Discovering Eastern Europe: Perspectives on WAC's future cooperation with Bulgaria and Eastern European countries

En este artículo yo demuestro la relación entre la formación de WAC como una reacción polítical y moral al régimen de aparteid en Sur áfrica y los cambios en Europa después de la caída del Muro de Berlín. Arqueología como una disciplina en su propio derecho no puede continuar escondida tras objectivismo falso. La necesidad para re-evaluar los problemáticos pasados nacionalista de la mayoría de los países europeos crea un imperative para re-analizar los vínculos entre arqueología y los regímenes nazi y comunista. Es más, yo considero las realidades post-comunistas en Bulgaria y las maneres que los arqueóloqos reaccionan a la comercialización del Control de Herencia Cultural. Yo se?alo áreas que son importantes para cooperación entre el WAC y Bulgaria y otros países de Europa Oriental. Lo más importante son los esfuerzos cooperativos entre el WAC y los arqueólogos de los Balcanes para humanizar la disciplina. Durante los 1990s fue obvio que a través de sus “representaciones visuales” la arqueología contribuyó enormemente a mantener las actitutes nacionalistas que promovieron la guerra en los Balcanes.

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Résumé Dans cet article, je considère la relation entre la création du WAC, comme réaction morale et politique, le régime de l'apartheid en Afrique du Sud et les changements en Europe après la chute du mur de Berlin. L'archéologie, en tant que discipline dans son plein droit, ne peut plus se cacher derrière un faux objectivisme. Le besoin de ré-évaluer le passé nationaliste, trouble de la plupart des Etats Européens crée comme impératif le réexamen des liens entre l'archéologie et les régimes Nazi et Communiste. De plus, j'examine les réalités du post-comunisme en Bulgarie et la fa?on dont les archéologues réagissent à la commercalisation de la gestion du Patrimoine Culturel. Je souligne les domaines qui sont importants pour la coopération entre le WAC et la Bulgarie comme d'autres pays d'Europe de l'Est. Le plus important sont les efforts coopératifs entre le WAC et les archéologues des Balkans pour humaniser la discipline. Dans les années 90, il est devenu évident qu'à travers ses représentations visuelles l'archéologie a contribué énormément à maintenir des attitudes nationalistes qui ont favorisé la guerre dans les Balkans.

     

Agriculture,Trade and Sustainability

In recent decades there has been growing concern about the combined undesired consequences of rapid economic growth, based on the free market movement, and developments in science and technology. This concern has placed the sustainable development concept on the world's agenda. The notion of sustainability, which originally referred mostly to the environmental consequences of human activities, along with their economic and social aspects, has been discussed not only at the national and the global levels but also in relation to particular sectors of the economy. One such sector is agriculture, which to be sustainable must be ecologically sound, economically viable, and socially responsible. Unless current trade and agricultural policies are geared to creating such a structure, sustainability will be no more than a myth in the industrialized and globalized world, while considerable numbers of people will be left struggling with hunger and poverty. Ethical, fair trade and ecologic agricultural practices, such as organic farming, have been suggested as alternatives to existing practices. However, with their current and potential size, these alternatives cannot compete with existing production and trade systems. But these alternatives nevertheless highlight the main problems of current day free trade and industrialized agriculture structures and their related solutions.

This paper reviews the concepts of sustainable development and sustainable agriculture: it raises the question whether the world-wide free market economy is really free, and it considers the undesired consequences of this economy by focusing on the relationship between sustainable agriculture and agriculture-related trade policies.     

Trade and Agriculture at Megara Hyblaia

The terms of twentieth–century debate on the causes of Greek overseas settlement were set by Gwynn and Blakeway: overseas settlements were either founded to feed hungry mouths in an overpopulated homeland, or they were founded to improve Greek trading opportunities in the rest of the Mediterranean and Black Sea. Although the trade versus agriculture dichotomy is increasingly being regarded as false, its legacy lingers on, even in recent work. Detailed attention to the earliest remains at one of the best–known Greek overseas settlements, Megara Hyblaia in south–east Sicily, provides strong evidence in favour of seeing agriculture as central to Greek settlement abroad, but agriculture as a basis for trade rather than agriculture for its own sake.     

Central and East European Trade Developments

Josef C. Brada, The European Community and Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Poland. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Report on Eastern Europe.
de Weydenthal, Jan B., Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Poland Gain Associate Membership in the EC. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Research Report.
Agra Europe . Weekly issues.
East Europe Agriculture and Food Monthly .
EC Documents & Regulation (Number 34) .     

Environmental Aid to Eastern Europe: Swedish and Estonian Perspectives

This study examines the Swedish and Estonian publics' views on Eastern Europe's environmental problems and on providing and receiving environmental aid. It utilizes a series of research techniques: a random telephone survey in Sweden, person-to-person interviews in Estonia, a content analysis of Sweden's largest newspaper, and interviews with policymakers in both countries. Both the Swedish and Estonian publics are more concerned about local, rather than transboundary, environmental problems. The majority of respondents in the Swedish sample supported giving environmental aid for altruistic reasons, whereas the majority of the Estonian respondents saw the environmental aid as essential to fund environmental improvements in their own county. 7 tables, 33 references.     

The Dynamics of Regional Disparities in Central and Eastern Europe during Transition

This paper examines the evolution of territorial imbalances in per capita income in the Central and Eastern Europe regions between 1990 and 2001. In order to overcome the limitations of conventional convergence analysis, we have combined a non-parametric approach that allows us to study the dynamics of the entire cross-section distribution, with a series of theoretical results and measures taken from the literature on personal income distribution. The results obtained show an overall reduction in regional inequality over the study period. This process has been compatible with the simultaneous presence of between-country convergence and within-country divergence. Likewise, we have observed a reduction in the development gap between the sample regions and Western Europe. In any event, the polarization of the distribution under consideration has decreased, while the registered level of intra-distribution mobility is relatively low. Furthermore, the analysis highlights the important role played in explaining the distribution dynamics by factors such as the national component, spatial location, productive structure, agglomeration economies and the percentage of gross domestic product devoted to investment.     

东晋南朝时期京口历史地位的变迁

东晋时期的北府兵在政治中扮演重要角色,与之紧密相关的城市——京口也随之走上历史前台,在东晋及刘宋前期政治中扮演重要角色。但这一繁荣的背后却隐含着危机:这座近乎完全依赖政治及军事扶持发展起来的城市,其经济情况极不理想,多山的地形决定了其宜耕土地较少且土壤贫瘠,在传统农业经济下无法保障其编户数量,这就决定了它注定只能依靠政治的扶持。随着南北局势的变化,政权无力从江北抽调居民充实京口,这座此前耀眼的重镇地位也随之直线下降,直至最终被取消军府,成为江南防御的薄弱环节,直接沦为都城建康的附属区域。     

十月革命和东欧社会主义道路

东欧革命是十月革命的延续,但东欧社会主义自始至终是在"民族道路"和"苏联模式"的选择与磨擦中前进的.苏东社会主义事业遇到了挫折不是社会主义本身的过错,更不能归罪于十月革命.在今天新的历史条件下,我们要坚持社会主义方向,创新社会主义理论,实践十月革命开创的社会主义事业,牢记共产党人的历史使命.对十月革命这样的历史性事件,需要作出客观而又明智的评价.     

农业的全球化：大米贸易的警示

近年来 ,全球化问题是国际和国内社会科学许多领域讨论得最热烈的话题之一。占统治地位的观点认为 :全球化和世界体系是从近代开始的 ,这一体系以西欧资本主义为中心 ,向边缘地区、次边缘地区发散 ;或者 ,资本主义世界体系把世界划分为主宰国家和附属国家 ,等等。总之 ,这种观点认为 ,世界体系的中心是欧洲和北美。贡德·弗兰克的《白银资本》对这一占统治地位的观点提出挑战 ,认为整体的世界体系不是从资本主义开始的 ,它在很早以前就存在了 ;它不是存在五百年 ,而是五千年。他通过研究 1 6 40年的世界史 ,特别是围绕白银资本在一些国家所产生的作用 ,认为那个时候 ,世界体系的中心不是在西方 ,而是在东方。无独有偶 ,现任美国农业历史学会主席彼得·考克莱尼斯也对这一传统观点提出了挑战 ,但是 ,他论点的提出是建立在更有充分论据的基础上。他赞同《共产党宣言》中马克思和恩格斯关于资本主义对全球一体化产生了积极作用的观点 ,但是 ,他进一步认为 ,全球化是一个非常复杂的问题。他通过对世界一体化大米市场形成历史的考察 ,提出 :全球化问题不是一个新问题 ,它已有很长的历史 ;今天工业和服务业的全球化似乎是重复和再现很久以前农业全球化的现象 ;而且 ,全球化进程中国家对国家的影响不是单方向的     

Trade and the location of industries in the OECD and European Union

Trade and location theory identifies forces that could leadto locational dispersion (comparative advantage) or locationalconcentration (scale economies) in the face of globalizing markets,each with different consequences for specialization and theadjustment costs associated with integration. However, theseforces can play themselves out in very complex ways if locationalchange principally affects intermediate production. Moreover,effects of history may be important, if locational patternswhich exist prior to integration reflect either strong externaleconomies or, as we argue, strong institutionalized capacitiesto respond to more open markets. This could especially be thecase in the context of Europe, whose territories are generallyless specialized than the states of the USA. To see how thesedifferent effects are operating today, empirical measurementis required. Using a data set which allows changes in locationaldistribution of manufacturing industries in the OECD to be measured,we show that Europe does not seem to be ‘Americanizing’its economic geography. Many sectors are actually spreadingout in Europe, implying that the effects of history have remainedstrong up to this point. Specialization increases are weak inmost European economies as well. The OECD has a more complexpicture of spread and concentration. Some of the implicationsfor further research on agglomeration, intra-industry trade,and integration are brought out in the conclusion.     

The Earliest Neolithic Cultures of Northeast China: Recent Discoveries and New Perspectives on the Beginning of Agriculture

Although north China has long been recognized as one of the nuclear centers of agriculture, it is surprisingly absent from most recent publications on the beginnings of agriculture. New discoveries made in this region during the last 15 years are important contributions to our understanding of the transition to agriculture. Moreover, through these discoveries we can challenge the common view of north China as a homogeneous area of agricultural development. Through the introduction of the Xinglongwa (ca. 8000–6800 B.P.) and the Zhaobaogou (ca. 6800–6000 B.P.) cultures, the earliest sedentary societies in northeast China, I attempt to progress beyond generalizations, such as the useful model of the Chinese Interaction Sphere, and examine more thoroughly the developments in one subregion of north China. The data presented are used to address important issues associated with the transition to agriculture as well as to point to new avenues for future research in this field.     

Environmental Assessment in the European Union: Perspectives,Past, Present and Strategic

Environmental assessment (EA) in the European Union (EU) is undergoing a period of significant transition. Following over 10 years of practice and development under Directive 85/337/EEC, the EU EA system is being subjected to legislative reform. In the light of this, this paper provides a critical examination of the past, present and future role of EA in the EU. After evaluating the legislative transposition and procedural effectiveness of the original provisions, the paper examines the extent to which recent amendments to the Directive and the proposed strategic environmental assessment (SEA) Directive will lead to improvement. The authors suggest that although the changes should overcome some of the procedural and practical problems experienced over the last 10 years, a more committed emphasis needs to be placed on fundamental areas of weakness.     

晋代墓葬制度与两晋变迁

晋制是继周制、汉制之后,中国古代墓葬制度发展演变的重要内容,考古学意义上的晋制与晋礼的制定关系密切,晋礼制定、施行的过程反映了汉魏晋社会的变迁。洛阳是西晋的都城,都城洛阳晋墓中的洛阳因素代表的墓葬制度内涵应该与西晋制订推行的新礼有关,洛阳因素反映的墓葬制度即为继汉制之后的晋制。东晋时期在都城建康地区逐渐形成建康因素,洛阳因素与建康因素是两晋时期墓葬制度的主要文化内涵。     

汉新禅代中的刘歆

刘歆为西汉王朝宗室,又为王莽新朝功臣,是学术造诣高深的经学家,又是将儒家理想制度付诸实践的改革家。汉新之际名儒贤达党附王莽者甚众,刘歆不幸被过多地关注和指责,应与此多重身份有关。其与父刘向在政治上非真正对立,二人的基本倾向应是一致的;其与王莽之关系,于汉新禅代之作用,于王莽改制之影响,也远不像传统认识的那样密切、那样重要、那样深广。用“不忠”、“不孝”指责他有失公道。     

The Cape Gelidonya Shipwreck and the Bronze Age Metals Trade in the Eastern Mediterranean

Abstract

Controversy has surrounded the identification of the home port of the ship wrecked off Cape Gelidonya, Turkey. In an attempt to contribute further information pertinent to the solution of this problem, samples for metallurgical study were taken from eight of the copper ingots that were carried on the ship: four oxhide-shaped, two plano-convex, and two slab-shaped. Analysis of these samples shows that, with a single exception, the structure and composition of the ingots are little different from ingots found in Cyprus, Crete, Greece, and Sardinia. The inferences to be drawn from the metallurgical research are 1) that the ingots represented typical items of international trade and 2) that the home port of the ship and lading port of the ingots cannot be determined since the ship and crew were operating in the international sphere. It may also be surmised that at least a part of the Bronze Age trade was in the hands of private entrepreneurs.     

Trade and Social Complexity in Coastal Ecuador from Formative Times to European Contact

Abstract

The trajectories of social development in southern Manabí, Ecuador are reconstructed from the Formative period to European contact to clarify the role played by trade connections. The results of a systematic full-coverage survey suggest that increased interaction between southern Manabí societies and northern Peruvian states could have been an important factor behind the increase in social complexity in the study region beginning ca. A.D. 750. Unlike many models of social development, the archaeological data indicate that this was not an activity undertaken primarily by elite groups, but rather by the general population, which took advantage of the direct economic benefits of trade, particularly of Spondylus shell items.