Glastonbury Abbey: archaeological investigations 1904-79

This volume reports on the results of the Glastonbury Abbey Archaeological Archive Project, a collaboration between the University of Reading and the Trustees of Glastonbury Abbey, funded principally by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. The project has reassessed and reinterpreted all known archaeological records from the 1908–79 excavations and made the complete dataset available to the public through a digital archive hosted by the Archaeology Data Service (http://dx.doi.org/10.5284/1022585). The scope of the project has included the full analysis of the archaeological collections of Glastonbury Abbey by thirty-one leading specialists, including chemical and compositional analysis of glass and metal and petrological analysis of pottery and tile, and a comprehensive geophysical survey conducted by GSB Prospection Ltd. For the first time, it has been possible to achieve a framework of independent dating based on reassessment of the finds and radiocarbon dating of surviving organic material from the 1950s excavations. The principal aim of the Glastonbury Abbey Archaeological Project was to set aside previous assumptions based on the historical and legendary traditions and to provide a rigorous reassessment of the archive of antiquarian excavations. This research has revealed that some of the best known archaeological ‘facts’ about Glastonbury are themselves myths perpetuated by the abbey’s excavators.

Estimating future bidding performance of competitor bidders in capped tenders

Research in Bid Tender Forecasting Models (BTFM) has been in progress since the 1950s. None of the developed models were easy-to-use tools for effective use by bidding practitioners because the advanced mathematical apparatus and massive data inputs required. This scenario began to change in 2012 with the development of the Smartbid BTFM, a quite simple model that presents a series of graphs that enables any project manager to study competitors using a relatively short historical tender dataset. However, despite the advantages of this new model, so far, it is still necessary to study all the auction participants as an indivisible group; that is, the original BTFM was not devised for analyzing the behavior of a single bidding competitor or a subgroup of them. The present paper tries to solve that flaw and presents a stand-alone methodology useful for estimating future competitors’ bidding behaviors separately.

Muriel Rukeyser: poetry and the body

The human body occupies a central place in Rukeyser’s poetry. Her characters’ physical experiences inspire their search for an artistic form and a holistic vision that reconciles the corporeal and conceptual aspects of their life. My thesis deals with Rukeyser’s reconciliation of disparate aspects of existence through the image of the human body and the practical experiences she underwent in her personal life and incorporated in her poetry. I discuss her poetry of the 1940s, where a tension is observed between the artist’s personal life and her art, which she attempts to resolve by adopting an artistic form that accommodates her quotidian experiences. I study, mainly through her poetry of the 1950s, Rukeyser’s poetic technique in the light of her organicist poetics and the combination of tendencies to coercion and suggestiveness distinguishing her style. I examine her portrayal of the suffering body in her poetry of the 1960s and 1970s. By means of their physical experiences, the ill, her despised and the imprisoned protagonists undergo a process of development whereby they perceive the different aspects of their identity and attempt to broaden perspectives on their situation by reconciling them. I argue that Rukeyser’s engagement with physical encounters and with the poem as an inclusive, organic body enables her to reconcile disparate elements in her poetry, such as her personal life and her art, her individual existence and the public world, as well as the distinct aspects of her characters’ identity. Her vatic outlook, which integrates distinct aspects of experience, is consistent with Merleau-Ponty’s idea of human perception as characterised by the two interdependent positions of immanence and transcendence. Rukeyser’s poetry depicts her physical engagement with quotidian events of her life as a factor of artistic inspiration. These situations constitute shared human experiences that enable her to imagine the links binding her to other people and the world at large. The poet’s personal experiences inspire her search for an artistic form that accommodates them. Her perception of the concrete aspect of her individual existence gains significance when it is linked to social and political issues. Both the private and public are thus seen as interconnected, and they affect the existence of each other while retaining their distinctness.

The political economy of bovine tuberculosis in Great Britain

A brief history of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) and its control in Great Britain is presented. Numerous diverse policies to control the disease in man, cattle and wildlife have been pursued over the last 100 years and many millions of pounds have been spent. After notable success in reducing the incidence and prevalence of bTB in cattle in GB from the 1950s to the mid-1980s, the number of cattle slaughtered has increased with increased geographical spread continually since that time with a high point of bTB incidence in 2008. This increase appeared to coincide with changing policy regarding the control of the disease in badgers with a more humane approach adopted and with strengthened protection for badgers through legislation. Indeed, much controversy has been involved in the debate on the role of badgers in disease transmission to cattle and the need for their control as vectors of the disease with various commissioned research projects, trials, public consultations and media attention. The findings of two social science investigations presented as examples showed that citizens generally believed that bTB in cattle is an important issue that needs to be tackled but objected to badgers being killed, whilst cattle farmers were willing to pay around £17/animal/year for a bTB cattle vaccine. It is noted that successes regarding the control of bTB in other countries have combined both cattle and wildlife controls and had strong involvement from industry working with government.

Oljudens musik : En revolution i kompositionsteknik?

Noise music is created around sounds not often welcome in a musical context. Since the birth of electronic music in the 1950s a new perspective on composing has emerged. In electronic music, sounds and their timbre are as much important as melody, harmony and rhythm. This composing perspective is not often observed. Therefore I have examined a musical genre that stretches the boundaries of what we consider music, sound, noise, beautiful and terrible. The aim of this thesis is to investigate what aesthetic ideals noise musicians have when they create music. I examine the composing processes of three noise musicians, by asking the following questions: Do you compose in advance or do you improvise, how do your control of sound look like, how do you use the human voice and how do you categorize sound? The thesis is constructed around interviews I have made with the musicians and an extensive historical background concentrated on the alternative composing techniques that has led to the development of noise music. Among the results I found that these noise musicians always improvise with material, but the real essence of noise music is the character of the sounds, not their origins or material. Composing in advance for sound is a lot more difficult than traditional composing. Another result is that these noise musicians have extensive control of their instruments and can produce the sounds they wanted. They point out the importance of instruments that produce sound not directly controlled by themselves, something that create a musical quality that they aspire.

Har den interna demokratin i politiska partier försämrats över tid?

Has intra-party democracy deteriorated over time? A widely held view in contemporary party research is that intra-party democracy, especially in traditional mass parties, has deteriorated in the age of the cartel party. This common assessment, however, relies on insufficient empirical evidence, and is scrutinized in the article. The notion of a gradual progress towards the cartel party implicitly shares common characteristics with the classic theory of Michels. In order to investigate the actual fate of intra-party democracy, central aspects of Michels theory are explored over time in a critical case, namely the Swedish SAP. If intra-party democracy is declining, this tendency should be most likely to be observed in this case. Two internal decision-making processes, surrounding two major pension reforms – one expansion in the 1950’s and one retrenchment in the 1990’s – are compared based on criteria deducted from Michels. Instead of finding a decline in intraparty democracy, the results conclusively demonstrate major improvements.

Mellan etnologi och modern sociologi : K. Rob. V. Wikman som medlare i Finland och Sverige

Between ethnology and sociology: K. Rob. V. Wikman as a mediator in Finland and Sweden K. Rob. V. Wikman, professor in sociology at the Åbo Akademi University in Turku, Finland, played a central role both within Finnish and Swedish sociology in the 1940s and 1950s. He was a student of Westermarck and thus his own research represented an ethnosociological tradition, which at that time was challenged by modern, American-influenced sociological ideas. The aim of this article is to discuss the adaptation of “modern sociology” and the drawing of boundaries in Nordic sociology after the Second World War by focusing on Wikman’s work in Finnish as well as Swedish sociology, especially the assessor assignments he was given, and by giving emphasis to some of those that served as border poles or border markers in this process. The comparative starting point gives us reason to discuss some nationally characterized similarities and differences that can be observed in the establishment process of modern sociology in Finland and Sweden.

Otto Klitgord at 1952 Commencement

Otto Klitgord (second from left) is pictured with other guests at the Hotel St. George, site of the February 1952 commencement ceremony of the college. Otto Klitgord was the first president of the New York City College of Technology. He was named director of the New York State Institute of Applied Arts and Sciences when it was formed in the 1946 and became president in the 1950s when the administration was reorganized. Klitgord served until 1960, making his tenure as president the longest in City Tech's history.

Otto Klitgord and Andrew Clauson

Otto Klitogord (left) is depicted awarding the Hon. Andrew Clauson (right) with membership in TPS - June 26, 1952. Otto Klitgord was the first president of the New York City College of Technology. He was named director of the New York State Institute of Applied Arts and Sciences when it was formed in the 1946 and became president in the 1950s when the administration was reorganized. Klitgord served until 1960, making his tenure as president the longest in City Tech's history.

Otto Klitgord and Lawrence J. Jarvie

Otto Klitgord (left) and Lawrence Jarvie (right) are pictured at a college dinner. Otto Klitgord was the first president of the New York City College of Technology. He was named director of the New York State Institute of Applied Arts and Sciences when it was formed in the 1946 and became president in the 1950s when the administration was reorganized. Klitgord served until 1960, making his tenure as president the longest in City Tech's history.

Otto Klitgord at 1951 Commencement Ceremony

Otto Klitgord is presiding over the May 24, 1951 commencement ceremony of the New York State Institute of Applied Arts and Sciences held in Carnegie Hall. Otto Klitgord was the first president of the New York City College of Technology. He was named director of the New York State Institute of Applied Arts and Sciences when it was formed in the 1946 and became president in the 1950s when the administration was reorganized. Klitgord served until 1960, making his tenure as president the longest in City Tech's history.

Otto Klitgord and Major Benjamin Namm

Otto Klitgord is depicted giving Benjamin H. Namm, chairman of the college's Board of Trustees a degree. Otto Klitgord was the first president of the New York City College of Technology. He was named director of the New York State Institute of Applied Arts and Sciences when it was formed in the 1946 and became president in the 1950s when the administration was reorganized. Klitgord served until 1960, making his tenure as president the longest in City Tech's history.

Otto Klitgord

This photo shows Otto Klitgord speaking at a college event. Otto Klitgord was the first president of the New York City College of Technology. He was named director of the New York State Institute of Applied Arts and Sciences when it was formed in the 1946 and became president in the 1950s when the administration was reorganized. Klitgord served until 1960, making his tenure as president the longest in City Tech's history.

From the national-bourgeois to the associated dependency interpretation of latin America

Nos anos 1960 e 1970 a América Latina foi palco de golpes militares modernizadores e da transição de seus intelectuais do nacionalismo para a dependência associada. Nos anos 1950 dois grupos de intelectuais públicos, organizados entre a Cepal, em Santiago, Chile, e o ISEB, no Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, abriram caminho para o pensamento das sociedades e economias latino-americanas (inclusive do Brasil) a partir de uma visão nacionalista. A Cepal criticava principalmente a lei das vantagens comparativas e suas essenciais implicações imperialistas; o ISEB se focava na definição política de uma estratégia nacional-desenvolvimentista. A idéia de uma burguesia nacional era a resposta para esta interpretação da América Latina. A Revolução Cubana, a crise econômica dos anos 1960 e os golpes militares nos países do Cone Sul, entretanto, criaram espaço para a crítica a essas idéias com uma nova interpretação: a da dependência. Ao rejeitar totalmente a possibilidade de uma burguesia nacional, duas versões da interpretação da dependência (a interpretação “associada” e a “superexploração”) também rejeitaram a possibilidade de uma estratégia nacional-desenvolvimentista. Apenas uma terceira interpretação, a “nacional-dependente” continuava a afirmar a necessidade e a possibilidade de uma burguesia nacional e de uma estratégia nacional. Entretanto, foi a interpretação da dependência associada que foi dominante na América Latina nos anos 1970 e 1980.

Sociabilidade homoerótica masculina no Rio de Janeiro na década de 1960: relatos do jornal O Snob

Este trabalho estuda uma rede de sociabilidade homoerótica na cidade do Rio de Janeiro na década de 1960 através da análise dos relatos contidos no jornal doméstico – produzido por um dos grupos e que circulava entre os participantes da rede – O Snob. A rede era composta por vários grupos de convivência que se vinham formando desde a década de 1950, e a maioria dos participantes elaborava suas identidades pessoais compartilhando com a sociedade maior a crença de que pertenceriam ao “terceiro sexo”, “sofrendo” inversão sexual. Assim se desenvolveu uma forma de sociabilidade peculiar, caracterizada por encontros festivos em domicílios como estratégia de sobrevivência, visto que as expectativas sociossexuais dos grupos eram envoltas em hostilidade da sociedade maior. Desta maneira esse estudo aponta processos de sociabilização empreendidos pela rede, moldados na invisibilidade, configurando-se, ainda que de maneira não articulada (ou involuntária), em experiência de conquistas dos direitos civis e sociais ao promover ações práticas que possibilitavam encontros de seus membros e que podem ser traduzidas como o direito de ir e vir, o direito de livre expressão, ainda que num espaço segregado (ou segredado?), direitos básicos, que, no entanto, não eram garantidos aos participantes da rede. Evidencia, nessa trajetória, os processos de ressignificação identitária que os grupos vivenciaram ao longo do período estudado.