Gallantry on the Shankill road: the British ‘soldier-hero’ and state-media relations in Northern Ireland, 1969-1979

ABSTRACT

The study of the British ‘soldier-hero’ as a political and cultural icon after 1945 has been largely confined to literature concerned with the memory of historical figures. Rarely have scholars considered how post-war military deployments not only created contemporary soldier-heroes, but also transformed their place within politics and society as the moral interrogation of these wars threatened to encroach upon the prestige of these icons. This article examines how the soldier-hero interacted with one of Britain’s most contentious deployments, Northern Ireland, and how politicians sought to control narratives surrounding this figure to avoid public relations controversy in unusual political conditions.     

The dragon versus the kangaroo: perceptions of Chinese and Australian influence and development assistance in Vanuatu

ABSTRACT

China’s engagement within the South Pacific has increased dramatically in recent years mainly through significant increases in development assistance. Development assistance is provided to address humanitarian needs but to also secure national interests of the donor. This paper examines the extent and nature of Australia’s and China’s influence in Vanuatu from the perspectives of the Ni-Vanuatu people using new data. China is perceived as having the most influence in the country despite Australia’s development assistance being viewed far more positively. Support for infrastructure is the most important factor contributing to a positive image for both countries. Perceptions of land grabbing are the main factor contributing to negative images. Regional differences in perceptions of Australia and China across Vanuatu also exist.     

Visitors' wayfinding strategies and navigational aids in unfamiliar urban environment

Abstract

The way visitors to a new city wayfind in the digital era has been given less research attention than might be expected. The main aim of this study is to examine differences in wayfinding strategies between three groups of participants who used different navigational aids: a group with a paper map, a group with the Google Maps app, and a group relying on local signage only. Methods included GPS tracking, and voice recording of decision-making using the think-aloud method. 38 participants who had never visited Brisbane, Australia, were recruited and placed in one of the three groups. They undertook a two-hour pedestrian wayfinding task and other research activities in the city centre. The results show there are significant differences in wayfinding strategies used by the three groups of participants. The GPS group preferred to follow the suggested route by their navigator, most of them ‘locking in’ as digital navigators throughout the task. By contrast, the local-signage-only group used a diverse range of strategies to wayfind. Local-signage-only and paper map users tried to locate their position in the city by using piloting or path integration strategies, the GPS group just passively followed the guidance line showed by their device. On completion of the task the digital navigators recognized less spatial information. Surprisingly, the digital navigators did not feel less anxious compared with the two other groups. Urban planners and designers may need to re-think their design strategies to interrupt digital navigation. The provision of a more diverse set of digital navigation options, rather than just shortest-path route identification, is likely desirable to assist navigators who wish to experience more on their pedestrian journeys.     

Variable Ovicaprid Diet and Faecal Spherulite Production at Amara West,Sudan

ABSTRACT

This paper presents the results of integrated geoarchaeological and archaeobotanical analyses of desiccated and charred ovicaprid dung pellets from the New Kingdom pharaonic settlement of Amara West (Sudan). These analyses reveal diagnostic phytolithic evidence for considerable variations in plant diet amongst the site’s ovicaprid population. These data shed light on aspects of ancient animal husbandry practice, the settlement’s subsistence economy and residents’ exploitation of natural resources. We also observe that specific phytolith types correlate with the presence (and quantity) or absence of calcium carbonate faecal spherulites in analysed dung pellets. This evidence, augmented by experimental analysis of analogous modern plant material, suggests that dietary Ca intake is implicated in faecal spherulite crystallization within the ovicaprid digestive system.     

Obsidian procurement,least cost path analysis,and social interaction in the Mimbres area of southwestern New Mexico

For over 15 years chemical compositional analyses of obsidian artifacts recovered from archaeological sites in the southwestern United States have been increasingly used to address many research agendas. Despite this increasing interest in obsidian studies, few have attempted to synthesize the ever-growing amount of data generated from the numerous projects being conducted in the southwest. Here, we synthesize and present data for 923 sourced obsidian samples recovered from over 80 archaeological sites in the Mimbres area of southwestern New Mexico. We then use least cost path analysis as a means of investigating procurement patterns as well as networks of social interaction within the region.     

Comprehending the Qing Empire: Building Multilingual Competence in an Age of Imperial Rivalry, 1792–1820*

Abstract

European knowledge of the four dominant languages of the Qing Empire, Chinese, Manchu, Mongolian, and Tibetan, was transformed between 1792 and 1820 as a consequence of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Although these conflicts did not dramatically alter European political relations with the Qing Empire, they inaugurated a series of more subtle changes that collectively produced this surge in linguistic ability. First, this period saw unprecedented European interest in, and access to, the inland frontiers of the Qing Empire. Such access convinced some that China was newly accessible through the empire’s diverse Inner Asian territories, leading them to plan bold ventures in diplomacy, trade, proselytization, and academic research. These ambitious projects, although rarely accomplishing their goals, stimulated research by seeming to demand new linguistic capabilities for their execution. The fact that they often envisioned crossing Inner Asia to reach China explains why progress in Chinese occurred together with Manchu, Mongolian, and Tibetan. Another factor promoting a sudden surge in multilingual competence was the speed with which breakthroughs could now be communicated through imperial and trans-imperial networks. Printing, evangelical and learned societies, and new professional opportunities, gave European scholars unprecedented access to advances made on or near the Qing frontier.