Cultural Imperialism and Heritage Politics in the Event of Armed Conflict: Prospects for an ‘Activist Archaeology’

The production of archaeological knowledge is embedded in a long-standing tradition of colonial encounters. This paper asks how political-economic interests impinge on archaeological work, specifically in the event of armed conflict. To answer this question I discuss commodification of cultural heritage and analyze it as a form of structural violence. I argue that the attitude that allows treatment of archaeological artifacts as saleable items with international owners is part of a strategy of global cultural imperialism. Exemplified by the case of the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, this paper shows how the clash of global ‘heritage’ politics with local practices of memorializing the past results in a tension: because capitalist governments consider the locales whose glorious pasts are studied by archaeologists to be culturally inferior, the nexus between (trans-)national actors and local communities is an asymmetrical one. In order to overcome the hegemonic role of archaeology within these dynamics, I propose an ‘activist archaeology’ that enables a political activism grounded in recursivity.     

Why are some handaxes symmetrical? Testing the influence of handaxe morphology on butchery effectiveness

The morphology of Acheulean handaxes continues to be a subject of debate amongst Lower Palaeolithic archaeologists, with some arguing that many handaxes are over-engineered for a subsistence function alone. This study aims to provide an empirical foundation for these debates by testing the relationship between a range of morphological variables, including symmetry, and the effectiveness of handaxes for butchery. Sixty handaxes were used to butcher 30 fallow deer by both a professional and a non-professional butcher. Regression analysis on the resultant data set indicates that while frontal symmetry may explain a small amount of variance in the effectiveness of handaxes for butchery, a large percentage of variance remains unexplained by symmetry or any of the other morphological variables under consideration.     

Effects of Soil Characterization on the Seismic Input

This paper is aimed at determining the effects of the soil characterization on the seismic input to use for seismic assessment. Three different soil profiles have been assembled to represent the stratigraphies found through a proper experimental investigation, carefully described, and alternative seismic site response analyses have been performed. The surface spectra obtained from the seismic site response analysis (SRA) are very different from each other, thus evidencing the importance of carefully describing soil stratigraphy. Furthermore, the comparison among the surface records found for different return periods has shown a limited sensitivity of the SRA to the seismic intensity.     

The Strength Reduction Factors for Seismic-Isolated Bridges Characterized by SDOF Bilinear Systems in Far-Fault Areas

This article presents a statistical study on strength reduction factors for seismic-isolated bridges in far-fault areas. 1410 ground motions are selected and modified to be compatible with the recommended response spectra. Then, they are divided into 60 groups to investigate the effects of PGA/PGV ratios, soil conditions and post-to-pre-yield stiffness ratio. Results show that reduction factors are significantly affected by the PGA/PGV ratio, while the latter two items are not as important as the first one. Finally, an improved equation to estimate the reduction factor is proposed, and the accuracy of the equation is verified by additional records.     

Structural change and wife abuse: A disaggregated study of mineral mining and domestic violence in sub-Saharan Africa, 1999–2013

Mineral mining may be a mixed blessing for local communities. On the one hand, extractive industries can be a positive economic driver, generating considerable revenues, and opportunities for growth. On the other hand, mining is often thought to be associated with negative effects, such as pollution, and violent conflict. Existing research has shown that mine openings trigger a structural change in employment patterns in Africa, whereby women shift from agricultural work to the service sector, or leave the labor force. However, few if any systematic studies have addressed whether this structural shift may impact the level of violence within the household. Drawing on various versions of resource theory, we argue that mining – through such structural change – may increase women's risk of being abused by their partners. Recent advances in the literature on domestic violence (DV) suggest that prevailing gender norms moderate effects of resources. We test this empirically by matching georeferenced data on openings and closings of 147 industrial mines to individual data on abuse for up to 142,749 women from the Demographic and Health Surveys in 15 sub-Saharan African countries. We find no overall statistically significant effect of mine openings on the risk of partner abuse, although there are heterogeneous effects across countries. Furthermore, mining is associated with increased DV in areas with higher general acceptance of such abuse.     

Stone Tool Forms and Functions: A Morphometric Analysis of Modern Humans' Stone Tools From Song Terus Cave (Java,Indonesia)

Stone industries from the beginning of the Holocene of South‐East Asia are difficult to characterize typo‐technologically. We apply modern morphometrics to informal pieces to complement usewear analysis and gain a better understanding of the relation between forms and functions. Both the log shape ratio (LSR) based on linear measurements and elliptical Fourier analysis (EFA) based on 2D outlines are used to analyse a sample of 2372 stone artefacts from Song Terus cave (Java, Indonesia). The results show that no specific form corresponds to a specific function or vice versa. Nevertheless, among used artefacts, EFA highlighted several shape tendencies.     

论撒拉族商业文化——概念、形成环境及功能

撒拉族是我国少数民族中一个独特的民族,在我国10个信仰伊斯兰教的民族中,撒拉族的商业发展令人瞩目,根本原因在于商业实践背后的商业文化在起着巨大作用。什么是撒拉族商业文化,它形成的环境是什么,又具有什么样的功能,将一一揭开这些问题的答案。     

太原永祚寺无梁殿的建筑形制及结构静力性能研究

本工作以太原永祚寺无梁殿为例,研究中国特有的建筑遗产类型——明代砖砌无梁殿的建筑形制和结构性能。首先采用三维激光扫描仪进行精确测绘,获得其准确的几何尺寸信息。然后结合历史文献资料,对该类型建筑遗产的建筑形制进行分析。另外,通过采用无损检测方法获得砖砌体的材料强度,结合精确测绘获得的几何尺寸信息,采用ANSYS有限元软件建模并对其受力性能进行了模拟分析,获得了该建筑在静力荷载作用下的结构性能。研究结论为该类型建筑遗产的加固修缮提供参考。     

两晋时期建筑构件中的兽面研究

东晋建康兽面瓦当来源于西晋,其源头当在中原洛阳地区新莽时期的壁画兽面。汉晋建筑构件中的兽面使用经历了从地下墓葬到地面建筑的过程,这一过程与汉晋墓葬制度的区域变化有关,其根源在于早期道教的发展。     

明清时期贵州“亲辖地”的设置与知府行政职能的扩大

明清时期,王朝在开拓西南边疆,实施改土归流的过程中,在贵州设置知府的“亲辖地”,有效地弱化了土司的权力。本文拟考察明清时期贵州“亲辖地”的设置与演变,探讨由“亲辖地”引发的贵州知府行政职能的扩大。并藉此探讨明清王朝的国家权力在西南边疆地区的渗透过程。