Commons and councils: agrarian collectivism and balanced development in the north of Spain in the modern period

In light of the extensive presence and preservation of communal property and resources in territories in mainland Spain, the aim of this paper is to analyse the keys to the use, distribution and retention of such properties and resources, particularly those still in existence, with particular regard to common pasture lands and woodlands. A compilation of council by-laws from past periods, combined with the production of a catalogue of agricultural patterns, has enabled an in-depth study of certain fundamental points relating to social and economic development. Such development has tended to maintain the balance between resources and population and to conserve resources through sustained and sustainable use that to some extent has guaranteed the occupation of lands, the preservation of rural communities and the perpetuation of traditional systems in the context of new challenges and contemporary needs. A combination of qualitative and quantitative documentary sources has enabled elucidation of the role and the full dimensions of communal properties. In particular, the causes and consequences, either of their sale or privatisation, or of their preservation and exploitation, will be outlined in the context of changes and new contemporary needs.     

Petrographic Characterization and Provenance Determination of the Crystalline Marbles Used in the Roman City of Banasa (Morocco): New Data on the Import of Iberian Marble in Roman North Africa

This paper reports the results of an archaeometric study of the crystalline marbles used in the Roman city of Banasa (Morocco). On‐site surveys allowed a detailed inspection of the monuments of the ancient city and sampling of the different marble lithotypes used for architectural purposes and sculptures. The inventory was completed by the study of both the grey‐and‐white streaked or spotted marble items stored in the warehouse of the archaeological site and of those currently exhibited at the National Archaeological Museum of Rabat. Provenance determination of 28 samples was carried out by means of a multi‐method approach combining mineralogical–petrographic data and C–O stable isotope analyses as the first step, and cathodoluminescence microscopy as a complementary technique to verify possible unusual alternative origins of some marbles. The analytical results obtained were compared with both the most reliable international databases and the few available studies dealing with the use of marble in other Roman towns in Morocco (e.g., Volubilis, Thamusida and Sala‐Chellah). They point to a variety of classical marble sources such as Carrara, Mount Penteli, Paros, Marmara and probably Mount Filfila (Algeria), and prove a significant import of Iberian lithotypes.     

Philosophic history and common culture in Gellner's theory of nationalism

Ernest Gellner's work on nationalism is situated in a larger social metaphysic and philosophical anthropology. This paper investigates some of these overarching intellectual commitments and their implications for his arguments about nationalism. Two main issues are examined. Does the method of ‘philosophic history’ provide any philosophical or methodological support for his treatment of nationalism? What are the implications of the common culture of industrial civilization for his arguments about nationalism? Addressing these issues together contributes to the continuing evaluation of Gellner's work, particularly to recent discussion of his arguments about necessity and nationalism.     

Kids,raccoons, and roos: awkward encounters and mixed affects

Within the Western cultural imaginary, child–animal relations are characteristically invoked with fond nostalgia and sentimentality. They are often represented as natural and innocent relations, thick with infantilizing and anthropomorphizing ‘cute’ emotions. Our multispecies ethnographic research – which is conducted in the everyday, lived common worlds of Australian and Canadian children and animals – reveals a very different political and emotional landscape. We find these embodied child–animal relations to be non-innocently entangled, fraught, and messy. In this article, we focus on some awkward encounters of mixed affect when kids and raccoons co-inhabit an urban forest setting in Vancouver, and when kids and kangaroos bodily encounter each other in a bush setting in Canberra. We trace the imbroglio of child–animal curiosities, warinesses, risks, inconveniences, revulsions, attachments, and confrontations at these sites as generative of new ethical logics.     

Analysis of ante mortem trauma in three modern skeletal populations

When archaeological skeletons are assessed, the prevalence (and patterns of bone involvement) of trauma is important. The number and pattern of fractures can be used to gain insight into the occurrence of interpersonal violence, workload and living conditions. However, the question remains as to how these results should be interpreted—such as what constitutes high or low levels of trauma? The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of trauma in a population of modern Greeks living in Crete, as well as South African (SA) whites and blacks in the Pretoria Bone and Raymond Dart collections. The sample comprised mostly of older individuals (n = 90–100 within a sex‐population group). Each skeleton was studied for healed trauma. For the vertebrae, only spondylolysis was assessed. In the Greek sample, it was found that 42% of the males and 46% of females had at least one fracture, with corresponding figures of 63 and 44% for SA whites and 83 and 69% for SA blacks. Radius, rib and femur fractures were most common in Greeks, with skull, radius and ribs most common in SA whites and skull, ulna and ribs in SA blacks. These prevalences of trauma are high, but the composition of the samples (mostly of lower socio‐economic origin) should be kept in mind. It may also be questioned whether these individuals reflect the society as a whole. It seems that the fractures in Greeks are mostly related to old age due to falls and accidents (radius and hip fractures), while the SA black sample reflects high prevalences of interpersonal violence (such as cranial vault and ulna fractures). The SA white sample follows a comparatively moderate pattern of trauma. These comparative figures may be useful when assessing trauma in other skeletal populations. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Negotiating emotions,rethinking otherness in suburban Melbourne

I argue that research that tries to makes sense of emotion provides a better understanding of the politics and ethics of doing face-to-face research. Reflecting on in-depth interviews with people who live and/or work in Dandenong, an outer suburban area of Melbourne, I draw attention to the emotional dimensions of the research process. In particular I focus on moments when the exercise of white privilege made it difficult to negotiate emotions. These were moments when the intersection of my ethnicity with my position as a new settler in Dandenong made me feel excluded. The outcome was that I found it hard to value the voice of participants who were eager to help me with my research. A critical reflection of the emotions produced during such interpersonal encounters, however, has enabled me to rethink moments when the Self/Other binary unintentionally emerged. Critical self-reflexivity that is attentive to emotions gave me the opportunity to move closer to my goal of being an ethical researcher.     

元朝重臣张珪与保定出土元代宫廷酒器

在目前所见元代瓷器中,1964年保定出土元代窖藏最为精美,包括卵白釉、钴蓝戗金和青花三种。我们最近发现,这批元代高档瓷器可能是元仁宗赐予三朝元老张珪的宫廷酒器,赏赐时间分别为皇庆元年(1312)和延祐六年(1319)。这个发现说明元青花源于元朝皇家艺术,蒙古统治者将蒙古和色目文化与汉地制瓷技术相结合,主导了元青花的创烧。元朝御窑厂浮梁磁局停烧之后,汉地工匠才主导元青花艺术的创作,明清时期这门艺术逐渐融入汉文化。     

二十一世纪的中日关系

中日两国有着两千多年友好交往的历史,1972年中日恢复邦交正常化以来的30年间,发展是主流,从文化渊源上,日本是中国文化的最大受益国,然而,文化上的诸多貌似相同的因素,孕育了本质上的诸多不同之处,成为两国间产生摩擦的文化原因。二十一世纪的中日关系,定会坚定不移地向前发展,但是,一波三折地前行,似乎是中日关系发展的一种宿命,发展中日友好关系,符合两国人民的共同利益,只要日本正视并反省侵略战争的历史,以真诚的态度友好相处,中日两国友好关系的发展前景是无限美好的。     

明正德青花开光阿拉伯文折枝莲瓶

收藏于常熟博物馆的明正德青花开光阿拉伯折枝莲瓶,造型、釉色、纹样、绘画技法均带有鲜明的正德时代特征,可供收藏界作典型鉴赏。     

晚清直隶教案诱因分析--以1860年11月～1898年10月为中心

关于教案的发源,目前学术界大致有四种观点：1．侵略说;2．中西化冲突说;3．三重危机说;4．多种因素说。①笔以为,笼统地将晚清近两千起②教案发生的原因归结为列强侵略或两种异质化之间的冲突等都未免失之简单,应作具体分析。在晚清直隶,引发教案的原因是多方面的,主要有：由传教士查还旧址、租买房产以及民教互争公产地亩引发的地产之争;摊派各种庙会和修庙钱引发纷争;细故口角争殴;教堂或传教士、教民遭劫窃引发;反教谣言、揭贴引发;民教双方由相互猜疑进而捏情上控引发教案等。