Scholarly Viewpoints

The nation-state paradigm for writing history—which goes back to Leopold von Ranke and the foundation of the modern discipline —was sometimes dismissed in the late 20th century when the state was supposed, amid economic and cultural "globalisation," to be withering away. But it is still very much alive in areas where the nation-state is still establishing itself as the pre-eminent political entity. And that includes much of the "Asia Pacific." ASEAN is built on the Bandung principles that endorsed sovereignty and non-intervention. Japan was the first "modern" state in East Asia. China has, perhaps, a more ambiguous attitude. New Zealand—if not Australia, too—is very much into navel-gazing. Indeed it sometimes seems that neighbours are reluctant to write about neighbours. Language is often a barrier, but sensitivity perhaps even more often. Those who write about "regions" tend to be "outsiders" especially students of politics and "security." Historians are more cautious. The archives they need are often closed and they wonder whether a region has realit

Women teachers career advancement: an exploration of choice in context

Includes abstract.This study investigates the career choices of seven female teachers in mesolevel leadership positions at three Western Cape schools. It explores their decisions to apply or refrain from applying for senior leadership positions through an examination of the interplay between their leadership disposition, habitus and the field of schooling

Britain, Malaysia And Southeast Asia: Past, Present And Future

I want to thank Asia Pacific Research Unit (APRU), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and Professor Ooi Keat Gin for bringing me to Penang again. It is always pleasant to be here. It is nearly fifty years since I first came, and there have been many changes. There were, of course, no USM, no APRU, and only, I fancy, a very small Ooi Keat Gin. But Penang has a respect for its past, and much of what I saw then I can still see. And the past goes back to the settlement of Georgetown and the building of Fort Cornwallis. Rambling round them a historian finds evocative. Who was there before? And why? Starting my study of the British in Malaysian history, not quite sixty years ago, under the guidance of an old Malayan Civil Service (MCS) hand, the late Victor Purcell, I was struck by the fact that I had to use, not only the records of the Colonial Office and Foreign Office in London, but also those of the East India Company and the India Office, then preserved in the Foreign Office itself, and now in the British Library

Managing Social Research

An essential tool for those planning to undertake social research, this exceptional book tackles many of the specific concerns and issues that arise. A well structured text, it offers a comprehensive introduction to a range of important areas in project management, including: commissioning research preparing a tender or grant application risk and stakeholder analysis managing the field work and data analysis financial management ethics, confidentiality and copyright. This book provides a unique source of guidance for anyone seeking to commission, manage or carry out social research. It will especially benefit researchers working in a variety of different contexts, including those in academia, central or local government, 'quangos', public bodies or private consulting companies

Noise Control by Structure and Material

An acoustic impedance testing tube is designed and constructed to test noise absorption properties of selected materials. The structure will be made to be convenient for demonstration purposes and real testing procedures while following ASTM E1050 standards as closely as possible. An engineering drawing as well as a 3D-­‐CAD model of the structure is developed. Testing is conducted on selected materials; mainly ones that will allow obtained results to be compared to results found by other parties. Various sounds will be generated using Mathematical programming; the types of sound will include single frequency, wide band and narrow band noises. Microphones are used, in conjunction with an oscilloscope or computer, to analyze the sound received on either side of the material in the tube. Through data processing various operations and Fourier transforms are performed on the collected sound data. This processing allows for unique characteristics of the materials to be extracted from the data. This data relates the damping effects of the material as they relate to the power and frequency of the noise. The properties of the materials are compared to published material properties. Based on the results, suggestions and ideas for further testing or redesign are reported. Parts that are used or are to be recommended for use are listed. Example of Results Tes

From Seafet And Asa: Precursors Of Asean

With the disappearance of the imperial structures that had dominated Southeast Asia, newly-independent states had to develop foreign policies of their own. So far few, if any, have been willing to allow historians to explore the documentary evidence that has no doubt been preserved. Somewhat paradoxically, they must turn to the archives of external powers, which largely follow a thirty-year rule. Their diplomats were indeed often keenly interested in collecting information from ministers, on the golf course or otherwise, and from officials, who might convey or leak it more or less straightforwardly. In my recent book, Regionalism in Southeast Asia, I was able to incorporate material from United Kingdom (UK) records on the development of Southeast Asia Friendship and Economic Treaty (SEAFET), Association of Southeast Asia States (ASA) and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). I have been turning more recently to the material in the New Zealand archives, which contain not only reports from New Zealand diplomats but also from Australian and Canadian diplomats as well. They have both supported and modified my conclusions

Styles of underplating in the Marin Headlands Terrane, Franciscan Complex, California

This is a pre-copy-editing, author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication in The Geological Society of America Special Papers following peer review. The definitive publisher-authenticated version: "Regalla, C., Rowe, C., Harrichhausen, N., Tarling, M. and Singh, J., 2018. Styles of underplating in the Marin Headlands Terrane, Franciscan Complex, California. GSA Special Publications no. 534" is available online at: http://rock.geosociety.org/Store/detail.aspx?id=spe534.Geophysical images and structural cross-sections of accretionary wedges are usually aligned orthogonal to the subduction trench axis. These sections often reveal underplated duplexes of subducted oceanic sediment and igneous crust that record trench-normal shortening and wedge thickening facilitated by down-stepping of the décollement. However, this approach may under-recognize trench-parallel strain and the effects of faulting associated with flexure of the downgoing plate. New mapping of a recently exposed transect across a portion of the Marin Headlands terrane, California, USA documents evidence for structural complexity over short spatio-temporal scales within an underplated system. We document the geometry, kinematics, vergence and internal architecture of faults and folds along ~2.5 km of section, and identify six previously unmapped intra-formational imbricate thrusts and thirteen high-angle faults that accommodate shortening and flattening of the underthrust section. Thrust faults occur within nearly every lithology without clear preference for any stratigraphic horizon, and fold vergence varies between imbricate sheets by ~10-40°. In our map area, imbricate bounding thrusts have relatively narrow damage zones (≤5-10 m), sharp, discrete fault cores, and lack veining, in contrast to the wide, highly-veined fault zones previously documented in the Marin Headlands terrane. The spacing of imbricate thrusts combined with paleo-convergence rates indicates relatively rapid generation of new fault surfaces on ~10-100 ka timescales, a process which may contribute to strain hardening and locking within the seismogenic zone. The structural and kinematic complexity documented in the Marin Headlands are an example of the short spatial and temporal scales of heterogeneity that may characterize regions of active underplating. Such features are smaller than the typical spatial resolution of geophysical data from active subduction thrusts, and may not be readily resolved, thus highlighting the need for cross-comparison of geophysical data with field analogues when evaluating the kinematic and mechanical processes of underplating

To 'Raise and Quell': the emotional pulse

This article describes the importance of rhythm in controlling the emotional state of the listener. Rhythmic impulses originate in the human body, through movement and speech. The ancient writers and orators noted how different rhythms in speech could affect the feelings of an audience. When rhetoric began to influence musical composition in the 16th century, composers were quick to realize the potential for expressing emotion by using various rhythmic devices borrowed from speech patterns. The manner of performance also influences the way these devices are received by the listener. This article describes the importance of rhythm in controlling the emotional state of the listener. Rhythmic impulses originate in the human body, through movement and speech. The ancient writers and orators noted how different rhythms in speech could affect the feelings of an audience. When rhetoric began to influence musical composition in the 16th century, composers were quick to realize the potential for expressing emotion by using various rhythmic devices borrowed from speech patterns. The manner of performance also influences the way these devices are received by the listener.

When Pigs Fly: Can it be done with magnetism?

A pig is capable of levitating in stable equilibrium under a sufficiently strong applied magnetic field. A model based on the relationship between magnetic force and gravity, when the net force is equal to zero, was used to determine the strength of a magnetic field when applied in one direction needed for levitation. For an average adult pig (0.75 m in height) this equates to a minimum magnetic field of 32.4 T. Whilst possible, it does not equate to natural flight

Representations of the American War of Independence in the late eighteenth-century English novel

For metropolitan Britons, the American War of Independence began as a traumatic civil war and ended as a global conflict that threatened the integrity of home and empire. This thesis examines the ways in which writers of popular fiction engaged with that crisis, considers why their preoccupation with the dispute continued for so many years after the peace treaty was signed, and suggests some reasons why the subject ceased to resonate as the century drew to a close. Through a series of individual case studies it explores the diverse ways in which the war is presented in a selection of novels published in Britain during the 1780s and 1790s, and reveals how they are shaped in response to contemporary political imperatives. There has been a tendency to associate the overt politicization of the novel with the intellectual and political ferment of the 1790s but my research shows that this was not the case. Political critique was a key element in fictional representations of the American War. Topical controversies were hotly debated, the morality of the conflict was fiercely contested, and competing constructions of patriotism, nation and empire were interrogated and explored. Few of these works have been studied, however. Charlotte Smith, Robert Bage and Helen Maria Williams are better known for their radical responses to the French Revolution than for their fictional engagement with the events of the American War, whilst writers such as Samuel Jackson Pratt, Eliza Parsons and George Walker are now almost entirely forgotten. Nevertheless, the novels in this study are worthy of attention. Irrespective of their literary merit, which in some cases is considerable, they offer unique insights into the ways in which British writers and readers engaged with the politics of war, empire and revolution both before and after the momentous events of 1789