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Intergenerational relationships have been established as a critical locus of psychosocial development, meeting needs of identity development for youth, generativity for elders, and connection and belonging for both. However, intergenerational relationships are both rare in the LGBTQ+ community and sorely needed as a buffer to the discrimination and harm that those within the community experience from systemic and structural oppression. Focusing on sexual identity, and employing a letter writing paradigm, we investigated the content of wisdom that LGB elders have to share with youth. In a descriptive, exploratory, mixed-methods, and pre-registered study, 94 adults ranging in age 50 to 79 years (M = 55.98; SD = 6.30) wrote letters to a fictional youth, Sam, as well as completed surveys of psychosocial development and well-being. Letters were content coded for themes, as well as for emotional tone and subjective perspective. The most common themes of wisdom shared included knowing and celebrating oneself, negotiating an oppressive society, and finding one's community. Those who wrote more emotionally positive letters scored higher on measures of wisdom and generativity, and lower on embitterment. Results are discussed in terms of the importance of cultivating opportunities for wisdom-sharing within LGBTQ+ communities to promote flourishing across the lifespan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ‘Hello Again’ letter-writing intervention is sometimes used in grief counselling to facilitate continuing bonds with the deceased. Family member caregivers of those with dementia often experience a ‘long goodbye’, as the relationship with their loved one gradually changes through serial losses before they have physically died, making the relationship markedly different than the one before the dementia. There are limited interventions to support caregivers with this pre-death grief. This study aimed to address this lack by offering the ‘Hello Again’ intervention to dementia family caregivers, exploring the perceived helpfulness of the task, and attempting to understand the meanings of the ongoing relationship as expressed through letter writing. Two dementia caregivers were recruited to the study. Each participant met with the researcher on several occasions, completed two interviews, which were audio-recorded, and two take-home letter-writing tasks. The audio recordings were transcribed, and both interview data and letters were analysed using Dialogical Narrative Analysis. The analysis revealed positive perceptions of the task, and participants described individual journeys of rediscovery and forgiveness. It was concluded that this study provides initial evidence for a promising innovative intervention to address pre-death grief experiences. Further development and testing of the intervention with a wider range of dementia caregivers is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Describe the history of the use of the term "lupus" as a disease and to point out the inaccuracies of previous lupus historical articles and correct the historical record. Methods: An exhaustive review of Medieval and later texts regarding the use of the term "lupus" as it was used for the name of a disease as well as personal communications with Medieval experts who have studied this topic. Results: There are three possible first uses of "lupus" as a disease: an affidavit written in 963 AD by Eraclius (Bishop of Liège, Belgium), in a 12th century historical account of the Bishop of Liège, falsely ascribed to the 9th century Bishop Herbernus, or in an 1170 AD letter written by Pierre de Blois about the death of archbishop Stephan du Perche. The first use of "lupus" in a medical text was by Rolando da Parma in a 1230 AD surgical treatise. Lupus, Latin for wolf, was not used to describe lesions that looked like wolf bites. Instead, it was first used to describe potentially deadly skin lesions that devoured the affected person's skin and "internal matter." The first described lupus treatment was freshly killed chicken flesh applied to the lesions so they would "wolfishly" eat the chicken rather than the person's flesh. At least 25 modern historical articles, book chapters, and academic theses on the topic contain incorrect dates, story authorship ascriptions, reason for the use of "lupus" and other facts. There is no proof that Hippocrates described lupus. The Basilica of St Martin (Liege, Belgium), was originally built in the 10th century by Eraclius, Bishop of Liege, out of gratitude to St Martin for curing him of "lupus." Conclusions: The first use of the word "lupus" as a disease originated in either the 10th or 12th centuries. It described a deadly disease affecting the buttocks and legs that "wolfishly" devoured the person's flesh and "internal matter" as well as doctor-prescribed fresh chicken flesh placed on the lesions. Authors of medical history articles should evaluate original historical texts and not simply repeat what other modern articles have written. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: There are no criteria for what type of manuscript and to what extent ChatGPT use is permissible in writing manuscripts. I aimed to determine which, human or ChatGPT, writes more readable letters to the editor and whether ChatGPT writes letters mimicking a certain person. I aimed to provide hints as to what makes the difference between humans and ChatGPT. Methods: This is a descriptive pilot study. I tasked ChatGPT (version 3.5) with generating a disagreement letter to my previous article (Letter 0). I wrote a letter involving three weaknesses of the addressed article (Letter 1). I provided ChatGPT with these three weaknesses and tasked it with generating a letter (Letter 2). Then, I supplied my authored letters and tasked ChatGPT with emulating my writing style (Letter 3). Eight professors evaluated the letters' readability and ChatGPT assessed which letter was more likely to be accepted. Results: ChatGPT produced coherent letters (Letters 0 and 2). Professors rated the readability of Letters 1 and 2 similarly, finding Letter 3 less readable. ChatGPT determined that the human‐authored Letter 1 had a slightly higher acceptance likelihood than the ChatGPT‐generated Letter 2. Although ChatGPT identified personal writing styles, its mimicry did not enhance the letter's quality. Conclusion: This preliminary experiment indicates that human‐written letters are perceived to be as readable as, or no less readable than, ChatGPT‐generated ones. It suggests that human touch, with its inherent enthusiasm, is essential for effective letter writing. Further comprehensive investigations are warranted to ascertain the extent to which ChatGPT can be used in this domain. Synopsis: Human‐written letters to the editor are as readable as, or no less readable than, ChatGPT‐generated letters, and human touch is considered essential in letter‐writing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This contribution looks at two iterations of Paolo Morosini's Letter to Cicco Simonetta (c.1470). The Letter was composed as a direct response to Milanese and papal critiques of Venetian expansion and was first part of a culture of diplomatic letter writing and persuasive rhetoric, intended to have an immediate political effect on hostile foreign views of Venice. Forty years later, Morosini's Letter had a second life as a humanist text when Giovanni Corner translated it into Latin and donated it to Marino Sanudo's library. This article argues that Corner's translation signals a kind of turning inward for Venetian defence of empire, now aimed at the city's own political class, which had significant reservations about the course of actions that led to the war of Cambrai. The Letter and its dual context allows an analysis of the way that two languages of power, humanism and diplomacy, intersected in the way that Venetian political elites defined and defended their empire in the changing systems of political communication in Renaissance Italy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines Zelda Fitzgerald's mental health struggles during the 1930s through her letters to F. Scott Fitzgerald. It highlights her resistance to psychiatric treatment and marital and societal constraints, highlighting her creative letter writing and art as tools for agency and autonomy. Despite prolonged institutionalisation and personal challenges, Zelda's letters reveal her struggle for personal and professional identity, contrasting poetic self-expression with the clinical detachment and sterility of psychiatric discourse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using examples drawn from letters written by rural youth from the western Canadian province of British Columbia during the interwar period, I explore three interrelated interpretive strategies or dispositions for amplifying young peoples' contributions to history: empathic inference, relational agency, and the axiom that children are heirs to the future. The letters are part of a larger archival collection of the province's Elementary Correspondence School, the first of its kind in Canada, and provide historians with uniquely valuable child and youth focused perspectives on schooling, family, work, and other aspects of their lives. Supported by examples from the letters, I argue that young peoples' contributions to historical change are most clearly legible when interpretive strategies, including the historical methods and methodological dispositions historians adopt, reject traditional conceptions of history as exclusively or mainly adult driven. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A national postal service is an essential nation-building institution; it integrates distant regions into a national community and fosters the extension of the public sphere. But in the first decades of colonial Australia, the material conditions of sending letters were precarious and uncertain, the rhythm of exchange was slow and the cost expensive. Australia had to learn how to write letters and how to send them; by the 1890s, it had completed its apprenticeship. Using postmaster-generals' reports on one hand, and autobiographical sources on the other, I explore the experience and difficulties of epistolary exchanges in the nineteenth century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, writing aids for upper extremity rehabilitation in stroke patients are not developed with consideration of biomechanical characteristics, making it difficult to achieve proper support effects. Therefore, in this study, we conducted a comparative analysis to examine how the use of two types of writing aids affects writing speed, letter size, and upper extremity muscle activation based on hand function and electromyography assessments in 12 stroke patients. Hand function was assessed using the Jebsen–Taylor hand function test, while writing ability (writing speed and letter size) was measured using the Korean alphabet writing test. Muscle activity was recorded using surface electromyography from both the paralyzed side (PS) and nonparalyzed side (NPS). The results showed that writing speed was significantly slower and horizontal letter sizes were larger on the PS. Additionally, muscle activation patterns on the PS were significantly influenced by the design of the writing aids, suggesting that the aids' design affects compensatory movements and muscle function. These findings emphasize the importance of personalized rehabilitation tools that cater to the individual needs of stroke patients. Future research will focus on developing customized writing aids based on biomechanical data to better support rehabilitation goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the First World War, British soldiers and civilians wrote a sizeable number of letters to one another. The military mail censorship system of the British Army remains a major obstacle to understanding the epistolary practices of soldiers. Historians and literary critics claim soldiers concealed the true nature of their wartime experiences from civilians at home, resulting in the emotional isolation of soldiers and a rift in understanding the war between soldiers and civilians. This study argues that the British epistolary history of the conflict ought to be understood for the "mundane" communication it spawned between soldiers and civilians in wartime and asserts that the mundanity found within these letter-writing exchanges was a deliberate choice made by people at war. In essence, soldiers were far more invested in negotiating fragments of their nonmilitary identities through wartime than in sharing the horrors, trauma, and disillusion of their military lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The abrupt shift to remote education during the COVID-19 pandemic significantly affected students' emotional well-being and their relationship with pedagogical infrastructure. This study employed anthropomorphized letter writing as a narrative trigger to invite management students to write to elements of their educational environment. We examined 49 letters penned by international students, addressing entities such as classmates, classrooms, and online tools. Our findings illustrate that students reveal their emotions, reflect upon their interactions with these targets, and ultimately reconcile their relationships with these entities, navigating the emotional complexities associated with remote education through their nostalgic narratives. This research contributes to the literature on emotional aspects of management education, the self-help benefits of letter writing, and the adaptive functions of nostalgia, offering practical guidance for educators who aim to support students' emotional well-being and autonomy during pandemic-related challenges and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visual communication today is often characterized as more complex and multi-dimensional than in the past, and it is often argued that we are separated from our past by a greater range of visual concepts, imaginings and technologies that have never before been dreamed of. But such a conceit does not withstand a critical interrogation; moreover, if it were unchallenged then it would lead to an underestimation of the enduring human capacity for nuance and comprehension, for both understanding and misunderstanding one another. The thoughtful exhibition of Micaela de Vivero's art underscores the hazards of stipulating a conceptual and material gap between the cultural and visual landscape of then and now, and by extension the autonomy and richness of past cultures obscured or annihilated as a part of the colonial endeavour. These ideas are beautifully drawn out and elegantly captured in a large, deeply researched exhibition by Micaela de Vivero, an Andean artist, who makes sculpture using often non-traditional sculptural materials, such as hand-dyed sisal cord and wool, hand-made paper, pig intestines, and gold and silver leaf. Her work draws on decolonial theory and in this exhibition specifically the work of a remarkable letter written around 1600 by Guaman Poma, an Andean scholar, to reveal unprecedented and still unattainable complexities in (visual) communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intricacies of the relationships between Roman aristocrats in the age of Cicero has been one of the most popular topics of discussion in modern scholarship. Cicero's letters have drawn considerable attention as an invaluable source for the study of amicitiae in the late Roman republic. Nevertheless, the methods that Cicero and his contemporaries used to reconcile with their former enemies is an area that remains rather unexplored. This paper aims to shed light on the significance of letter writing as a medium for the reconciliation between Romans with an active public life and to underscore the role that mediators played in the conciliatory efforts that both parties made to restore their relationship chiefly in the public eye. The investigation focuses on Cicero's well-attested reconciliation with Appius Claudius Pulcher. It argues that, while it was not the first instance in which Pompey instigated a reconciliation between two of his allies, its uniqueness lies in the ingenious and complex use of letter writing to effect and maintain their renewed relationship as well as in the combination of frankness and tactful manoeuvring in Cicero's letters to him. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article addresses the plurilingual writing practices of eighteenth-century women of letters through the case of Elizabeth Carter (1717–1806), a plurilingual poet and translator who mastered no less than ten different languages. To determine the forms and functions of plurilingualism in early modern women's letters, this article puts forward a methodological framework which combines insights from different fields of study. This framework moves beyond the notion of code-switching, and argues for a distinction between manifest and latent forms of epistolary plurilingualism. To determine the functions of plurilingualism in women's letters, it proposes a contextualised reading. The potential of this framework is then illustrated by a close analysis of Elizabeth Carter's plurilingual correspondence with Catherine Talbot (1721–1770). From this analysis, it appears that during the early years of their correspondence, Carter's use of plurilingualism was inspired by an awareness of the inherent differences between languages, and of the dynamic interplay between language and identity. Studying the plurilingual dimensions of eighteenth-century women's letters thus not only sheds new light upon women's linguistic capabilities, but it also gives more insight into the way in which early modern women (re)shaped their intellectual and/or literary self/ves through letter writing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pan-Africanism is experiencing a resurgence amongst young people in post-1994 South Africa. In this article, I explore how people across different generations interpret the legacy of a critical figure in South African history, Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe. The participants in this research and I represent a sliver in the changing interpretations of Sobukwe's legacy in South Africa after 1994. I have chosen an epistolary form as the key organising framework to share my ethnographic research, mirroring Sobukwe's own prolific letter writing practice throughout his life. The article presents letters written by two participants in my research to Sobukwe, followed by a response letter from me. This forms a dialogical conversation between me, the researcher, the participants in my research and Robert Sobukwe. The research essay contains elements of auto-ethnography, allowing me to engage closely with how Sobukwe has impacted my own thinking about justice in South Africa. I focus on education, a key tenet in Sobukwe's pan-Africanist vision. The article shows the ongoing erasure of Black liberation fighters from contemporary South Africa and the impact of coloniality in education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many classrooms across the globe, students are expected to comprehend and produce handwritten and computer-generated texts as soon as they start school. As we progress towards digitalisation in education, it has become necessary to understand the effects of writing modality on students' literacy performance and development. The current meta-analysis integrates findings from 22 international studies involving 6168 participants, comparing the effects of handwriting and keyboarding on the writing and reading performance of primary-aged students. Moderator analyses were executed to determine if grade level, keyboarding experience, timed measurement of letter writing, types of tasks measuring letter writing fluency, and study design moderated modality effects on writing outcomes. Results revealed a significant effect size when comparing writing quality between handwriting and keyboarding, with students producing better quality passages via handwriting than keyboarding (ES = 0.53). Results also revealed that only grade level significantly moderated the effect size for letter writing fluency and written word production. Findings indicated that handwriting and keyboarding practices are associated with improvements on specific reading skills in primary education, with no clear superiority of modality. We discuss implications for literacy research and teaching both locally and globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new alphabet based on Latin letters was adopted by the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA) on 1 November 1928 and entered into force on 3 November 1928 by being published in the Official Gazette. Following the Alphabet Revolution, Millet Mektepleri (National Schools) were opened on 1 January 1929 with the aim of teaching literacy to all out-of-school citizens and educating them as individuals of a modern republic. Thanks to this organisation, hundreds of thousands of citizens past school age learned to read and write in new letters. The National Schools were not only limited to teaching citizens to read and write, but also provided them with information on basic issues such as health, citizenship, state administration, constitution and elections. In this study, the period between 1928 and 1935, when Millet Mektepleri were most intensively active, is analysed. In this process, the establishment, organisation and educational structure of Millet Mektepleri were examined. Using archival documents, press organs of the period, official publications and other printed works, the study statistically evaluated the developments in the literacy rate as a result of the activities of Millet Mektepleri and concluded that this organisation made a significant contribution to the literacy rate in Türkiye. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tracing the development of non-lyric traditions in American poetry, the author investigates ways the poet disappears from the poem while poetic form is seriously destabilized. Two fundamental "alternatives to the egoposition," as Charles Olson writes in Mayan Letters (83), are identified: the poetics of attention on the one hand, and concrete poetry and language writing on the other. In nineteenth- and twentieth-century poetries of attention, the ego becomes an organ responding to experience, turning the creative self into an attentive mind that opens itself unto the world. Twentieth-century concrete poetry eliminates the self-expressive firstperson subject while allowing the language material to take the place of the subject. The radicalization of American poetry culminates in language writing, which places the creative process under the control of language, thereby doing away with the self that formerly gave cohesion to the text, and allowing language, as opposed to meter and prosody, to perform a central structuring function. Conducting close prosodic and grammetrical readings, the author demonstrates that in all these poetries—whether attention is directed to the world or to the word—the elimination of the lyrical self goes hand in hand with the disruption of regular poetic form. (EB) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper entitled "The Critical Dominates ... From Pattern to the Vision. 'Book of Job' as an example" raises one of the problems of Arabic criticism، namely 'the critical dominates'. By critical dominates، we mean forming perceptions and conclusions based mainly on ideas or perspectives without prior analysis or rethinking. These critical dominates have been taken for granted as axioms. The literary arena needs to construct a new vision. This construction needs rethinking of the basis. In this paper، we attempt to present this new vision by reading Al-Sayyab's poem "Book of Job" as an example. There are lots of earlier critical readings of this poem that relied upon basic perceptions of the poet himself in his letters and other writings. These perceptions present important critical readings but they neglect crucial aspects. That is why we try to introduce a new vision to the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents three rediscovered letters written between 1849 and 1851 by the great Victorian man of letters Thomas Carlyle (1795–1881). In these letters Carlyle sets out his views on the importance of a system of universal non-sectarian and national education as well as declares his support for the Lancashire Public School Association and its successor the National Public School Association. Together these letters shed new light on the sections regarding education in Carlyle's famous published works "Chartism" (1839) "Past and Present" (1843) and "Latter-Day Pamphlets" (1850) while suggesting that he continued to show substantial affinities with advanced liberal and radical opinion on this particular issue despite the common belief that he became an out-and-out reactionary in later life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While scientific publications are key to communicating research findings to other scientists, students face barriers reading scientific literature, understanding the literature's importance, and thinking about the implications of research findings. To help students overcome these barriers, and to further hone their communication skills, we created and provide here a project to have students find a recent scientific paper of interest, carefully read the paper, and then write a letter with relevant questions to one of the authors. This work not only helps engage students with class concepts and increases scientific engagement, but is also important because students realize that scientists are people too, who can (and often do!) write back to interested students to answer their questions. We suggest that this project is a great way for students to form meaningful connections to a scientific topic of interest, regardless of whether they hear back from their scientist, and is a good way for students to further learn about campus resources and develop their writing and communication skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a short biography of Christian Protten (1715–1769) based on archival materials as well as a transcription and annotated translation of two of his early writings: a 1735 letter requesting admission to the Moravian Community and his 1737–1741 diary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The utilizing of script elements with textual inscriptions on artifacts, particularly coins, has played a pivotal role in shaping diverse lines and an array of writing styles and letter forms throughout history. This study, grounded in descriptive and exploratory methodologies, seeks to meticulously analyze and scrutinize the visual attributes of coin inscriptions from the Ilkhanid period, which are housed in the prestigious Malek Museum. These artifacts, carefully selected from a vast repository of over 400 specimens, stand out due to their distinctive line features, captivating the attention of scholars and enthusiasts alike with their visual allure and historical significance. Central to the examination of these coins is the prevalent use of Arabic/Persian in Kufic script, often accompanied by phrases in the Mongolian language, occasionally influenced by the Naskh script. Thus, the primary objective of this research is to identify and elucidate various script styles and the unique characteristics of different Kufic lines employed on coins during the Ilkhanid period. Through meticulous analysis, this study uncovers a remarkable diversity among samples of Kufic lines, each exhibiting its own nuances and artistic expressions. Despite sharing commonalities, these lines showcase significant flexibility, offering a rich tapestry for artistic exploration and innovation in letter design. The unique breadth and variety of lines used on the coins of this era is such that each of them visually has significant similarities and differences with each other. The differences are clearly visible both in detail and in general outline. The lines are intermingled with all kinds of geometrical, plants, leaves, flowers and Arabesque motifs, and also some letters end in a decorative shape. Many decorative tendencies that can be seen in the types of kufic scripts have given them a distinctive style. Beyond the immediate scope of this research, its broader aim is to contribute to the enrichment and diversification of contemporary letters and writing practices. By shedding light on the intricate details and historical context of coin inscriptions from the Ilkhanid period, this study lays a foundation for further investigations into the evolution of script and calligraphic traditions. Moreover, it underscores the significance of artifacts housed in institutions like the Malek Museum as invaluable resources for understanding and preserving cultural heritage. In conclusion, this research serves as a testament to the enduring legacy of script elements on artifacts, particularly coins, and their role in shaping diverse writing styles and letter forms. Through meticulous analysis and exploration, it not only enriches our understanding of historical artifacts but also provides a platform for the exploration of innovative perspectives in letter design. Therefore, taking advantage of the diversity of writing and investigating the unlimited visual capabilities of these lines and focusing on their structural features; can help us to achieve different tones in contemporary writing. Ultimately, it is hoped that this study will inspire further inquiry and appreciation for the richness and diversity of script traditions across different cultures and epochs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study used letter writing to explore how human connections between groups develop over time. Qualitative analysis of over 600 pages of letters exchanged between pairs of Master of Social Work (MSW) students and community participants engaged with anti-poverty organizations revealed topics, transitions, and outcomes. «Outcomes» were identified when material was coded as human connection. Elements of reciprocity became more evident within transitional themes. Further analysis of human connection codes revealed vulnerability and intimacy, as indicated by elements of understanding, validation, and caring. Letter writing served as a research tool to examine the development of human connection within groups as well as a useful intervention to address loneliness in communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Linguistic & Rhetorical Studies is the property of Semnan University 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 Folklor / Edebiyat is the property of Cyprus International University 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.)

In this article, we examine, quantitatively and qualitatively, Dutch business letters written by merchants, focusing on formulaic phrases and French suffix borrowing. The letters are part of the Prize Papers, the collection of documents confiscated by the English during times of warfare. We compare these business letters to private letters from the same source, and address the question whether the business letters constitute a particular register. The business letters, written by upper and upper-middle ranked male merchants from the seventeenth century, appear to differ from private letters written by people with a similar social profile. Frequent formulae highly characteristic of seventeenth-century private letters occur to a much lesser extent, if at all, in the business letters. Other formulae, some including Romance origin items (Laus deo, saluut, cordiale), occur more frequently in the business letters. The frequency of verbs with the French-origin suffix -eren is found to be higher in the business letters than in the private letters. Functional explanations are presented for these register differences: formulaic language is correlated with writing experience, and the use of French-origin items may be connected to the common vocabulary used in international trading networks. Similarities in phrasing are also revealed in a qualitative analysis of examples of private and business letters by the same writer. This finding demonstrates how similar private and business letters often were, thus challenging the idea of distinct registers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Kastamonu Education Journal / Kastamonu Eğitim Dergisi is the property of Kastamonu Education Journal 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.)

Using letter-writing as a research conversation, this paper discusses collage as a reflexive feminist method useful in qualitative fieldwork, particularly autoethnography. The paper is primarily presented through letters written between friends – the two authors of this paper – with an interest in collage as an art practice. The letters discuss the value of making collages in Samantha’s research process, aiding her generative reflection on the emotionally difficult situations she encountered during an ethnographic project. We contribute to literature on collage as research method by foregrounding the embodied character of physically making collages as a process, showing how the body knows more than we think in our research encounters. We conclude by calling for what Moira Ferguson calls a ‘polemics of the heart’ through letter-writing and collage as feminist practice that might soften the patriarchal structures of the academy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our writing departed from frustration and discomfort with how academia and society are addressing the pressing sustainability problems we face as humanity. We expressed and explored this frustration through a circle of letter writing. We are a collective of people who have relationships to the master’s program Sustainable Management at Uppsala University in Sweden. Through our readings of Kristeva and Arendt, we developed the notion of becoming together, and by writing letters to each other, we found a way to reconnect with hope. There is a sense of community and ‘real’ exploration when we write together. In offering letter writing as collective writing, we also hope to reach out to those who feel the constraints of academic writing within predefined boundaries and genres. Our goal is to explore how we can use our writing as a way of being differently in academia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay explores ways to strengthen solidarity from Hawai'i to Palestine, in our classrooms and organizing spaces. We are particularly interested in the role that stories have to play in forging relationships of care. We look to the power that stories hold in creating bonds of friendship that are at the core of political community, and to their importance in EAducation, which we contend is central to solidarity. (As it includes the word EA , or sovereignty, breath, rising, the term EAducation bridges liberation and learning inside and beyond the classroom.) Written as a series of letters, to our readers and to one another, we theorize the significance of letters as what the Palestinian scholar and organizer Sarah Ihmoud calls "material expressions of an abolitionist praxis of decolonial love." In their form, our letters also put into practice the principles we embrace. As we explore and enact ways to build solidarity, we look to the work we do in our own classrooms, and to organizing we have done as members of Students and Faculty for Justice in Palestine at the University of Hawai'i (SFJP@UH). In documenting this history, we hope that the stories we tell will help to inspire more such stories, strengthening what Steven Salaita calls "inter/nationalism," and what Haunani-Kay Trask calls "the rope of resistance." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the tendency of some modern scholars to mark Augustine as the father of religious coercion, the Second Vatican Council (1962–65) cites him as a principal source for freedom of conscience. This essay presents evidence from Augustine's letters and anti-Donatist writings to show that he both upheld freedom of conscience and maintained a vital role for state force. The essay shows that far from simply providing a Christian justification for the use of state force against non-Catholics, Augustine most notably imposed the limits of Christian charity on a long history of state-sponsored religious persecution. Only by the charitable and paternal application of discipline by the state would many Donatists be truly free to follow their conscience. In this way, those persecuted for being in schism could attain freedom by coercion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jacobus C. Kapteyn was one of the most prominent astronomers worldwide in the beginning of the twentieth century and is nowadays regarded as one of the coryfees of the University of Groningen. His legacy is not only the prominence of Dutch astronomy during the twentieth century through his students like Jan Oort and Willem de Sitter and the Dutch school that followed. Part of his legacy is also the two paintings of him, produced in oil on canvas by prominent Dutch painter Jan Pieter Veth. One, showing him working at his desk, decorates the Kapteyn Room in the Kapteyn Astronomical Institute together with a painting of Mrs. Kapteyn by a different artist, and the other one, displaying Kapteyn in academic attire, is part of the University of Groningen’s gallery of professors in the Senate Chamber of the central Academy Building. The first was offered to Kapteyn and his wife on his 40th anniversary as Professor in 1918 and the second to the University after his retirement in 1921. There has been some confusion about the way in which these paintings have been produced, to the extent that it has been suggested that there must have been a third portrait that now is lost. Former Director of the Kapteyn Astronomical Institute Adriaan Blaauw has proposed that the one in the Senate Chamber actually is a first version meant to be offered to Mrs. Kapteyn in 1918, but at her request replaced by the one now in the Kapteyn Room. The first version was then later adapted to the requirements of the gallery of professors by Veth himself by overpainting it with academic gown, jabot and beret. A preliminary trial version in oil on wood by Veth, in the possession of Kapteyn’s namesake and greatgrandson Jack Kapteyn, shows what this painting would have looked like before the adaption by Veth. Recently an exhibition of Veth’s work (including the two Kapteyn paintings) was held in the Dordrechts Museum, in Veth’s city of birth, where it was stated as a fact that three paintings were produced of which one now is lost. The following reports on a critical evaluation of the available evidence, including the biography of Jan Veth that well-known historian Johan Huizinga, friend of Veth, wrote not long after the latter’s demise, and letters Veth wrote to his wife while he was working on these paintings in Groningen. I conclude that the evidence provides strong support of Blaauw’s proposed sequence of events with a few modifications, and that no third, now lost, painting has been produced. For those readers less familiar with Kapteyn, or those that want to read more background on Jan Veth or wishes to read more extended parts of transcripts of Veth’s letters, a much longer version in manuscript form of this paper is available as van der Kruit (2024). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper proposes new ways to reduce the labor intensity of work, simplify the development process and improve the quality of the image when designing a typographic portrait from a photo in the editors of raster graphics Adobe Photoshop and vector graphics Adobe Illustrator or Corel Draw. To reduce the labor intensity of work and simplify the process of developing a typographic portrait from a photo in a raster graphics editor, it is proposed to pre-process the photo in Adobe Photoshop with the "Pasteurization" command to select several color levels of the image, along the contours of which you can then draw lines that form a path for writing the letters from which the typographic portrait is formed. To simplify the process of developing a typographic portrait and improve the quality of the image in the vector graphics editors Adobe Illustrator or Corel Draw, it is suggested, after processing the photo in Adobe Photoshop with the "Pasteurize" command to select several levels of the image, upload the converted photo to the vector editor Adobe Illustrator/Corel Draw, and circle each color level with the "Pen" tool to form closed vector paths, which are thenfilled with letters, Having previously converted them into curves for the possibility of transformation along the inner boundaries of closed vector contours, at the same time, the letters that fill this or that contour are given the color of this contour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Bordering Ukraine, Poland has become the main escape channel for refugees fleeing from the disastrous war since its inception on 24 February 2022. The results of the study prove that the future of societies can be determined by the importance currently assigned to solidarity. The scale of support and assistance provided spontaneously by individuals and social movements in Poland over the last year has exceeded expectations and confirmed the feasibility of a tremendous potential of solidarity being dormant in Polish society as well as a readiness for selfless and effective actions. This research objective is to gain an insight into Poles' understanding of the hardships of the war, as well as the motives and emotional involvement driving their support for Ukrainian citizens. In parallel to that, the article examines the issue of bottom-up initiatives of solidarity from the perspective of the refugee influx. This research, which is qualitative in nature, is grounded on the technique of an epistolary narrative analysis of 43 letters written by Poles to unknown Ukrainians. Such qualitative methodology is characterized by typical limitations of this type of research (for example, little generalization is possible due to the size of the sample). However, the findings show that, through spontaneous solidarity and support, disapproval of the aggressor, admiration and gratitude to Ukrainian soldiers, the potential of the messages has boosted the rapprochement of the bonds between the two nations and alleviated the historical conflicts. The solidarity identified stands out and should be distinguished from any other crisis related to refugee phenomena as well as deserving further research from various perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate evidence of diachronic variation in patterns of Discernment Politeness in letters written in the ancient Egyptian Old Kingdom (c. 2300–2200 bce) and Late Ramesside period (c. 1099–1069 bce). We present examples of requests, information acts and honorifics used in these letters, predominantly those letters sent by subordinates to their superiors, to explore how this relationship dynamic is linguistically indexed. Our evidence shows that throughout the Old and New Kingdoms, communicative acts were regulated by behavioural norms dependent on power structures rather than individual volition, with Power being the most dominant social variable. Finally, we argue that Discernment is a key approach for exploring politeness in texts from ancient Egypt, supporting current research on the topic, and that the approach used here for the ancient Egyptian material has wider applicability for diachronic linguistic analyses of remote civilisations which are highly hierarchical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soror Maria da Cruz was a nun at the convento de Nossa Senhora da Quietação in Alcântara whilst Dona Maria lived unprofessed at the convento de Santa Teresa de Jesus in Carnide. These seventeenth-century women have long been considered the same person. Both were illegitimate and were related to the royal family. An analysis of the letters that they wrote and received evidence the scope of their roles and their influence which extended into the political and diplomatic spheres.

The Federation of European Biochemical Societies (FEBS) was founded in 1964 to bring together the scientific societies of Europe and neighbouring regions and to provide a platform for scientific exchange. Today, FEBS is an organisation of more than 30 000 members across 39 biochemistry and molecular biology societies that promotes excellence in the life sciences in Europe and beyond. To mark the 60th anniversary of FEBS, FEBS Letters celebrated with a writing contest focussed on participants' visions of scientific societies in the year 2084. Here, we present the winning essay, in which Yussuf Ali (Jagiellonian University, Poland) considers a future in which FEBS transcends not only geographical boundaries, but also interdisciplinary, technological and financial boundaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of prisons research, letter writing serves as a unique way to access prison participants without gaining formal His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) approval and does not place any demands on the time and resources of prison staff in comparison to in-person data collection methods such as interviews. Despite this method becoming increasingly used, especially throughout the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, there is not a lot of research on the challenges and risks of letter writing to the researcher. This article examines the emotional and ethical challenges of letter writing as a method of data collection specifically with prisoners, focusing primarily on the challenges and risks the researcher must navigate. While the criminological literature is slowly catching up on the discussion of emotions in prisons research, there remains gaps in newer, or indeed, more innovative methods used in criminology. This article discusses the challenges involved in the time between letters, not knowing if letters have arrived, the distance between the researcher and the researched, ending correspondence and appropriate long-term support. As the article progresses, positionality becomes central to these discussions. As well as highlighting these challenges, the article offers strategies and discussions about managing these challenges for future researchers, such as keeping logs, debriefing with colleagues, and ensuring long-term support for participants is in place before the data collection period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Late in 1902 and early in 1903 Elizabeth Stephansen, the first female Norwegian Ph.D. in mathematics (1902), wrote two letters from Göttingen to her colleague and compatriot Carl Størmer. The letters can be partly read as a reaction to some criticism which Størmer had made of the mathematical atmosphere in Göttingen before he left in December 1902 after a stay of only two months. The letters are discussed in this paper and published in the appendix in their entirety both in original Norwegian and in English translation. The article provides an insight into some aspirations and social conditions in Scandinavian, in particular Norwegian, mathematics at the beginning of the twentieth century. It also helps to broaden and deepen the historical discussion of mathematics in Göttingen around the turn of the twentieth century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When (some) international crises arise, it has become common for lawyers to respond by penning open letters that call out violations of international law and call on governments, international organizations or civil society to take a suite of actions. In this article, we argue that the prevalence of international law open letter writing means that open letters can now be viewed as a genre of international legal practice. Consequently, there is a need for international lawyers to attend more closely to the purposes, conventions and consequences of the practice. Drawing on open letters that were written in the first three months of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022 and the first three months of the Israel-Gaza conflict in 2023, we argue that there are three main purposes embedded in these letters: advocacy, solidarity and public education. Throughout this article, we explore these purposes, consider their limits and possibilities and analyse how the letter writers seek to achieve them. We contend that, at present, international law open letters pursue advocacy, solidarity and public education in ways that are often narrow and with possible unintended consequences. We suggest that these limitations could be addressed through employing a broader array of open letter-writing modalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article clarifies Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz’s understanding of toleration, a topic that has become controversial in the last few decades. For the purpose of brevity and exactness, only his writings and letters dating from the beginning of his philosophical thought (1668 to 1676) are analysed, while the main focus is on Leibniz’s understanding of political toleration, or the relation of the state towards the existence of confessions (i.e., churches or denominations) different than the ruler’s. The article investigates the understanding of toleration in the 17th-century Holy Roman Empire, which turns out to be the sufferance of difference rather than its affirmation or celebration, as well as the historical context of tolerating different confessions in various states of the 17th-century Empire. While indirect evidence is shown that Leibniz favoured toleration in confessionally mixed German states, the main point of the article is that young Leibniz cannot be counted among the proponents of toleration only if his vision of politically and ecclesiastically united Empire didn’t tolerate further existence of differing confessions. Based on the analysis of the memorandum Securitas Publica from 1670, it is conclusively shown that Leibniz was in favour of toleration of differing confessions even in the united Empire that he envisioned. The last part of the article explains Leibniz’s attitude towards “atheism” on the cases of celebrated philosophers which were widely perceived as atheists in the learned world of the time, namely Thomas Hobbes and Baruch Spinoza. It is concluded that the relation of young Leibniz to them and their work cannot be characterized as intolerant or censorious. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On five occasions in Pauline literature, the author claims to write in their own hand. In three of the five instances, the autograph is reserved for the final greeting and the greeting alone. In Galatians 6.11 and Philemon 19, however, Paul writes more than the letter's greeting in his own hand, as the comment about his autograph appears well before the closing salutations. This article engages one of these texts, Philemon, and argues that it was written entirely in Paul's hand. The letter was a Pauline holograph. To make this argument, the article first assesses the 'cheirographic rhetoric' of Philemon 19. Paul alludes to a type of documentary writing, the cheirograph, that recorded various sorts of financial proceedings. Paul's autographic guarantee recalls validation statements that were integral to this genre of text. Comparanda from the non-literary papyri show that when an author of a cheirograph called specific attention to their own handwriting, the entire document was customarily written in their own hand. The article then turns to the personal nature of Philemon and the abundance of second-person singular forms, arguing that there was a strong preference that personal letters like Philemon be handwritten in Paul's context. Taken together, these two arguments demonstrate that Paul's short letter to Philemon was more likely to be handwritten than dictated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When it comes to relations between Thailand (Siam) and Sri Lanka (Ceylon), the Buddhist connections between the two countries are often discussed and are highly valued. Communications between Thai and Sinhalese monks can be traced back to the 13th century: the Sukhothai era. These communications were then continuously maintained in the Ayutthaya era and have been up until the present day. Despite being situated far from each other and being separated by the sea, the people in these countries have been interacting through maritime routes and cooperating with each other regarding religious, cultural, financial, diplomatic, and political matters for centuries. The continuous interactions between the two came to a halt in the 18th century due to political instability in both countries. Only in the middle of the 19th century did Buddhists from the two countries resume their travels and interactions, rebuilding their bilateral relations and cooperation. There are very few studies that provide information regarding the religious cooperation between Siam and Ceylon in the 19th century. Religious cooperation between the two countries in the 19th Century has never been thoroughly studied and presented in detail. The purpose of the research paper is to investigate how Buddhists in these two countries cooperated with each other to achieve continuity and solidarity in Theravada Buddhism in both countries. We will address this question by analyzing the available data, which can mainly be found in the form of letters written in the Pāli language exchanged between Buddhists in the two countries. These letters have been published in Pālisandesāvalī in Sri Lanka and in Samaṇasāsana in Thailand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941 is typically reconstructed from military files that offer a dispassionate view, recording events rather than opinions. Gaining insights into the minds of key German commanders is much more difficult and often a matter of speculation, which all too often reflects the supposition of the author rather than anything substantive about the protagonist. Yet almost every German general wrote letters home to their wives and families in which — from the available examples — they offered surprisingly frank commentaries on the conduct of their operations. One such insightful collection is by Colonel-General Heinz Guderian, the commander of Panzer Group 2 in the summer of 1941. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]