ENCOUNTERING INDIGENEITY: RE-IMAGINING AND DECOLONIZING GEOGRAPHY

ABSTRACT. In an era of postcolonialism and postcolonization, Indigenous struggles continue. Within 'settler societies' issues of dispossession—particularly of lands—remain largely unresolved. As part of the discipline of geography's active movement away from its colonizing project, this introduction to this special edition of Geografiska Annaler B seeks to (re)focus a disciplinary lens, and (re)open a dialogue—and potential research trajectory - about 'indigenous geographies'. As the papers in this special issue demonstrate, new cultural geographies have begun a process of re-engagement with issues of indigeniety through careful, sensitive, inclusive, representative and emancipatory research projects.     

The status of phytolith analysis in the American tropics

Phytolith analysis is now sufficiently mature to provide an independent source of data in tropical paleoethnobotany and paleoecology. At the same time, ongoing studies of phytoliths from tropical plants and sediments are discovering new applications. There are, to be sure, problems in interpreting prehistoric plant use and paleoecology which cannot be addressed through phytolith analysis; some of the more important ones are listed. Through a review of recent studies in the New World tropics, this paper presents some contributions to, problems of, and prospects for phytolith analysis to inform the archaeological community about such issues as (1) the origins and dispersals of domesticated plants, (2) the development of tropical forest agriculture, (3) the uses of tropical plants in prehistory, and (4) the distribution and composition of past plant communities.     

Standardization of long bone growth in children

Diaphyseal lengths of long bones of juveniles from five prehistoric Native American populations were collected in order to test the hypothesis of equivalence of relative lengths of all long bones. Results indicate that the relative lengths of all long bones are not equivalent and that the long bones of the Native Americans exhibit a consistent, significant sequence from relatively most affected (relatively smallest) to relatively least affected (relatively longest): femur, fibula, tibia, humerus, ulna and radius. This sequence can be explained if it is assumed that the most rapidly growing long bones are the most greatly affected by nutritional and disease stress.     

Pittite Triumph and Whig Failure in the Cambridge University Constituency, 1780–96*

Cambridge University has been featured in a wide range of studies of the long 18th century, but few have focused exclusively on the dynamics behind its politics. This is surprising since many of the Cambridge University electors were close to leading parliamentarians. The Cambridge University constituency was contested at each of the three successive general elections from 1780 onwards until 1796. Parliamentary contests often brought Cambridge University's political tensions into focus, which is why a detailed analysis of the poll books can demonstrate how different networks within the university behaved and could define the performance of candidates for the constituency. The relationships between the chancellors, vice-chancellors, high stewards, university officers, college heads, fellows, senate members and members of parliament who collectively made up the leadership are fundamental to understanding the electorate of Cambridge University. These relationships, in terms of friendships, alliances and rivalries, also influenced political and patronage networks within the university. William Pitt the Younger's success in changing the political complexion of Cambridge University is part of the broader realignment in British politics during the final two decades of the 18th century. Under the pressure of these events, Whig unity would come to an end as new divisions between ministerialists and reformers emerged. The experience of Cambridge University can shed light on the national shifts as well as how electioneering was carried out in the university parliamentary constituencies.     

Brief encounters: Tatham Mound and the evidence for Spanish and Native American confrontation

Skeletal trauma often has been utilized to examine facets of inter- and intragroup violence. Eighteen skeletal elements from Tatham Mound are considered in this study, which exhibit wounds similar to documented cases of trauma caused by edged metal weapons. Tatham Mound is a sixteenth century mortuary site in central Gulf Coast Florida and is located within the reconstructed zone of contact with the Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto. Macroscopic and microscopic analyses of skeletal elements are conducted in order to distinguish trauma due to edged metal weapons from other perimortem and post-mortem bone modification. The damage on elements from Tatham Mound is compared with documented cases of trauma from edged metal weapons as well as medieval European skeletal remains exhibiting trauma due to edged metal weapons. It is concluded that some of the observed cases are probably due to metal weapon wounds inflicted by the Spanish explorers.     

美国县制演化及其对中国县制改革的启示

本文基于文献资料比较系统地考察了美国县制的起源、模式及特征,重点总结了工业社会到来时美国县制发生的危机、原因、对策和结果,论述了美国县制在后工业社会崛起的机理,最后总结了美国县制的演变规律及其对我国县制改革的启示。     

Role playing: a feminist-geopolitical analysis of the everyday workings of the Mexican state

Participatory methods are increasingly important to geographical research of ‘the everyday,’ yet their viability as a means to understand on-the-ground geopolitical processes has been less explored. This article contributes to the growing body of literature on participatory research in geography and feminist geopolitics by arguing for the use of a specific participatory tool – role play. We present an example of our employment of the technique in a case study on using the method during research with Central American immigrants living in the Mexico–Guatemala border city of Tapachula, Mexico. In doing so, we provide an in-depth examination of the implementation of role play, demonstrating its usefulness in revealing immigrant women's daily experiences with low- to mid-level state actors as they seek to avail themselves of their rights. We conclude that role play is particularly well suited to revealing these experiences due to its encouragement of creativity, embodiment through performance and facilitation of in-depth discussion of difficult subject matter.     

金山潜龙:流散书写中的华工囚禁叙事

论文从中国历史和文化的视角出发,将天使岛诗歌作为一部华人囚禁叙事重新加以解读。认为天使岛华工诗歌通过特殊的艺术手法和完整鲜明的思想立场构成了一部华人囚禁叙事。它在意识形态上表现出与美国清教徒囚禁叙事三个不同的特点:一是它的种族化民族主义诉求是历史的产物,其目的是构建一个抵抗种族迫害的有效话语武器;二是它强调集体救赎,并且认为个体救赎只有通过集体救赎方可实现;三是它主张凭借集体奋斗和人类自身之力获得拯救,彰显了一种与中国传统文化精神相契合的人文主义解放哲学。     

Metallurgical analysis of copper artifacts from Cahokia

Copper artifacts from Cahokia Mounds, Illinois were analyzed from a materials science perspective to shed light on techniques used by Mississippian copper workers to deform nuggets of native copper into thin sheets. Eight small copper pieces from a copper-working site at Cahokia’s Mound 34 were subjected to metallographic examination. Replication experiments thereafter recreated features of the artifacts under controlled conditions. It is concluded that copper sheets were thinned through repeated cycles of hammering and annealing performed at temperatures achievable in an open wood fire. The welding of sheets to create multilayered objects was not observed in any artifacts and could not be accomplished experimentally. Additionally, a possible cutting method used on some artifacts was identified.     

对抗战时期美国对华借款的比较研究

抗日战争时期,国民政府共计从外国获取了25笔借款,其中美国对华借款共6次,借款金额总计6.7亿美元,其约定信贷量和实际动用量分别约占中国战时对外信贷总量和实际动用总量的53.4%和70.8%,借款条件不仅大大优于晚清和北洋等时期的外债,也在某种程度上优于同期苏、英等国家的对华借款。尽管美国给中国的借款与其给欧洲各国的借款仍有差距,但在客观上,美国战时对华借款毕竟给了中国抗战极大的帮助,其积极作用和在中国外债史上的进步意义应该予以肯定。