Book reviews

CHINA

ANITA CHAN. China's Workers Under Assault: the Exploitation of Labour in a Globalising Economy. Armonk, NY: M. E. Sharpe, 2001. 250 pp. US$ 22.95, paper.

YIJIANG DING. Chinese Democracy after Tiananmen. Vancouver and Toronto: UBC Press, 2001. Acknowledgments, notes, glossary, bibliography, index. 172 pp. C$75.00, hardcover.

BARBARA ENTWISLE and GAIL E. HENDERSON (eds). Re‐drawing Boundaries: work, Household and Gender in China. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2000. x, 344 pp. US$19.95, paper.

XIN LIU. In One's Own Shadow: an Ethnographic Account of the Condition of Post‐Reform Rural China. Berkeley, Los Angeles, London: University Press, 2000. xvi, 246 pp. Illustrations, preface, notes, glossary, bibliography, index. US$15.95, paper.

XUEPING ZHONG. Masculinity Besieged? Issues of Modernity and Male Subjectivity in Chinese Literature of the Late Twentieth Century. Durham and London: Duke University Press, 2000. 208 pp. Bibliography. US$49.95, hardcover; US$17.95, paper.

JAPAN, KOREA

MARIUS B. JANSEN. The Making of Modern Japan. Cambridge and London: Harvard University Press/Belknap, 2000. xviii, 871 pp. US$35.00, hardcover.

MICHAEL MARRA (trans. and ed.) A History of Modern Japanese Aesthetics. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 2001. 398 pp. Glossary, chronology, bibliography, index. US$32.95; US$69.20, paper.

SOUTH, WEST AND CENTRAL ASIA

A. K. HELLUM. A Painter's Year in the Forests of Bhutan. Edmonton and Honolulu: University of Alberta/University of Hawai'i Press, 2001. 120 pp. Appendix, bibliography. US$35.00, paper.

PRADIP N. KHANDWALLA. Revitalizing the State: a Menu of Options. New Delhi: Sage Publications, 1999. 303 pp. Rs. 250, paper.

SHOMPA LAHIRI. Indians in Britain: Anglo‐Indian Encounters, Race and Identity 1880–1930. Portland, OR: Frank Cass, 2000. 249 pp. Glossary, bibliography, index. US$59.50, hardcover; US$24.50 paper.

SOUTHEAST ASIA

Economic Development of Burma: a Vision and a Strategy. A Study by Burmese Economists. Stockholm: Olof Palme International Center; Singapore: Singapore University Press, 2000. 233 pp. S$30.00, paper.     

Reappraisal of ‘chronospecies’ and the use of Arvicola (Rodentia,Mammalia) for biochronology

The water vole, genus Arvicola, is characterised by a broad geographic distribution throughout Europe and is widespread during the late Middle and Upper Pleistocene. This genus is used as a major biostratigraphic tool within the Quaternary. Specific determinations using the Schmelzband-Differenzierung-Quotient or SDQ have identified many chronospecies within the fossil species Arvicola cantiana (Hinton, 1910). As SDQ calculation remains limited, this study reappraises the Arvicola genus in terms of morphodiversity and morphospace using outline analysis which takes into account the tooth as a whole. Outline analysis suggests that one single species of Arvicola, A. cantiana, was present during the Pleistocene. This species shows great variability with no trends or patterns in morphospace. Thus, these results call into question the reliability of SDQ for specific determinations and throw doubt on the biochronological framework based on Arvicola.     

In situ oxygen isotope micro-analysis of faunal material and human teeth using a SHRIMP II: a new tool for palaeo-ecology and archaeology

A Sensitive High Resolution Ion MicroProbe (SHRIMP II) has been used to make high spatial resolution in situ micro-analyses of oxygen isotopes in fish otoliths, and teeth from fossil herbivores and a Neanderthal. Large intra-tooth variations in the oxygen isotopic composition (up to 9‰) were observed in the enamel of herbivores from the Neanderthal fossil site of Payre, consistent with preservation of seasonal cyclicity. The range of isotopic compositions observed in Neanderthal tooth enamel was much smaller (∼3‰), possibly the result of a longer enamel maturation time averaging out variability. An archaeological otolith from a Preceramic site in Northern Peru exhibited marked changes in δ¹⁸O over life, due either to the fish occasionally migrating from the sea to a lower salinity habitat, or to short-lived rises in sea water temperature. A fish otolith from Australia's Willandra Lakes World Heritage Area showed clear seasonal variations, but also a general trend towards isotopically heavier and more saline water, as indicated by higher δ¹⁸O and Sr/Ca values resulting from increased evaporation. The results of these case studies are compared to results of oxygen isotope analysis using more conventional methods and demonstrate the ability of the SHRIMP II to provide precise high spatial resolution in-situ oxygen isotope analyses of a variety of biogenic materials. This approach has major advantages over conventional methods. It can provide rapid, micro-scale isotopic analyses of sub-permil precision without the need for chemical preparation of the sample.     

Examining Possible Driftwood Use in Viking Age Icelandic Boats

While boat and ship graves are known from across northern Europe, and are particularly associated with the Viking Age, only seven examples of such monuments have been excavated in Iceland. Furthermore, no shipwrecks are known dating from this period in Iceland, and examples of boat timbers preserved by waterlogging are very rare. As such, the mineralized wood remains from these burials comprise the vast majority of direct archaeological evidence currently available for the boats used in daily life in early Iceland. This paper uses taxonomic identification of mineralized wood remains from the Icelandic boat graves, along with comparative data from Europe and Scandinavia, to discuss boat construction and repair in early Iceland, including the possibilities of driftwood utilization and the importation of boats from Norway. The economic and social significance of the practice of boat burial in Iceland is also explored, with regard to the importance of boats as transport and the limited availability of wood suitable for boat construction and repair.     

The manufacture of Aurignacian split-based points: an experimental challenge

Hunting is one of the areas of human activity that sees the most significant changes in the period from 40 000–35 000 BP in Europe. In this respect, the Aurignacian technocomplex shows technical innovations, notably with the fabrication of split-based points (SBP) in antler and the mass production of bladelets, arguably to serve as weapon armatures. Yet, little experiment work has been dedicated to this question. To begin to fill this gap, we have designed an experimental program devoted to testing and assessing the design, manufacture and use of Aurignacian weaponry.     

Neutral Bystander,Intrusive Micromanager,or Useful Catalyst?

An analysis of Forest Service-related legislative activity found that increasingly Congress is becoming involved in agency activities and decisionmaking. Congress's growing scrutiny and management of the Forest Service is indicated by rising trends in requests for agency testimony at congressional hearings, in the number of Forest Service-related bills and amendments introduced in Congress, and in the amount of Forest Service-related legislation enacted. Anecdotal evidence of direct political pressure imposed upon agency personnel by congressional members also indicates that much congressional influence occurs outside of these legislative activities. An examination of activities such as these and directives attached to annual appropriation bills also shows that not all congressional actions are productive in fostering positive agency change. The results of this study indicate the likelihood that Congress has been playing a major role in instigating change within the agency.     

Is the Forest Service Keeping Up With the Times?

Interest groups involved in the Forest Service's 1990 Resources Planning Act (RPA) forest planning process and representatives from accredited forestry schools were surveyed via a written questionnaire on their perceptions of change within the Forest Service since 1976. Respondents felt that the agency had changed, particularly during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Consumptive users perceived the change to be negative, while non-consumptive user groups and forestry schools felt it was somewhat positive, although they still felt the Forest Service had much further to go in this direction before achieving these groups' desired priorities for National Forest management. These results indicate that the agency is undergoing a net shift in direction towards increased emphasis on non-commodity forest uses. In general, external forces, such as Congress and the courts, were seen as having a greater impact on agency change than were sources of change within the agency itself. Forestry schools agreed most often with non-consumptive users, indicating that these programs may be undergoing a change away from their traditional focus on timber production. In addition to providing valuable insights on the subject of change in the Forest Service, these survey results locate areas of agreement and disagreement, and provide valuable feedback to the agency regarding its constituent groups' views about its performance in managing the National Forests.     

Book reviews

CHINA

PAUL A. COHEN. History in Three Keys: the Boxers as Event, Experience, and Myth. New York: Columbia University Press, 1997. xviii, 428 pp. £27.95, paper.

DAVID S. G. GOODMAN (ed). China's Provinces in Reform. London and New York: Routledge, 1997. 278 pp. US$85.00, £50.00, hardcover; US$25.99, £15.99, paper.

HUANG JIANLI. The Politics of Depoliticization in Republican China: Guomindang Policy towards Student Political Activism, 1927–1949. Berne: Peter Lang AG, 1996. US$52.95, £34.00, hardcover.

PAUL R. KATZ. Demon Hordes and Burning Boats: the Cult of Marshal Wen in Late Imperial Chekiang. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1995. xviii, 261 pp. Index. US$19.95, paper.

JAPAN, KOREA

EYAL BEN‐ARI. Body Projects in Japanese Childcare—culture, Organization and Emotions in a Preschool. Richmond, Surrey: Curzon, 1997. 166 pp. £40.00, hardcover.

JENNIFER DUFFY and GARY ANSON, eds. Encounters with Japan: twenty Extraordinary Stories. Sydney: Angus and Robertson, 1994. 159 pp. A$14.95.

KEN'ICHI GOTO. ’Returning to Asia’: Japan‐Indonesia Relations, 1930s‐1940s. Tokyo: Ryukei Shyosha, 1997. xxvi, 496 pp. Index. ¥12,000, hardcover.

AMY VLADECK HEINRICH (ed). Currents in Japanese Culture: translations and Transformations. New York: Columbia University Press, 1997. 493 pp. Preface, brief biographies of contributors, index. US$52.00, hardcover.

STEWART LONE. Japan's First Modern War: army and Society in the Conflict with China, 1894–95. Studies in Military and Strategic History. Houndmills and London: Macmillan/St. Martin's Press, in Association with King's College, London, 1994. xii, 222 pp. £40.00, hardcover.

COLIN McKENZIE and MICHAEL STUTCHBURY (eds). Japanese Financial Markets and the Role of the Yen. Sydney: Allen & Unwin, 1992. 176 pp. Tables, abbreviations, glossary, preface, list of contributors, appendices, notes, bibliography, index. A$39.95 hardcover; A$24.95, paper.

SOUTH ASIA

KATE BRITTLEBANK. Tipu Sultan's Search for Legitimacy: Islam and Kingship in a Hindu Domain. Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1997. 184 pp. Illustrations, introduction, notes, bibliography, index. Rs. 450, hardcover.

SOUTHEAST ASIA

BENG‐HUAT CHUA. Communitarian Ideology and Democracy in Singapore. London: Routledge, 1997 (revised edition), xiv, 213 pp. Preface, preface to paperback edition, references, index. £45.00, hardcover; £14.99, paper.

STEVEN HEDER and JUDY LEDGERWOOD (eds). Propaganda, Politics and Violence in Cambodia: democratic Transition under United Nations Peace‐Keeping. New York and London: M.E. Sharpe, 1996. xx, 277 pp. US$71.95, hardcover; US$29.95, paper.

ROBERT LOWRY. The Armed Forces of Indonesia. St Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin, 1997. xxiv, 282 pp. Tables, maps, graphs, index. A$29.95, paper.

GENERAL ASIA

CHRISTINE DOBBIN. Asian Entrepreneurial Minorities: conjoint Communities in the Making of the World Economy, 1570–1940. Richmond, Surrey: Curzon Press, 1996. 246 pp. Glossary, selected bibliography, index. £45.00, hardcover; £16.99, paper.     

Domestic challenges and international leadership: a case study of women in Australian international affairs

Women in international affairs play powerful and influential roles in shaping laws and policies, negotiating on subjects of war, peace and security, and representing national interest. In Australia, women outnumber men at all levels of public service to executive level one. Yet, women remain under-represented in more senior ranks and appear to experience significant challenges gaining leadership in agencies involved in diplomacy and security. What are the gendered institutions at play in Australian international affairs? Using a comparative case study approach, this paper explores the experiences of senior executive level women leaders across the Australian Federal Government in four case agencies—the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Defence, Department of Home Affairs (DHA), and the Australian Federal Police (AFP). Women’s gendered challenges in international leadership are not surprising within a diplomatic history that has often restricted women’s roles based off the ‘appropriateness’ of sending women as envoys to nations of varying safety and respect for their status. What is surprising is that women report greater sexism, discrimination and harassment from within their own agencies, not from countries in which they are hosted. This has important ramifications globally on gaining and retaining women in international affairs leadership.