Are universities ready for interculturality? The case of the Intercultural University ‘Amawtay Wasi’ (Ecuador)

This article focuses on the creation of the Intercultural University ‘Amawtay Wasi’ in 2003, and its evolution up until its final suspension from the university system in Ecuador. I reflect on the difficulty of implementing educational approaches based on locally situated cultural identities that involve epistemologies different from those which are hegemonic in academic spheres on the global level. From the point of view of the indigenous movement, the current situation is solely the result of the ignorance and arrogance of the state, which ‘has led to a backlash against the gains made by indigenous people that has even led to a decline in terms of indigenous rights’, calling the current government a government of ‘a new colonization’ (Salvador). However, interviews conducted in the years after the closure of Amawtay Wasi bring to light certain discourses and opposition that go beyond the obvious intellectual and political reluctance of the current government to maintain the Amawtay Wasi Intercultural University.     

Emergence and Growth of Mjärdevi Science Park in Linköping,Sweden1

The development of science parks constitutes an interesting example of policy to enhance the technology-based development of a region. These parks, it is argued, contribute to fostering technological innovation and transfer and stimulating the growth of high-level economic activities. This article examines the role that science parks play in the promotion of regional development with particular reference to one of Sweden's most successful science parks, the Mjärdevi Science Park. During the 1990s, Mjärdevi was recognized as one of Northern Europe's most rapidly growing science parks, and it has an enviable record with respect to the launching of local, new technology-based firms. This article traces the historical events related to the creation of Mjärdevi Science Park that have influenced its technological and industrial development. It then outlines the park's path of development and subsequently addresses key factors affecting the growth dynamics of the park.     

Implications of climate change for glacier tourism

For more than 100 years, the Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers in Westland Tai Poutini National Park have attracted thousands of tourists annually and have emerged as iconic destinations in New Zealand. However, in recent years, the recession of both glaciers has been increasingly rapid and the impacts on, and implications for, visitor experiences in these settings remain relatively unexplored. A mixed-method approach was adopted to investigate visitor experiences and stakeholder perspectives through an assessment of climate-related changes on tourism at the glaciers in Westland Tai Poutini National Park. The bio-physical conditions at both the Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers were reviewed in order to assess the magnitude and rate of retreat. Perceptions of climate change risk and awareness of impacts in the National Park were assessed through stakeholder interviews (n = 13) and a visitor survey (n = 500) was used to better understand how impacts at these sites have affected and may continue to affect visitor experiences. Research results were reported to local communities via a series of public talks. Results revealed the fundamental importance of viewing the glaciers as a significant travel motive of visitors, suggesting that there is a ‘last chance’ dimension to their experience. Furthermore, the results demonstrate a high adaptive capacity of local tourism operators under rapidly changing environmental conditions. The implications of altered visitor experiences for tourism operators and protected area managers are discussed in light of these findings.     

Book reviews‐Comptes rendus

B. CUNLIFFE, ed., The Oxford Illustrated Prehistory of Europe, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1994, 532 p., 46 colour plates, numerous line drawings and black & white plates, ISBN 0–19–814385–0.

Carlin A. BARTON, The Sorrows of the Ancient Romans: the Gladiator and the Monster, Princeton University Press, Princeton NJ, 1993, 210 p., ISBN 0–691–45696‐X.

Dominique BARTHELEMY, La société dans le comté de Vendôme de l'an mil au XIVe siècle, Fayard, Paris, 1993, 1118 p.

Colloque international, Les métiers au Moyen Age. Aspects économiques et sociaux, Louvain‐La‐Neuve, 7–9 octobre 1993.

Yuri L. BESSMERTNY, Life and death in the Middle Ages. Essays in the demographic history of France (in Russian), Nauka, Moscow, 1991, 240 p., ISBN 5–020–09052–2.

Ulrich IM HOF, Les Lumières en Europe (traduction de Jeanne Etoré et Bernard Lorthol‐ary), Le Seuil (collection “Faire l'Europe"), Paris, 1993, 316 p.

Antoine DE BAECQUE, Le corps de l'histoire. Métaphores et politique (1770–1800), Calmann‐Lévy, Paris, 1993, 435 p.

Christopher R. BROWNING, Ordinary Men—Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland, HarperCollins Publishers, New York, 1992, ISBN 0–060–99506–8.

Traduction française par Elie Barnavi: Des hommes ordinaires. Le 101e bataillon de réserve de la police allemande et la solution finale en Pologne, avec une préface de Pierre Vidal‐Naquet, Les Belles Lettres (Collection “Histoire"), Paris, 1994, ISBN 2–251–38025–6.

Stefan BREUER, Anatomie der konservativen Revolution, Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, Darmstadt, 1993, 232 p., ISBN 3–534–11802–2.

Congrès international, Vers une identité et une conscience européennes au XXe siècle, Paris, 1993.

Frédéric DELOUCHE, ed., Histoire de l'Europe, Hachette, Paris, 1992, 380 p., ISBN 2–010–19254–0.

Michel MOLLAT DU JOURDIN, Europa und das Meer, traduction de Ursula Scholz, C.H. Beck'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung (Collection “Europa bauen"), Munich, 1993, 320 p., ISBN 3–406–36726–7.

Henry KOZICKI, ed., Western and Russian Historiography. Recent Views, Macmillan Press, Houndmills, 1993, 218 p., ISBN 0–333–57829–5.

Josep FONTANA LAZARO, La Historia despues del fin de la Historia. Reflexiones acerca de la situación actual de la ciencia historica, Critica, Serie general, no. 255, Barcelone, 1992, 153 p.     

Phytolith taphonomy: a comparison of dry ashing and acid extraction on the breakdown of conjoined phytoliths formed in Triticum durum

Durum wheat plants grown under optimum irrigation conditions in Jordan were processed in three different ways: 1) using a dry ashing method, 2) using acid extraction and 3) using both these methods, first dry ashing and then acid extraction. The aim was to determine if the laboratory processing method employed has an impact on the number of conjoined phytoliths recovered. This is important because it has been proposed that the number of conjoined phytoliths, or multi cells, can be an indication of water availability in arid and semi-arid regions (Rosen and Weiner 1994). The results showed that the processing method does have an impact on the resulting assemblage, with dry ashing producing a greater number of multi-cells than acid extraction. It is proposed that either the more violent oxidation of organic matter during acid extraction causes the breakup of conjoined phytoliths, or that the silica dehydrates during dry ashing resulting in a slight fusion between the individual phytoliths and hence more conjoined forms.     

Innovative application of portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF) to identify Göktepe white marble artifacts

An efficient and non-destructive method to classify white marble artifacts by using a hand-held, portable XRF analyzer (pXRF) is here reported. The identification is based on the uniquely high strontium content of this marble and has been verified by testing 32 artifacts, most of which had already been provenanced, using conventional micro-destructive analyses. Besides strontium, other potential provenance indicators, such as manganese and iron, were analyzed and their concentration values obtained after empirical calibration of the instrument by using 17 quarry samples of known composition. The results show that Göktepe/non-Göktepe discrimination is almost always possible (30 artifacts) and that additional analyses are required only when the Sr value is at the lower edge of the Göktepe field (2 artifacts). The success of the method, however, resides in the particular composition relative to trace elements of Göktepe and is not easily extended to other marble varieties. Main reasons are related to insufficient accuracy at low concentration values, intrinsic trace variability of marble artifacts, surface effects that may produce not representative results. Interest in the method therefore is tightly linked to the exceptional importance of Göktepe as a sculptural marble, in which case, detailed data, obtained with a fast and totally non-destructive method, may provide relevant information concerning chronology, workshops, and places of production of the artifacts.     

Production of the Roman Cement in Italy: characterization of a raw material used in Tuscany between 19th and 20th century and its comparison with a commercialized French stone material

An experimental approach in order to investigate the possibility that some Italian limestones were used for the production of Roman Cement is proposed. Three types of Pietra Alberese, a marly limestone used since Roman times for the production of “lime” in Tuscany (Italy), were selected. By burning of these stones, specimens of binders were realized. The characteristics of these binders were compared with the binder obtained by burning a French marly limestone commercially used for the production of Roman Cement.

All samples of carbonate stones were preliminarily characterized from the chemical, mineralogical, and petrographic point of view. The colorimetric coordinates were measured on both rock samples and hardened binder samples. The analysis carried out shows that Pietra Alberese with an high content of clay minerals develops a similar microstructure with respect to that developed by the French marly limestone used for the production of Roman Cement.     

Instruments of authority: Tycho Brahe’s technological illustrations

ABSTRACT

The astronomical instruments of Danish astronomer, Tycho Brahe, were crucial to his intended reform of astronomy in the sixteenth century. Tycho represented these devices in a series of images that were circulated in range of contexts, thereby disseminating information about his technology to a wider audience. Through an analysis of the iconographical content of these images and a consideration of the ways in which they were circulated, this article argues that images of technology were in fact crucial to Tycho’s attempts to establish his authority as an astronomer. Embodying his claims to accuracy and recruiting trust in his innovative instruments, the images reinforced the validity of his astronomy and thereby played a central role in sustaining his reputation as an astronomer.