Re/placing Native Science: Indigenous Voices in Contemporary Constructions of Nature

Since the earliest days of the European Enlightenment, Western people have sought to remove themselves from nature and the ‘savage’ non‐European masses. This distancing has relied upon various intellectual techniques and theories. The social construction of nature precipitated by Enlightenment thinking separated culture from nature, culture being defined as civilised European society. This separation has served to displace the Native voice within the colonial construction of Nature. This separation has also served as one thread in the long modern ‘disenchantment’ of Westerners and nature, a ‘disenchantment’ described so adeptly by Adorno and Horkheimer (1973 ). Unfortunately though, this displacement is not only a historical event. The absence of modern Native voices within discussions of nature perpetuates the colonial displacement which blossomed following the Enlightenment. In his book entitled, Native Science, Gregory Cajete describes Native science as ‘a lived and creative relationship with the natural world ... [an] intimate and creative participation [which] heightens awareness of the subtle qualities of a place’ (2000, 20). Perhaps place offers a ‘common ground’ between Western and Indigenous thought; a ‘common ground’ upon which to re/write the meta‐narrative of Enlightenment thought. This paper will seek to aid in the re/placement of modern Native voices within constructions of nature and seek to begin healing the disenchantment caused through the rupture between culture and nature in Western science.     

The international political thought of Martin Wight

The different responses in Great Britain and the United States to Martin Wight as a thinker of international relations reveal something about the contrasting academic cultures of the two countries. Wight was pre‐eminently an ‘arts’ man, regarding history and philosophy as essential prerequisites for understanding the world. Above all he was concerned with the moral dimension in politics, whether domestic or international. His pacifism in the Second World War, curiously linked to his profound sense of realism, reflected deep religious convictions; indeed theology, and particularly eschatology, underlay much of his thinking. His career centres upon first Chatham House and Nuffield College, Oxford, then the London School of Economics and Political Science, and finally the University of Sussex. His lectures at the LSE on international theory achieved legendary fame, but he did not publish much in his lifetime. The appearance since 1977 of four notable posthumous works has enhanced his already high reputation, as has the increasing scholarly interest in the ‘English School’, of which he is now seen as a founding father. Ian Hall's book is a brilliant piece of analysis in which Wight's theological world view—which was not obtrusive in his teaching and writing—is investigated with a sureness that is probably rare among scholars in the international relations field.     

Spatial analysis of the coincidence of rare vascular plants and landforms in the Carolinian zone of Canada: implications for protection

Assessing biodiversity in natural landscapes continues to be a focus of attention. While some researchers assess the value of predictive features, such as land‐form, others examine concentrations of rare species, seeking insight into their significance. In this paper I examine two inter‐related concepts. I explore the distributions of rare species on the landscape, assessing correlations between landform, numbers of rare species, and protected areas. I also examine the role of protected sites in maintaining biodiversity. Using records of rare plant collections for the south‐western portion of Ontario (the Carolinian zone) that were compiled as part of the Atlas of Rare Vascular Plants of Ontario project, and combining these with a) a map of the landforms of south‐western Ontario and b) the locations of protected areas within this region, an analysis was made of the spatial coincidence of rare vascular plants, landforms and protected areas. The findings here indicate that protected areas are critically aligned with the distribution of rare vascular plant species. While protected areas occupy less than 2 percent of the study region, approximately 20 percent of the 4379 unique rare plant records analyzed (representing 170 of the 293 rare species in the database or 68%) were collected from a protected site. In addition, while 42 percent of the rare vascular plant records occur on a single landform type, sand plains, sand plains occupy only 18 percent of the region. And while 24 percent of the study region is composed of till plains, less than 2 percent of the rare plant collections were found on this landform. Significantly, four land‐forms, representing 50 percent of the study region, support over 80 percent of all rare plant collections. L'évaluation de biodiversité dans les paysages naturels continue d'être un point de mire. Pendant que certains chercheurs estiment la valeur des caracteristiques prédictives, telles que des formes de relief, d'autres examinent les concentrations d'espèces rares pour comprendre leur signification. Dans cet exposé, j'examine deux concepts intereliés. J'explore les distributions d'espèces rares dans le paysage, évaluant les corrélations entre les formes de relief, les nombres d'espèces rares, et les sites protégés. J'examine aussi le rôle des sites protégés dans la conservation de biodiversité. La coïncidence spatiale des plantes vasculaires rares, formes de relief, et sites protégés a été analysée. L'analyse utilise, en partie, l'inventaire de collections de plantes rares pour une région dans le sud‐ouest de l'Ontario. Cet inventaire a été compilé pour le projet Atlas of Rare Vascular Plants of Ontario. L'analyse totale combine cet inventaire avec (a) une carte des formes de relief dans le sud‐ouest de l'Ontario et (b) les emplacements des sites protégés dans la même région. Les resultats indiquent que les sites protégés sont fortement alignés avec la distribution d'espèces rares. Alors que les sites protégés occupent mains que 2 pour cent de la region étudiée, environ 20 pour cent des 4379 plantes rares uniques analysées (représentant 7 70 des 293 espèces rares dans la banque de données ou 68%) se trouvent sur des sites protégés. De plus, alors que 42 pour cent des plantes rares se retrouvent sur un seul type de forme de relief (plaine de sable), ce type occupe seulement 18 pour cent de la région. Et alors que les plaines constituent 24 pour cent de la région, mains que 2 pour cent des plantes rares se retrouvent sur celles‐ci. Fait révélateur, quatre formes de relief constituent 50 pour cent la région étudiée mais elles soutiennent plus que 80 pour cent des plantes rares.     

The View from the Verandah: Prospect,Refuge and Leisure

The verandah, a characteristic feature of Australia architecture, is commonly found in many parts of the world. Introduced into Australia by the British at a time when verandahs were popular both in England and the colonies, these structures were not merely practical responses to climatic conditions. It is argued that beyond the functional considerations of comfort and convenience, verandahs and similar structures are a response to and an expression of landscape aesthetic preferences for which Appleton has offered an explanation in terms of prospect-refuge theory. The overlapping prospect-refuge and information processing theories are discussed in relation to the survival value of leisure to provide a possible explanation of the widespread popularity of verandahs.     

A CHALCOLITHIC MACE HEAD FROM THE NEGEV,ISRAEL: TECHNOLOGICAL ASPECTS AND CULTURAL IMPLICATIONS

An interdisciplinary case study of the role of technology in ancient society is presented here based on a single copper object from the beginning of metallurgy in Israel during the late fifth to fourth millennium BC. This research is based on a combination of typological, chronological and technological analyses. The mace head is made of copper alloyed with arsenic and antitmony, cast in a ‘lost wax’ technique over a stone core. The metallurgical, metallographic and petrographic analyses not only help reconstruct the production technology but also shed light on fundamental questions concerning the origin, ore selection and function of this sophisticated type of metal production in prehistoric society.     

LITERATURE AND EVERYDAY LIFE*

The work of several authors (Adorno, Benjamin, Berger, Lukacs, and Sartre) who have Marxist-related approaches to literature is examined in order to present a review of the problems involved in the relationship between literature and everyday life. It is suggested that literature does not have to be “applied” or “realistic” to convey what is implicated in different literary forms and genres (novels, short stories, and poetry).     

Anglican–Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) and the Eucharist: Review and Prospects

This article reviews the history of the important dialogue on the Eucharist by the Anglican–Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) underway since the second half of the twentieth century and continuing into the present. Agreed statements from the commission addressing the Eucharist and comments from various bodies of both the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Church are critically reviewed. Prospects for future dialogue are assessed and suggestions made about areas that may be the subject of future dialogue.