Motive forces behind the new social policy after 1870. Norway on the European scene∗

Ida Blom (ed.), Cappelens kvinnehistorie, vol. 1: urtid, oldtid, middelalder til ca. 1500, vol. 2: renessanse, reformasjon, revolusjon ca. 1500 til i dag, vol. 3: Asia og Afrika. Tredje verden (Women's history, vol. 1: prehistoric times, antiquity, the Middle Ages until 1500, vol. 2: renaissance, reformation, revolution from 1500 to now, vol. 3: Asia, Africa. The Third World). (Oslo: Cappelens forlag AS, 1992–1993), 448 pp., 638 pp., 351 pp. ISBN 82–02–14078–1.

Johan Söderberg, Civilisering, marknad och våld i Sverige 1750–1870. En regional analys (Civilization, market, and violence in Sweden 1750–1850. An analysis of regions). (Stockholm: Almqvist &; Wiksell International, 1993). 290 pp. ISBN 91–22–01543–4.

Jean‐Pierre Mousson‐Lestang, La Scandinavie et l'Europe de 1945 à nos jours (Presses universitaires de France 1990).     

Pressure groups and protest∗

This paper builds on the work of Michael Lipsky concerning protest groups. I argue that his analysis can be applied to ‘relatively resourceless’ pressure groups in general, and that these groups need to work through the target's ‘reference publics’ in order to pursue their aims. This creates an impetus towards particular styles of action designed to attract media coverage. There are, however, certain aspects of this process which make it extremely precarious for the group itself, because it must lose a good deal of control over the process of influence.     

Chapels and chantries in late medieval and early modern Besançon: the record book of Jean Ferreux,chaplain

During the fifteenth-century reform of the Poor Clares by St. Colette, many new convents were built in France and Flanders. Their chapels were endowed by local benefactors with perpetual chantries. Much later, a diligent chaplain in Besançon reviewed the state of the chantries entrusted to his care. His record describes their condition after a decline of over two centuries, owing to currency devaluation, the collapse of the local aristocracy, and the nuns' neglect of their duties. The chaplain's book shows that these chantries, though founded in perpetuity, maintained their original function for only a few years. After that, even as the benefactors were themselves forgotten, so their chantries slowly fell into disrepair and decline.     

Views on “Golden Key： 17-Article Agreement”

The book entitled Golden Key： 17- Article Agreement, co-authored by Zhou Aiming and Yuan Sha, probes in a most comprehensive way the Agreement between the Central Government and the Local Government of Tibet for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet. The book runs to more than 640,000 words and has good illustrations.     

Early medieval T⊘nsberg — dating problems and the results

According to the 13th century Icelandic Saga writer Snorre Sturlasson, there was a marketplace (in old Norwegian: Kaupstadir) in the T?nsberg area by the end of the 9th century. The origin of the medieval town of T?nsberg has therefore been much discussed in the light of this statement. Viking Age and early medieval settlements often lack material datable by archaeology alone. In T?nsberg radiocarbon dating has been used to distinguish between Viking Age deposits and medieval deposits, when stratigraphy alone does not state the differences. However, this dating method has produced various results and there is obvious need for a local calibration.     

Accident Investigations: a comparative perspective on societal safety in Norway and Sweden, 1970–2010

The topic for the article is the growing awareness of risk and safety in Norway and Sweden during the last decades of the 20th century, and how the two Scandinavian states have organized investigations of accidents. In many western states accident investigations have moved from sector specific boards to permanent multi-modal commissions. This has also been the case in the two Scandinavian states. But this comparative study reveals different paths and varying speed towards a ‘safety culture’. The Swedish Accident Investigation Board was established in 1990, while its Norwegian opposite partner was established in 2008. Common for the two countries is that reorganization of investigation boards has taken place as political actions after major accidents, rather than as a consequence of risk assessments.