The (im)possibilities of dialogue across feminism and childhood scholarship and activism

The relations between those positioned as women and as children, and the political and intellectual consequences of how we conceptualise these connections, has received only scant attention. In this article we describe a symposium and on-going project which aim to bring together community-based and academic scholars to debate the intersections and perceived antagonisms between various forms of feminism and the politics of childhood. We trace how these intersections have been debated in the literature and outline the potential benefits and pitfalls of encouraging further connections between these fields. Drawing on our symposium experience, we also outline the challenges involved in bringing together academic and community-based scholars and activists, and consider the implications for similar future endeavours.     

The Origin of the use of the Tin‐Glazed Earthenware Technique in the Production of the French Medieval Pavement of Suscinio

The medieval pavement found in its original state and place at the Breton castle of Suscinio is an interesting case study for answering questions about the origin of the tin‐glazed earthenware technique in France. Twenty‐eight decorated tiles (with transparent and tin‐opacified glazes) and eight clayey raw materials were examined using chemical and microstructural approaches involving petrographic, SEM–EDS and XRD analyses. By combining the results of provenance and technological studies with historical and archaeological data, it was possible to conclude that the pavement was a local product, made with imported technological skills, rather than an imported product or the result of local experimentation.     

Gender preference for children and its consequences for migration in China

Much research on the relationship between migration and fertility has centred on the impacts of migration on child-bearing behaviour. This paper reverses this traditional orientation by examining one way in which fertility behaviour, embedded within a patrilineal society, may influence the migration opportunities of married women. The paper begins by discussing issues relating to gender and migration before outlining previously defined models of the migration fertility relationship. One of these models, selection, is used as the basis for further discussion. The context of migration, fertility and selection in terms of gender issues and sex preference patterns in China is presented. Using fertility and migration histories from a survey of a migration population in Beijing, China, to examine women's mobility patterns this paper suggests that the sex of a child can act as a selection factor in the migration of married women. Sex preferences exhibited by the survey respondents are outlined. The implications for migration and household studies are discussed.     

Symbolic engravings on Byzantine sounding leads from the Carmel coast of Israel

Two Byzantine sounding leads recovered from a shipwreck off the Israeli coast were identified and dated by associated coins and artefacts to the 5th–6th centuries AD. The leads are similarly shaped. A cross and a sign like a capital'P' mark both. They may be from a set including an inshore and a deep-sea lead. A depiction of the stellar constellation Cassiopeia is seen on top of the lug of the small lead. Interpretation of the sign is supported by the navigational role of the constellation as well as by a classical tradition associating it with Jaffa and by its symbolic, anti-storm role.