Shane Meadows : representations of liminality, masculinity and class

This thesis offers a new approach to the work of the British filmmaker Shane Meadows. In contradiction to the conventional reading of his work as part of the long tradition of social realism in British cinema, this thesis offers a new approach which argues that the term ‘liminal realism’ best describes both the in-between nature of the texts and Meadows’ place in British screen culture. In order to construct this alternative reading of Shane Meadows, this interdisciplinary study draws upon work from anthropology, folk culture and myth to describe the particular ways in which Meadows’ work demonstrates liminality, most especially via the Jungian archetype of the trickster. The thesis argues that the figure of the trickster describes the cultural construct of the filmmaker himself which can be described as being in-between, whether critically positioned between the mainstream and art-house; between the cultural imaginaries of the British north and the south, residing in the liminal elsewhere of the Midlands; and moving between autographical and biographical registers, arguing how he responds to that positioning with a tricksterish sensibility. Focusing on the ways in which masculinity and class are represented, the thesis explores the centrality of homosociality in Meadows’ work, explaining how it demonstrates a particular dynamic of desire which operates between men. The first chapter identifies the reason existing paradigms for Meadows inadequately describe the particular, liminal quality of both Meadows’ films and the positioning of the filmmaker himself. Chapter Two explores the tradition of social realism in British cinema and how it works as a discourse. It goes on to argue why this conventional paradigm is not adequate as a way of understanding Meadows’ work. Chapter Three demonstrates how the production of the films is liminal, positioned between art-house and commerce, and how a reading of the body of the filmmaker as a text is a productive way to approach the representation of masculinity and class. Chapter Four analyses the film texts using a Jungian archetypal framework to explain the ways in which they are liminal. The study concludes that Meadows can be best understood through the concept of liminal realism, a new paradigm with potentially wider applications for analyses of screen culture.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Fire behaviour and impact on heather moorland

For roughly the past 200 years land-managers have used the practice of “muirburning” to manipulate the structure of heather (Calluna vulgaris) to create a patchwork of habitat structures able to provide forage and nesting sites for red grouse (Lagopus lagopus scoticus) as well as grazing for sheep (Ovis aries) and red deer (Cervus elaphus). This thesis investigates both the behaviour and impact of management fires in recognition of the need to develop multi-aim land management practices that ensure both continued productivity and protection of biodiversity in the face of climatic and environmental change. Fuel structure and loading are crucial controlling factors on both fire behaviour and impact governing both rate of spread and heat release to the ground surface. A visual obstruction method is developed that estimates total and fine fuel loading as well as the structure of the heather canopy. In order to adequately understand fire impact a dimensional analysis approach is taken to estimating the mass of burnt heather stems. Experiments at a number of spatial and temporal scales relate variation in heather fuel moisture content to stand structure and variation in weather conditions. Monitoring shows moisture contents to be relatively stable temporally, but spatially variable. Periods of extreme low moisture contents in early spring are associated with frozen ground, winter cuticle damage and physiological drought. Such conditions may have contributed to the large number of wildfires in 2003. A replicated plot design was used to investigate the effect of weather conditions and fuel loading on fire behaviour. An empirical approach is taken to fire behaviour modelling with equations describing rate of spread and fireline intensity being developed on the basis of fuel structure descriptors and windspeed. The theoretical negative correlation between fuel bed density and rate of spread is demonstrated to hold true for heather stands, while the impact of heterogeneity in fuel bed structure is also investigated. Redundancy Analysis is used to investigate the influence of multiple predictors on a number of aspects of fire behaviour including: rate of spread, fireline intensity, flame length and ground surface heating. Data from this and previous studies are used to ground-truth a number of fire behaviour prediction systems including BehavePlus and the Canadian Fire Behaviour Prediction System. Finally linkages between fire behaviour, fire severity and heather regeneration are investigated. A number of proxy measures of ‘Immediate Severity’ are tested and used to examine the influence of fires on plant regeneration. The post-fire development of stands is shown to relate primarily to stand age and structure before burning, and to post-fire substrates rather than variation in fire behaviour and severity.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Avoiding collapse : resilience and sustainable development in vulnerable small islands

Small islands dependent on reef fisheries, farming and tourism are vulnerable to rising human and natural pressures and may target "sustainable" development. Marine Protected Areas (MPA) have a proven ability to meet ecological goals, such as restoring fisheries and preserving ecosystem function across scales. However, there is a comparative lack of scientific baseline data and social research which may help local MPA to overcome failures in achieving mixed conservation and development goals in populated coastal areas facing intense pressure. This fieldwork-based case study researched in French and Creole languages in the sub-tropical, mid-Oceanic island of Rodrigues (Mauritius, Indian Ocean) addresses two main questions: "Are conservation and development compatible goals for MPA in small islands reliant on fisheries and tourism?", and, "Do social-ecological resilience concepts help clarify related issues of sustainability?". Results from two quantitative surveys with fishers {n=93) and tourists (n=351) on one level support a "win-win" scenario for conservation and development. Local fishers' knowledge suggested marine fish species including large predators of ecological and economic significance had been in decline for decades. Tourists' stated willingness to pay to use Marine and Coastal Protected Areas could help fund consen/ation of biodiversity and fishery enhancement, with fee options ranging from MPA up to island-level. Beyond this, downside risks emerged from qualitative interviews with key informants (n=70) and historical analysis of island-level social-ecological resilience testing the explanatory value of the conceptual Adaptive Cycle model (Holling and Gunderson 2002). A recent crisis catalysed by severe drought (1970s) led to deep social and ecological changes (collapse in farming, migration and external dependence), while subsequent policies failed to address key drivers, instead creating negative feedbacks ensuring degradation extended outward from the coast. Remote and vulnerable small islands with few resources (forests, soil, water, energy) need significant capital inputs from higher scales which are seldom taken into account in determining the balance of winners and losers in conservation and development policy at MPA or island level. A lack of interisland trust (social capital), water scarcity, climate change and migration arise as critical issues for the future. Rodrigues characterises the secondary importance of island regions within larger Island states, and underlines the cross-scale and cross-temporal nature of sustainability in resilience terms. This thesis' main contribution lies in its first demonstration of shifting baselines in an island reef fishery or MPA context. Findings contributed to the establishment of MPA In the fieldwork site of Rodrigues, and are of broad relevance for MPA policy across the tropics and beyond. More studies are needed across other ecosystems and cultures.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo