Emerging Chinese Role in Shaping St. Petersburg's Urban Landscape: Interscalar Investment Strategies in the Development of a Residential Megaproject

The paper, by an American geographer, discusses the origin and development of a Chinese-financed residential megaproject (Baltic Pearl) located southwest of St. Petersburg's historical district. Viewing Baltic Pearl as reportedly the largest investment project undertaken outside China by a government-sponsored Chinese consortium, the author places it in the context of state-level Sino-Russian relations and Russian unease over the influx of Chinese migrants and culture. Reflecting the author's extensive field work in St. Petersburg and Shanghai, the focus of the paper is on the way the consortium was forced to adopt interscalar (i.e., both state and municipal/urban) strategies responsive to local conditions, providing a potentially useful precedent and model for Chinese and other investors seeking to penetrate Russia's urban markets.     

Challenges to Western Participation in Shaping the Urban Landscape of Post-Socialist St. Petersburg: The Failure of International Competitions for Iconic Architectural Projects

The paper, based on a series of interviews in St. Petersburg conducted in 2009 and 2010 by an American geographer, discusses the failure of major iconic architectural projects awarded to Western firms through international architectural competitions. The projects, sought by Russian government and business leaders to enhance the city's re-emerging global status, are viewed as likely examples of diminished Western participation in the shaping of St. Petersburg's iconic urban landscape. The author attributes the failure to financial setbacks, and primarily also to a recalcitrant bureaucracy, red tape, overly strict building codes and regulations, corruption as well as negative reaction by local residents and media outlets.     

Economic Policy in Post-Soviet St. Petersburg

The paper assesses the efforts of regional government officials in St. Petersburg, a city heavily dependent on the defense sector, to transform its economic base after the fall of communism. It describes how the strategy initially favored in the early 1990s (the development of St. Petersburg as an international business center based largely on foreign investment) fell well short of expectations. The author then examines the results thus far from an alternative strategy, following the election of a new mayor in 1996, that focuses on the revival of the city's industry and the promotion of trade. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: F21, H71, L52, O20. 59 references.     

Ivane Tarkhnishvili (Tarchanoff): A Major Georgian Figure from the Russian Physiological School

This article is dedicated to one of the outstanding scientists of the nineteenth century: Ivane Tarkhnishvili (Tarchanoff), a Russian physiologist of Georgian origin who graduated from the St. Petersburg Medico-Surgical Academy and worked under the supervision of the founder of Russian physiology, Ivan Sechenov. Among his numerous contributions was the discovery of the skin galvanic reflex; however, Tarkhnishvili's most significant contribution was the discovery of the influence of X-rays on the central nervous system, animal behavior, the heart and circulation, and embryonic development. Indeed, these works have given rise to a new field in science (radiobiology).     

Ambassador George Buchanan and the July Crisis

During the July Crisis, the United Kingdom was put under strong pressure from Russia and the latter's ally, France, to declare it would fight alongside them. Britain had made the entente cordiale with France in 1904 and a Convention with Russia in 1907. The British Ambassador to St. Petersburg, George Buchanan, was the key figure in diplomatic communication between Britain and Russia at this time and his performance has drawn diverse comments over the decades. Some analysts believe he genuinely sought to restrain Russia from war, but was undermined by his own government, who too easily accepted St. Petersburg must mobilise its army. But others feel Buchanan's reports of Russian mobilisation were ill-informed and unhelpful to the government in London. This article examines Buchanan's performance, arguing that he attempted to preserve peace for a time and does not deserve some of the criticisms levelled at him. Nonetheless, the preservation of the Triple Entente was a priority for him and, after about 28 July, once it became clear that European war could not be avoided, he became tardy in reporting Russia's war preparations, appearing more interested in defending his hosts’ behaviour than in providing an accurate analysis of events.     

From charting to mapping: Russian military mapping of Corfu in the early nineteenth century

Abstract

This paper concludes the overview of the Russian Navy's chart making published in Imago Mundi, Volume 52 (2000). In the present paper attention is drawn to the way the emphasis shifted in the early years of the nineteenth century from charting by naval surveyors to land mapping by the Army. The need for specialized military topographical education had led to the founding of the Map Depot in 1797 in St Petersburg. The first major survey undertaken by the Depot was of the island of Corfu (1804–1806), in anticipation of further Russo‐Turkish hostilities (the Third Russo‐Turkish war, 1806–1812).     

The Russian navy as Chartmaker in the eighteenth century

Abstract

The modern period of chart making in Russia began in the reign of Peter the Great. Peter created the country's navy, which became the main focus for cartography in the eighteenth century. In this paper the multi‐faceted duties of naval officers in the charting and mapping of seas, rivers, forest resources and other features important for ship building and the development of navigation, and essential to Russia's geo‐political interests, are considered. The history of the early stages of specialized naval education and the training of surveyors at the Moscow Mathematical‐Navigational School (from 1701) and the St Petersburg Naval Academy (from 1715) are outlined, and the first surveys in the Baltic and Caspian seas are described. Finally, special attention is paid to the hydrographical surveys and charting of the Aegean Sea during the Russian‐Turkish war of 1768–1774, the sources and methods involved, and the little‐known Atlas of the Archipelago (1788) which was created from the surveys.     

Mediæval Military Architecture in England

Recent survey of the late twelfth- to early thirteenth-century chancel of St Mary's church, New Shoreham (Grade I listed) has revealed traces of two consecutive medieval paint schemes on the architecture, dating from c. 1210. No previous research or publication has taken account of these remains, which indicate the original interior appearance of this large and historic parish church. Samples of the paint have been scientifically analysed, revealing the pigments used and their stratigraphic relationship across the survey area; the identification of carbon black on architectural features is particularly important. Comparison with other ecclesiastical buildings in England and on the Continent indicates that St Mary's chancel is a key example of a widespread decorative scheme of red-and-black architectural polychromy, reinforcing its significance as an exemplar of early Gothic style in medieval England.     

Die Frau Metta Catharina von Flensburg: a Danish brigantine wrecked in 1786 in Plymouth Sound,England

The Danish brigantine Die Frau Metta Catharina von Flensburg, outward bound from St Petersburg to Genoa, was wrecked in Plymouth Sound in 1786. With the consent of the wreck's owner, HRH The Prince of Wales, sports divers carried out a 30‐year‐long project to excavate and display material from the site. Aspects of shipboard life aboard this 18th‐century Baltic trader, together with an insight into her remarkable cargo of ‘Russia’ leather, have been presented to audiences in the UK and abroad. This paper presents a summary of the project upon its completion in 2006. © 2010 The Author     

The history of neurology in St. Petersburg

This article expounds the history of the formation and development of neurology in St. Petersburg and emphasizes the original character of St. Petersburg school of neurology. The authors state that many prominent neurologists of St. Petersburg dedicated their work to the development of neurological concepts and have made an important contribution to different areas of neurology, including vascular and demyelinating diseases, diseases of the peripheral nervous system, neuroinfections, epilepsy, etc.     

New books

Mongolia and the Mongols. Results of a Journey in Mongolia performed in the Years 1892–1893. By A. Pozdnieëf. Tome 2. (In Russian.) St. Petersburg: Press of the Imperial Academy of Sciences, 1898. Pp. xxix+ 517.

Dans la Grande Forêt de l'Afrique Centrale. By Franz Thonner. Translated from the German. Pp. x +115. With 86 Plates and 3 Maps.

The New Pacific. By Hubert Howe Bancroft. New York: 1900.

The Real Malay. By Sir Frank Athelstane Swettenham, K.C.M.G. London and New York : John Lane, 1900. Price 6s.

Rajah Brooke. By Sir Spenser St. John, G.O.M.G. ("Builders of Greater Britain Series.”) London : T. Fisher Unwin, Paternoster Square, 1899. Price 5s.

A New Ride to Khiva. By Robert L. Jefferson, F.R.G.S. London : Methuen and Co., 1899. Price 6s.

Quaint Corners of Ancient Empires—Southern India, Burma, and Manila. By M. M. Shoemaker. New York and London: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1899. Pp. 212. Price 10s. 6d. net.

Fifteen Years’ Sport and Life in the Hunting‐Grounds of Western America and British Columbia. By W. A. Baillie‐Grohman. London : Horace Cox, 1900. Pp. 403. Price 15s. net.

Narrative of a Journey in Western China. By G. E. Grum‐Grzhimailo. Vol. II.—Across the Pei‐Shan and Nan‐Shan to the Valley of the Yellow River. (In Russian.) St. Petersburg : The Imperial Russian Geographical Society, 1899. Pp. 445.

Guide to Queensland. Compiled from Official and Private Records, with the recognition of the Hon. Sir Horace Tozer, K.C.M.G. By Charles S. Rutlidge; Map and Illustrations. London : Dean and Son, 1899. Pp. 16V.

Western Australia; its Position and Prospects. By Grant Chambers. Map and Illustrations. Perth : by authority : R. Pether, Government Printer, 1899. Pp. 151.     

A Life in Maps: Leo Bagrow,Imago Mundi,and the History of Cartography in the Early Twentieth Century

ABSTRACT:

This essay provides a critical commentary on the life of Leo Bagrow (1881–1957), the founding editor of Imago Mundi, drawing on previously unused correspondence from the journal’s archive, recently catalogued by the British Library in London. Bagrow’s experiences in the three European cities in which he lived and worked (St Petersburg, Berlin and Stockholm) are examined afresh and new insights are provided about the complex intellectual and sometimes political objectives and motivations of Bagrow and his fellow map dealers, map collectors and map historians. Particular attention is paid to the productive but often strained relationships between Bagrow and the expanding global network of map historians with whom he collaborated while establishing and editing Imago Mundi between 1935 and his death. This network was divided into four distinct and to some extent rival constituencies (university academics, map librarians, map collectors and map dealers). The essay examines how Imago Mundi, under Bagrow’s often confrontational editorship, emerged as the central co-ordinating forum through which these constituencies communicated with each other and within which the foundations for the modern discipline of map history were established.     

Revisiting Female Pilgrimage in Medieval Oxford: Evidence from the Miracula Sancte Frideswide*

The most common form of female pilgrimage in medieval England was local pilgrimage to a saint's shrine. One English pilgrimage destination which is especially associated with women is St Frideswide's shrine in Oxford, owing to a collection of miracle stories compiled in the 1180s in which women are particularly prevalent. Drawing on a new edition and translation of the Miracula sancte Frideswide, this article revisits the cult of Frideswide in the late twelfth century and takes a fresh look at the experiences of women visiting Oxford on pilgrimage. The article reassesses previous speculations about women's attraction to the cult, brings to light some little-appreciated aspects of female pilgrimage, and finds that many of the accounts challenge assumptions made about female behaviour and expectations in the Middle Ages.     

State-Building in Eighteenth-Century Russia

HUGH RAGSDALE, ed. and trans., and VALERII NIKOLAEVICH PONOMAREV, asst. ed. Imperial Russian Foreign Policy. New York and Cambridge: Woodrow Wilson Center Press and Cambridge University Press, 1993. Pp. xvi, 457. $59–95 (US);

E. V. ANISIMOV. Rossiia bez Petra, 1725–1740. St Petersburg: Lenizdat, 1994. Pp. 496. No Price Available;

IA. A. GORDIN. Mezh rabstvom i svobodoi: 19 ianvaria-25 fevralia 1730 goda. St Petersburg: Lenizdat, 1994. Pp. 379. No Price Available;

CAROL S. LEONARD. Reform and Regicide: The Reign of Peter III of Russia. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1993. Pp. vii, 232. $35.00 (US);

A. S. MYL'NIKOV. Ikushenie chudom: ‘Russkii prints’, ego prototipy i dvoiniki-samozvantsy. Leningrad: ‘Nauka’, Leningradskoe otdelenie, 1991. Pp. 268. No Price Available.     

Ivane tarkhnishvili (tarchanoff): a major georgian figure from the Russian physiological school

This article is dedicated to one of the outstanding scientists of the nineteenth century: Ivane Tarkhnishvili (Tarchanoff), a Russian physiologist of Georgian origin who graduated from the St. Petersburg Medico-Surgical Academy and worked under the supervision of the founder of Russian physiology, Ivan Sechenov. Among his numerous contributions was the discovery of the skin galvanic reflex; however, Tarkhnishvili's most significant contribution was the discovery of the influence of X-rays on the central nervous system, animal behavior, the heart and circulation, and embryonic development. Indeed, these works have given rise to a new field in science (radiobiology).     

Human ecology and the early history of St Kilda,Scotland

It is 300 years since Martin Martin published hisVoyage to St Kilda, one of the most informative accounts ever published of a seventeenth-century community. Historical treatments of St Kilda have often dramatized its isolation, distinctiveness and «marginality» but Martin's writings suggest that the lifeways of the St Kildans were not very different from those of contemporary Hebrideans. The economy described by Martin was subject to a rigorous regime of communal self-management. This article argues that in late medieval climatic conditions, St Kilda's particular combination of resources—sheltered arable land, seals and sea-bird colonies, including a huge gannetry—would have made the archipelago a valued component of the MacLeod chiefdom and a good target for the annual predatory visit of the sub-chief and his retinue. St Kilda's history should be seen not in isolation, but in a context of regional interdependence, and the archipelago's «marginality» is best understood in a long-term historical perspective.     

Derrida and fidelity to history

In the first part of this paper Hugh Rayment-Pickard challenges Mark Bevir's assumption that Derrida does not care about historical or other kinds of truth. A consideration of Derrida's early work on Husserl shows deconstruction to be a kind of skepsis or epoche launched in search of the truth. Yet deconstruction reveals the truth as ‘undecidable’, which means that Derrida's commitment to the truth must take the form of ‘faith’. The second part of the paper considers an example of definite intentional meaning given in Mark Bevir's Logic: Petrarch's ascent of Mont Ventoux. On examination, Petrach's motivation can be seen to be radically divided between secular and religious concerns, a split vividly illustrated in his imaginary dialogue with St Augustine: The Secret. Finally, Rayment-Pickard looks briefly at Derrida's own dialogue with St Augustine, ‘Circumfession’, which also argues that human intentions are irreducibly complex and plural.     

Analysing Path Dependence to Understand Divergence: Investigating Hybrid Neo-liberal Urban Transformation Processes in Turkey

Abstract

This paper explores some deeply embedded differences between urban development processes. These are revealed in a Turkish case study by systematically analysing exogenous contingent events and trajectories. The study tests the concept of path dependence as a framework for analysing urban transformation. It examines the hybrid neo-liberal urban transformation along the Levent–Maslak axis, the extension of Istanbul's CBD (central business district). Commercial property development along the Levent–Maslak axis started in the late 1960s and, since the 1990s, the axis has become the financial heart of the city (even of the country).     

Synge's “rich intensity” and its affinity with Keats

This paper re-evaluates J.M. Synge's connection with Romanticism by exploring his affinities with John Keats. It examines Synge's three plays, The Shadow of the Glen, The Playboy of the Western World, and Deirdre of the Sorrows, to suggest their strong parallels with Keats in both specific poems such as “The Eve of St. Agnes” and “Lamia” and in some central concerns, including the ambivalent attitude towards the tension between reality and fancy and the paradoxical stance on mortality. Both writers exemplify a kind of self-dividedness towards the opposing sides of contrarieties which gives rise to a “rich intensity” of their works. Their affinities call our attention to the tensions within Romanticism and the often-ignored current of scepticism running from Romanticism to post-Romanticism.