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This article provides a comprehensive overview of the experiences of Samuel J. Masters, the first and only United States consul to Guam from 1854 to 1856. Masters faced numerous challenges during his time in Guam, including conflicts with Spanish governors and difficulties in obtaining permission to repair his home. The article explores the expansionist policies of the Franklin Pierce administration and the Democratic Party's Young America wing, highlighting the importance of Guam in U.S. economic, ideological, and strategic interests. It also discusses the weakening of Spain's hold on its Pacific colonies and the role of foreign trade, particularly with British and American whalers, in Guam's economy. The author argues that Masters' career in Guam reflects the wider expansionist goals of the Pierce administration and the Democratic Party. The article criticizes previous research for not considering the political context and relying too heavily on Masters' memoir rather than his contemporary communications. It suggests that Masters' understanding of his duty as consul was shaped by a belief in Manifest Destiny in the Pacific. The article concludes by discussing the role of U.S. consuls in promoting American commerce and protecting American citizens abroad. [Extracted from the article]

What is the relationship between meaning in life and luck? One popular view within the literature is that resultant luck vitiates meaning; that if the relevant state-of-affairs is primarily the result of luck, chance, or happenstance, rather than the person's actions, then no meaning is conferred. Call this the anti-luck constraint. In this article it is argued that we should reject the anti-luck constraint. Two types of cases, often cited as examples in favour of the anti-luck constraint, are examined: the lucky idiot and the incompetent villain. Such lives, it is contended, can be meaningful even when the relevant states-of-affairs are primarily the product of resultant luck. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article scrutinises Seneca's moral engagement with complex financial accounting as a speculative form of wealth and moneymaking that challenged social norms and subverted systems of value. The contribution discusses Seneca's construction of a form of greed and corruption that is often anticipated by psychological biases, such as loss aversion and self-deception. This degenerating process is exemplified by the misuse of financial ledgers, and specifically of the kalendarium, an account book associated with moneylending that Seneca describes as a suspect instrument of avarice that provoked the ruin of fortunes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Swastika, which literally means 'well-being', is a Sanskrit word. This object, which was transferred from India in ancient times to various parts of the world as a result of cultural and political changes, has associations with the sun and fire. The swastika, which is among the sacred objects in Hinduism and Buddhism, has values such as luck, fortune and blessedness, especially as a symbol of Agni, the god of fire, and Indra, the god of gods. The swastika, which is called gamalı haç (swastika) in Turkish and fylfot, gammadion, crooked cross, hakenkreuz, gammation, gammate cross, crux gammata in Western languages (English, Deutsche, etc.), is seen in both written documents and visual art products. This object, which reflects the wish for the future as a figure of luck, fortune at the beginning and end of the Vedas and sacred Buddhist texts as witnessed by written documents in India, is also seen in visual products such as sculptures, pots and pans, stones, rocks, etc. obtained from archaeological excavations. The present work stems from the aim of determining the place of the Sanskrit expression swastika in the pre-Islamic Turkish belief system as witnessed by Buddhist Uyghur texts. The study consists of six sections. The first section of the study includes the dictionary meaning of the term swastika of Indian origin and its reflections in various cultures. In the second section, the place and reflections of the swastika object in Hinduism and Buddhism are given. In the third section, there are evaluations on how the swastika, which was a respected object in many belief systems in the past, especially in Indian religions, became a political symbol with the Germans in the 20th century. The fact that the positive meaning of the swastika turned into 'brutality' and 'pain' with the Nazis is an 'oxymoron' in terms of human history. In the fourth section, the swastika, known as Az Tamga in the pre-Islamic Turkish belief system in the witness of visual art elements, symbolizes the 'unity of God' by taking the name 'wheel of fortune' in the Islamic period. The fifth section aims to reveal the linguistic and cultural level of swastika in the pre-Islamic Turkish belief system among the Buddhist Uyghurs. In this section, firstly, at the linguistic level, the equivalents of the Sanskrit word swastika in Turkish vocabulary are discussed; it is seen that there is no Turkish equivalent of the word; the Sanskrit word swastika is mainly expressed with Tocharian and Chinese words. The examples in Buddhist Uyghur texts generally show that the swastika object conveys 'holiness' both alone and with the help of other words. Finally, in the testimony of written texts, the other reflection of the Sanskrit swastika expression in the pre-Islamic Old Turkic belief system in the sixth section is that it inspired a phrase (oṃ svasti siddham) that expresses 'wish' in the category of 'applause' (prayer). This phrase, which usually appears at the beginning and end of Buddhist rituals, is related to the Sanskrit word swastika. The word swastika, which is discussed at linguistic and cultural level under various headings in the study, is an important cultural word that shows the Buddhist aspect of the Old Turkic belief system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We argue theoretically and demonstrate empirically that to understand the electoral fortunes of far-right parties in Western Europe, we need to consider the advantages and disadvantages these parties encounter in the multidimensional political issue space. We argue that salience changes among the electorate benefit far-right parties more than shifting far-right parties' policy positions. We further posit that changes in the public salience of European integration are more important for far-right success than other issues -- including immigration. Utilizing similar survey questions from the Chapel Hill Expert Survey (CHES) about parties' positions and the European Election Studies (EES) about voters' policy preferences, we estimate multidimensional voting models in 12 West European countries. We then use mathematical simulations to show that the issue that matters most for far-right success is European integration. This research has important implications for the study of electoral competition, parties' campaign strategies, and voting behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leonor de Lencastre was the wife of King João II of Portugal and the sister of his successor, Manuel I. Both she and her mother Beatriz participated in high politics and the government of the realm, administered vast territories, and managed considerable fortunes. They also founded convents of Poor Clares –one of Colettines, the other of Observants of the First Rule– where they chose to be buried in graves dug into the ground covered by stone slabs over which the nuns passed in their daily tasks as a sign of humility. In this article, I analyse the demanding religious practice and pious works of Leonor and Beatriz which inspired other women of their entourage, including Leonor's sister Isabel and Justa Rodrigues. The exemplary dedication of Leonor and Beatriz led these other women to found female religious houses or join those founded by them, and to lead austere lives that contrasted with their privileged social origins. This demanding practice was not shared by all, however, and I also analyse the case of Isabel de Sousa, another noblewoman of Beatriz's household, who opted for a different way to be commemorated and attain salvation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Between 2010 and 2018, Australia saw four sitting prime ministers deposed by their own parties, giving the country the title "the coup capital of the democratic world". In this paper, we use Australian Election Study surveys and commercial opinion poll data to analyse what voters thought of these changes and whether they lifted the electoral fortunes of their respective parties. The results suggest that voters' views of the changes depended on the popularity of the leader in question, but that a desire to see better economic performance reinforced support for a change in prime minister. There is little evidence that opinion polls played a role in any of the changes, at least for voters. There is also no evidence that the changes improved the subsequent vote for each of the parties that changed a prime minister; indeed, in three of the four cases the party vote declined significantly following the change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article narrates the life and legacy of Gudrun Lenkersdorf, an outstanding researcher and professor at UNAM. Alongside her husband Carlos, they delved into the world of the Tojolabal in Chiapas in the 1970s, which led them to investigate the region's colonial past. Gudrun was known for her vocation for teaching and her critical approach to the study of history. Her legacy lives on in the generations of students who had the fortune of being her pupils. She passed away on April 30, 2023, and was bid farewell by her students. [Extracted from the article]

This article explores the challenges faced by South Africa in recent years, including the Covid-19 pandemic, political corruption, crime, and economic struggles. The author highlights the importance of institutions and notes that South Africa has performed poorly in terms of rule of law and institutional quality. Economic indicators such as GDP per capita, investment, and unemployment have declined and lag behind other countries. The article discusses the economic impacts of credit rating downgrades, a decrease in total factor productivity, and the potential fallout between Pretoria and Washington DC. The author emphasizes the need to rebuild institutions and pursue sustainable growth and development. [Extracted from the article]

In this paper I argue that luck and fortune are distinct concepts that apply to different sets of events. I do so by suggesting that lucky events are best understood as significant events that are either modally fragile or improbable (depending on whether you accept a modal account or a probability account of luck), whereas fortunate events are best understood as significant events that are outside of our control. I call this the Pure Control Account of Fortune. I show that this account of fortune forces control theorists about luck to be fortune reductionists but allows those who endorse a modal or probability account of luck to be fortune realists. Additionally, I argue that this account of fortune helps us overcome prominent counterexamples and challenges found in the luck literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An entity’s fortune can be found dually within the financial-accounting information. It is presented and assessed simultaneously based on two distinct criteria: the utilisation one, defining the values which can be transformed in money, and the resources one, defining the origin of funding sources. If both the utilization time and the allocation time intervene in the equation, with a shorter or a longer time horizon than a financial year, the long term and the short term structures are defined. By associating these structures with their specific operations, the cycles of operations at the level of an entity are pointed out, namely the exploitation cycle, with a high degree of dynamism, according to the structures on the short term, on the one hand, and the investments and funding cycles, with a high degree of stability, corresponding to the structures on the long term, on the other hand. In accordance with these cycles of operations there is a series of financial indicators pointing out the health degree of the business, which we render in the article hereby.

"Boyhood Among the Woolies: Growing Up on a Basque Sheep Ranch" by Richard W. Etulain delves into the author's memories of growing up on a Basque sheep ranch in eastern Washington. Through thematic chapters, Etulain challenges myths and stereotypes about Basque American rural experiences, highlighting the perseverance and hard work of his Basque immigrant parents. The book explores the cultural oxymoron of being a Basque Nazarene and the impact of evangelical prohibitions on Basque cultural practices. Etulain's narrative reflects on the influence of his father's work ethic and his mother's emphasis on education, ultimately showcasing the resilience and determination of Basque herders in the American West. [Extracted from the article]

The aim of this study is to determine whether the fatalistic tendencies of young adult university students predict their political preferences. For this purpose, the fatalism tendency scale consisting of four sub-dimensions was applied, and the predictive power of the obtained data on political preferences was examined. The study sample consisted of 630 young adult university students (male 294, female 336) between the ages of 18 and 26. Independent variables are fatalism sub-dimensions (predetermination, personal control, luck, and superstition), and dependent variables are political leaders and political party preferences. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to determine the effect of independent variables on dependent variables. The analysis results revealed that the sub-dimensions of fatalism, predetermination, luck, and superstition significantly predicted voters' preferences for political leaders. No significant relationship could be detected between the change in participants' personal control tendency and their preference for political leaders. In the second stage of the analysis, it was examined whether the tendency towards fatalism affected the choice of political party. It was observed that the sub-dimensions of predetermination, luck, and superstition were significant predictors of political party preferences. There was no significant relationship between change in personal control tendency and political party preference. The research results revealed that if the tendency towards fatalism changes, there are also significant changes in political preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on a Zambian case study of the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD), this paper applies the behavioural theory of party competition to explain how, through vote-seeking and office-seeking strategies, political parties may employ rapacious predatory co-optation of members from competing political parties as a mobilisation strategy. The paper concludes that in the absence of a dominant political party, parties and political elites may resort to predation to bolster their electoral fortunes. While predatory co-optation may strengthen some parties, it also weakens others and undermines or reverses party system institutionalisation and vertical accountability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the dominant morality to which wealthy Russians adhered in their vision of how society should be organized and the role they see for themselves. The interviews with, and observations of, eighty Russian multi-millionaires and billionaires, their spouses, and their children, on which the article is based, were conducted from 2008 to 2017, a time when Russia's rich were most settled in their positions. The interview analysis highlights the role of Soviet history and shows how it is integrated into, and harmonizes with, contemporary upper-class Russians' notions of meritocracy. The author argues that drawing on international sociological research considerably advances our understanding of how Russian elites ideologically construe and morally legitimize the concentration of money and power in their own hands and how they model themselves as "good" in their actions and "deserving" of their fortunes. Conversely, the article suggests that these new findings on Russian elites (in particular, their references to their superior genes and their unwavering preference for private capital as a means to develop society—if necessary, to the detriment of democracy) offer great insights into, and have the potential to complement, established scholarship on Western elites (who emphasize hard work but tend to gloss over biology). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The issuance of Government Regulation of the Republic of Indonesia Number 24 of 2022 on Regulation of the Implementation of Law Number 24 of 2019 on creative economy has served as the foundation of the copyright financing concept with an economic value, which can be used as fiduciary collateral. Therefore, problems that arose in the application of the mentioned concept are when copyright as fiduciary collateral is executed. Problem of copyright as fiduciary collateral for executed intellectual property due to defaulting debtor, which includes moral rights that remain attributed to despite the implementation of the execution, void of legal norms on the execution of copyrights and strength of minutes of auction evidence as proof of property rights transfer to copyright, as well as restriction of property rights by Law of Copyrights in the execution of copyright. Moreover, the research method applied in this paper was normative research, by analyzing library materials or primary and secondary data. The first result obtained only economic factors that are transferable in the transfer process of copyright, moral rights attributed to the creator, implementation of copyright execution such as legal objects with similar classification, and auction report as evidence of copyright transfer. Second, different restrictions from Article 28 H paragraph (4) of the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia may lead to multiple interpretations and conflict of norms. The recommendation is to conduct a comparative study with countries that have the same legal system and revise Law Number 28 of 2014 on Copyright or establish the implementation of a mechanism for copyright execution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Investigaciones Historicas is the property of Universidad de Valladolid, Facultad de Filosofia y Letras and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Il Capitale Culturale: Studies on the Value of Cultural Heritage is the property of Il Capitale Culturale Studies on the Value of Cultural Heritage and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

US Republicanism and conservatism were structured around 'fusionism' from the 1950s onwards. Disparate ideas and interests were 'fused' in a broad coalitional bloc that was based upon a commitment to free markets, moral or cultural traditionalism and a commitment to US national security, as well as global power projection. There have, however, been significant shifts in recent years as many Republicans have turned against the larger corporations which appear to have little loyalty to the US heartland and are, it is said, guilty of embracing 'woke' ideology: that ideology has become the focus of cultural conservatism, with wedge issues such as trans‐rights a constant theme. In addition, many Republicans have either embraced or acquiesced in, a conspiracist sub‐culture. If foreign policy is considered, national security has been redefined in more restricted and overtly realist terms. Consequently, there has been a repudiation of earlier neoconservative efforts to spread market democracy. All these strands of thought are tied together by an impatience of, or at times disdain for, the checks and balances that define US political processes. Political actors across almost all sections of the right, but most notably candidates for federal office, have had to restructure their platforms and subscribe to these reconfigurations of Republican thinking and the 'new fusionism'. Although these ideas have a 'thin' character, they represent a significant shift away from the thinking of figures such as former House Speaker, Paul Ryan, Mitt Romney and George W. Bush, who defined conservatism and Republicanism just a few years ago. For the most part, their efforts to roll back federal government entitlement programmes such as Medicare, and create a much leaner state, have been abandoned. The article argues that the new fusionism is becoming increasingly embedded and therefore marks a long‐run shift in Republican thinking that is likely to endure, regardless of Donald Trump's political fortunes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides a comprehensive overview of the life and career of journalist Lance Morrow, who was a prominent figure at Time magazine. It explores Morrow's influential position within the magazine industry and his popular column on the back page of Time. The article also delves into Morrow's personal life, including his complex relationship with his father and his upbringing in a challenging environment. Additionally, it discusses Morrow's experiences and observations in the world of print journalism, highlighting his encounters with influential figures and events. The article also touches on the decline of print journalism and the impact of the internet on the industry. Overall, it offers a unique perspective on Morrow's life and work, as well as the changing landscape of journalism. [Extracted from the article]

The social changes tied to late modernity and an increasingly precarious labor market have facilitated the emergence of fortune as a potentially significant element for understanding contemporary society. This article approaches this contingent, individualized, secularized, and uncertain panorama from the perspective of the young adults tasked with navigating these societal transformations and the effects of a prolonged economic crisis. Based on a discourse analysis of 20 in-depth interviews and three focus groups with young adults in Spain, it examines how chance/luck is employed by these individuals. A typology is presented and discussed, consisting of four different relationships with fortune. In the participants' narratives this paper finds a meritocratic approach, which involves an understanding that good luck is attained through individual initiative, but also relationships less concerned with human agentic power where it can be conceived as an explanatory or meaning making device, as a threat or as an element tied to hope. Consequently, the article seeks to address a gap in sociological research, which has tended to overlook the analytical relevance of fortune, arguing that it constitutes a central element to the symbolic frameworks of these vulnerable young adults as they make their way through a changing world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An appendix is presented of the different functions that expressions for the concept of STILL have in Eurasia.

Can culture constrain policy implementation — and if so, under what conditions and for whom? In this paper, we test to what extent traditional values of numerology in China impeded the environmental benefits of a well-designed license plate policy. We take advantage of two natural experiments in Beijing. First, in 2008 authorities began limiting cars on the road by restricting specific plate numbers each day. Second, in 2011 authorities introduced a lottery policy-making it difficult to obtain any plate. We find that (1) non-traditionalists abandoned cultural norms, accepted non-lucky plate numbers, and switched to newer, greener vehicles, whereas (2) traditionalists — fearing the loss of their lucky plate numbers — held on to their older pollutant-emitting cars. We test our argument using a CO readings dataset, a Beijing driver survey, and a license plate image database. We find strong evidence that emissions were lower when lucky numbers were restricted, and the pattern strengthened gradually over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

John D. McDonald was a writer and editor best known for his work at Fortune magazine in the 1950s and 1960s and as the ghostwriter of the memoirs of Alfred P. Sloan. McDonald was also the first person to popularize game theory. In this article I argue that game theory played a key role in McDonald's transition from documentary writer to business journalist. Game theory gave McDonald a journalistic device to discover business stories and to give those stories a driving tension; he called it a "story engine." After decades writing with game theory, it began to serve a different purpose for McDonald. By coding business stories as games, McDonald gained insight into the characters, corporate executives who were often brief in explanations and shallow in self-understanding. McDonald's career gives us a glimpse at an extraordinary transformation of how a set of scholarly ideas can become a literary resource for vividness (of stories) and depth (of characters). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globalization is frequently linked to populism in advanced industrial societies, yet scholars have found little evidence for a direct connection between citizens' personal economic fortunes and populist beliefs. We draw on the sociotropic tradition to argue that beliefs about how the global economy differently affects groups in society link globalization to populism and its component elements—anti-elitism, people-centrism, and demand for popular sovereignty. Data from an original survey of US residents support our argument that beliefs about whether wealthy Americans have gained from globalization—the rich getting richer—correlate with populist attitudes. This pattern holds while adjusting for a broad range of pocketbook measures and the nativist attitudes associated with right-wing populism. Results from a pre-registered experiment further show that exposure to an article about globalization enriching Davos billionaires increases two of three populist beliefs, lending causal leverage to our empirical tests. Our results emphasize the class dynamics created by outside financial forces, rather than the effects on the country as a whole, suggesting that international relations (IR) scholars gain important insights by accounting for globalization's uneven effects. Perceptions about globalization inform attitudes about politics in general, a layer deeper than foreign economic policy preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1684, La Salle proposed to establish a naval base for France on the doorstep of New Spain by sea. The site he chose was a fork in the Mississippi River 180 miles from the Gulf of Mexico. This was where Bayou Lafourche formed a western branch, a distributary of the great river. When the difficult captain of his frigate escort vanished in a fog and headed south in January 1685, La Salle was forced to pursue him for more than 2 weeks down the Texas coast. Presented with a short calendar to achieve the possible invasion of Mexico, and facing contrary winds back to Galveston Bay, where he imagined the mouths of the main channel to be, La Salle headed into Matagorda Bay, where he hoped to find his western branch. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The original beliefs of the Uyghurs, which have been overshadowed by their conversion to Manichaeism and Buddhism, have not been thoroughly studied until recently. However, Uyghur inscriptions as well as Chinese and Islamic sources provide us with some information regarding their beliefs. In the first part of this article series, the Uyghurs' belief in various cults related to celestial and natural beings was explored. In this second part, other religious elements will be analysed. The Uyghurs possessed a cult of ancestors, in which souls were believed to fly away. Funeral ceremonies called yoγ are noted to contain animal and human sacrifices as well as self‐harming activities. Worship included animal sacrifice and idol worship. Qam (shamans) performed rituals, including fortune telling and weather magic. Religious terminology included qut (divine fortune), ülüg (destiny), yol (luck), and yazuq (sin). They held the numbers seven and nine in high esteem as sacred numbers, while sacred lights descending from the sky and the sacred consort of a mythological ruler were important motifs. Although some scholars have written that Buddhism was practiced by the Uyghurs before their conversion to Manichaeism in the 760s, further research has shown that this was not the case. This article also reveals how their ancient beliefs survived even after their conversions to major religions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A sizable group of superwealthy business elites have emerged in China, now home to the world's second-largest number of US dollar billionaires. Whereas existing studies highlight how large fortunes confer enormous power to their holders, this article shows, through an original data set on China's top business tycoons, that they often have trouble sustaining their absolute wealth or relative position. It argues that a key source of concentrated wealth's fragility in China is autonomous and unchecked state power. While the state's developmental orientation has limited predation and facilitated wealth accumulation, its discretion in economic and legal matters allows it to discipline and punish tycoons whose behaviors have contravened its priorities. Leveraging the intensification of state pressure after 2012, the article further finds that business networks among tycoons alleviate threats from the state. The uneasy relations between the state and the largest capitalists set China apart from many capitalist societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent research suggests that targeted promotions have positive effects on targeted customers and negative effects on untargeted customers. However, the advent of market transparency increases the likelihood of untargeted customers' negative reactions reaching targeted customers. We examine this issue with four online experiments and find that for promotions targeted on infrequent customers, exposure (vs. no exposure) to negative word‐of‐mouth (WOM) from untargeted frequent customers does not affect targeted infrequent customers' current purchase intentions, but does reduce their intentions to remain with the marketer. Furthermore, we identify two moderators, such that when managers mention luck in the promotion delivery stage and when managers respond to negative online word‐of mouth (eWOM) from untargeted frequent customers and mention promotions targeted on frequent customers, they mitigate this negative effect. Our findings offer a new direction for the undesired effect of targeted promotions and identify the possibility that WOM diffusion reduces targeted customers' retention. We also provide valuable managerial insights on how to mitigate the negative effects of targeted promotions by framing the promotion as a result of luck, and by responding to and mentioning promotions targeted on frequent customers to negative eWOM from untargeted customers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

La inconstancia de la suerte (Biblioteca Nacional de España, mss. 16216) is a manuscript that has never been studied before, and its author and composition date remain unknown. It is a historical play that includes one of the most represented topics by dramatists during the Spanish Golden Age, that of Fortuna bifrons. Intending to teach a moral lesson, the author of this comedy intermingled his characters, both historical and imaginary, framing their life trajectories around having experienced prosperous then adverse fortune, and vice versa. This bilogy was generated from a well-known paradigm in our literature, first found in The Histories by Herodotus, namely the war between the king of Persia, Cyrus, and the king of Lydia, Croesus, and the famous dialogue between Solon, one of the seven sages of Greece, and the Lydian monarch on happiness and variability of luck. This study aims to shed light on this codex and its author, likely Antonio Valladares de Sotomayor (1737-1820), through a multidisciplinary perspective that encompasses ecdotic, historical, narrative and linguistic aspects in order to clarify its origin and place it correctly in the history of Spanish literature.

"A History of the Tajiks. Iranians of the East" by Richard Foltz is a comprehensive exploration of the political-cultural history of the Tajiks, tracing their identity from prehistoric times to the present day. The book emphasizes the fluid nature of Tajik identity and its evolution over millennia. It discusses the origins of the Tajiks, their language, and their relationship with other ethnic groups in the region. The book also examines the impact of Soviet policies on Tajik identity and the challenges faced by Tajiks both within Tajikistan and in diaspora communities. While the book has some limitations, it is considered an essential resource for those interested in Iranian or Central Asian studies. [Extracted from the article]