What's the grand story? A macro-narrative analytical model and the case of Swiss child and adult protection policy

This paper expands on the Narrative Policy Framework (NPF) by adding a theoretical and empirical exploration into macrolevel narratives. Existing NPF research largely neglects macrolevel narratives, which prevents the NPF from developing its full power. The main contributions of this paper are threefold: (1) It provides a definition of macrolevel narratives by conceptualizing them as the “story form” of a policy paradigm. (2) It proposes a model and an empirical approach, which may lay the foundation for a standard macrolevel NPF approach. (3) It contributes to the NPF's aim of connecting the macro and meso level. The paper tests the model in a comparative multi-method design applied to the Swiss child and adult protection policy. The findings show that macrolevel NPF analysis helps understand where mesolevel policy debates come from, namely from an underlying paradigm and its effects on institutions and culture that enable and constrain macrolevel narratives.     

The case of Asialink’s arts residency program: towards a critical cosmopolitan approach to cultural diplomacy

This paper explores the ways in which one of Australia’s cultural diplomacy initiatives aimed at bringing Australia closer to Asia – the Asialink Arts Residency Program – may provide valuable insights for reimagining cultural diplomacy with a revised understanding of the national interest that reflects the increasingly transnational realities of the contemporary world. Drawing on extensive data gained from interviews and an online survey, the author found that program participants are engaging in exceptionally complex and at times unintended activities, and that policy concerns, such as positive image projection abroad, are rarely high on the residents’ list of priorities. However, these experiences are of particular value for the national interest, in ways not yet formulated by or included in existing cultural diplomacy discourses. With the findings in mind, the author takes a critical cosmopolitan approach to reconceptualising cultural diplomacy.     

Modellprojekt Interkulturelle Stadtentwicklung—Handlungsempfehlungen für die Praxis

Die Frage nach der Gestaltung von Zuwanderung ist in der Debatte um das Zuwanderungsgesetz vor allem auf diejenigen fokussiert worden, die noch kommen werden. Zugewanderte gestalten unsere Städte und Gemeinden jedoch bereits seit mehr als 40 Jahren aktiv mit: zum einen als Bewohner und Arbeitnehmer, zunehmend aber auch als Investoren und Gewerbetreibende. Und der Blick auf die Prognosen zur Bevölkerungsentwicklung zeigt, daß ihr Anteil an der Gesamtbevölkerung und damit auch ihr Einfluß auf die Stadt- und Wirtschaftsentwicklung weiter zunehmen. Deutlich ist: Zur Gestaltung der Zuwanderung bedarf es mehr als eines neuen Zuwanderungsgesetzes. Zugewanderte müssen die Chancen haben, sich aktiv an der Gestaltung unserer Innenstädte zu beteiligen. Lebenswerte Städte brauchen das Engagement aller Bevölkerungsgruppen. Bisher ist aber die Beteiligung von Zuwanderern bei raumrelevanten Fragestellungen trotz vielfältiger Ansätze immer noch nicht selbstverständlich. Der Bedarf der stärkeren Beteiligung von Zugewanderten besteht daher sowohl von Seiten der Migrantenvertreter als auch von Seiten der Fachverwaltungen. Dabei setzt sich die Planungsphilosophie durch, daß nicht für, sondern gemeinsam mit Zugewanderten geplant werden muß. Vor diesem Hintergrund hat die Stadt- und Regionalplanung Dr. Paul G. Jansen GmbH von 2001 bis 2003 mit Unterstützung des Ministeriums für Städtebau und Wohnen, Kultur und Sport des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen das Modellprojekt Interkulturelle Stadtentwicklung in den drei Städten Bergkamen, Königswinter und Duisburg durchgeführt.     

In situ Measurements of Oxygen Dynamics in Unsaturated Archaeological Deposits

Oxygen is a key parameter in the degradation of archaeological material, but little is known of its dynamics in situ. In this study, 10 optical oxygen sensors placed in a 2 m deep test pit in the cultural deposits at Bryggen in Bergen have monitored oxygen concentrations every half hour for more than a year. It is shown that there is a significant spatial and temporal variation in the oxygen concentration, which is correlated to measured soil characteristics, precipitation, soil water content and degradation of organic material. In these deposits oxygen typically occurs when the air content of the soil exceeds 10–15% vol, while oxygen dissolved in infiltrating rainwater is of less importance for the supply of oxygen in the unsaturated zone.     

‘In summer we go and drink at the lake’: young men and the geographies of alcohol and drinking in rural Estonia

In this paper, we explore the role of place in drinking practices of young people in the context of rural Estonia. We draw on a participatory research project carried out during seven months with a group of eight young men (15–18 years of age). We focus on three locations identified as the most popular drinking places by the young men in our research – familial homes, a local hamburger kiosk and the outdoors. The findings indicate that youth drinking practices as well as the drunkenness-related risks are spatially contingent. Characteristics of individual drinking locations influence the negotiation of local and national opportunities, restrictions and attitudes toward drinking, and the associated risks. We argue that, when developing public health tools, it is fruitful to pay attention to the local context and specific places in which young people's drinking practices are negotiated.     

AN OPEN INVITATION?: ADDING LINKS TO THE EPISTEMOLOGY OF HISTORICAL REPRESENTATIONS

Gradual changes in the way historians select, interpret, and represent aspects of the past are related to equally or perhaps more gradual changes in museum practice. Edited collections on this subject reflect the state of both disciplines and offer an opportunity to evaluate trends, assess progress, and forecast the future. The collection examined in this review essay focuses on the idea of sharing historical authority: How far have we come? What methods have been used? What is the value of collaborative effort? Have technological developments, including digital media and the “participatory Web,” really enabled more inclusive participation? The analysis of the collection includes specific attention to the text itself as an exhibitionary object and emphasizes the effects of its unusual design elements, deictic signals, and heterogeneous genres—particularly the case studies and “thought pieces” that form a significant part of the collection. Other focal points include: the interrogative mood of the text and its call for active reading; explicit historical, social, and disciplinary contexts; and precursor texts that have addressed similar subject matter.     

Book reviews

Converging Cultures: Art and Identity in Spanish America. Edited by DIANA FANE. Brooklyn: Brooklyn Museum, 1996. Pp. 320.

New World Orders: Casta Painting and Colonial Latin America. By ILONA KATZEW, Curator. New York: Americas Society Art Gallery, 1996. Pp. 144.

Iglesia, Estado y economía. Sighs XVI al XIX. Edited by MARIA DEL PILAR MARTINEZ LOPEZ‐CANO. Mexico: UNAM/Instituto José María Luis Mora, 1995 Pp. 314.

El crédito a largo plazo en el siglo XVI. Ciudad de México (1550–1620). By MARIA DEL PILAR MARTINEZ LOPEZ‐CANO. Mexico: UNAM, 1995. Pp. 208.

The Darker Side of the Renaissance: Literacy, Territoriality, and Colonization. By WALTER D. MIGNOLO. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press, 1995. Pp. xxii, 426.

Entre la retórica y la insurgencia: las ideas y los movimientos sociales en los Andes, Siglo XVIII. Compilado por CHARLES WALKER. Cuzco: Centra “Bartolomé de Las Casas”, 1996. Pp. 362.

Saberes andinos. Ciencia y tecnología en Bolivia, Ecuador y Perú. Editado por MARCOS CUETO. Lima: Instituto de Estudios Peruanos, 1995. Pp. 215.     

Effects of a New Hydrological Barrier on the Temperatures in the Organic Archaeological Remains at Bryggen in Bergen,Norway

The World Heritage Site of Bryggen in Bergen, Norway, has experienced significant degradation of archaeological deposits as a consequence of changes in the soil water and groundwater balance after urban redevelopment adjacent to the heritage site. Additionally, groundwater temperatures below the heritage site were found to be significantly higher closer to the redeveloped area. One of the main mitigation measures taken to reduce the degradation of the archaeology has been the construction of a hydrological barrier along the sheet piling that divides the redeveloped area and the historic site. A shallow subsurface infiltration system was designed to achieve groundwater levels and flow conditions that are optimal for the preservation of archaeological remains directly along the sheet pile, while reducing drainage and subsidence also further upstream. Monitoring of groundwater level and temperatures after implementation of the hydrological barrier shows that groundwater levels and flow conditions have improved with respect to optimal preservation conditions, and groundwater temperatures have generally been reduced by up to 2 °C.     

Implementation of Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems to Preserve Cultural Heritage — Pilot Motte Montferland

The shallow subsurface in historic cities often contains extensive archaeological remains, also known as cultural deposits. Preservation conditions for naturally degradable archaeological remains are strongly dependent on the presence or absence of groundwater. One of the main goals at such heritage sites is to establish a stable hydrological environment. Green infrastructural solutions such as Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS) can support preservation of cultural deposits. Several cases show that implementation of SUDS can be cost effective at preservation of cultural deposits. These include Motte of Montferland, City mound of Vlaardingen, Weiwerd in Delfzijl, and the Leidse Rijn area. In all cases, the amount of underground infrastructure is minimised to prevent damaging cultural layers. SUDS have been implemented to preserve cultural heritage. The first monitoring results and evaluation of the processes give valuable lessons learned, transnational knowledge exchange is an important element to bring the experiences across boundaries.