Biopower, genetics and livestock breeding: (re)constituting animal populations and heterogeneous biosocial collectivities

Genetic techniques have become increasingly prevalent in livestock breeding, associated with new types of knowledge-practice and changes in the institutional and geographical relationships related to animal husbandry. This paper examines the value of Foucault's concept of 'biopower' to theorising livestock breeding and the implications of the rise of genetic knowledge-practices in agriculture, developing the concept to apply to nonhuman animals and to situations where humans and nonhuman animals are co-constituted through particular knowledge-practices and corporeal meetings. It focuses on the idea of 'population' as a central component of biopower, and relates this to conceptualisations of biosocial collectivity. Reacting to the inherent humanism of Foucault's outlining of biopower, the paper argues for its relevance in relation to nonhuman populations, and for heterogeneous conceptualisations of biosocial collectivity. Drawing on research with UK beef cattle and sheep breed societies, the paper explores how, in practice, populations are constructed in relation to the production of particular sorts of truths concerning, and particular modes of intervention in, the lives of nonhuman animals. It explores how heterogeneous biosocial collectivities are constituted around these interventions. The emergence of genetic techniques is shown to transform the processes constituting populations and heterogeneous biosocial collectivities, and this is discussed in terms of a new inflection of agricultural biopower associated with novel interventions in the lives of livestock animals.     

Too little,too late: the geochemistry of a 1773 Philadelphia porcelain openwork basket

A dated (1773) openwork basket labelled “PHILADELFIA” attributed to the Bonnin and Morris factory has a lead-bearing, silicious–aluminous–calcic (S-A-C) composition that contrasts with the phosphatic (bone ash) porcelains known to have previously been made during the mid-1760s to early 1770s in what is now the United States. The basket was underfired and so contains relics of a flint (Pb) glass flux, but kiln temperatures were nonetheless sufficient for subsolidus pseudowollastonite and anorthite to have been resorbed, implying that the duration of firing (soaking) near peak kiln temperatures was insufficient to ensure thorough vitrification. During cooling, liquidus pseudowollastonite and silica polymorphs (but not anorthite) formed, showing that the melt was confined to the tridymite–pseudowollastonite cotectic above the Trd–Wol–An eutectic (1170 °C) in the SiO₂–Al₂O₃–CaO system. Rapid cooling is also indicated by quenched silica polymorphs in the relict glass particles. Although Bonnin and Morris employed some former Bow (London, c. 1743–74) workers, the S-A-C wares initially produced by this factory are compositionally distinct from the 1773 basket, which in this regard more closely resembles the body and glaze of a reputed Chelsea triangle-period (London, c. 1745–49) vessel. Regardless of how they obtained this technology, it is ironic that Bonnin and Morris chose to abandon phosphatic pastes in favour of what in Britain had become an obsolete formula.     

中世纪晚期英国市场结构的转型

前工业时期英国城乡市场体系初步形成于12至14世纪,其中各级城市市场和农村市场发挥着不同的作用。中世纪后期由于市场需求结构的变化、纺织业的兴起及出口贸易的扩大、国际性大集市的衰落、交通运输状况的改善,使得市场结构完成了从以农村市场为主体向城市市场为主体的转型。市场结构的转型改变了市场的性质,密切了城乡关系,促进了城市体系的成熟,加速了以伦敦为聚核的经济一体化进程。     

十六国北朝侨州郡县与侨流人口研究引论

十六国北朝特别是十六国,频繁而大规模的内部人口流动,是由胡族统治者实施的,并以强制迁移性质为主,强制迁移的目的,是以之为兵、用之耕耘。这样的移民状况加上其他复杂因素,决定了长期、普遍、广泛设置于东晋南朝的侨州郡县,在十六国北朝境内,总体上说,是不长期、不普遍、不广泛的。十六国北朝特别是十六国的多数侨州郡县,既无土地也无人民。如十六国的侨置,多与"虚设"无异;至于北朝的侨置,则不外以下几种情形:因招抚或安置流民而置,为安置特殊性质的移民而设,备职方而立,务广虚名,以及承东晋南朝之侨置而不废者。十六国北朝侨州郡县与侨流人口的考证与研究,既要具备与东晋南朝进行比照的观点,其研究难度也较之东晋南朝为更大。     

对搞好农牧区“广播电视村村通”工程的几点认识

“广播电视村村通”工程是农牧区广播电视事业发展的载体,是解决边远山区农牧民群众看不到电视、听不到广播难题的“民心工程”。要因地制宜,探索建立农牧区广播电视公共服务体系,搞好“广播电视村村通”工程建设。     

对南明永历政权之考量

明末统治阶级的横征暴敛及连年自然灾害,促使农民大起义暴发。李自成农民义军攻入北京,推翻明王朝后,紧接着吴三桂引清军入关。随着全国社会主要矛盾的急剧变化,农民起义军由原之反对明王朝统治转为联合明宗室所建南明政权共同抗清斗争。     

我国文化遗产保护科技成果转化对策研究——基于文化遗产保护科技成果供求分析

进入"十二五"后,文物保护领域面临着新的发展形势。其中,科学和技术成果转化问题受到了高度关注,成为当前文化遗产保护领域的一大热点问题。目前,由于我国文化遗产保护科技成果转化的特殊性和相关领域科技事业发展的阶段性,文化遗产保护科技供给与需求脱节,科技成果转化率不高。针对这种状况,国家应建立激励评价体制,促进文博系统内外的合作,保证科技成果的有效供给和有效需求。     

Evidence of early medieval soda ash glass in the archaeological site of San Genesio (Tuscany)

The early medieval period marks an important turning point in the history of glassmaking, since it comprises the transition period between the mineral-based silica-soda-lime glass of the Roman tradition and the plant ash-based glass. With the aim of expanding the knowledge on the glass recipes and technologies of this period, 37 glass samples were analyzed, originating from the archaeological excavations of San Genesio (Tuscany) and dated from the fourth to the eleventh century. The major and minor element concentrations were measured with SEM-EDX, while the trace elements were quantified with LA-ICP-MS. The results were compared with published compositions of glass samples of similar age in order to highlight differences and similarities. The results offer a very interesting view on the glass circulation in the religious/residential/manufacturing center of San Genesio in the early medieval period. Most of the glass has a typical late-Roman composition, but some glass fragments are identified as soda ash glass. These are among the earliest medieval ash-fluxed glasses ever found in the Italian peninsula.     

中原经济区的“三化”协调发展之路

中原经济区走新型工业化、新型城镇化与农业现代化"三化"协调发展之路,是中原崛起的时代呼唤,是中原经济区建设的最高境界,是中原儿女的庄严承诺。选择"三化"协调作为中原经济区的发展之路,有着深厚的宏观背景。在整体、协调、融合、可持续原则的制约下,"三化"协调发展的主要途径为:产业集群发展、产城互动发展、城乡统筹发展。其中,城乡统筹发展是"三化"协调发展的最终落脚点,包括构建现代城镇体系,搭建城镇化本土承载平台,推进新农村和新型农村社区建设,构建城乡资源共享平台和社会保障体系。     

科学发展观指导下的中国特色军事变革

中共十六大以来,中国军事变革在科学发展观的指导下,注重实际,突出重点,逐步展开。中国军事变革在走复合式发展道路、调整体制编制,整合资源、投入数字化战场建设,实施人才战略工程、加强人才队伍建设,开展战法研究、加强联合作战训练等方面所取得的成就是巨大的,经验十分丰富。