The Political Imaginary after Neo- Liberalism: Populism and the Return of ‘Elemental Politics’

In this paper, I claim that Carl Schmitt's enigmatic work Land and Sea provides contemporary philosophers and social theorists with important insights into what appears to be an emergent, post-neo-liberal, political imaginary. With theologico-political imaginary grounded in a conception of politics framed around elemental forces, Schmitt allows us to see that the slow retreat of neo- liberalism portends a return to early modern political imaginaries. In so-called ‘populist’ age, when the nation and nationalism seem to be returning to the political arean in transformed ways, Schmitt allows us to see that the geo- political imaginary of the land and the sea are again involved in this transition. I conclude with an examination of the challenges that any such elemental, ‘pre- Socratic’, political imaginary are likely to pose for extant democratic norms and values

Austerity's afterlives? The case of community asset transfer in the UK

In the UK, community infrastructure and the care that it provides has been at the sharp end of swingeing government cuts brought about through austere economics and politics. One local manifestation, and legacy, of austerity is the rise in Community Asset Transfer (CAT), a practice whereby local authorities transfer the ownership of public assets to community groups. CAT may predominantly be understood through the lexicon of austerity localism where the state—driven by fiscal pressures—offloads publicly owned buildings onto community groups. However, narrowly applied this interpretation leaves little room for the possibility and/or recognition of other politics which may exist on the ground. In response, this paper sets out a non‐foundational approach to CAT practice that involves in‐depth ethnographic analysis of three CAT community centres in a Welsh local authority. Following Gibson‐Graham's (2006, A postcapitalist politics) call to read for difference rather than dominance, and conscious of the ambivalent politics of CAT, I trace ways in which care is practiced in these new spaces through momentary acts and even explicit political engagement. CATs are experiments in care that allow us a glimpse into the life of community infrastructure after the passing of direct state support. Exploring the afterlives of these assets—and their relational and emotional geographies—reveals an affective politics and orientation not necessarily aligned with neoliberal rationales. Indeed, despite their fragile configuration, CAT practices must be acknowledged, questioned, and considered as part of the wider debate on the future(s) of post‐welfare care

Beyond Death’s Dream Kingdom: modernity and the psychoanalytic Social Imaginary

The appearance on the historical stage of Western modernity is often understood as an “epochal event” that overturned an earlier pre-modern cultural condition that was premised on the dialectic of life and death and the attempt to forge a suitable balance or harmony between them. As such Western modernity is often viewed as the emergence as a new liberal political order based upon individualism, radical immanence and the emergence of a new calculating subjectivities and governmentalities in ways that led to the rejection of the transcendent, the metaphysical and the theological dimensions of human life. In this paper, using Hans Holbein’s famous painting The Ambassadors as a point of reference and adopting the oblique position in relation to the modern taken up by the artist in this painting, I suggest that in the 20th Century, largely as a result of an awareness of the metaphysical significance of the catastrophe of the First World War, that modern liberalism was thrown into crisis and the old pre-modern metaphysical problematic returned as new focus of social and political concern. With specific reference to the work of Sigmund Freud and later psychoanalytic thinkers who took Freud’s idea of the death drive as their theoretical point of departure, I show how in the 20th century psychoanalytically-informed practitioners attempted to resolve the ancient conflict between the forces of life and death through the creation of an enchanted phantasmagoria of mass consumable objects that were often specifically designed and marketed in order to eroticise the nascent thanatic dimensions of modern life, thereby rendering the latter manageable and ultimately liveable. Drawing on the work of social theorists of the imaginary such as Glibert Durand as well as famous propagandisers of Freud such as Edward Bernays and Ernst Dichter (who saw in Freud’s work the possibility of developing a political technology) I will suggest that in the 20th century the consumer object was central to the construction of a psychoanalytic social imaginary geared towards the maintenance and management of economic demand in Fordist disciplinary societies. Using the humble cigarette as a case study I show how familiar objects were redesigned via psychoanalytic conceptions in order to harness to the power of death for social useful ends. By way of conclusion I will suggest reasons why this social imaginary is currently in the process of being replaced (in contemporary neo-liberalism)

The Two Kings of Modernity: Science and Religion in Simmel's Metaphysics of Value

Georg Simmel’s tantalising suggestion that that in each age there exists a ‘regal notion’, a secret ‘conceptual king’, opens up an important issue in contemporary social epistemology: the question of how we should conceive of ‘the metaphysics of the social’.  It suggests that within every weltanschauung there exists an adhesive field, a force of conceptual gravitation, capable of binding the fragments of historical being together into the wider significance of a world.  In this scheme, it is this force, this ‘idea-influence’, that is ‘the secret king’. However, it is important to speculate as to this king’s name, constitution and powers. What seems clear in this regard is that in its regal status, contra Foucault, this centripetal notion cannot be reduced to the dimension of governmental discipline and control, as it exists in a quite different relationship to power, at least as power has been conceived in the social sciences.  In this paper, I will suggest that the key to understanding the dynamics of the contemporary era in particular resides in understanding the tension between the king – understood as what intellectually reigns - and that which merely governs

Creating common ground: the value of participatory design in articulating a common ethos for dwelling

Philosopher Karsten Harries’ defined the ‘ethical function of architecture’ as that of articulating a ‘common ethos.’ From this stance, this paper considers how architectural processes may help to, as Harries described, articulate a common ethos to help us dwell. Our close examination of an ongoing renovation of a small Bowls Pavilion in a popular neighbourhood park in Grangetown, Cardiff, led by a group of residents who with an aim of gathering community, is set within the context of an ‘age of austerity’ in which volunteers are encouraged to ‘step up and take over the management of services and assets in their own communities.’ Our research scrutinises challenges and opportunities faced by residents taking on a Community Asset Transfer, and examines the challenges for participatory design and appreciative inquiry in supporting the pursuit of a common ethos for dwelling

Trends during development of Scottish salmon farming: An example of sustainable intensification?

Commercial farming of Atlantic salmon in Scotland started in 1969 and has since expanded to produce >179,000 t year-1. A government department has published annual statistics and information on the seawater and freshwater sub-sectors of the Scottish salmon farming industry since 1979, and this review collates and discusses metrics covering aspects of production, farm sites and systems, fish performance, socio-economics and environmental pressures. Trends illustrated in this case study of aquaculture development include: initial increases in numbers of farms and companies, followed by decreases due to industry consolidation; increases in average farm size, and productivity of systems and employees; increases in survival, size at age and productivity of fish (yield per smolt, ova per broodstock); reduced dependence on wild stocks for ova. This case study also illustrates the importance of disease management, control of biological processes to overcome natural seasonality (i.e. production of out-of-season smolt), and the international nature of aquaculture. Improvements in fish survival, growth and productivity are attributed to progress in vaccination and health management (including fallowing), husbandry, system design, feed formulation and provision, and introduction of technology and mechanisation. Salmon farming is discussed in relation to the challenging strategy of ``sustainable intensification{''}. Improved growth and survival over a period of increasing rearing unit size, farm size and output and decreasing relative staff input counters the common assumption that intensification compromises animal welfare. The value of capturing time series data on industry wide metrics is illustrated as it enables identification of trends, underperformance and bench-marking, as well as assessment of resource use efficiency, environmental pressures, and ultimately sustainability. Crown Copyright (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Cellulose microfibrils as a pore former in electroless co-deposited anodes for solid oxide fuel cells.

A study was conducted to investigate the feasibility of Cellulose Microfibrils (CMF) as a pore former in the manufacture of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) anodes using Electroless Co-Deposition (ECD). Previous work into the use of ECD to produce SOFC anodes has found that the lack of porosity has restricted the maximum power density of the cell. Cellulose Microfibrils’ unique combination of properties and morphologies should produce the required microstructure for SOFC’s electrodes. Cellulose Microfibrils were evaluated as a pore former by their inclusion (using various bath loadings) in the production of ECD anodes. The anodes produced were then evaluated using a Scanning Electron Microscope, Mercury Porosimetry and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy. The results showed that an anode produced with a 10 g/l of a 1% solution of CMF as pore former, improved the open circuit voltage, maximum power density by reducing the overall resistance of the cell

Cellulose microfibrils as a pore former in electroless co-deposited anodes for solid oxide fuel cells.

A study was conducted to investigate the feasibility of Cellulose Microfibrils (CMF) as a pore former in the manufacture of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) anodes using Electroless Co-Deposition (ECD). Previous work into the use of ECD to produce SOFC anodes has found that the lack of porosity has restricted the maximum power density of the cell. Cellulose Microfibrils’ unique combination of properties and morphologies should produce the required microstructure for SOFC’s electrodes. Cellulose Microfibrils were evaluated as a pore former by their inclusion (using various bath loadings) in the production of ECD anodes. The anodes produced were then evaluated using a Scanning Electron Microscope, Mercury Porosimetry and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy. The results showed that an anode produced with a 10 g/l of a 1% solution of CMF as pore former, improved the open circuit voltage, maximum power density by reducing the overall resistance of the cell

Advances in optical sensing of explosive vapours

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under agreement no 284747, and the EPSRC under EP/K503940/1, EP/K503162/1, and EP/N509759/1. IDWS acknowledges a Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award.Optical techniques for the detection of explosives are receiving increasing interest due to potentially fast responding, highly-sensitive systems. Conjugated polymers are suitable probe materials for this application since their fluorescence is quenched by electronegative materials including explosives. This can be used to make a sensor for explosive vapour, which can then give chemical information to help identify explosive devices, and complements other approaches such as metal detectors and ground penetrating radar. Whilst the principle has been known for some time, its practical implementation requires considerable development of instrumentation and materials, including preconcentration materials. This paper reports our current efforts to address these challenges, with particular emphasis on humanitarian demining and looking towards application in Improvised Explosive Device (IED) detection.Publisher PD