The political geography of religion: historical state-church relations in Europe and recent challenges

Historical processes of state formation and nation building are crucial for an understanding of the geography of religions and churches in Europe. Each country has developed its own model of state-church relations, giving rise to a ‘bewildering variety’ as Grace Davie aptly remarks. The aim of this paper is to bring some order to this variety by developing a framework for the comparative study of church-state relations based on Stein Rokkan’s famous conceptual map and recent extensions of it to Central and Eastern Europe by John Madeley. According to that framework Europe has been divided into three mono-confessional (Roman Catholic, Lutheran, and Eastern Orthodox) blocs and two multi-confessional culture belts from Northwest to Southeast, and from Northeast to Southeast. This historical pattern has been challenged by secularisation, which started with the Enlightenment and the French Revolution (Western Europe) and the Russian Revolution (Eastern Europe until the velvet revolutions of 1989/1991) and then became widespread after the ‘cultural revolutions’ of the 1960s. A second challenge has to do with globalisation and its consequences, such as massive immigration and the rise of immigrant religions, and in general deterritorialisation, which means the disembeddedness of religion from its national territory. A third challenge concerns reterritorialisation at other (supranational, regional, transnational, and local) scales, of which the new territorial order of the European Union seems to be the most important. Finally, this paper serves as an introduction to the case studies on church-state relations in this special issue.     

A global model or a scaled-down version?: geographies of convergence and divergence in the Australian retail banking sector

Via the spread of financial liberalisation and deregulation across advanced industrialised societies over the past two decades, national banking sectors have come under increased competitive pressure. In Australia, this pressure has manifested itself in two main forms: an almost self-imposed nervousness over the growing scale and rapidity of bank mergers occurring at an international level; and the growth of new cut-price competitors in the domestic retail market. There is now growing evidence of convergence between national banking sectors in key areas. This paper employs four criteria to examine the degree of convergence between the Australian retail banking sector and its international counterparts: centralisation of services and operations; application of the `user pays' philosophy to services; a `flight to quality' in lending and service provision; and industrial relations practices. While considerable similarities can be found between the Australian retail banking sector and its international comparators at the macro-level of analysis, there is also substantial diversity evident at regional and local scales as new public- and private-sector agencies and institutions seek to meet the financial needs of those individuals and communities effectively disenfranchised from the banking system via the major banks' `world's best practice' management strategies. The paper argues that a critical and reflexive concept of scale is imperative in apprehending the increasingly complex ways in which financial service provision is being reconfigured by the strategies of reaction and resistance employed by financial consumers, urban and rural local governments, national and state media, financial consumer agencies and State and Federal Governments.     

The emerging Islamic State: Terror,territoriality, and the agenda of social transformation

The world has recently been witness to the emergence of a new contemporary geopolitical phenomenon: the declaration of Islamic States by specific Islamic organizations. This phenomenon has the potential to dramatically transform the geopolitical setting of the Middle East and to have farreaching effects on a global level. Of these most prominent, however, has undoubtedly been the June 2014 declaration by the “Islamic State” organization of a “caliphate” covering large areas of the two war-torn states of Syria and Iraq. The aim of this article is to interrogate the territorial aspects of the Islamic State and to discern what makes it unique and exceptional in comparison to the many other Islamic political organizations that have emerged in recent years. In order to facilitate a better understanding of territoriality, I distinguish here between two major dimensions: conceptions of territoriality and tactics of territoriality. My working assumption is that by distinguishing between conceptions and tactics of territoriality, we can compare the exercise of territoriality by states and, in the present case, organizations. In this article, I argue that the Islamic State poses a challenge to both the conceptual and tactical dimensions of the contemporary territory and territoriality of modern states. Yet, while its conception of territoriality may be widely shared by other political Islamic organizations, its uniqueness lies in its tactics and strategies. Indeed, it is the brutal tactics of the Islamic State that are less acceptable to many Muslims around the world, not its political conception, which enjoys considerable support in the Muslim arena. Yet, when comparing it with modern states, the Islamic State poses a challenge to the territory and territoriality in both conception and tactics.     

Determining the direction of contact metamorphic fluid flow: an assessment of mineralogical and stable isotope criteria

ABSTRACT One-dimensional fluid advection-dispersion models predict differences in the patterns of mineralogical and oxygen isotope resetting during up- and down-temperature metamorphic fluid flow that may, in theory, be used to determine the fluid flow direction with respect to the palaeotemperature gradient. Under equilibrium conditions, down-temperature fluid flow is predicted to produce sharp reaction fronts that separate rocks with isobarically divariant mineral assemblages. In contrast, up-temperature fluid flow may produce extensive zones of isobarically univariant mineral assemblages without sharp reaction fronts. However, during contact metamorphism, mineral reaction rates are probably relatively slow compared with fluid velocities and distended reaction fronts may also form during down-temperature fluid flow. In addition, uncertainties in the timing of fluid flow with respect to the thermal peak of metamorphism and the increase in the variance of mineral assemblages due to solid solutions introduce uncertainties in determining fluid flow directions. Equilibrium down-temperature flow of magmatic fluids in contact aureoles is also predicted to produce sharp δ¹⁸O fronts, whereas up-temperature flow of fluids derived by metamorphic devolatilization may produce gradational δ¹⁸O vs. distance profiles. However, if fluids are channelled, significant kinematic dispersion occurs, or isotopic equilibrium is not maintained, the patterns of isotopic resetting may be difficult to interpret. The one-dimensional models provide a framework in which to study fluid-rock interaction; however, when some of the complexities inherent in fluid flow systems are taken into account, they may not uniquely distinguish between up- and down-temperature fluid flow. It is probably not possible to determine the fluid flow direction using any single criterion and a range of data is required.     

Mapping burnt areas in the semi-arid savannahs: an exploration of SVM classification and field surveys

GeoJournal - Accurate and precise mapping of burnt areas in the fire-prone semi-arid savannah zones is relevant for making decisions on the management of environmental resources. In this study, we...     

Haute cuisine versus healthy nutrition: cultural gradients in Europe and the geography of baby food

The article deals with the problem, how the geography of baby food in Europe may be explained by cultural patterns, differences in healthcare systems and standards of living. A survey, conducted in 12 European countries, revealed differences and similarities in gastronomic preferences and healthcare attitudes. National food markets and dietary targets reflect the pressure of internationalization on cultural traditions. Special attention is paid to the adaptation strategies of multinationals, operating in different cultural environments. The requirements to the qualities of baby food (the emphasis on being healthy or rather tasty, the choice of producers, etc.) reflect the whole variety of lifestyles in European countries, their economic opportunities, stability of cultural traditions, innovative potential.     

川陕丁家林金矿区探矿权的评估

为准确、客观估价丁家林金矿区探矿权价值，根据矿区地质报告中提交的储量级别、矿体控制程度和工程质量，确定了基础和可采储量、生产规模、矿山服务年限、贴现率、有关实物工作量等6项参数。综合运用贴现现金流量和重置成本法对探矿权进行评估，对达到详查程度的基础储量采用贴现现金流量法，控制程度低的资源量采用重置成本法，二者之和综合反映探矿权的价值。此方法适用于地质工作程度不均衡矿区的探矿权评估，贴现现金流量法要充分考虑储量的可信度和获利临界品位．重置成本法关键是准确确定有关的实物工作量。     

Faunal trends and sea-level changes: biogeographic patterns of Kimmeridgian ammonites on the Western European Shelf

The Kimmeridgian series of the northern Aquitaine margin is representative of the marine sedimentation on the Western European Shelf. It has been used to demonstrate a fundamental relationship between relative sea-level changes and the biogeographic dynamics of the Kimmeridgian ammonites.This synthesis, based on comparative sedimentological and paleobiogeographical studies, shows that the shelf was settled by submediterranean and/or subboreal ammonites during transgressive phases and maximum sea-level rises. Endemic lineages differentiated during the sea-level highstands and the beginning of lowstands. Correlative with the long-term sea-level rise, endemic elements have progressively taken a prominent role within the Kimmeridgian ammonite faunas of the shelf.The patterns of faunal changes have been deduced from studies of ammonite lineages from distinctive biogeographic origins: Rasenioides, Lithacosphinctes, Orthaspidoceras and Gravesia. Compared with subboreal ammonites, it seems that the submediterranean species were more tolerant of changing environments and adapted to new environments more easily. Therefore most of the endemic lineages which settled the Western European area originated in submediterranean faunas.     

The competitive advantage of clusters: Cluster organisations and greenfield FDI in the European life sciences industry

This paper examines the effect of cluster organisations on the international competitive advantages of clusters in the European life sciences industry. Data on coordinated cluster organisations are used to assess whether cluster development policies enhance the attractiveness of clusters to multinational corporations (MNCs). We estimate mixed logit models using a sample of 481 greenfield investments by life sciences MNCs in West-European regions during the period 2010–2013. Contrary to the beliefs of policymakers, our results indicate that both the presence of cluster organisations and higher-order activities of cluster organisations have only a small effect in attracting greenfield investments. In addition, cluster organisations help attract economic activities with less specific location requirements, such as production plants and sales and marketing offices. This finding provides valuable insights for policymakers, as investing public funds in cluster organisations is not found to attract high value-added business activities, such as those that occur in headquarters and R&D facilities, which are often the target of such investments.     

Shortage in the midst of plenty: Labour strategies in four Central and Eastern European cities

Labour shortage was an integral feature of the communist system of economic management and one that seemed most unlikely to persist in the face of systemic transformation. A casual examination of the unemployment rates that have emerged throughout most of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) during the course of the past decade might suggest that this early assumption was correct. However, within the region the aggregate rate of joblessness, as well as the behaviour of national output, mask the fact that certain, major urban centres appear to have weathered well the storms caused by exposure to western markets and stringent fiscal and monetary policies. In these centres transformation has meant, to a greater or lesser degree, industrial modernisation and this begs the question of whether the human capital portfolios of the inherited labour force match up to the requirements of the new environment. This paper examines the meaning of the concept of labour shortage and presents the findings from a survey of employers in four leading cities of three major CEE economies designed to elicit if, and how, manpower requirements are being met in the present climate. The results indicate that, somewhat paradoxically, labour shortage persists in the more flexible markets of the post-communist era and that firms do not expect the situation to change radically in the near future. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

On the mechanics of contact between a flexible transducer diaphragm located at a rigid boundary and an elastic material

In this paper we examine the mechanics of contact between a flexible elastic diaphragm and an isotropic elastic halfspace region where contact is established through the application of a normal stress. It is shown that a convenient solution for the maximum displacement and maximum flexural moment in the flexible diaphragm can be obtained by employing a variational technique. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effects of social and climatic factors on building activity in the Czech lands between 1450 and 1950: a dendrochronological analysis

The development of settlement and building activity is the result of socioeconomic, political and demographic changes in the past. However, accurate information on temporal variation in building activity is rather limited. Dendrochronological databases containing dated historical wooden constructions provide an important resource. We used 6514 tree-felling dates to reconstruct building activity in the Czech lands for the period 1450–1950. Comparing felling dates with historical events demonstrated that building activity was negatively associated with intense wars, particularly during the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648). After the Peace of Westphalia (1648), socioeconomic renewal and demographic growth were reflected in an upsurge of building activity, especially ecclesiastical buildings. While the construction of ecclesiastical and noble buildings culminated around the 1720s, rural buildings peaked in the 1780s and the 1820s. Although no direct effect of climate was demonstrated, adverse climatic conditions leading to harvest failures and subsequent famines (e.g. the ‘Hunger Years’ 1770–1772) significantly contributed to declines in building activity. In contrast, a higher number of felling dates were detected when strong and/or frequent windstorms occurred. This study provides a comprehensive understanding of building activity in Central Europe and advocates the use of dendrochronological databases for the investigation of human activities in history.     

西准噶尔白杨河铍铀矿床中铍与铀成生关系初探——来自围岩蚀变和矿石矿物接触关系的证据

与高硅富氟火成岩(流纹岩或花岗斑岩)有关的铍矿床中常伴有铀矿化,其成矿特色明显,是认识岩浆-岩浆热液-热液演化过程中铍与铀地球化学行为异同的理想对象,但其中铍与铀成矿的时空关系及成因关系尚不清楚。为了理解该类矿床中铍与铀的成生关系,并为区域内铍与铀的找矿勘查提供理论支撑,本文选取该类矿床的典型代表—西准噶尔白杨河铍铀矿床为研究对象,通过镜下观察、扫描电镜能谱和激光拉曼光谱分析,对矿区内单铍矿石、单铀矿石和铍铀矿石开展了系统的岩相和矿相学研究。结果显示,与铍矿化相关的围岩蚀变为钠长石化、电气石化、白云母化、萤石化、碳酸盐化和绿泥石化,与铀矿化相关的围岩蚀变为硅化、赤铁矿化、萤石化、伊利石化和锰矿化(含少量铅),且铍铀矿石中可见沥青铀矿切穿羟硅铍石的现象。结合铍与铀的地球化学行为和前人研究成果,认为白杨河铍铀矿床中铍矿化与铀矿化应是不同期热液作用的结果:铍矿化可能是花岗斑岩深部岩浆房分异的岩浆热液在不断演化过程中形成的,而铀矿化可能与后期流体(如幔源流体、加热循环的大气降水等)的淋滤作用有关。     

Probing the (in)compatibilities of social theory and policy relevance in Piers Blaikie’s political ecology

One of Piers Blaikie’s most important contributions to the development of political ecology is his critique of land and resource conservation policy in the global South. In this paper I trace the development of Blaikie’s ideas about the policy relevance of political ecology, focusing particularly on the challenges posed by the introduction of poststructural social theory into the field. I begin by revisiting Blaikie’s earlier critiques of environment and development policy. This will provide the departure point to explore how his thinking on the relationship of theory and policy and of academic and development practices has evolved in subsequent writings. I have invented two personas, “early Blaikie” and “late Blaikie”, to facilitate this task. Second, I want to probe some of the challenges that late Blaikie presents for doing political ecology research, to some extent by pitting early Blaikie against late Blaikie and letting them hash it out. Third, I turn to my own and others’ research and consultation experiences as a way to examine the possibilities for reconciling theoretically driven critiques with policy relevant research.     

Spatial relations and the materialities of political conflict: the construction of entangled political identities in the London and Newcastle Port Strikes of 1768

This paper engages with the material geographies of political conflict. It applies the concerns of actor-network theory around the entangled character of material/social relations to the geographies of subaltern politics. It explores how interconnected strikes of riverside labourers and sailors in the London and Newcastle Port Strikes of 1768 contested the terms on which materials were enrolled into mercantile capitalist networks. The dynamic geographies of these strikes are used to unsettle constructions of subaltern spaces of politics as bounded and localised. The paper then demonstrates how labourers crafted multiple antagonisms through negotiating their location in materially heterogeneous networks. It uses this concern with contested material geographies to engage with the entangled construction of political identities. The paper concludes that interrogating the materialities of political conflict does not just add a neglected technical dimension to the study of political activity; it provides considerable resources for engaging with the inventiveness of subaltern political activity and agency [Barry, A., Political Machines: Governing A Technological Society, Continuum Publications, London, 2001].     

新疆莎车盆地钾异常发现及有利找钾区预测

塔里木盆地古代钾盐找矿是一项艰巨且亟需突破的科学技术问题,在半个多世纪的找钾历程中,虽然获得少许找钾线索,但一直没有突破.塔里木盆地中、新生代发生多期次海侵—海退,发育多期蒸发岩地层,如西南部的莎车次级盆地、北部的库车次级盆地,岩盐厚度从几十米到上千米,自20世纪70年代以来,塔里木盆地一直是找钾重点区.笔者依托国家科...     

The rise and transformation of the Brazilian landless movement into a counter-hegemonic political actor: A Gramscian analysis

The Brazilian Landless Movement (MST) is widely acknowledged as one of the most organized, dynamic, and influential social movements in Latin America. The MST has increasingly inserted the struggle for land within larger political contestations for broad social change, leading conservatives and leftists alike to describe it as a “first class actor” in Brazilian politics. What explains the move from corporatist struggles for land to broader counter-hegemonic contestations; put differently, how did the MST come to acquire ‘global ambition’? Much of the literature on the MST analyzes its external actions but without explaining what drives these actions. This paper utilizes a Gramscian political ecology approach to comprehend the MST’s political actions and its rise and transformation into a counter-hegemonic political actor. Specifically, I evaluate the development of the MST’s organizational praxis from corporatist struggles for land in the late 1970s to ‘global ambition’ and changing nature-society relations by the early 2000’s. Such an approach brings to light the role of organization building, political education, alliance building, and subaltern agency in propelling the MST’s political mobilizations. In so doing, this paper contributes to the literature on the MST and collective action. This paper also engages with a ‘politics of scale’ since the conquest of geographic scale is critical to understanding the MST’s national growth and political actions. This paper concludes by arguing that the rise and transformation of the MST into a vibrant counter-hegemonic actor in Brazilian politics was a gradual process that matured as it territorialized into a national movement.     

板块剪式汇聚加地体拼贴——中特提斯消亡的新模式

中特提斯是中生代中晚期存在于南、北大陆之间的海洋。该海洋在晚白垩世消亡后,遗留长千余公里的班公湖-怒江板块结合带。在大量研究成果中,对中特提斯如何消亡这一重大问题至今分歧甚大。不少研究者持洋壳俯冲消亡(东太平洋模式)观点,但在俯冲方向上却有向南或向北之别。笔者则认为中特提斯是一个具有众多互不相通、时代早晚不同的狭窄洋盆的特殊海洋,其消亡过程中根本未发生过大规模的洋壳俯冲,故提出剪式闭合加地体逐次拼贴的盆内聚敛消亡模式,即中特提斯的消亡由早侏罗世晚期羌塘-三江板块与冈底斯-念青唐古拉板块及其中的嘉玉桥-怒山地体,首先在东段无俯冲汇聚开始,中、西段此时基本上仍处于扩张状态,地体裂离与新的狭窄小洋盆产生同时进行,中特提斯呈东闭西张的剪刀状。中晚侏罗世,中西段北侧出现构造地体往羌塘-三江板块拼贴与南部地体裂离出新地体的复杂局面。至早白垩世末,新老地体拼贴、裂离过程结束,呈剪刃状的南、北两个板块逐渐拼合,中特提斯的中、西段主体亦相继消亡,仅余西南部部分海域。白垩纪末,由于新特提斯洋壳向北大规模俯冲的强力推动,冈底斯-念青唐拉板块和羌塘-三江板块完全汇聚并发生陆-陆碰撞,中特提斯在洋壳和过渡型地壳褶皱、冲断的盆内汇聚和碰撞造山中彻底消亡。这一新的消亡模式既符合班公湖-怒江板块结合带洋壳残片的年龄东老西新、海水由东向西退却、有多条时代不同的蛇绿岩带,不整合于蛇绿岩之上的地层东为中上侏罗统,西南为下白垩统和老第三系的实际资料,也符合中特提斯仅有互不相通狭窄小洋盆在“化整为零”的闭合过程中,难以发生大规模洋壳俯冲的动力学机制。还解决了该结合带两侧始终找不到沟、弧、盆体系的俯冲模式这一致命难题。     

Biogeochemical exploration for massive sulphide deposits in areas of dense vegetation: an orientation survey around the Kanköy Deposit (Trabzon, northeastern Turkey)

The eastern Pontides region is a mountainous terrain favourable for massive sulphide deposits. Besides the known deposits, it is highly likely that there are others to be discovered. This paper, therefore, describes the results of a soil and biogeochemical sampling program to assess the suitability of biogeochemical methods for the exploration of hidden deposits in temperate terrains. Soil sampling in the Pontides is shown to be a reliable follow-up method. It produced a significant geochemical response characterised by extensive Cu and Zn but localised Pb anomalies. Lead therefore is the element which can be used to pinpoint the mineralisation due to its relatively less mobile character. Hydromorphic dispersion enhanced the anomalies indicating that base of slope samples would produce reliable results. Of the plant species sampled, Corylus avellana (hazelnut tree) with deep penetrating roots shows comparable results to soil sampling and could be used to delineate the mineralisation. Rhododendron luteum may also be of help. In both species Pb shows limited dispersion and accumulates in the plants near the mineralised site whereas Cu and Zn tend to move away downslope. This shows that biogeochemical sampling could, with proper attention to species selection, be successfully used as an alternative method in the search of massive sulphide deposits in mountainous terrains with a high rainfall such as the eastern Pontides.