Heinous spaces,perfidious places: The sinister landscapes of serial killers

This paper explores the internal and external landscapes of serial killers in the USA, offering a spatial perspective derived from contemporary modes of geographic theorizing. It opens by discussing the varying definitions of serial killers and their crimes. Second, it contextualizes serial killers by framing them within a culture that implicitly condones (mostly male) violence. Third, it investigates the motivations and psychological disorders that produce sadistic human beings devoid of empathy, morality or conscience. Fourth, it explores the spatiality of serial killers in six ways, including their changing rural and urban distribution; the highly gendered nature of serial killers, their victims and the spaces they frequent; the topography of race as it shapes their behaviour; the enormous spatial mobility serial killers exhibit; spaces of the body; and landscapes of fear that arise in the wake of their actions. The conclusion emphasizes the spatiality of serial killers as a significant part of their apprehension. Cet article explore les paysages internes et externes des tueurs en série aux Etats-Unis à travers une perspective spatiale dérivée des modes contemporains de théorisation géographique. Il débute par une discussion des différentes définitions des tueurs en série et leur crimes. Deuxièmement, il contextualise les tueurs en série en les situant dans une culture qui ferme généralement les yeux sur la violence, surtout la violence masculine. Troisièmement, l'article explore les motivations et désordres psychologiques qui produisent des êtres sadiques dénués d'empathie ou de conscience morale. Quatrièmement, le meurtre en série est étudié en rapport à l'espace selon les paramètres suivants: les changements dans la distribution rurale et spatiale des tueurs; le genre (masculin/féminin) des tueurs, de leurs victimes et des espaces qu'ils fréquentent; l'influence de la topographie raciale sur leur comportement; la très grande mobilité dans l'espace des tueurs en série; les espaces du corps; et les paysages de la peur qui découlent de leurs actions. La conclusion souligne comment l'utilisation de l'espace par les tueurs en série est un élément important de la peur qu'ils inspirent. Este papel explora los paisajes internos y externos de los asesinos de asesinatos en serie en los Estados Unidos, y ofrece una perspectiva espacial derivada de modos contemporáneos de teorizar de la geografía. Empieza por discutir las varias definiciones de lo que es un asesino de este tipo y sus delitos. Luego, pone en contexto a estos asesinos, colocándolos en un marco dentro de una cultura que, de forma implícita condona la violencia (por la mayor parte masculina). Y después investiga las motivaciones y los problemas psicológicos que producen seres humanos sádicos, carentes de empatía, moralidad o conciencia. Luego explora la espacialidad de los asesinos de seis modos, que incluye su cambiante distribución rural/urbana; lo importante que es gén ero en lo que se refiere a los asesinos de este tipo, a sus víctimas y a los espacios que frecuentan, la topografía de raza y el modo en que moldea su comportamiento; la enorme movilidad espacial exhibida por los asesinos seriales; espacios corporales; y paisajes de miedo de surgen como consecuencia de sus actos. La conclusión destaca la espacialidad de los asesinos que cometen una serie de asesinatos como una parte significativa de su prendimiento.     

Gender,Power and Crib Geography: Transitional spaces and potential places

D. W. Winnicott's notion of 'transitional space' is noted as a potentially important contribution to post-Englightenment thinking because it decenters reason and logic in favor of playing with and making use of as the qualities most characteristic of human being. Winnicott is also, perhaps, the one child development theorist whose speculations parallel most closely contemporary post-modern interests of geographers. His principal concerns are how children (and adults) bridge the gap between egocentricism and recognition of an external world and how they distinguish between self and other. Unlike Piaget, Freud or Lacan, Winnicott does not problematize the separation of the child and her external environment primarily in terms of objective distancing, naming, rationalizing or compartmentalizing. Rather, Winnicott describes the place of play and child development in terms of transitional spaces which, we argue, bear close resemblance to the ideas which surround Henri Lefebvre's trial by space. In part, our intent is to spatialize Winnicott's ideas and to give specific form to some of Lefebvre's abstract notions of how space is produced. Winnicott's ideas are particularly intriguing for geographers because transitional spaces are theorized as the spaces out of and from which culture arises. As with play (an object), in culture there is something to make use of (a tradition), but the child/adult also has the capacity to bring something of her inner self to the tradition. In addition to discussing the potential of a link between the work of Lefebvre and Winnicott, the paper discusses the value to geography of post-structural feminist Jane Flax's recent interrogation of Winnicott's ideas. Flax's concern is to rework Winnicott's ideas from a feminist perspective and apply them to an account of identity formation which focuses upon justice and the play of differences. Transitional spaces help conflate notions of self and place, but they are also places wherein liberatory notions of justice and difference may develop.     

The evolution of international political economy

The 'invisible college' of international political economy (IPE) is a house divided. The field is split between the rationalist species that dominates in the US and a diverse genus of critical scholars. Recent developments in IPE suggest, however, that there is scope to rebuild the invisible college. An increasing awareness of normative questions should make rationalist scholars more receptive to critical work, while critical scholars are discovering an independent identity as they reinvent themselves in the tradition of classical political economy. There is much to gain from a renewed exchange between rationalist and critical scholars, particularly in the context of empirical work, as demonstrated by the vivid politics of the global bioeconomy.     

Archaeological excavations at Bosutswe,Botswana: cultural chronology,paleo-ecology and economy

Excavations at the site of Bosutswe on the eastern edge of the Kalahari Desert in Botswana have uncovered over 4 m of deposit ranging in age from CE 700 to 1700. Our research has produced quantitative and qualitative measures of the material and ecological dimensions that structured the everyday actions and behaviors through which social identities were constituted, maintained, and transformed during the period when the polities of Toutswe, Mapungubwe, Great Zimbabwe and Khami rose to power. By examining the material dimensions that underlay shifting relations of production, exchange, and social stratification we are able to contextualize the social judgments that ascribed value to material goods and food ways, while specifying the ways these were used to create and naturalize social relationships and power differentials. Stable isotope analyses, combined with evidence of vitrified dung, further enable us to suggest changes in herd management strategies used by the inhabitants of the site to compensate for ecological changes brought about by long-term occupation, while at the same time enabling them to economically tie subordinates to them as social divisions became more rigidly defined after CE 1300. The cultural and economic changes that took place at Bosutswe thus directly impact our understanding of the social transformations that immediately preceded contemporary configurations of ethnicity in Botswana.     

Towards cultural sustainable tourism at historic places: A critical study of Port Arthur,Tasmania

Abstract

The Port Arthur Historic Site in Tasmania provides an excellent opportunity to review the effectiveness of Australia's cultural heritage management processes. The place is extraordinarily complex, comprising modern tourist amenities, standing and occupied historic residences, ruins of penal and industrial structures, as well as subsurface and marine archaeological resources. The site represents two major epochs: the convict era, from approximately 1830 to 1877, and a later period, from 1884 to 1974 when it was the rural community of Carnarvon. In the 1920s the community reverted to its earlier name of Port Arthur. A review of the literature on sustainability and cultural tourism provides a context within which various planning documents and implementation outcomes at the Port Arthur Historic Site can be evaluated. The authors conclude that the present processes are confusing and open to manipulation for self-serving purposes. They suggest that the management framework prescribed for the Australian forestry industry is more likely to achieve sustainable outcomes. That framework features appropriate legislation, planning, implementation, monitoring and feedback.     

Changing places: investigating the cultural terrain of village pubs in south Northamptonshire

The village pub has traditionally held an important ‘place’ in British economy and society and as such is an interesting site for social and cultural analysis. At one level, it is a site with pronounced mythic qualities. Yet on another level, the place of the village pub is highly unstable and contested, with many reportedly facing closure. Adopting an avowedly ‘production-centred’ approach, this paper presents exploratory survey findings from two case study villages in south Northamptonshire. This includes an examination of each pub's input supply network, including links with brewers and other suppliers. The paper attempts to move beyond viewing the village pub simply as a declining rural service and focuses in particular on the ways in which pubs commodify ‘local culture’ as an economic resource. It concludes by introducing the concept of ‘cultural terrain’ and its application to the study of village pubs and rural services more generally.

Changement de décor: examiner le champ culturel des pubs de village dans le sud du Northamptonshire

Le pub de village a conservé depuis longtemps une «place» importante dans l'économie et la société de l'Angleterre. Il est un lieu qui présente un grand intérêt pour analyser les dimensions sociales et culturelles. Le pub de village est d'emblée un lieu ayant acquis d'importantes qualités mythiques, mais occupe à un autre niveau une place très instable et contestée. Selon les informations disponibles, plusieurs auraient déclaré faillite. Partant d'une approche ouvertement «centrée sur la production», cet article présente des conclusions d'une étude de cas exploratoire réalisée sur deux villages dans le sud du Northamptonshire. Il est proposé un examen du réseau d'approvisionnement de chaque pub, y compris les partenariats avec les brasseurs et fournisseurs. L'article tente de dépasser l'idée que le pub de village est un service rural en voie de disparition. Il porte principalement sur les façons dont les pubs commercialise la «culture locale» pour en faire une ressource économique. L'article se termine par un survol de la notion de «champ culturel» et de son application dans la présente étude sur les pubs de village et les services ruraux en général.

Cambiar de lugar: una investigación del terreno cultural de los bares de pueblos en el sur de Northamptonshire

Tradicionalmente el bar de un pueblo ha ocupado un lugar importante en la economía y la sociedad británicas y por eso es un sitio interesante donde hacer análisis social y cultural. A un nivel es un sitio de cualidades míticas pero a otro nivel el lugar del bar del pueblo es muy inestable, ya que muchos corren el peligro de que los cierren. Con un enfoque centrado en la producción, este papel presenta los resultados de estudios preliminares realizados en dos pueblos del sur de Northamptonshire. Incluye un examen de la red de proveedores de cada bar, incluyendo los vínculos con cervecerías y otros proveedores. El papel pretende ir más allá de la idea que hay del bar del pueblo como un servicio rural en declive y se centra en particular en las maneras en que los bares hacen mercancía de ‘la cultura local’ como recurso económico. Concluye por introducir el concepto de ‘terreno cultural’ y la aplicación de ello al estudio de los bares de pueblos y servicios en zonas rurales en general.     

Port cities and hinterlands: A comparative study of Singapore and Calcutta

This paper analyses the evolution of Singapore and Calcutta from colonial port cities to a post-colonial city-state and a city within a state, respectively. It will examine how the historical trajectories of these cities were determined and complicated by their maritime character and evolving relations with their respective hinterlands. Singapore had a fluid (literally and metaphorically) hinterland and its economic, social and cultural orientations were defined by the maritime trade that it conducted and the networks that were developed as a result of its commercial activities. The modern state of Singapore, which embraces the world as its ‘hinterland’, remains in essence a port city – subjected to global flows, multi-cultural influences and fully integrated with and dependent on regional and global commercial networks. Calcutta's position as port city, too, grew out of empire and imperial trade, but unlike Singapore, it had a clearly defined and dominant hinterland – Bengal. Its identity as a Bengali city is therefore unmistakable and it clearly shares in the strengths and weaknesses of its immediate social, economic and political hinterland, especially in its post-colonial incarnation, when it shifted from being an imperial city to a regional city.     

Culture/economy and spaces of economic practice: positioning households in post-communism

Many recent attempts to understand the role of household food production and forms of reciprocal inter-household networks in 'post-communist' East Europe have argued that such economic activities represent a rational response to the austerity brought by economic decline and contracting incomes during the 'transition to capitalism'. Through an exploration of the spaces of household economic practice concerned with food production on family plots of land and with inter-household networks of reciprocity, this paper argues that such activities can be better situated within the context of the articulation between deep-seated and long-standing economic practices imbued with cultural significance and current practices in the formal, emerging capitalist economy. The paper explores the inter-section and interweaving of these 'cultural' and 'economic' practices through the lens of the largely non-market production of surplus product, value and exchange in and between households. It draws upon research with households in two contrasting sites in Slovakia, and highlights the significance of an historical and more nuanced understanding of the constitution of conventionally conceived 'survival strategies' in East-Central Europe. Such a consideration of the almost 'mundane' practices of everyday household production and reciprocity enables an opening of our conceptions of economic forms in post-socialist societies.     

Constructing places for the market: The case of Newcastle,NSW

Abstract

Cities with a heritage of heavy industry, such as Newcastle (NSW), face an insecure future as they undergo economic restructuring. The identities of cities are being refashioned by entrepreneurial urban governments, as part of a three‐pronged attempt to market their territories. A social construction approach reveals the problematic nature of these symbolic reconstructions, their partiality, the reduction of heritage to a commodity, and the eliding of socio‐economic disadvantage. The new post‐industrial identity for Newcastle disinherits working people, ignores the local indigenous peoples, and trivialises the role of women. The richly layered urban landscape and historically constructed narratives – the local heritage – have been cynically appropriated and transformed for the purposes of place marketing. The rhetoric of post‐industrialism conceals poverty and alienation, and the associated physical restructurings are displacing service‐dependent populations.     

Regional spaces, spaces of regionalism: territory, insurgent politics and the English question

Amid the globalization of economic life and a myriad of powerful challenges to Westphalian traditions of political statehood, it is now routinely contended that regions are 'in resurgence'. Nonetheless, much of the debate on this purported regional renaissance is bedevilled by confusion over what scholars and activists mean by regions and an analogous mystification as to why some regions are 'successful', 'lagging' or 'different'. Our paper aims to instil some coherence to this debate by distinguishing between what we term regional spaces and spaces of regionalism . It then draws on this distinction to explore the institutionalization of England's South West region, highlighting some tensions which prevail over its economic future, its political representation, its territorial shape and cultural vernacular. In undertaking this, we demonstrate how the formation of any given regional map is reflective – and indeed constitutive – of an unevenly developing, often overlapping and superimposing mosaic of economic practices, political mobilizations, cultural performances and institutional accomplishments. This prompts us to question the currently fashionable inclination to fully jettison a scalar and/or territorial approach to the theory and practice of spatiality in favour of relational/topological/non-territorial approaches.     

Trade,tribute, and neutron activation: The colonial political economy of Xaltocan,Mexico

In Trade, Tribute, and Transportation, Ross Hassig argues that indigenous towns in the northern Basin of Mexico during the colonial period were largely self-sufficient. They traded with Mexico City mostly in elite goods, but for the most part they produced for their own subsistence or traded with nearby towns. Chemical characterization by instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) and portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) of ceramics and obsidian from post-conquest contexts in Xaltocan, a site in the northern Basin of Mexico, reveals that Hassig’s model is partly correct for describing Xaltocan. The town focused on trade with nearby towns and it produced some ceramics for local consumption. However, Xaltocan was hardly isolated and self-sufficient in the post-conquest period. Instead, the data suggest that the people of Xaltocan also obtained ceramics and obsidian from a greater variety of sources than under Aztec domination. Rather than being an isolated rural site, Xaltocan either increased its external connections and number of trading partners after the Spanish conquest, or it managed to obtain a greater variety of products than before through a bustling market system.     

Defining the OE hearg: a preliminary archaeological and topographic examination of hearg place names and their hinterlands

The OE term hearg is interpreted variously as ‘pagan temple’, ‘hilltop sanctuary’ and even ‘idol’. It is a rare survival in the English place‐name record. When it can be identified, the place name is commonly considered to refer to a location of pre‐Christian religious activity, specifically a pagan Anglo‐Saxon temple. Taking inspiration from the extensive and methodologically well‐advanced studies in Scandinavia, which have successfully related place‐name evidence for cultic and religious sites with the archaeology and topography of these localities, this paper adopts and uses a similar methodology to investigate the archaeological and topographic character of a selection of hearg locations. The traditional interpretations of the place name are questioned and evidence is presented that these sites are characterized by long‐lived, localized cult practice spanning the late prehistoric to early historic periods, but with activity reaching a zenith in the late Iron Age to Romano‐British eras, rather than the fifth to seventh centuries AD.