Australian Federalism and Domestic Violence Policy-Making

The influence of state architecture on gender policy and politics is an emergent strand of feminist research. This paper contributes to this research by undertaking a detailed case study of one specific gender policy area – domestic violence policy – in old federation Australia. Drawing on the experiences of the past decade, it confirms earlier research findings that demonstrate that under certain conditions, federal structures can influence the development of gender policy in positive ways, such as providing opportunities for ‘venue shopping’ and policy innovation. The paper engages, too, with recent research on Australian federalism and challenges the consensus about the centralised nature of the Australian federal system by demonstrating that in the area of gender policy, states and territories are more than just the implementation arms of the Commonwealth government. Sub-national governments continue to play an important and autonomous role in policy relating to women and therefore remain central sites for advancing gender equality.     

Wither women and work

Afshar, Haleh, ed. Women, Work, and Ideology in the Third World. New York: Tavistock Publications, 1985. xvii + 265 pp. including indices and chapter notes and references. $15.95 cloth.

Larwood, Laurie, Ann H. Stromberg, and Barbara A. Gutek, eds. Women and Work: An Annual Review, Vol. 1. Beverly Hills: Sage Publications, 1985. 312 pp. including chapter references. $29.95 cloth.

Long, Norman, ed. Family and Work in Rural Societies: Perspectives on Non‐wage Labour. New York: Tavistock Publications, 1984. viii + 222 pp. including references and indices. $33.00 cloth; $13.95 paper.     

Folk biology: A frontier of cognitive anthropology

Brent Berlin, Dennis E. Breedlove, and Peter H. Raven. Principles of Tzeltal Plant Classification: An Introduction to the Botanical Ethnography of a Mayan‐Speaking People of Highland Chiapas. New York and London: Academic Press, 1974. xxii + 660 pp. Tables, figures, maps, illustrations, appendixes, references, and indexes. $39.50 (cloth).     

The Ohio Data Archives

The Ottoman government obtained current information on the empire's sources of revenue through periodic registers called tahrir defterleri. These documents include detailed information on taxpaying subjects and taxable resources, making it possible to study the economic and social history of the Middle East and eastern Europe in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Although the use of these documents has been typically limited to the construction of local histories, adopting a more optimistic attitude toward their potential and using appropriate sampling procedures can greatly increase their contribution to historical scholarship. They can be used in comprehensive quantitative studies and in addressing questions of broader historical significance or larger social scientific relevance.