scholarly journals Ships and Trade: The Role of Public Navigation in Renaissance Venice

Author(s):  
Stefania Montemezzo
Keyword(s):  

The paper aims at understanding the role that public navigation played for the Venetian merchant firms in the Renaissance. Thanks to the use of accountability, two case studies will be analysed to understand the involvement of private traders in the State galley system and their impact on the operations of the city’s business in the late 15th century.

Author(s):  
Carolyn Routledge

Since Flinders Petrie, the importance of Western Asia to the history and development of culture in ancient Egypt has been recognized by scholars and has also been a significant driver in shaping Egyptological methodology and theoretical approaches. The study of relations between Western Asia and Egypt encompasses a wide range of specialisms given the broad range of evidence, the geographical breadth, and the academic disciplines involved. This chapter reviews the history of the study of relations between Western Asia and Egypt pointing to a selection of challenges scholars face in undertaking their research, and examines two case studies: theories concerning the role of Western Asia in the rise of the state, and the assessment of Egypt’s New Kingdom Empire in Canaan to illustrate the ways in which scholarly challenges are met and the resulting historical conclusions.


2011 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 150-170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew McWilliam

AbstractOne of the outcomes of the radical decentralisation policies accompanying political reform and democratisation in Indonesia is a sustained administrative programme known by the term pemekaran, or a ‘blossoming’ of new administrative and budgetary units that extend to the farthest corners of the nation. This paper explores aspects and impacts of the pemekaran process as it unfolds in two remote corners of Indonesia, namely the sub-district of Routa in Konawe Regency of Southeast Sulawesi and the newly-established district of Bintuni in the swamp lands of Bintuni Gulf, West Papua. In both regions the strategic possibilities that accompany pemekaran have fostered a vibrant local politic based around appeals to established patterns of landed authority. But the logic of pemekaran can lead to fragmentation and confusion over jurisdictional authority. Critics argue that the process dilutes capacity and political authority. Supporters acknowledge the limits but applaud the extension of development funding into areas which otherwise would remain isolated and impoverished. The paper explores some of the dimensions of this debate and the role of pemekaran in shaping local experience on the margins of the state.


2009 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 693-710 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel Martínez Lucio ◽  
Robert Perrett

The article shows that community initiatives take different forms and are the outcome of a broader interplay of factors between workers’ interests, representation, and the strategies of unions and broader coalitions that are mobilized in specific communities. Drawing from three case studies on black and minority ethnic (BME) workers and trade unions in the UK the article looks at how the rhetoric of community unionism has been adopted in an uneven manner by trade unions: the article suggests that: (a) community initiatives are variable, (b) they lack a structure and clear vision, (c) the question of BME engagement is rarely central in many projects, and (d) the ambivalent role of the state is a significant factor in many of these initiatives. This state role is downplayed in much of the literature, thus raising dilemmas in terms of community initiatives.


Societies ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 111
Author(s):  
Darren Sharpe

This paper provides a synthesis of qualitative studies, examining youth empowerment projects and initiatives that have encouraged young people to have a voice in local, regional, and national political debates. Specifically, the article examines the role of English youth services in building the spirit of citizenship in young people against the challenging question of the changing behavioural pattern and profiles of young English electorates. To do this, the paper draws on four case studies to help rethink the critical moments for disadvantaged and vulnerable young people in their journeys towards citizenship, and how English youth services understand and respond to the experiences of young people. The article presents the strengths and limitations of the youth sector to enrich and furnish the spirit of citizenship in today’s youth, and argues for a more innovative role in the part played by the state in an era of austerity.


ARTMargins ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 29-52
Author(s):  
Caterina Preda

This article analyzes the collective basis of the establishment of the Socialist Realist model of production for the fine arts in Romania in the early 1950s. It discusses the unstudied case of the “artists' collectives” (of production) together with other collective forms, such as the collective studios and the guiding commissions. This is an archive-based study of cultural institutionalism of socialist regimes, based on the analysis of under-explored archival sources such as those of the Romanian Artists' Union (UAP) or the Artistic Fund (FP). Focusing on two specific case studies, those of the artists' collectives “Progressive art” and “Th. Aman”, both founded in 1951, it provides more context to the establishment of the socialist model in Romania. The article finds the state assumed definition of art considered the artist as a simple executioner, and the “artists' collectives” participated in eradicating the individuality of the artist, one of the goals of the new socialist model.


2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 93-96
Author(s):  
Michael Kelly

This article introduces the special issue of the journal on France as a Laboratory of Culture. It asks whether France continues to foster creativity and innovation in the cultural realm. Six articles examine case studies, including the role of women in the making of modern Paris, France’s role in world cinema through international co-production, French conceptions of world literature, recent fictional works by Alice Zeniter and Bessora, the rapper Abd al Malik as a complex example of hybrid music, and the state-funded project to create ÉcoQuartiers, or green neighbourhoods. These examples provide challenges to the way things are, whether in changing behaviours, tastes, perceptions or understandings, and demonstrate convincingly that France remains a vibrant laboratory of culture in the modern world.


1983 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Whiteley ◽  
Steve Winyard

AbstractThis article looks at income maintenance pressure groups in Britain (the ‘poverty lobby’) and provides an assessment of their impact on policy in the 1970s. It is based on focused interviews with the leaders of 42 national pressure groups, MPs, Ministers, and senior civil servants. There is a discussion of conceptual and methodological problems involved in measuring effectiveness and a review of the theoretical literature on the role of pressure groups in the British political system. The study adopts a reputational approach to measuring effectiveness rather than a series of case studies. A number of specific successes are highlighted as well as examples of ‘agenda changing’ by groups. An explanation is provided in terms of the environment within which groups were operating, the strategies they adopted, and the resources they had available. The state of the economy was a particularly important factor in the 1970s as was the ability of groups to undertake joint action and form alliances with producer interests. The article concludes that the groups in the 1970s were influential rather than powerful and had more effect in the first part of the decade than at the end.


Author(s):  
Nico Steytler ◽  
Charles M Fombad

This volume examines democracy and elections in Africa, a focus motivated by two concerns. First, after 30 years, it is important to take stock of the state of constitutional democracy on the continent. The democratic gains of the 1990s and 2010s seem to be falling by the wayside. Second, multiparty democracy is essential for the proper functioning of the state in addressing the major problems facing Africa—internal conflict, inequality, lack of development, poor governance, and corruption. Part I of the volume examines how multiparty democracy currently works in Africa and considers ways in which to achieve constitutional democracy, a key component of constitutionalism. Part II contains five case studies on how ‘democratic’ authoritarian regimes maintain themselves. Part III concerns the role of political parties and their internal democratic functioning. Part IV focuses on enhancing the democratic quality of electoral processes. Part V focuses on inclusive democracy with reference to women’s participation.


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