Book reviews

Theodore G. Th. Pigeaud and P. Voorhoeve. Handschriften aus Indonesien (Bali, Java, und Sumatra), xi, 71 pp., 6 plates. Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag Wiesbaden GmbH, 1985. (Verzeichnis der Orientalischen Handschriften in Deutschland, XXVIII, 2.) DM 64,‐

G. J Knapp, Kruidnagelen en christenen: de Verenigde Oost‐Indische Compagnie en de bevolking van Ambon 1656–1696.xii, 323 pp. Dordrecht: Foris Publications, 1987. (Verhandelingen van het Koninklijk Instituut voor Taal‐, Land ‐en Volkenkunde, 125.) Guilders 35.

Rainer Carle (ed.). Cultures and societies North Sumatra. 514 pp. Berlin; Hamburg: Dietrich Reimer Verlag, 1987. (Veröffentlichungen des Seminars für Indonesische und Südseesprachen der Universität Hamburg, 19.) DM 95.

J. Noorduyn. Bima en Sumbawa: bijdragen tot de geschiedenis van de sultanaten Bima en Sumbawa door A. Ligtvoet en G. P. Rouffaer.xii, 187 pp. Dordrecht: Foris Publications, 1987. (Verhandelingen van net Koninklijk Instituut voor Taal‐, Land‐ en Volkenkunde, 129.) Guilders 30.

Anthony J. Whitten and others. The ecology of Sulawesi. By Anthony J. Whitten, Muslimin Mustafa, Gregory S. Henderson,xxi, 777 pp. Yogyakarta: Gadjah Mada University Press, 1987.

Robert Wessing. The soul of ambiguity: the tiger in Southeast Asia. vi, 148 pp. [Dekalb, Illinois]: Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Northern Illinois University, 1986. (Monograph Series on Southeast Asia, Special Report 24.) (Distributed by Cellar Bookshop, 18090 Wyoming, Detroit, Michigan 48221.)     

‘Piddington's Indiscretion’:1 Ralph Piddington,The Australian National Research Council and Academic Freedom

The primary aim of this paper is to investigate the question why, particularly in the first half of this century, Australian academics were so supine when it came to public criticism of the treatment, conditions and welfare of Australian Aborigines. Its focus is Ralph Piddington and how he was treated by the Australian academic establishment for his public criticism of the treatment of Aborigines at La Grange Bay, North-west Australia. It shows how the Executive Committee of the Australian National Research Council (ANRC), A.P. Elkin, Professor of Anthropology at Sydney University from 1933 to 1956 and chairman, from 1933 to 1955, of the Australian National Research Council's Committee for Anthropological Research, and A.O. Neville, Chief Protector of Aborigines in Western Australia, combined to silence and punish Piddington. The ANRC's criticisms of Piddington were fuelled, above all else, by their concern that his action would create a ‘very uncomfortable atmosphere regarding this Council and anthropological research generally.’ 5 2 Sir George Julius to Raymond Firth, 21 October 1932. 155/4/1/10.
In contrast the Rockefeller Foundation which provided the funding for the ANRC research grants and fellowships took a more lenient view of Piddington's action. It believed from the evidence presented by the ANRC that Piddington had made satisfactory progress toward carrying out the program for which he was given his fellowship and did not believe the charges made against him should impede his fellowship status.     

…?… evidence…?…

Questions of Evidence: Proof, Practice, and Persuasion across the Disciplines. Edited by James Chandler, Arnold I. Davidson, and Harry Harootunian (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1994) 518pp. $45.00 cloth $19.95 paper.

The Creation of Scientific Effects: Heinrich Hertz and Electric Waves. By Jed Z. Buchwald (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1994) 428pp. $32.95 paper $75.00 cloth.     

For Whom is the Rural Economy Resilient? Initial Effects of Drought in Western Sudan

This discussion piece addresses two recent debates: entitlement theory and the resilience of rural systems. The authors find that in western Sudan entitlement theory provides a specific and useful framework for understanding the nature of the crisis confronting the society. Arguments about the resilience of rural systems, however, need to be more closely examined and will depend on site-specific factors. The rural economy and society of western Sudan were not found to be resilient.     

The architecture of the Iron Age II fortified settlement at Muweilah (Sharjah,United Arab Emirates)

Excavations at Muweilah have uncovered twelve buildings encircled by two pairs of walls and ditches. We have published preliminary studies of several buildings. Research has now progressed to a stage where it is possible to produce a more complete analysis of the architecture. In this report, we present a detailed discussion of the fortifications and each building with its installations. Our assessment of the architecture identified the repeated combination of three rooms in many of the buildings in the Central Area of Muweilah. Moreover, a detailed study of the fortifications revealed several means of accessing Building II, the columned hall, in the Western Area. These findings offer insights into the organisation of Iron Age II settlements in south‐eastern Arabia.     

Heritage Monitoring Scouts: Engaging the Public to Monitor Sites at Risk Across Florida

ABSTRACT

Along Florida’s nearly 13,000 km of shoreline, nearly 4000 archaeological sites and over 600 recorded historic cemeteries are at risk from climate change impacts including coastal erosion and a 2-metre rise in sea level. In 2016, the Florida Public Archaeology Network (FPAN) created the Heritage Monitoring Scouts (HMS Florida) programme to engage the public in monitoring sites at risk. The programme grew quickly during the first year of operation to include 233 volunteers who submitted 312 monitoring forms. The programme exists beyond the singular act of a volunteer reporting site conditions; across Florida, varied combinations of local partnerships present unique opportunities for programmes, for example, the pilot program at the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve. Preliminary outcomes from the first year of HMS Florida and the pilot indicate the programme is effective in public engagement and a powerful management tool for tracking change to sites over time.