Rethinking the ‘domus’ in domestic violence: homelessness, space and domestic violence in South Africa

An examination of domestic violence and where it takes place provides significant insight into debates about the meaning of home. It is argued here that discussions of domestic violence could make more use of feminist geographers’ and development theorists’ analyses of the home. Examining the experiences of homeless and insecurely housed women in Durban, the paper aims to explore ideas of ‘home’ implicit in much research on domestic violence and argues that these ideas require further examination. The paper focuses on three assumptions about the home (in experiences of domestic violence); namely, the home as a formal material space, the home as private, and the domicile as home. In conclusion the paper argues for a more nuanced understanding of home.     

Sealing efficiency analysis for shallow-layer caprocks in CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> geological storage

The CO₂ migrated from deeper to shallower layers may change its phase state from supercritical state to gaseous state (called phase transition). This phase transition makes both viscosity and density of CO₂ experience a sharp variation, which may induce the CO₂ further penetration into shallow layers. This is a critical and dangerous situation for the security of CO₂ geological storage. However, the assessment of caprock sealing efficiency with a fully coupled multi-physical model is still missing on this phase transition effect. This study extends our previous fully coupled multi-physical model to include this phase transition effect. The dramatic changes of CO₂ viscosity and density are incorporated into the model. The impacts of temperature and pressure on caprock sealing efficiency (expressed by CO₂ penetration depth) are then numerically investigated for a caprock layer at the depth of 800 m. The changes of CO₂ physical properties with gas partial pressure and formation temperature in the phase transition zone are explored. It is observed that phase transition revises the linear relationship of CO₂ penetration depth and time square root as well as penetration depth. The real physical properties of CO₂ in the phase transition zone are critical to the safety of CO₂ sequestration. Pressure and temperature have different impact mechanisms on the security of CO₂ geological storage.     

Territorializing land conflict: Space,place, and contentious politics in the Brazilian Amazon

Brazil possesses a long history of violent struggle for land, and its most recent phase is occurring predominantly in the Amazon Basin. Consequently, this paper attempts to territorialize land conflict in the Brazilian Amazon, and in so doing, to illuminate the place-specific intersection of historic social, political, and economic circumstance that created a violent landscape in the so-called “South of Pará.” The paper’s premise is that such conflict can be best viewed as resulting from a dialectic between general social processes operating across spatial scales, which create necessary conditions for conflict, and place-specific historical circumstances that transform necessary into sufficient conditions. The paper presents a framework integrating the theory of contentious politics and literatures addressing violence associated with the Amazonian frontier and with resource scarcity (and abundance). The discussion and theoretical application deconstruct the environmental, cognitive, and relational mechanisms that created violence in the South of Pará, and set the stage for the Eldorado dos Carajás massacre in April of 1996.     

Economic value of children and fertility preferences in a fishing community in Ghana

Although anecdotal evidence suggests that fertility levels in fishing communities, in Ghana, are very high, the influence of economic and cultural factors on fertility preferences in such communities has not been adequately explored. This article examines the fertility preferences of men and women living at Akplabanya, a fishing community in Ghana. Data were collected from a sample of 354 respondents. The findings of the study show that demand for labour, expectations of long term security, and gendered power relations have contributed to high fertility levels and preferences in the study area. It has been concluded that significant fertility decline in the area will only occur when fertility preferences of men have changed. Family planning programmes must therefore target both men and women. Improving economic status of women will also go a long way to bring about fertility transition in rural communities in Ghana.     

A geography of men’s fear

Men are at significantly greater risk than women to violent crime victimization in the US, especially in the public sphere. Despite this, their fears and vulnerabilities have received considerably less attention in recent social discourse than have women. Men’s risk in, and fear of, public space is overshadowed by their apparent fearlessness in public space. This paper begins to address this apparent paradox using the conceptual lenses of masculinity and control. I explore fear and fearlessness among men as objects and subjects of masculinity. Stated fearlessness among men is counterbalanced by a chronic fear of violent crime victimization. Conditioned fearlessness combines with actual risk and chronic fear to shape men’s experiences in the public sphere. I study the dynamics of men’s fear using data gathered from a group of young men and women in Philadelphia. Gendered differences in fear and how environments are perceived and judged as to their relative safety are demonstrated and explored. Compared to women’s fears and perceived geographical vulnerabilities, the men of this study demonstrate a persistent and chronic wariness of their environmental context that precedes any judgment of perceived safety. Violence and fear among both men and women in this study is further explained as a function of racism and economic marginalization.     

Undoing violence, unbounding precarity: Beyond the frames of terror in the Philippines

Geographers’ interest in the productive intersections between fear and issues of (counter)terrorism has flourished in recent years. These studies have been important in their critical analyses of geopolitical relations by exposing how fear has been driving unjust policies and violent initiatives. However, I suggest that these lines of inquiries often neglect the localized playing out of fears, particularly how such sentiments can potentially stimulate actions and affect the practices and progress of politics at different geographical scales.This paper addresses the aforementioned lacuna by scrutinizing how fear is bounded up with the geographical extension of the US-led ‘war on terror’ to the Philippines in the post 9/11 era. I argue that the framings of terrorism in the country have allowed the government to manipulate fear to justify destructive strategies for the eradication of imminent ‘threats’. However such initiatives are not only counterproductive to rooting out the sources of terror but also aid in the (re)production of violence. Not assuming the inevitability of such elegaic outcomes, I showcase the efforts of the Philippines communist ‘rebel’ group, Rebulusyonaryong Partido ng Manggagawa ng Mindanao (RPM-M), in repudiating official terrorism discourse by emphasising instead issues of state-induced vulnerability and marginalization. This in turn allows fear to be transformed into other modalities of emotions that are central to the formation of coalitional resistances to the arbitrary effects of state violence and its vicissitudes.By illuminating the constitution of (non)violence through emotions, there is an inherent wish to disrupt the natural conjoining of fear, terror and violence dominating contemporary geopolitical imaginations. Crucially, the implications of emotions for the thinking and doing of nonviolence augments a concrete pathway for operationalising a radical praxis of peace and justice that explicitly eschews a resort to force.     

Marginalised men’s emotions: Politics and place

Men living in the informal settlement of Cato Crest, Durban, South Africa, where violence and crime are high, are marginalised in a variety of ways, but also cling to patriarchal ideals. These relations of power are witnessed through the expression of a range of emotions which point to the interconnections between emotions, place, politics and performances of masculinity. This paper contributes to debates over the significance of politics in analyses of emotions, as well as broadening attention to geographies of emotions of, and beyond, fear. Using an example from the global South, the particular politics informing marginalisation and their relations with emotion are examined. This is achieved through a focus on three key government policy agendas shaping these men’s lives, namely housing, gender and employment.     

Geopolitics and family in Palestine

This paper questions geographers’ ability to think about power and violence through different epistemological registers, specifically by examining the discursive production of Palestine as place in geopolitical studies. Although the banner of geopolitics groups together a variety of approaches, these studies more or less cohere around a very particular type of imaginative geography of place - as violent and political. Recent arguments for cosmopolitan approaches to place - particularly when encountering non-Euro/American sites - are used to argue for more diverse approaches to places such as Palestine within Anglophone geographical scholarship. Using research on Palestinian family spaces and spacings, an alternative approach is outlined that exposes some geographies of dealing with and getting by the Israeli Occupation that are largely ignored by geopolitical approaches. These tropes prompt a return, in the conclusion, to the question of how geographers analytically apprehend power and violence, and the possibilities for doing this at the limits of, and beyond, the framework of geopolitical analysis.     

Women’s pay in English rural districts

This paper examines hourly wage payments for women who live in the rural districts of England, both in terms of variability within such districts and in terms of comparisons with non-rural districts. Drawing on the Labour Force Survey’s Local Annual Database, the paper argues that, once education, industry and occupation are taken into account, there is little to distinguish wage rates in rural and urban districts. Regionally there are important differences in wage rates, but these apply to rural as well as urban districts and are largely confined to contrasts between South East England and elsewhere. Rural-urban contrasts in wage levels are apparent in pay differences for men and women, although even here distinctions along a rural-urban divide are restricted to managerial workers, with the key distinction for professionals and technicians being between South East England and the rest of the country. For other occupations there is little to distinguish the relative magnitude of difference in men’s and women’s pay along rural-urban or regional lines. It is suggested that more attention to gender relations in wage determination practices within the workplace and within professions are worth exploring to develop a stronger understanding of division lines in wage inequalities.     

In situ observation of a garnet/perovskite transition in CaGeO<Subscript>3</Subscript>

We used an in situ measurement method to investigate the phase transition of CaGeO₃ polymorphs under high pressures and temperatures. A multi-anvil high-pressure apparatus combined with intense synchrotron X-ray radiation was used. The transition boundary between a garnet and a perovskite phase at T = 900–1,650 K and P = 3–8 GPa was determined as occurring at P (GPa) = 9.0−0.0023 × T (K). The transition pressure determined in our study is in general agreement with that observed in previous high-pressure experiments. The slope, dP/dT, of the transition determined in our study is consistent with that calculated from calorimetry data.     

Interactions between basalts and oil source rocks in rift basins： CO2 generation

Basalts interbedded with oil source rocks are discovered frequently in rift basins of eastern China, where CO2 is found in reservoirs around or within basalts, for example in the Binnan reservoir of the Dongying Depression. In the reservoirs, CO2 with heavy carbon isotopic composition (δ13C>-10‰ PDB) is in most cases accounts for 40% of the total gas reserve, and is believed to have resulted from degassing of basaltic magma from the mantle. In their investigations of the Binnan reservoir, the authors suggested that the CO2 would result from interactions between the source rocks and basalts. As the source rocks around basalts are rich in carbonate minerals, volcanic minerals, transition metals and organic matter, during their burial history some of the transition metals were catalyzed on the thermal degradation of organic matter into hydrocarbons and on the decomposition of carbonate minerals into CO2, which was reproduced in thermal simulations of the source rocks with the transition metals (Ni and Co). This kind of CO2 accounts for 55%-85% of the total gas reserve generated in the process of thermal simulation, and its δ13C values range from -11‰- -7.2‰ PDB, which are very similar to those of CO2 found in the Binnan reservoir. The co-generation of CO2 and hydrocarbon gases makes it possible their accumulation together in one trap. In other words, if the CO2 resulted directly from degassing of basaltic magma or was derived from the mantle, it could not be accumulated with hydrocarbon gases because it came into the basin much earlier than hydrocarbon generation and much earlier than trap formation. Therefore, the source rocks around basalts generated hydrocarbons and CO2 simultaneously through catalysis of Co and Ni transition metals, which is useful for the explanation of co-accumulation of hydrocarbon gases and CO2 in rift basins in eastern China.     

Ranching and the new global range: Amazônia in the 21st century

This paper seeks to understand how the Brazilian Amazon, which many thought unsuitable for agricultural development, has yielded to a dynamic cattle economy in only a few decades. It does so by embedding the Thunian model of location rents within the regime of capital accumulation that has driven the Brazilian economy since the mid-20th century. The paper addresses policies that have created location rents in Amazônia, the effect of these rents on land managers, and the spatial implications of their behavior on forests. Thus, the paper connects macro-processes and structures to agents on the ground, in providing a political ecological explanation relevant to land change science. The policy discussion focuses on reductions in transportation costs, improvements in animal health, and monetary and trade reforms. To illustrate the impact of policy, the paper presents data on the geography of Amazonian herd expansion, on the growth of Amazonian exports, and on the profitability of the region’s cattle economy. It follows the empirical presentation with more abstract consideration of the spatial relations between cattle ranching and soy farming, and implications for deforestation. The paper concludes on a speculative note by considering the likelihood of forest transition in the region, given the transformation of Amazônia into a global resource frontier.     

Mapping massacres: GIS and state terror in Guatemala

This paper employs GIS (geographic information systems) technology to visually display the locations of massacres associated with Guatemala’s civil war. While there have been other, more general maps published depicting the spatial dimensions of violence in Guatemala, few other maps depict this information at the department level, nor have they included information on indigenous populations and physical geography.These maps are part of the emerging field of human rights GIS. For example, over the past two decades, maps have become tools of empowerment in Central America and elsewhere, maps usually made with GIS technology. Indigenous groups in many countries in particular have embraced GIS technology and have begun to use maps as tools in their fight for land and marine resources, as well as greater political autonomy. In the case of massacres in Guatemala, displaying exactly where violent acts took place is one way to educate the Guatemalan public regarding the terrible violence of the recent past. Knowing the name of a specific town where a massacre took place is more concrete, potentially leading to perception of place and people, rather than simply being aware of violence in the countryside.     

Raman spectra of bixbyite,Mn<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>, up to 40 GPa

The Raman spectra of bixbyite, Mn₂O₃, were measured up to 40 GPa at room temperature. Mn₂O₃ undergoes a phase transition from the C-type rare earth structure to the CaIrO₃-type (post-perovskite) structure at 16–25 GPa. The transition pressure measured in Raman spectroscopy is significantly lower than the pressure reported previously by an X-ray diffraction study. This could be due to the greater polarizability in the CaIrO₃-type structure, consistent with high-pressure observation on the CaIrO₃ type in MgGeO₃, although it is still possible that experimental differences may cause the discrepancy. Unlike the change at the perovskite to CaIrO₃-type transition, the spectroscopic Grüneisen parameter does not decrease at the C-type to CaIrO₃-type transition. The spectroscopic Grüneisen parameter of the low-pressure phase (C type) is significantly lower than thermodynamic Grüneisen parameter, suggesting significant magnetic contributions to the thermodynamic property of this material. Our Raman measurements on CaIrO₃-type Mn₂O₃ contribute to building systematic knowledge about this structure, which has emerged as one of the common structures found in geophysically important materials.     

Seasonal changes in basal conditions at Briksdalsbreen, Norway: the winter–spring transition

The winter–spring transition is a dynamic time within the glacier system, because it marks a period of instability as the glacier undergoes a change in state from winter to summer. This period is normally associated with sudden pressure fluctuations resulting in hydrological instabilities within the subglacial drainage system. New data are presented from wireless multi-sensor subglacial probes incorporated within the till at Briksdalsbreen, Norway. Water pressure readings recorded a two-phase winter–spring transition. Event 1 occurred early in the year (December–January) and marked the start of activity within the subglacial environment following the winter. However, this did not result in any permanent changes in subglacial activity and was followed by a period of quiescence. Event 2 occurred later in the year in accordance with changing external weather conditions and the retreat of the snow pack. It was characterized by high-magnitude pressure peaks and diurnal oscillations in connected regions. The variations in sensor trends that followed this event suggested that a transition in the morphology of the subglacial drainage system had occurred in response to these pressure fluctuations. Event 2 also showed some similarities with spring events recorded at valley glaciers in the Alps. A conceptual model is presented associating the form of the winter–spring transition with respect to the location of the probes within connected and unconnected regions of the subglacial drainage system. These data provide further evidence for temporal and spatial heterogeneous subglacial drainage systems and processes. The identification and analysis of subglacial activity during the winter–spring transition can contribute to the interpretation of hydro-mechanical processes occurring within the subglacial environment and their effect on glacier dynamics.     

Diffusion-controlled spherulite growth in obsidian inferred from H<Subscript>2</Subscript>O concentration profiles

Spherulites are spherical clusters of radiating crystals that occur naturally in rhyolitic obsidian. The growth of spherulites requires diffusion and uptake of crystal forming components from the host rhyolite melt or glass, and rejection of non-crystal forming components from the crystallizing region. Water concentration profiles measured by synchrotron-source Fourier transform spectroscopy reveal that water is expelled into the surrounding matrix during spherulite growth, and that it diffuses outward ahead of the advancing crystalline front. We compare these profiles to models of water diffusion in rhyolite to estimate timescales for spherulite growth. Using a diffusion-controlled growth law, we find that spherulites can grow on the order of days to months at temperatures above the glass transition. The diffusion-controlled growth law also accounts for spherulite size distribution, spherulite growth below the glass transition, and why spherulitic glasses are not completely devitrified. An erratum to this article can be found at     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Mus</Emphasis> cf. <Emphasis Type="Italic">Mus flynni</Emphasis> (Rodentia,Mammalia) from mudstone horizon underlying ash beds,upper Siwalik of Samba district,Jammu and Kashmir,India

In this paper, two specimens of fossil Mus from the mudstone horizon underlying the geochronologically dated (2.48 Ma) volcanic ash bed/bentonitized tuff bands that straddle across Gauss-Matuyama transition exposed very near the village Barakhetar are described here. Based on molar morphological terminology, the specimens have been identified and tentatively referred to as Mus cf. Mus flynni. The specimens under the study are related to other fossil Mus from the Indian subcontinent in the present work.     

War and the commons: Assessing the changing politics of violence, access and entitlements in Sri Lanka

There are two antagonistic, but equally influential traditions in the study of the nexus between resource use and violent conflict. One works through a Malthusian frame linking resource scarcity with violence, the other school of thought establishes a nexus between resource abundance and the incentives to use violence for rent monopolisation in a political economy of war or markets of violence. The tacit essentialism inherent in both schools of thought has increasingly come under critical scrutiny by geographers and anthropologists. To escape such essentialism requires a more detailed study of the dynamism of the political economy of (civil) war and its spatial dynamics, the political geographies of violence. In this paper, we study endowments and entitlements of people depending on common-pool or open-access resources in war-affected areas of Sri Lanka. Rural spaces in the war-affected areas became both a strategic retreat for fighters and an important common-pool resource on which a large part of the rural populace depended for their survival. Our research illustrates how the political geographies of war affect access regimes and entitlements to common-pool resources and thereby confine the livelihood opportunities of resource users. These dynamics of the political economy of war cross different scales and go beyond simple place-based struggles, for they are rooted in broader spatial dynamics of warfare creating place-space tensions in the sense that spatial dynamics of military control impinge changing access regimes upon specific places.     

Globalising initiatives for gender equality and poverty reduction: Exploring ‘failure’ with reference to education and work among urban youth in The Gambia and Ghana

This paper focuses on what observers have perceived to be a failure of development leading to a ‘crisis of youth’ as increasing numbers of young people find it more difficult to gain education, access to health, a job and meet standard of living aspirations. For some, a possible escape is offered by migration to Europe, the United States or Australia, often illegally. For those remaining behind, however, international development agencies offer a ‘globalisation of solutions’ to employment, gender inequality and poverty through the millennium development goals and the programmes to attain them. In this paper we do not take the failures of development at face value but look at local contexts to present a more complex picture of the relation between education, work and social life. Based on fieldwork conducted in urban areas of The Gambia and Ghana, we argue that rather than education as a catch-all solution we need to give more attention to the costs incurred by and for young people in pursuing education and training, to the operation of and actual opportunities in labour markets, and to patterns of gender socialisation which give women limited scope to exercise agency. This paper explores key gender dimensions of work and education among low-income urban youth noting that despite on-going efforts to increase young women’s enrolment in schools and access to employment, gender inequalities have been far from eradicated. Our field interviews reveal how social expectations that women should perform the bulk of reproductive labour in their youth as well as in adulthood and constraints placed on young women’s personal freedom in respect of their social relationships reduce time dedicated to education and establish fewer contacts relevant to securing paid employment. The result is for men to end up with more educational qualifications, more skills, and higher-paying jobs, even if unemployment among young people in general remains a major problem.