Creating Cultural Identity: Opus anglicanum and its Place in the History of English Medieval Art

The term opus anglicanum, as a designator of English national identity associated with embroidery and textiles, is unknown in any document written in England during the Middle Ages, but is used in papal and other European archives. The term has been questioned by a number of scholars who have suggested it may be a generic name used to describe a particular technique of attaching gold thread to an embroidered textile (underside couching). It is suggested in this article that the phenomenon of opus anglicanum during its golden age c. 1200–1400 was part of a wider European cultural development at a time when an appreciation of cultural identity as a transnational phenomenon emerged. The article goes on to examine the relationship between English pictorial artists and the craftswomen and men who made these textiles. It concludes with a case study of the orphrey associated with the Daroca Cope in Madrid — now associated with a designer in the artistic circle of the artist of the Wilton Diptych. The respect for, and reuse of, these works of art (many of which have survived through the care taken to preserve them in cathedral treasuries and private collections up to the present day) is an element in their continued importance as a part of our shared European heritage.     

Poverty in the South and in the North

This article presents statistics and literature on poverty and inequality in and between the South and North. The main discussion is focused on identifying which years poverty and inequality increased in the UK and US, and to give some tentative reasons for this. The objectives are to show the difference in the use of the term 'poverty', the magnitude of 'poverties' in various parts of the world, and the consequences of government policies in the North. The experiences of particularly the UK and US contain lessons that may be useful for policy formation to alleviate poverty and inequality in the South.     

Same Sea,Different Ponds: Cross-Sectorial Knowledge Spillovers in the North Sea

Knowledge spillovers are crucial to innovation and upgrading, but it is largely unclear what knowledge spillovers are made of and how they actually happen. The importance of Marshall–Arrow–Romer vs. Jacobs externalities is also a debated matter, whereas the concept of “related variety” has recently come to occupy a middle-ground position. However, the relatedness concept is ambiguous in terms of operationalization and emphasizes codified knowledge on behalf of other knowledge resources that are important for innovation, particularly if firms cross into new sectors. This paper sheds light on the “black box” concepts of knowledge spillovers and relatedness by exploring cross-sectorial transfers from the mature offshore oil and gas sector into the emerging offshore wind industry. A qualitative research design allows for a more nuanced understanding of the contents of knowledge spillovers and (un)relatedness between sectors.     

Toiling in the Vale of Tears: Everyday Life and Resistance in South Uist, Outer Hebrides, 1760-1860

Following the 1745 rebellion, agrarian capitalism rapidly transformed subsistence practices in the Outer Hebrides. Landowners increased rents, enclosed common lands, and replaced crofters and cattle with sheep-ranges. Population growth, the demise of the kelp industry, and crop failures compounded the problems of the peasantry. Widespread emigration commenced in the 1770s and peaked in the 1850s, when entire communities were exiled to British North America—the so-called Highland Clearances. This article traces the development of agrarian capitalism on the Isle of South Uist, explores the agricultural improvements undertaken by successive landlords, and considers modes of resistance adopted by the island's population.