pratiques et la montée en puissance de l’art contemporain africain. Son élection au rang d’œuvre d’art, s’est faite à travers les grandes expositions internationales, les foires d’art contemporain et la surenchère des collectionneurs et des galeristes. Le Malien Seydou Keita est le photographe de studio dont la renommée a été la plus fulgurante. Le processus qui l’a conduit à la reconnaissance internationale illustre les mécanismes de fabrication de l’artiste et accompagne la construction d’un marché de l’art de la photographie de studio. Cet article étudie la trajectoire par laquelle la photographie de Seydou Keita se constitue progressivement en objet singulier de la catégorie art contemporain. Il s’agit de resituer la place du photographe dans l’histoire de la pratique en Afrique tout d’abord. Ensuite, il convient de s’appesantir sur les caractéristiques plasticiennes de son œuvre et la façon dont elle a connu une popularité sur le marché de l’art. Studio photography has a great success in the art market supported by the aesthetics of practices and the rise of contemporary African art. It has begun artwork through major international exhibitions, contemporary art fairs and the influence of collectors and gallery owners. The Malian artist Seydou Keita is the most famous studio photographer. The process of his international recognition illustrates the artist’s manufacturing processes through the complex dynamics of contemporary art institutions and the construction of an art market of studio photography. This paper studies the way by which the photograph of Seydou Keita is progressively a singular object of contemporary art. It will explain the place of Seydou Keita in the history of photography in Africa and how his work has gained popularity in the art market.

En 1932, plusieurs pétitions en anglais destinées au gouverneur sont rédigées par des Africains de Gold Coast, pour protester contre un projet de fermeture de dispensaires de Protection maternelle et infantile, témoignant à la fois d’une capacité de protestation contre le gouvernement colonial et d’un réel succès de ces dispensaires. Cette notice analyse à la fois les raisons de cette mobilisation, le contenu des pétitions et le résultat de cette mobilisation. On y voit à la fois la critique de l’autoritarisme colonial, le succès des centres de PMI et la capacité de mobilisation des colonisés. In 1932, several petitions in English were sent to the Governor of the Gold Coast, in order to protest against the closing down of Maternal and Child Welfare Centres located in several southern towns of the Colony. This paper offers an analysis of the reasons for this political protest, as well as the content of the petitions and their outcome. Through these texts, the colonized subjects of the Gold Coast criticize the authoritarianism of the colonial government, show their appreciation for welfare work and demonstrate their political agency.

Cet article présente les matériaux utilisés pour construire la biographie de Gabriel d’Arboussier, métis, fils d’un administrateur colonial et d’une « princesse » peulhe. Il fut le cofondateur du parti anticolonialiste Rassemblement démocratique africain (RDA), et joua un rôle de premier plan dans le processus de décolonisation et dans les premières années de l’Afrique indépendante. Ces matériaux peuvent être regroupés en quelques grandes catégories : les Mémoires écrites par d’Arboussier lui‑même, et inédites jusqu’à ce jour ; les correspondances, familiales, amicales et/ou politiques ; les photographies ; et enfin les entretiens menés avec des membres de sa famille, d’anciens amis ou collaborateurs. This paper presents the resources used to write the biography of Gabriel d'Arboussier, a Métis, son of a colonial administrator and a Fulani "princess". He was the co‑founder of the anti‑colonialist African Democratic Rally (RDA) party, and played a leading role in the decolonization process and in the early years of independent Africa. These resource materials can be grouped into a few broad categories: memoirs written by d'Arboussier himself and unpublished to date; correspondence with family, friends and/or political actors; photographs; and finally interviews with family members or former friends and collaborators.

Introduction Several regions in Canada have recently experienced sharp increases in opioid overdoses and related hospitalizations and deaths. This paper describes opioid-related mortality and disability from opioid use disorder in Canada from 1990 to 2014 using data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study. Methods We used data from the GBD study to describe temporal trends (1990–2014) in opioid-related mortality and disability from opioid use disorder using common metrics: disability-adjusted life years (DALY), deaths, years of life lost (YLL) and years lived with disability (YLD). We also compared age-standardized YLL and DALY rates per 100 000 population between Canada, the USA and other regions. Results The age-standardized opioid-related DALY rate in Canada was 355.5 per 100 000 population in 2014, which was higher than the global rate of 193.2, but lower than the rate of 767.9 in the United States. Between 1990 and 2014, the age-standardized opioid-related YLL rate in Canada increased by 142.2%, while globally this rate decreased by 10.1%. In comparison with YLL, YLD accounted for a larger proportion of the overall opioid-related burden across all age groups. Health loss was greater for males than females, and highest among those aged 25 to 29 years. Conclusion The health burden associated with opioid-related mortality and disability from opioid use disorder in Canada is significant and has increased dramatically from 1990 to 2014. These data point to a need for public health action including enhanced monitoring of a range of opioid-related harms.

The year 2017 poses a number of existential dilemmas for Europe. On the regional front, several key domestic elections will likely determine the future direction of the European Union. The international situation also presents many equally significant challenges. As the Asia Pacific region spearheads the global recovery from the 2008 financial crisis, the European pivot to Asia stands poised to accelerate. A series of economic and security issues throughout the region present both opportunities and challenges for European member states; items on the agenda include persistent trade imbalances, climate change, maritime security and the law of the sea. With the rise in authoritarian governance worldwide and the push for regime neutrality within international institutions, how should the EU and its democratic member states respond to a potentially volatile realignment of geopolitics in Asia? China’s continuing economic rise, coupled with its uneven human rights record and territorial push into the South China Sea, poses a particular challenge for the European Union. This paper will examine the advantages and disadvantages of a heightened interdependence with Asian markets, as well as the security dimension of Europe’s presence in the region, including its longstanding commitment to free navigation and fair allocation of resources according to international law.; Au cours de l’année 2017, l’Europe sera confrontée à des choix essentiels. Plusieurs élections nationales seront déterminantes pour l'avenir de l'Union européenne. La situation internationale suscite également de nombreux défis, tout aussi importants. Alors que la région de l’Asie-Pacifique mène la reprise économique mondiale depuis la crise financière de 2008, le pivot européen vers l’Asie est en passe de s’accélérer. Une série d’enjeux économiques et sécuritaires au sein de la région présentent tout à la fois des opportunités et des défis pour les États membres de l’Union européenne. Les sujets à l’ordre du jour incluent les déséquilibres commerciaux persistants, le changement climatique, la sécurité maritime, ainsi que le droit de la mer. Comment l’Union européenne devra-t-elle réagir face à la montée d’une certaine gouvernance autoritaire dans le monde, à la propagation du concept de « neutralité du régime » dans les institutions internationales, ainsi qu’à un réalignement instable de la géopolitique en Asie ? La croissance économique continue de la Chine, son bilan inégal en matière de droits de l’Homme, ainsi que son expansion territoriale en mer de Chine méridionale, représentent un défi particulier. Cette étude analysera les avantages et les désavantages d’une interdépendance renforcée avec les marchés asiatiques, ainsi que la dimension sécuritaire du pivot européen vers l’Asie. Cela inclut l’engagement de l’Union européenne sur le long terme pour défendre le principe de la liberté de navigation et la répartition équitable des ressources selon le droit international.

[The conflicts in Syria and Iraq have caused forced migration of several million people. This exodus from Mesopotamia is it similar to those the world has known in earlier geopolitical shocks or is it a phenomenon without historical precedent? This paper analyzes the elements that lead us to consider this exodus as a classic front to question his undoubted characteristics that make it a historically unprecedented migration.], Les conflits en Syrie et en Irak ont provoqué une migration forcé de plusieurs millions de personnes. Cet exode de Mésopotamie est-il semblable à ceux que le monde a connus lors de chocs géopolitiques antérieurs ou est-il un phénomène sans précédent historique ? Ce texte analyse les éléments qui conduisent à considérer cet exode comme classique avant de s’interroger sur ses incontestables spécificités qui en font une migration sans précédent historique.

This paper attempts to give an overview of current levels of child mortality prevailing in the world. It also examines trends and socioeconomic differentials in child mortality for selected countries and regions of the world. Lastly it reviews data on causes of child death and related environmental factors. The paper concludes that despite the fact that child deaths are frequently avoidable, mortality differentials between the developed and developing regions of the world are more pronounced in childhood (ages one to under five years) than at any other time of life. While some developing countries have substantially reduced the level of mortality in childhood, in others it remains very high. In contrast, in most developed countries child death rates are now so low, that they no longer serve as useful measures of public health.

This special issue contains a selection of 12 papers by various authors on aspects of international migration to the Middle East. Papers are included on the impact of migration on socioeconomic development, income distribution, and rural capitalization in Egypt; migration from rural Lebanon; the effect of emigration on Pakistan; Indian workers in Oman; inter-Arab migration and development; the role of the state in migration in the Arab peninsula; the dynamics of manpower in Kuwait; the Iraqi model and Arab unity; and the impact of this migration on the concept of the New Economic Order.

This paper focuses on the integration of developing countries in the current climate regime. It considers the implementation of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) to address two major issues : firstly the regional dimension of this mechanism -- and particularly the leading role of Asia for CDM projects -- secondly the relevance of CDM projects as part and parcel of climate policies and sustainable development strategies in Southeast Asia and China where they have been vigorously promoted by local authorities., En analysant la mise en œuvre du Mécanisme pour un Développement Propre (MDP), cet article vise à préciser les modalités d'intégration des pays en développement dans le régime climatique afin de s'interroger sur deux aspects particuliers : la dimension régionale de ce mécanisme de flexibilité -- dont la plupart des projets ont été accueillis en Asie -- et la pertinence des projets MDP face au défi d'une bonne articulation entre les politiques climatiques et les stratégies de développement soutenable. Ces aspects sont analysés dans le cas des pays d'Asie Orientale, qui présentent à la fois un enjeu fort de réduction des émissions de CO2 et une diversité de situations concernant les secteurs ciblés et les politiques énergie-climat.

Between the years 1346 and 1353, a terrible epidemic swept over Western Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe, causing catastrophic losses of population everywhere, both in the rural areas and in towns and cities. The Black Death was a disease of such magnitude that it not only shook the Old World to its economic and social foundations but changed the course of human history. The authors considered and analyzed many studies on the Black Death published in different languages. In the present paper they report medical and epidemiological specificities of the pandemic as well as its geographical origins and the routes of its spread.

Les problèmes associés à la gestion des risques d’inondation sont une question d’actualité, mais aussi source de polémique. En effet, la manière dont ces risques sont gérés suscite généralement des avis très tranchés, les uns très positifs, les autres mettant uniquement l’accent sur les aspects négatifs. Le cas du delta du fleuve Rouge, au Vietnam, régulièrement soumis aux risques d’inondations, est à cet égard particulièrement parlant et le présent article a pour objet de montrer les points forts et les faiblesses dans la manière dont ces risques sont gérés. Pour ce faire, nous nous appuierons sur les observations effectuées au cours d’une recherche menée dans la province de Ninh Binh, dans le sud-ouest du delta, entre 2002 et 2005. Ces observations ont notamment mis en lumière les contradictions en matière de gestion du risque d’inondation existant dans le delta du fleuve Rouge. Elles soulignent les caractéristiques culturelles inhérentes au contexte vietnamien et confirment que les contradictions observées répondent en fait à une logique de préservation des intérêts financiers d’une région en plein essor économique et démographique où les espaces non exposés aux inondations sont rares., Flood risk management is becoming an issue that is both relevant and sensitive. Even though no one argues about the need for flood risk management, the practices used are often challenged and subject to controversy. This is particularly the case in the Red River Delta, in Vietnam. Flood risks are very important in the area and so they have been for centuries, but the management practices are often considered as being either very positive or very negative. This paper intends to give a full picture on the strengths and weaknesses of current flood risk management practices in the Red River Delta, through the example of the province of Ninh Binh, where fieldwork has been done from 2002 to 2005. Data and observations collected in this province located in the southwestern tip of the Delta underline the contradictions of flood risk management practices in the Red River Delta. The driving force behind these contradictions seems to be a fast economic and demographic development involving short term planning in a region where areas unexposed to flood risk are not many.

Japanese encephalitis is a mosquito-borne viral disease occurring in rural and rice-growing areas of Asia, where mosquitoes proliferate, transmitting the Flavivirus from viremic animals, mostly pigs, to humans. Japanese encephalitis has recently spread to previously non-affected regions, leading to serious outbreaks among non-immune populations. Although it has a high proportion of unsymptomatic infection, clinical encephalitis is usually severe, resulting in a very high mortality rate, and neurologic sequellae are common among survivors. Vaccines are used in several Asian countries. One of these vaccines is now available to French travellers, but only in international vaccination centres with an authorization from the French drug agency (Agence française de sécurité sanitaire des produits de santé). The aim of this paper is to clarify the recommendations for immunisation in each country of the affected regions. The area can be divided into three epidemiological zones, with tropical, subtropical and temperate characteristics. For the first two, vaccination is recommended before a long stay in a rural area, especially during the rainy season; in temperate climates, outbreaks occur in summer and autumn. However, local variations such as intensive rice-growing or development of pig breeding may interfere with these patterns. Long-term visitors should consult a local physician and prevention of mosquito bites is always recommended.

"This article is intended to make a first assessment of the consequences of Indonesian immigration in Saudi Arabia, in particular during the first half of the 20th century, and to describe the evolution over time of certain striking aspects of the close relation between the pilgrimage to Mecca and Indonesian migrants looking for work.... This paper considers the methods of hiring labour, the networks involved in recruiting it, the organization of travel, as well as the increasing indebtedness of the migrants through intermediaries who, more and more professionally, arrange these attempts to live abroad...." (EXCERPT)

"This paper aims to supply information on the factors that motivated large masses of Jews to leave the former Soviet Union and settle in Israel during the last few years. Also investigated is the relationship between Jewish identity and the decision to immigrate to Israel. Finally, the study examines the connection between immigrants' Jewish and Israeli identity and their predisposition to stay in Israel or to re-emigrate elsewhere. The findings indicate that the current Jewish emigration from the former USSR has, to a significant extent, the character of free choice, and that the decision to come to Israel is highly correlated with the respondents' commitment to their Jewishness and to the Jewish people." (EXCERPT)

"This paper deals with the attitudes of Jewish immigrants to Israel from the former Soviet Union. It delineates the adjustment strategy Soviet immigrants have adopted and attempts to explore their ethnic orientation.... While it is too early to draw conclusions regarding the ethnic identity of Soviet immigrants in Israel, our findings indicate a strong tendency for these immigrants to manifest and sustain a unique ¿Russian identity'. Taking into consideration the cultural and socio-demographic characteristics of Soviet immigrants, we may hypothesize that we [will] witness the emergence of a new ethnic group in Israel." (EXCERPT)

Asia is on the verge of urban explosion which will see an increase of 1,680 million inhabitants in the years between 1980 and 2020. Much of this increase will occur in large mega-urban regions which are now emerging in Asia. This paper attempts to explain this process., L’Asie est au bord d’une explosion urbaine, avec un accroissement de 1 680 millions d’habitants entre 1980 et 2020. Cet accroissement se produira en grande partie dans les grandes mégapoles en train d’apparaître (1). Cet article tente d’expliquer le processus en cours., Asia se encuentra al borde de una explosión urbana, con un crecimiento de 1680 millones de habitantes entre 1980 y 2020 ? Este crecimiento se producirá principalmente en la grandes megalópolis que están naciendo. Este artículo trata de explicar el proceso pendiente., McGee Terence Gary, Yao-Lin Wang. La formation des mégapoles en Asie. In: Mappemonde, 1992/4. Asies. pp. 2-3.

This paper tries to reconstruct the demographic evolution of China during the past 30 years, in the light of new data recently published by Chinese sources. At the end of 1979 China had a population of 1970 million, a birth rate of 18/1000, a mortality rate of 6/1000, and a growth rate of 12/1000; the Chinese population which was 540 million in 1949, the year of the Liberation, was already 642 million by the end of 1957. The demographic evolution of the past 30 years can be summed up in 5 phases: 1) 1950-57, marked by a natural growth rate of 10-24/1000, due mainly to a significant decrease in mortality; fecundity was about 5 children/woman; 2) 1958-61; very little is known about those years, the period of the "great leap forward"; there was undoubtedly a marked decrease in birth rate due to starvation-caused amenorrhea, and a marked decrease in mortality rate, resulting in a natural growth rate of only 5/1000; 3) 1963-64, with a natural growth rate of 33.5/1000, and mortality decreases again; 4) 1965-70, with a birth rate of 35/1000 and a mortality rate down to 7-8/1000; these are the years of the Cultural Revolution and the demographic problem is underrated in comparison to the political situation; 5) 1970-on; fertility rate is at its lowest, 2.3, and the slogan is "2 children/couple". The characteristics of China's population in 1979 are not very different from those of 1953; 38.5% of the population is in the age group 0-15, and there are 410 million dependent young people as compared to 60 million dependent old people; survival rate is 65.7% and infant mortality has fallen to the level of that in developed countries. The Communist Party made public its directives in 1979: 1 child/couple, reduction of natural growth rate to 5/1000 by 1985 and zero population growth by the year 2000; should these directives become real, China will have a population of 1050 million inhabitants by the year 2000. The level of education in China is still low despite the doubling and tripling of the number of schools at every level; the current reduction in birth rate will show in the classrooms only in about 12 years' time. The active population includes almost the totality of the population over 17, with the majority employed in the agricultural section; the internal gross product has increased 60 times in the past 26 years; still, unemployment exists and it becoming a serious problem. Demographic aging is still much below the level of developed countries. The real problem will become apparent in 1982-93, when the mass of the people born between 1962-73, about 300 million people, will become adults and will be looking for jobs.

Characteristics of family and household structure are examined in this paper to shed light on an important aspect of the life conditions of older persons in countries at different levels of development. Using various measures, both direct and indirect, the analysis showed the existence of a nuclear household as a predominant family form. Extended household families are more common in Asian countries, especially India, than in other regions for which data are available. While available cross-national data do not enable us to assess the extent to which older persons reside in households with their children, headship rates indicate that the majority of male older persons continue to maintain their position as heads of households in later life and that female headship increases with age. This is confirmed by analysis of data on marital status, which show higher proportions of males currently married than for females and sharply higher widowhood levels for females. Marriage at older ages seems to be relatively low. A general trend within most developed countries is toward increasing independent living, especially for females, and a sharp decline in both males and females living in a household with relatives.