«Non urbe, non vico, non castris»: territorial control and the colonization and urbanization of Wales and Ireland under Anglo-Norman lordship

By playing on the Classical belief that urbanity is a sign of civility, urbanism has often been used by Europeans to characterize the «other» as uncivilized. In the twelfth century, contemporary chroniclers in England made much use of the myth that Wales and Ireland were unurbanized and therefore uncivilized. This conviction provided, in their view, a justification for colonizing lands in Wales and Ireland, at the western edge of the Anglo-Norman kingdom. Throughout the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, the process of this colonization was intimately linked with urbanization. This paper examines the spatial dimensions of this process and proposes two views of how urbanization facilitated colonization. First, English domination was extended geographically by the use of particular Anglo-Norman urban laws, and by the foundation of chartered towns. These laws spread English legal practices into Wales and Ireland, reinforcing the myth that these areas lacked urbanity before colonization, whilst at the same time placing them under the watchful eye of Anglo-Norman lordship. Secondly, in the creation of chartered «new» towns, Anglo-Norman lords used exclusionary devices to structure the internal spaces of towns, separating English townspeople from Welsh and Irish and in the process marking them as «outsiders» in a «colonial» society.     

Stitching Together the Fabric of Industrial Houses: Investigating the Origins and Development of Cotton Workers’ Accommodation in the Derwent Valley,Derbyshire

At the close of the 18th century, the first purpose-built industrial communities connected to mechanised cotton spinning were created in the Derwent Valley, Derbyshire. Across four sites at Cromford, Belper, Milford and Darley Abbey, three mill-owning families constructed a wide variety of purpose-built accommodation in order to house their growing workforces. This article uses a buildings-led approach to investigate the complex influences acting on the form and design of these houses. Through the analysis of historic building fabric, this research demonstrates that workers’ housing in the Derwent Valley comprised both innovative and traditional influences, reflecting the experimental character of early cotton manufacture. Ultimately, this research suggests that the array of approaches to house-building within the valley were the result of a highly nuanced interaction between the agenda, requirements and expectations of both occupant and patron.     

(Re)Inhabiting awareness: geography and mindfulness

This paper opens up a dialogue between mindfulness and the discipline of geography. As a meditative practice that cultivates ‘present-centred non-judgmental awareness’, we claim that the practices and insights of mindfulness have important implications for various forms of geographical enquiry. This paper argues that mindfulness can inform geographical practices in relation to epistemology and methodology, and contribute towards geographically informed critical psychological theory and action. More specifically, we claim that mindfulness could offer a practice-based context to support the study of affects, extend the application of psychoanalytical geographical methods beyond the therapeutic, and contribute to emerging geographical studies of behavioural power and empowerment. This analysis explores these sites of interaction through a series of reflections on the Mindfulness, Behaviour Change and Engagement in Public Policy programme that was developed and delivered by the authors. This more-than-therapeutic mindfulness programme has been delivered to approximately 47 civil servants working in the UK Government.     

Reflections on Ethics at Stanford

Mindful of the need to be productive, Ian was caught a bit off-guard by some basic differences of opinion that emerged, specifically concerning WAC’s responsibility to intervene in situations of human rights issues that concern cultural heritage. His own assumptions about the similarity of perspectives on this issue that he expected to find among WAC colleagues were discomforted and challenged by this. Upon reflection, he better understands the historical and contemporary reasons for these differences and took this to be a good lesson in unsettling our assumptions, which is probably what WAC is all about.

---

Résumé Conscient de la nécessité d'être productif, Ian s’est senti un peu pris au dépourvu par l’expression de points de vue largement différents, notamment au sujet de la responsabilité du CMA d'intervenir dans des situations touchant à l’héritage culturel et impliquant la question des Droits de l'Homme. L’idée qu’il se faisait d’une probable convergence d’opinion sur ce sujet parmi les collègues du CMA s’est ainsi trouvée largement mise en doute et fragilisée par ces désaccords. A la réflexion, il comprend mieux les fondements historiques et contemporains à l’origine de ces différences et considère qu’il s’agit d’une bonne expérience incitant à déconstruire nos hypothèses, en accord sans doute avec un certain esprit du CMA.

---

Resumen Preocupadp por la necesidad de ser productivo, Ian fue tomado por sorpresa por algunas diferencias de opiniones que surgieron, especificamente en relación a la responsabilidad del WAC de intervenir en situaciones de los derechos humanos en el tema del patrimonio cultural. Sus propias suposiciones acerca de la similitud de perspectivas que esperaba encontrar en colegas del CAM en este tema ,fueron incomodadas y cuestionadas por esto. Despues de reflexionar sobre el asunto, él comprende mejor las razones históricas y contemporáneas de esas diferencias y considera que es ésta una buena lección para desestabilizar nuestras suposiciones, algo que probablemente sea de lo que se trata el WAC.

     

GUNGARAKAYN WOMEN SPEAK: REPRODUCTION AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF TRADITION

This paper analyses the instrumental purposes served by representations of female spirituality deployed by Gungaraakayn claimants in the course of the Finniss River Land Claim. I address the problem of how gender is shaped by configurations of power within and between groups and how, in turn, it shapes those configurations. The paper is thus a critique that seeks to understand the political significance of ‘tradition’ in the present, demonstrating how social formations may be transformed by the operations of practice.     

Reviews

Joseph Rykwert, The Dancing Column. On Order in Architecture, Cambridge, Mass. and London: The MIT Press, 1996. xviii + 598 pp., 316 b. & w. illus. ISBN 0–262–18170–3. £49.95.

Janet Lang and Andrew Middleton (eds.), Radiography of Cultural Material, Oxford: Butterworth‐Heinemann, 1997. xii + 193 pp., 23 col. and 157 b. & w. illus. ISBN 0–7506–2621–6. £45.00.

Chris Rojek and John Urry (eds.), Touring Cultures: Transformations of Travel and Theory, London and New York: Routledge, 1997. x + 214 pp., 11 b. & w. illus. and 1 fig. ISBN 0–415–111225–0. £13.99.

Peter Mandler, The Fall and Rise of the Stately Home, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1997. viii + 523 pp., 99 b. & w. illus. ISBN 0–300–06703–8. £19.95.

Susan M. Pearce (ed.), Experiencing Material Culture in the Western World, London and Washington: Leicester University Press, 1997. xiv + 274 pp., 1 b. & w. illus. ISBN 9–7185–0022–9. £18–99.

Steven Parissien, Station to Station, London: Phaidon, 1997. 240 pp., 191 col. and 146 b. & w. illus. ISBN 0–7148–3467‐X. £39.99.

David Phillips, Exhibiting Authenticity, Manchester and New York: Manchester University Press, 1997. xi + 234 pp., 61 b. & w. illus. ISBN 0–7190–4797–8. £16.99.

Phillip Lindley (ed.), Sculpture Conservation: Preservation or Interference?, Aldershot, England: Scolar Press, 1997. xxxii + 237 pp., 18 figs., 97 b. & w. and 65 col. illus. ISBN 1–85928–254–7. £35.00.

George (Rip) Rapp Jr. and Christopher L. Hill, Geoarchaeology: the Earth‐science Approach to Archaeological Interpretation, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1998. xiii + 274 pp., 80 figs. ISBN 0–300–07075–6. £28.00.

Brian J. Shaw and Roy Jones (eds.), Contested Urban Heritage: Voices from the Periphery, Aldershot, Brookfield USA, Singapore, Sydney: Ashgate, 1997. ix + 205 pp., 19 figs, 42 b. & w. illus. ISBN 1–85972–554–6. £37.50.

Dianne Sachko Macleod, Art and the Victorian Middle Class: Money and the Making of Cultural Identity, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996. xx + 530 pp., 8 col. and 76 b. & w. illns. ISBN 0–521–55090–4. £65.00.

Nicholas Barton, Stone Age Britain, London: B. T. Batsford in association with English Heritage, 1997. 144 pp., 7 figs., 16 col. and 113 b. & w. illus. ISBN 0–7134–6846–7. £15.99.

Paul Bidwell, Roman Forts in Britain, London: B. T. Batsford in association with English Heritage, 1997. 128 pp., 12 col. and 80 b. & w. illus. ISBN 0–7134–7100‐X. £15.99.

Peter Marsden, Ships and Shipwrecks, London: B. T. Batsford in association with English Heritage, 1997. 128 pp., 11 col. and 85 b. & w. illus. ISBN 0–7134–7536–6. £15.99.

Trevor Rowley, Norman England, London: B. T. Batsford in association with English Heritage, 1997. 144 pp., 12 col. and 94 b. & w. illus. ISBN 0–7134–8060–2. £15.99.