Making Headway: The Introduction of Western Civilization in Colonial Northern Nigeria

This article scrutinises attempts by the British Foreign and Colonial Office to control information in its colonies between 1946 and 1950. Several factors combined to alter the ground on which colonial officials operated in this period: an emerging ‘Cold War’ between Britain and its wartime Soviet ally, international debates about creating an enforceable catalogue of ‘human rights' and a heightened emphasis on public relations within British colonies as a strategy for imperial governance. These factors converged in the response of colonial officials to the writing of one of the most notorious anti-colonial activists in Britain at the time, George Padmore. By analysing British Colonial Office reports of Soviet propaganda in their colonies, the article suggests new analysis about some of the ways in which the rhetoric of the Cold War impacted on Britain's approach to empire after the Second World War.     

Mid-holocene adaptations and later Mesolithic forest disturbance in Northern England

The Holocene period saw the gradual replacement of tundra vegetation by, first, pine—hazel woodland and then by thermophilous deciduous forest. Within these environments the Mesolithic cultures of the British Isles developed their foraging economy. In the Later Mesolithic (c 8500-5300 bp) we find that palaeoecological investigations provide evidence of disturbance of the forest vegetation, usually associated with the presence of fire. Although there is no direct evidence of human involvement in the cycle of disturbance and regeneration, it seems more probable to invoke the activity of human subsistence-related activities than natural autogenic processes. We suggest that in both uplands and lowlands, population pressure in the Later Mesolithic forced the adoption of more intensive use of game and vegetable resources, particularly deer and hazel nuts. Eventually, the adoption of cultivated cereals and probably of domestic animals can be seen as a shift in economy well within the scale of previous changes in subsistence strategy; there was no need for a change in social—ecological structures. Thus, the historic British tradition of reform rather than revolution seems to have had quite an early start.     

The eccentricities of England

In this issue we begin a series of brief articles written by the editorial committee in charge of each number. These articles reflect on Europe, its constituent parts and its history in a very broad way, using a variety of methodologies. These reflections begin with the concept of a national Sonderweg, applied to the case of England.     

Fathers,food practices and the circuits of intimacy in families in Northern England

Informed by a ‘theories of practice’ approach and moving beyond accounts that emphasise domestic foodwork as a wholly feminised task, this article draws upon a series of ethnographic studies undertaken in Northern England to examine men’s frequently overlooked contributions to feeding the family. Deploying the idea of ‘circuits of intimacy’, it specifically highlights how shopping, cooking and eating form part of the daily emotional practices through which contemporary fathering is negotiated, contested and resisted. In doing so, it contributes to debates concerning fathering and the spaces in which it is undertaken – areas of enquiry that have, until recently, remained relatively hidden in geographical research – as well as addressing the issue of feeding and family intimacy which has been underexplored within studies of fathering.     

The Legacy of the Vietnam War: Making a Living amid Unexploded Ordnance in Xieng Khouang Province,Northern Laos

Laos was drawn into the Second Indochina War, making the country the most heavily bombed country on earth. Although the war ended more than four decades ago, unexploded ordnance (UXO) continues to kill and injure civilians. In many provinces UXO constitutes the major hindrance to socioeconomic development and obstacle to local people earning a decent living. The aim of this article is to examine the ways in which local people have developed livelihood strategies to survive in dangerous environments through the lens of sustainable livelihood perspectives. This article argues that livelihood improvements in Xieng Khouang Province should be characterised as a bottom-up phenomenon. UXO is still a major concern for the government and local people with respect to achieving development objectives. As the financial resources for UXO clearance are limited, education is a powerful tool for creating awareness of UXO risks among local people. The research suggests that more resources should be mobilised to deal with UXO problems.     

The Romano-Greek Inscriptions in England

This note describes the archive and publication framework which has been developed to make accessible the results of archaeological excavations and related research in the City of London, especially since 1973. Appended to it, in microfiche form, is a bibliography of reports now available (M3/01—M3/68).     

英国那些好吃的

第一次看到英国鼎鼎有名的炸鱼薯条（Fish＆Chips）,吓了一跳：那薯条居、居、居然有我的手指那么粗,颜色白呼呼的;那裹了面糊炸的鱼也没有咱们这边的椒盐蘸着吃,能好吃吗？有一天,在中苏格兰地区游荡,逛到一个小村子邓布兰,又饿又冷,