Russia and Chechnya: the issue of secession*

Abstract. This paper considers the Chechen secessionist struggle against Russia. Although the Chechens had good moral grounds for claiming independence in November 1991, this paper shows that Yeltsin also had reasons, defensible in legal terms and liberal secessionist theory, for rejecting it. Even if Moscow had granted Chechnya independence, this would not have created peace and stability. Moscow had a right to defend its territorial integrity, but its conduct in the war has proved counter‐productive. It has polarised opinion in Chechnya and made any solution to the crisis more difficult to achieve. On paper, Moscow's longstanding proposal of political autonomy for Chechnya looks the best way forward, but it is unlikely to satisfy Chechen nationalists or the Islamic fundamentalists who have more expansionist aims.     

The British Brig Water Nymph or ... even an Englishman cannot take the liberty to deride a civil servant on German soil

The wreck of a 19th-century merchantman was surveyed and partly excavated in the course of archaeological fieldwork conducted prior to planned beach restoration in Ahrenshoop on the Baltic coast in north-eastern Germany. Extensive archival research led to the identification of the wreck and provided interesting details on the life and loss of a typical merchant sailing-ship of the mid-19th century.
© 2007 The Authors     

"De-humanised females and Amazonians": British wartime fashion and its representation in Home chat, 1914-1918

Popular representations of the fashionably dressed female body between 1914 and 1918 were highly contradictory and, as this essay will show, were sharply delineated in Home Chat, one of a growing number of relatively new women's magazines which addressed the needs of an expanding skilled working-class and lower-middle-class female readership. Aiming to provide women with practical advice about all aspects of their daily lives, from the traditional concerns of fashion and beauty, marriage and children, to the more contentious issue of women's aspirations beyond the home, Home Chat was uniquely placed to reflect shifting gender and class relations.     

The myth of reserpine-induced depression: role in the historical development of the monoamine hypothesis

For five decades it has been generally accepted that reserpine, an antihypertensive and antipsychotic drug, causes depression. The discovery that reserpine depletes brain monoamines was an important factor in the development of the monoamine hypothesis of depression, and it continues to be widely cited in support of this hypothesis. The present paper argues that, contrary to prevailing belief, reserpine is not depressogenic. The reason for perpetuation of this myth is reluctance to discard the monoamine hypothesis. This hypothesis ushered the modern biochemical paradigm into psychiatry and is still of great importance. It serves as a heuristic to guide research, it enhances psychiatry's prestige, and it helps to validate and promote drug therapy for depression and other mental disorders.     

The serotonin hypothesis of schizophrenia: a historical case study on the heuristic value of theory in clinical neuroscience

Clinical examination of the reliability and coherence of the evidence concerning modern neurochemical theories of mental disorders has led some scholars to conclude that support for many of these theories is weak. Nevertheless, these theories continue to be widely promoted. One explanation that has been offered for continued adherence to questionable theory is that it stimulates and gives direction to research. The heuristic value of theory is examined in the present paper by tracing the discoveries that followed from an old theory of schizophrenia, which is--by current consensus--false. It is shown that the original serotonin hypothesis of schizophrenia did, in fact, lead to significant advances in neuropharmacology, neurology and psychiatry.     

Can't find a pulse? Celtic bean (Vicia faba L.) in British prehistory

Archaeobotanical research on prehistoric crops in Britain has primarily focussed on cereals and the potential importance of alternative crops, such as pulses, has often been overlooked. This paper reviews evidence for Celtic bean (Vicia faba L.) in British prehistory, using a database of archaeobotanical assemblages from 75 sites. Celtic bean is rare in the Neolithic – Early Bronze Age and it only becomes frequent from the Middle Bronze Age (ca. 1500 cal BC) onwards, particularly in southern England. Though there is a paucity of evidence at many sites, it is suggested that this reflects a preservation bias and in some areas at least, Celtic bean formed an important element of past agricultural systems.     

Exploring the Backstage of Victorian Respectability

This paper shares Andersson’s interest in exploring the ‘backstage’ of Victorian civility and respectability. The adroit media manipulation of high-status leading reformers and their associations and societies, with their often overlapping membership, has accorded them an inflated importance as a representation of the Victorian Age, and can distort our understanding. The argument here begins by problematizing the ways some historians have made use of contemporary statistics and terms such as ‘respectability’ or ‘vice’. For the Victorians these carried multiple meanings and cultural resonances, partially dependent on identities of class, gender, generation, Tory or Liberal political orientation, attitude to faith, and ethnicity. This meant that the complex nuances of understanding attached to activities sometimes labelled as unrespectable ‘vices’ such as drinking, sexual transgression and gambling could make them acceptable in a variety of cultural contexts despite the opposition of vociferous anti-‘vice’ groups. The paper concludes with a brief exploration of the potentiality of visual and digital resources for delving deeper into such issues.     

Global Value Chains,Industrial Policy and Economic Upgrading in Ethiopia's Apparel Sector

This article examines whether low-income countries can still benefit from participating in manufacturing global value chains (GVCs) in terms of broader industrial development in a global context of greater competition and higher requirements. It contends that developing internationally competitive local firms and domestic linkages, in addition to upgrading, is crucial for participation in GVCs to drive industrialization. The study focuses on Ethiopia's recent experience with developing an apparel export industry through strategic industrial policy. Based on original empirical data collected through firm-level surveys and interviews with government officials, industry experts and buyers, the article analyses the upgrading and localization trajectories of foreign and local apparel-exporting firms. It argues that value-capture benefits in assembly positions in apparel GVCs have become more difficult. The potential for localization benefits depends on the type of global buyers and foreign producers and their levels of embeddedness, but whether this potential is realized also depends on local firm characteristics and related industrial policy. Ethiopia's industrial policy has been relatively successful regarding national economy linkages, but less successful in developing competitive local export firms due to a weak local manufacturing tradition combined with a global context that has led to a supplier squeeze.