THE INDUSTRIAL RESTRUCTURING OF SOUTH WALES: THE CAREER OF A STATE MANAGED REGION

This paper examines the causes of the current economic crisis in the industrial region of South Wales. The authors maintain that past as well as current government policies have played a major role in bringing about the crisis by contributing to the vulnerability of communities in South Wales. The authors review the history of the policies which have contributed to the current steel and coal crises. They then provide a brief discussion of current legislative policies designed to combat the crises. Finally, they critique alternative strategies: continued monetarism; a return To Keynesian/‘corporatist’ policies; and the radical restructuring demanded by an ‘Alternative Economic Strategy’ (AES).     

Enthusiasm,craft and authenticity on the High Street: micropubs as ‘community fixers’

The retail recession has left a legacy of vacant shops on many shopping streets, with closures having significant consequences for local populations. But several new ‘pop-up’ formats are bucking this trend by bringing community-oriented forms of consumption back to the High Street. The micropub is a notable example, a small-scale venue selling real ale that has taken over a vacant shop premise, usually in smaller and struggling town centres. The rapid take-up of the micropub concept has attracted considerable attention, suggesting a model for retail regeneration based on community-mindedness and a close relationship between owner and customer. Based on ethnographic research in micropubs, alongside interviews with landlords, this paper suggests that their success is dependent upon the enthusiasm of landlords and customers alike, with such ‘cultures of enthusiasm’ encouraged via the nostalgic motifs of craft, tradition and Britishness that inform the curation of these seemingly ‘authentic’ spaces. The paper concludes that the micropub offers a form of socially-connective consumption highly valued by some, but stresses that there are clear limits to the ability of such spaces to be ‘community fixers’ given enthusiasm for real ale remains a distinctly white, male, and middle-aged pursuit.     

Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Development in China: A Review

Hydrogen and fuel cells may have a major role in the future energy market if governments give a high priority to reduction of CO₂ emissions with associated R&D investment in efficient hydrogen technologies. It is predicted that China would have the highest share of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in 2050 if their ambitious climate and energy security policies are adopted (OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development)/IEA (International Energy Agency) (2005) Prospects for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells (Paris: OECD Publications)). R&D in hydrogen and fuel cell technologies in China has been pushed by the central government's commitment to reduce air pollution emissions from transportation, to enhance energy security and improve national competitiveness. The paper focuses on current policies and progress on hydrogen and fuel cell development in China. Development prospects and challenges are discussed with a view to achieving better understanding of the emerging hydrogen economy.     

Lower Pecos and Coahuila peyote: new radiocarbon dates

Peyote, a psychoactive cactus native to the Chihuahuan Desert, has been preserved from excavations at only two archaeological sites: Shumla Caves in the Lower Pecos region of southwest Texas and shelter CM-79 near Cuatro Ciénegas in Coahuila, Mexico. We determined three indistinguishable radiocarbon ages of 5160 ± 45, 5200 ± 35, and 5210 ± 35 ¹⁴C years BP, yielding a mean age of 5195 ± 20 ¹⁴C years BP for the three specimens from Shumla Caves. For one of the Cuatro Ciénegas specimens we obtained the first direct radiocarbon date of 835 ± 35 ¹⁴C years BP. This study demonstrates the use of peyote by inhabitants of the Lower Pecos region of the Chihuahuan Desert about 6000 calendar years ago, and confirms its use by inhabitants of the Cuatro Ciénegas region of the Chihuahuan Desert in Late Prehistoric times. The Shumla Caves' specimens are composed of an aggregate of ground peyote mixed with other plant material, i.e., they appear to be manufactured peyote effigies, and are definitely not intact peyote buttons.     

‘Patriotic Femininity’: Women's Morals and Men's Morale During the Second World War

The Second World War was a period which witnessed struggles for the definitions of appropriate ‘patriotic’ feminine identities and behaviours as much as it placed demands on men and their masculinities. The disruption to normality led to a heightened sense of heterosexuality. There were contests for the definition of femininity, contests which contradicted the centrality of discourses constructing domesticity and passivity. The way history has been constructed the heroic myths of the Second World War are male, thus there is a need for other kinds of critical knowledge to provide an understanding of women's lives and another, feminine, kind of heroism.     

Book reviews

Regions Reconsidered: Economic Networks, Innovation and Local Department in Industrial Countries. Edward Bergman, Gunter Maier and Franz Tödtling (Eds), London: Mansell Publishing Limited, 1991, 312pp.

Travel Sickness: The Need for a Sustainable Transport Policy for Britain. J. Roberts, J. Cleary, K. Hamilton and J. Hanna (Eds), London: Lawrence and Wishart, 1992, 358pp.

Endogenous Development and Southern Europe. G. Garofoli (Ed.), Aldershot: Avebury Press, 1992, ISBN 1 85628 1310, 250pp., £37.50.     

Book reviews

Technology and Work in German Industry. N. Altmann, C. Köhler and P. Meil (Eds), London, Routledge, 1992, 466pp., £45 hb.

Retraining — Not Redundancy: Innovative Approaches to Industrial Restructuring in Germany and France. G. Bosch, Geneva, International Institute for Labour Studies, 1992, 183pp., 30 Swiss Francs pb.

Conflict in Urban Development. A. Dekker, H. Goverde, T. Markowski and M. Ptaszynska‐Woloczkowicz, Aldershot, Ashgate, 1992, 181pp.

The Global Region: Production, State Policies and Uneven Development. David Sadler, Oxford, Pergamon Press, 1992, 274pp.