‘If This Political Party Were A House ... ’: Theological Reflections Upon The Style and Spirit of New Labour

Abstract

Politics and Passion corrects liberal theory that conceives politics as rational deliberation among autonomous individuals who voluntarily associate in groups to advance their chosen life plans. Freedom and equality for individuals, insofar as they can be approximated, depend, Walzer contends, on passionate political activity and state policy that empower marginalized and diverse groups. Ethical principles and democratic deliberation are insufficient for group politics. Theological ethicists should welcome and learn, once again, from Walzer. However, a liberal conception of justice that avoids naiveté about individual autonomy and democratic deliberation should have a greater role in politics, even the politics of group pluralism and equality, than Walzer apparently permits. Respect for the dignity of individuals requires it.     

The Aberdeen University expedition to Cyrenaica, 1951. Part II: The oasis of Jalo

Mountain Madness. By Winifred Fortescue. Illustrated. Demy 8vo. Pp. 176. Edinburgh: W. Blackwood and Sons Ltd., 1943. Price 10s. 6d.

Travel in England. By T. Burke. Illustrated. Demy 8vo. Pp. 154. London: Batsford, 1943. Price 10s. 6d.

The Home Counties. By S. P. B. Mais. Illustrated. Demy 8vo. Pp. 136. London: Batsford, 1943. Price 10s. 6d.

My Travels Through Chad. By P. O. Lapie. Illustrated. Demy 8vo. Pp. 198. London: John Murray, 1943. Price 10s.

The Unconquered Isle: Malla, By Ian Hay. Pp. 208, with 33 Illustrations and 2 Maps. London: Hodder and Stoughton Ltd., 1943. Price 7s. 6d. net.

The British Empire: Its Structure and Spirit. By Eric A. Walker. Pp. 250. London: Oxford University Press, 1943. Price 12s. 6d.

Man and His World. By Dr. James Mainwaring, M.A., D.Litt., F.R.H.S. Illustrated. Vol. I. The Evolution of the Old World. Pp.250. Vol. II. The Evolution of the Modern World. Pp.340. London, 1943.

A Portrait of Canada. By J. H. Stembridge. Illustrated. Demy 8vo. Pp.164. London: Humphrey Milford at the Oxford University Press, 1943. Price 10s. 6d.

Return to Happiness. By J. Lied. Illustrated. Demy 8vo. Pp. xi+318. London: Macmillan and Co. Ltd., 1943. Price 18s.

Federalism and the Small States. By Sir J. A. R. Marriott. Demy 8vo. Pp. 123. London: George Allen and Unwin Ltd., 1943. Price 5s.

A Short History of Canada for Americans. By A. L. Burt. Illustrated. Demy 8vo. Pp. xvi+279. University of Minnesota Press and Humphrey Milford, London, 1943. Price $3.00.

Greenland. By Vilhjalmur Stefansson. Illustrated. Demy 8vo. London: George G. Harrap and Co. Ltd., 1943. Price 12s. 6d.

Headhunting in the Solomons. By Caroline Mytinger. Illustrated. Demy 8vo. Pp. 334. London: Macmillan and Co. Ltd., 1943. Price 151.

The World To‐day. By Barbara Ward. Illustrated. 7 1/2 × 4 1/2. Pp. 121. London: Oxford University Press and H. Milford, 1943. Price 3s. 6d.

Traveller from Tokio. By John Morris. Demy 8vo. Pp. 163. London: Cresset Press, 1943. Price 10s. 6d.

Igloo for the Night. By T. Manning. Illustrated. Demy 8vo. Pp. 252. London: Hodder and Stoughton Ltd, 1943. Price 5s.     

Material evidence for the use of Attic white-ground lekythoi ceramics in cremation burials

White-ground lekythoi ceramics offer important evidence for funeral practices in Ancient Greece (5th century BC). The images painted-on these oil containers provide the best visual narrative for the events surrounding death, including indications that the vessels themselves were used as part of the funerary rites. However, until now, their specific function and treatment within the funeral ceremony was not well understood. We present here material evidence that the vessels were ritually burned, together with the body of the deceased, during cremation, as evidenced by a diffuse purplish-red discolouration found on many white-ground lekythoi. Through EPMA and μXAS studies, we show that: (1) this characteristic purplish-red discolouration is due to the presence of metallic copper nano-particles embedded in a glassy layer; (2) this metal-glass matrix formed as the result of a high temperature reaction between painted-on Cu-based pigments (e.g., Egyptian blue) and the white-ground ceramic slip; and (3) the reaction occurred under a reducing environment. Given the mortuary context for these vessels, we propose the reduction firing to which the vessels were exposed was that associated with the cremation of the body. The observation of discontinuous formation of the purplish-red discolouration along adjoining fragments supports the hypothesis that the vessels were broken prior to being burned. The majority of lekythoi in museum collections lack information on their original archaeological context, and our data suggest the presence of this purplish-red discolouration may serve as a visual marker for cremation. As such, it is expected our findings will provide a new basis for interpreting how this important class of ceramic, and associated iconographic imagery, relates to Athenian funerary practices and the ancient Greek notion of death.     

George Egerton,James Joyce and the Irish Künstlerroman

George Egerton (Mary Chavelita Dunne, 1859–1945), from Co. Laois, was the New Woman author most closely associated with the Decadent movement. As such, she was also the New Woman writer most profoundly affected by the downfall of Oscar Wilde. After the Wilde trials of 1895, Egerton's connection to Decadence and New Womanhood would make her work anathema to much of the British public. This essay will argue that ongoing tendencies to situate her texts solely within the New Woman categorisation and an English cultural location have had the detrimental effect of obscuring their importance to a specifically Irish literary tradition. By examining Egerton's 1898 novel The Wheel of God, focusing on its status as an Irish Künstlerroman written from a position of exile, and drawing comparisons between it and the works of James Joyce, this essay will seek to redress this imbalance.     

Professor Andrew Charles O'Dell,M.Sc., F.R.S.E.

Regional

The Economic Geography of France. By J. N. Tuppen. 22 × 14, 383pp. 66 tables, 40 figures, bibliography, index. Croom Helm, Beckenham, 1983. £16.95.

Urban France. Ian Scargill, 22 × 14, 186pp. Croom Helm, Beckenham, 1983. £14.95.

Transport Geography

Transport Geography. By H. P. White &; M. L. Senior. 28 × 15.5, 224pp., figures, tables, bibliography, index. Longman, Harlow, 1983. £6.95.

Transport for Recreation. Ed. D. A. Halsall. 22 × 14, 231pp. Inst. Brit. Geogrs., 1983.

Mobile Services in Rural Areas. By M. J. Moseley and J. Packman. 225pp. University of East Anglia, 1983. £8.

Educational

The Fabric of Geography. By W. Farleigh Rice. 24 × 18.5, 288pp. plus worksheets. Longman Harlow, 1983, £4.95.