Insularity

La culture ancestrale lie les Polynésiens entre eux et détermine leur rapport au monde qui se transforme. Elle ne constitue pas une structure figée : elle représente un effort spécifique de compréhension de l’univers et un effort de « socialiser » la nature et leur environnement hors du commun, le Grand Océan.
Les sociétés traditionnelles constituent un système dynamique pour les peuples polynésiens éparpillés à la surface du Moana Nui, qui portent en eux ces dynamismes. Le nouveau regard porté désormais sur les modes de vie ancestraux, sur la fantasmatique nécessaire pour comprendre le monde, loin de se laisser prendre au mythe de sociétés harmonieuses et stables, s’efforce de restituer les propriétés dynamiques des systèmes du « vivre ensemble », des ancêtres confrontés à un environnement souvent hostile qui génère un sentiment de vulnérabilité.
Les ancêtres des Polynésiens ont eu des réponses appropriées à leur conception de l’univers. Le regain d’intérêt, la réhabilitation des langues régionales ont permis de mieux appréhender les modes de vie ancestraux du fait que les ancêtres structuraient, comme les hommes d’aujourd’hui, leur environnement à l’aide de catégories linguistiques propres à leur groupe.

Pourquoi le Polynésien diffère-t-il dans sa conception du temps ? Parce qu'il insère tout son être dans la vie universelle et vit intensément son i teie nei : le moment présent. L'important, c'est maintenant non parce que demain n'existe pas, mais aussi parce que demain deviendra aujourd'hui. Le Polynésien ne marque aucun intérêt pour les dates et leur exactitude : qu'importent les années qui s'égrènent sur un calendrier. Ce qui importe ce sont les événements remarquables dignes de rester dans la mémoire collective, celle qui engrange les successions des générations, savoir collectif colporté par le haere no po, le Grand Marcheur de la Nuit, grand-prêtre qui récite inlassablement les généalogies à chaque instant des multiples rituels qui scandent la vie de la communauté : oublier les généalogies, c'est la mort assurée. En effet, ce sont elles qui déterminent accès au pouvoir et autorité. Le Polynésien a tout son temps. C'est l'explication qu'on donné les missionnaires du fait que le Polynésien marche doucement, posément, sans se presser, prenant le temps de vivre pour que chaque pas, chaque phase de la vie soit bien assurée et appréciée pleinement. C'est ainsi que le grand héros Maui, dont le mythe étiologique est présent dans tous les archipels du Triangle polynésien, capture le soleil, Râ, afin qu'il règle sa course sur le rythme de l'homme afin que les populations puissent avoir le temps de cuire leur nourriture et de la manger pendant le jour, et d'avoir le temps de dormir pendant la nuit, de vivre le temps, à leur rythme ! La nature vit au même diapason : la pratique des rahui, les tapu-interdits-temporaires imposés par l'ari'i, le roi, consiste à imposer des périodes de prohibition, des restriction, notamment sur la pêche à la bonite, pour que les ressources terrestres ou marines aient le temps de se « ressourcer ».

This is an earlier and substantially lengthier version of the European Commission’s Green Paper on Ports and Maritime Infrastructure, which I had prepared as a member of Commissioner Neil Kinnock’s wise men group.

The Green Paper has often been described as the most influential port policy document ever produced by the EC. The current version does not in any way commit the European Commission and interested readers are advised to refer to the final version of the Green Paper as published by the EC.

The present work requires careful and persistent reading so that the reader bypasses the necessary bureaucratic 'superficiality' and identifies my core arguments which, I am happy to say, have not changed to the slightest in the 15 years since its publication. Many of these arguments had been described as ‘politically dangerous’ and, consequently, did not find their way into the Green Paper. I quote one of them in p.7 (emphasis added):

…The Commission’s White Paper on the future development of the common transport policy  laid down a new vision for transport policy, following the principle of sustainable mobility; i.e. a strategy that acknowledges the need for a more balanced transport system that would fulfil its economic and social role while, at the same time, containing its effects on the environment. The overall objective of such an approach, as clearly described by the European Parliament , is to …promote sustainable, efficient transport systems which meet the economic, social, environmental and safety needs of European citizens; help reduce regional disparities; and enable European business to compete effectively in world markets… Again, the ‘challenge’ is apparent: a more balanced  pan-European transport system with the above objectives is in stark contrast with hub-porting; concentration of traffic to selected ports; longer distances; and consequent transport externalities. It is thus increasingly felt that the European Commission needs to depart from its all-pleasing ‘statements’ and make hard-nosed decisions in order to effectuate its cohesion and regional development objectives which are the overarching ones…(unquote).

A closing note of caution on my use of the word 'superficiality': With remarkable consistency, European institutions involved in the maritime sector have been focusing all along on issues such as safety and environmental protection; issues which, among others, have allowed the proliferation of various monopolies in the port sector. I believe this has not happened accidentally. I believe instead that the focus on the ‘secondary’ has obscured and diverted attention from the ‘primary’, which comprises the ‘politically sensitive’ issues of port pricing; infrastructure financing; state aids; transparency of port accounts; and, finally, a European ‘port governance’ model.

Se trata de una investigación antropológica que busca comprender las actitudes, conceptos e ideas de los habitantes de estas islas hacia su ecosistema, en específico hacia las especies exóticas invasoras (EEI), así como la conservación del medio ambiente en general, a la luz de sus concepciones más arraigadas sobre la naturaleza. Como expresión de ese estudio, esta publicación es un aporte al conocimiento de la cultura isleña en lo que toca a la biodiversidad, lo cual puede ser de ayuda para la planificación de proyectos sobre conservación y manejo del ecosistema de Juan Fernández, así como para futuras intervenciones en el territorio.

Περίληψη/abstract Ancient Greek ideas of insularity stress the element of isolation: islands were perceived as isolated units, cutoff from their surroundings. Such representations in myth and literature allowed islands to be considered as places where bizarre features were located; for example, utopian and mythical narratives stressed the miraculous vegetation and overall exotic features of the insular landscape. The Aegean islands in history, however, were never isolated units. Rather, a dominant feature of insularity in the archaic, classical and Hellenistic periods was their increased connectivity, achieved through maritime interaction. Islands formed networks in politics, economy, religion, and cult. I examine as a case study of island networks, the religious network of dedication in the sanctuary of Delos during the third century BC, as this is reflected on the inventory lists that survive from the island. But even though island connectivity was probably a more important factor in the islanders' lives than island isolation, some elements of island uniqueness exist in the conceptualisation of island identity. The last part of the paper shall explore briefly how islands with more than one polis in the classical period functioned as units, surpassing the limits of the concept of the Greek city-state.

This is case study of a small-scale economy of a Mediterranean island, Andros, in the Aegean Sea, based on a detailed analysis of the Ottoman land and property survey of 1670. The relevant pages from the registers located in the Istanbul Ottoman Archive (Başbakanlık Osmanlı Arşivi), Tapu Tahrir 800 and Maliyeden Müdevver 4856, are published in this book in transliteration in Modern Turkish and translation into Greek.
For the study of the economy of the island of Andros, this book uses as analytical tools the concepts of ‘insularity’ and of ‘Mediterranean economy’. Modern historiography understands ‘insularity’ not only as ‘isolation’, but also, in juxtaposition, as an opportunity for ‘connectivity’.In this book, I explore exactly how the economy in the case of the Aegean island of Andros during the seventeenth century had to move beyond self-sufficiency and isolation and secure the commercialization of particular surpluses, in order to survive. This corroborates the view of Horden and Purcell, who describe the fundamental mechanisms of the economies in the Corrupting Sea as a new Mediterranean triad: ‘diversification’ of production, ‘storage’, and ‘redistribution’ (meaning also exchange or circulation), as responses to environmental risk.

Developments in freight transport and transport infrastructure have a strong influence on economic growth. The Baltic States have recently undergone a transformation from planned economies to market orientation. The interest in the Baltic States originates from their importance as new markets within the European Union, and their transit function for trade with Russia. Rising trade volumes and increasing freight transport are forecasted in the near term for the region. This study aims at developing an understanding of the regulatory, structural and developmental conditions and trends affecting the transport infrastructure in a region in economic transition, namely the Baltic States, in the light of its current economic development. Comparisons are made with Buchhofer’s [Buchhofer, E., 1995. Transport infrastructure in the Baltic States during the transformation to market economies. Journal of Transport Geography 3(1), 69–75] assessment of transport infrastructure in the Baltic States in the early years of transformation to market economies.

Zusammenfassung/Abstract:
Anhand archäologischer Zeugnisse aus Naukratis in Ägypten, von Aigina in der Ägäis und aus Gravisca in Etrurien wird die Spur des Sostratos von Aigina aufgenommen, jenem naúkleros, mit dessen Handelsgewinnen – nach Herodot – ‚niemand konkurrieren kann’. Auf dieser Basis werden drei
Schlüsselkonzepte der archäologisch-historischen Forschung diskutiert, mit denen soziale Räume des archaischen Mittelmeerhandels beschrieben werden können: empórion – port of trade – extraurbanes Heiligtum. Abschließend wird versucht, die historische Entwicklung archaischen Austauschs zu
erfassen: von der xenía zur emporía.


Archaeological evidence from Naukratis in Egypt, Aegina in the Aegean and Gravisca in Etruria is used to follow the track of Sostratos of Aigina, that naukleros, with whose profits – according to Herodotus – ‘none can compare’. On that basis are discussed three key-concepts of archaeological-historical research, which allow us to describe the social spaces of archaic Mediterranean trade: emporion – port of trade – extra-urban sanctuary. In concluding, an attempt is made to record the historical development of archaic exchange: from xenía to emporía.

El Museo de la Isla no renuncia a todo didactismo, pero tampoco al misterio. Tiene la voluntad de ser un museo inteligible porque es un museo manchado de afecto, aunque no siempre es de fácil digestión. Se reivindica como un museo sencillo, más allá de todo paternalismo, pero también del intelectualismo. Y aspira a no dejar de ser precario, pues se nutre con sólo unos cuantos relatos sentidos, contados por objetos amados, que a su vez se puedan tocar.

Features Itinerario, first published in 1596 by Dutchman Jan Huygen van Linschoten. The publication is valued for revealing directions into the trade routes of the East, besides its beautiful engravings and  early modern maps which provide insights into the cultures and commodities of the region.

As the first cultural history of the sea in medieval English literature, this book traces premodern myths of insularity from their Old English beginnings to Shakespeare's Tempest. Beginning with a discussion of biblical, classical and pre-Conquest treatments of the sea, it investigates how such works as the Anglo-Norman Voyage of St Brendan, the Tristan romances, the chronicles of Matthew Paris, King Horn, Patience, The Book of Margery Kempe and The Libelle of Englyshe Polycye shape insular ideologies of Englishness. Whether it is Britain's privileged place in the geography of salvation or the political fiction of the idyllic island fortress, medieval English writers' myths of the sea betray their anxieties about their own insular identity; their texts call on maritime motifs to define England geographically and culturally against the presence of the sea. New insights from a range of fields, including jurisprudence, theology, the history of cartography and anthropology, are used to provide fresh readings of a wide range of both insular and continental writings.

Details: http://www.boydellandbrewer.com/store/viewItem.asp?idProduct=11797

Nel corso degli ultimi decenni il processo di globalizzazione dell’economia mondiale ha portato ad una crescita del commercio internazionale. Le ragioni di questo sviluppo sono molteplici: il decentramento delle attività produttive, le mutate caratteristiche nella divisione internazionale del lavoro, la specializzazione produttiva, le rivoluzioni tecnologiche intercorse, il conseguimento dell’obiettivo di catching-up da parte di alcuni Paesi in via di sviluppo ed il conseguente aumento dei redditi e della domanda. Tutti questi fenomeni hanno aumentato considerevolmente le relazioni commerciali a livello globale e, in questo contesto, il servizio di trasporto ha avuto un ruolo fondamentale nel trasferire beni e persone in maniera sempre più rapida. Considerate le caratteristiche fisiche della Terra, caratterizzata da una prevalenza delle acque sulle terre emerse, la modalità più indicata per trasferire la merce dai luoghi di produzione a quelli di consumo a livello globale risulta essere prevalentemente quella marittima. Il trasporto marittimo ha attraversato dalla seconda metà del XX secolo un periodo di radicali cambiamenti strutturali, in cui la containerizzazione, l’intermodalità e l’introduzione di nuove tecnologie informative hanno congiuntamente giocato un ruolo fondamentale. Dalla sua introduzione nel 1956 fino ad oggi, il traffico containerizzato ha assunto un andamento continuamente crescente, favorito anche da un sistema produttivo decentrato, che ha richiesto il trasferimento di semilavorati e prodotti finiti tra le diverse aree geoeconomiche. In questo contesto, la crescita del traffico containerizzato ha avuto, rispetto agli altri comparti del traffico marittimo commerciale, un impatto certamente maggiore nell’organizzazione degli spazi geografici e della gestione d’impresa, con una serie di effetti che verranno diffusamente trattati all’interno della ricerca. Alla luce di quanto detto, lo scopo della tesi è quello di accertare se e come le dinamiche dei trasporti marittimi riscontrate a livello globale hanno avuto effetti sulla città portuale di Trieste, sulla natura dei suoi traffici e sui suoi rapporti con il territorio servito. Ulteriore scopo della tesi è quello di cercare di fornire, attraverso un’indagine condotta presso operatori del settore, un ordine di grandezza del contributo della funzione portuale nella formazione dell’occupazione e del valore riferito al territorio provinciale.

Un'analisi che esamini la Miniatura Insulare a partire dal sostrato culturale e storico-artistico in cui si è sviluppata, tenendo in considerazione la cultura e l’arte dei popoli contemporanei ad essa ed i precedenti, che si insediarono nella medesima area geografica, creando civiltà altrettanto diverse tra loro.
Alle isole britanniche si riconducono le popolazioni celtiche, che ivi si sono stanziate, e quelle germaniche, che lo hanno fatto in seguito, dando vita quindi ad un miscuglio di popoli con caratteristiche del tutto uniche, che confluiscono nell'affascinante mondo dell’arte insulare.

Chapitre 1 L'ethnogénèse du groupe franco-mauricien. Thèse pour le Doctorat en Science Politique, présentée par Catherine Boudet le 03 décembre 2004, Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Bordeaux, Atelier National de Reproduction des Thèses, 642 pages.

Persistence and change are necessary for the stability and development of both the human individual and the human society, since the beginnings of human history. Man needs a static framework, which, related to his self-awareness, defines a topocentric system of perception, evaluation, order, and meaning. He also requires a dynamic impetus, which allows exceeding the limits of special world views, shifting of perspectives and transformations of individual as well as social approaches to life. Travelling especially helped to broaden man’s horizon and mind. Accross cultures voyages guided by the skies are linked with practical concepts of exploring and domesticating time and space, but also figuratively with the life’s journey and with other worlds, being expressed by mythic, ritual and later scientific language.

Las islas de México brindan amplias perspectivas de investigación geográfica más allá de su situación estratégica e importancia ambiental; la huella humana es otra posibilidad temática poco considerada, a pesar de ser un factor en el uso y la transformación del espacio insular.
El objetivo general de la investigación fue la realización de un estudio de Geografía histórica sobre tres islas habitadas en el Mar de Cortés para registrar su ocupación humana, vinculada con la extracción de recursos naturales y el arraigo respecto al espacio insular.
A los sustentos teórico, contextual y metodológico se incorporó el trabajo de campo, para documentar la trayectoria, legado y perspectivas de las tres islas. Así, la memoria viva de quienes habitaron y aquellos que todavía habitan en esos lugares, fue útil para reconstruir los espacios insulares. Se priorizó el análisis sobre el territorio insular como proveedor de recursos naturales y como espacio de trabajo para poblaciones pequeñas.
La propuesta geográfica-histórica incorporó el pasado reciente de los poblamientos isleños (siglo XX y primeros años del XXI) a los primeros momentos de su ocupación en la etapa virreinal, de la cual dejaron constancia algunas crónicas y cartografía histórica.
La rentabilidad de ciertos recursos naturales llevó al establecimiento de asentamientos insulares, asociado con actividades económicas específicas: extracción de yeso en San Marcos; pesquería de perlas y explotación de salinas en El Carmen y San José; sin embargo, su agotamiento se refleja en una demografía decreciente y, en ciertos casos, en cambios en el uso del espacio insular.

This paper examines several interrelated aspects of maritime connectivity within the Roman Mediterranean. First, it considers Fulford’s suggestion of a divide between eastern and western trading zones along the North African coast in the light of new discoveries since the publication of his article in Libyan Studies in 1989. Some evidence supports his analysis; the distribution of Italian bricks imported as return cargoes to North Africa does not extend east of the Gulf of Sirt; by contrast the identifiable exports from Cyrenaica go north up the Adriatic but not west to Tripolitania. However, the imported finewares at Berenice (Benghazi) in the third century AD are almost exclusively African Red Slip ware from Tunisia, though it is unclear if they have been imported directly (as clearly occurred much earlier with the import of Punic cooking wares to Cyrenaica), or as return cargoes from an intermediate entrepôt such as Portus. The idea of a certain amount of traffic along the North African littoral is supported by the epigraphic evidence suggesting Alexandrian worshippers at sanctuaries of Isis and Sarapis at major North African ports west of the Gulf of Sirt, who may be part of trading diaspora communities, of the kind attested at Puteoli and elsewhere. Such trading communities at major ports suggest regular mercantile connections on established routes, with knowledge about general market demand (if not actual price levels) at distant ports, and sometimes contacts between known trading partners. The glass industry is considered as a case study illustrating the geographical integration of the Roman economy through maritime networks between ports. Roman glass production relied heavily on large-scale primary production of raw glass in the Levant, using natron imported from Egypt. The raw glass was then shipped around the Roman world to secondary production centres where it was transformed into a final product; the different stages of production were linked by long-distance maritime trade routes. Finally, the paper examines how port structures, capacities and facilities might relate to and reflect the patterns of maritime trade in antiquity. The type and size of port infrastructure and harbour capacity can help to construct hierarchies of ports, ranging from villa harbours to major entrepôts like Portus, and to suggest connections between them within regional hierarchies. It is noteworthy that some of the villa harbours of the Roman period could accommodate sizeable sea-going ships capable of undertaking open-water voyages to distant emporia.

This paper examines several interrelated aspects of maritime connectivity within the Roman Mediterranean. First, it considers Fulford’s suggestion of a divide between eastern and western trading zones along the North African coast in the light of new discoveries since the publication of his article in Libyan Studies in 1989. Some evidence supports his analysis; the distribution of Italian bricks imported as return cargoes to North Africa does not extend east of the Gulf of Sirt; by contrast the identifiable exports from Cyrenaica go north up the Adriatic but not west to Tripolitania. However, the imported finewares at Berenice (Benghazi) in the third century AD are almost exclusively African Red Slip ware from Tunisia, though it is unclear if they have been imported directly (as clearly occurred much earlier with the import of Punic cooking wares to Cyrenaica), or as return cargoes from an intermediate entrepôt such as Portus. The idea of a certain amount of traffic along the North African littoral is supported by the epigraphic evidence suggesting Alexandrian worshippers at sanctuaries of Isis and Sarapis at major North African ports west of the Gulf of Sirt, who may be part of trading diaspora communities, of the kind attested at Puteoli and elsewhere.

Such trading communities at major ports suggest regular mercantile connections on established routes, with knowledge about general market demand (if not actual price levels) at distant ports, and sometimes contacts between known trading partners. The glass industry is considered as a case study illustrating the geographical integration of the Roman economy through maritime networks between ports. Roman glass production relied heavily on large-scale primary production of raw glass in the Levant, using natron imported from Egypt. The raw glass was then shipped around the Roman world to secondary production centres where it was transformed into a final product; the different stages of production were linked by long-distance maritime trade routes.

Finally, the paper examines how port structures, capacities and facilities might relate to and reflect the patterns of maritime trade in antiquity. The type and size of port infrastructure and harbour capacity can help to construct hierarchies of ports, ranging from villa harbours to major entrepôts like Portus, and to suggest connections between them within regional hierarchies. It is noteworthy that some of the villa harbours of the Roman period could accommodate sizeable sea-going ships capable of undertaking open-water voyages to distant emporia.

The paper explores the frontier between the Ottoman territories and the Venetian islands in the Ionian Sea between the late fifteenth and the late seventeenth century. The paper focuses on the fortress of Aya Mavra, which became the Ottoman military stronghold in the “Wild West” of their provinces, and the island of Lefkada. Following the historiography of the frontiers and the borderlands, the paper aims both at describing the military character of the Ottoman-Venetian frontier and at analyzing its permeability. In this context, islands like Lefkada, became border(is)lands, within the larger and more complex historical maritime frontiers.

Azlin Samsudin, Tarmiji Masron, Mokhtar Saidin, Jeffrey Abdullah and Saiful Shahidan.(2010). LEMBAH BUJANG, SEBUAH KERAJAAN LAMA YANG BERPUSAT:
DARI PERSPEKTIF SISTEM MAKLUMAT GEOGRAFI (GIS).IN: Seminar Prosiding: Penanda Arasan Penyelidikan Arkeologi di UKM (Editor: Asyaari Muhamad, Nik Hassan Shuhaimi Nik Abd. Rahman and Zuliskandar Ramli).Institut Alam Dan Tamadun Melayu (ATMA), Bangi.Pages: 305 - 325

Abstract:

Lembah Bujang telah dikaji sejak sedekad yang la/u dan dikatakan sebagai kerajaan Kedah Tua dari abad ke 1 masihi hingga 14 masihi. Ia juga dilaporkan sebagai salah satu kerajaan lama yang penting dalam abad tersebut sebagai salah satu persinggahan dalam perdagangan di rantau Asia Tenggara. Ma/ah dikatakan juga, penempatan di Lembah Bujang adalah merupakan satu kerajaan atau negeri yang mempunyai penyusunan masyarakat yang tersusun dan jaringan pertukaran barangan tersendiri dengan menggunakan sungai-sungai sebagai penghubung antara kawasan. Fungsi setiap tapak juga telah ditafsirkan berdasarkan kepada kajian o/eh Jane Allen pada tahun 1988. Kesemua tersebut adalah hasil daripada kajian arkeologi melalui  tinjauan dan ekskavasi yang dilakukan oleh pengkaji-pengkaji terdahulu. Bagaimanapun, kajian terhadap taburan tapak-tapak arkeo/ogi di Lembah Bujang dengan menggunakan pendekatan Sistem Maklumat Geografi (GIS) tidak pernah dilakukan /agi. 0/eh itu, ana/isis GIS telah dilakukan ke atas taburan tapak-tapak arkeologi yang sedia ada untuk menentukan polo penempatan dan pusat penempatan tersebut dan sungai utama yang menjadi nodi dalam kerajaan lama. Ana/isis yang dijalankan menunjukkan taburan tapak-tapak adalah tertumpu pada dua lembangan iaitu kawasan tadahan sungai Merbok dan Sungai Muda. Kedua-dua sungai ini memainkan peranan dalam kerajaan Kedah Tua. Ana/isis terhadap polo taburan tapak-tapak arkeologi pula berdasarkan kepada 3 atribut iaitu ketinggian, kecerunan dan fungsi setiap tapak menunjukkan bahawa wujud polo penempatan dan pusat kerajaan Kedah Tua. Polo penempatan Lembah Bujang ada/ah berkisar kepada Sungai Merbok sebagai sungai utamanya berbanding dengan sungai Muda. Ma/ah ana/isis tersebut juga menunjukkan bahawa kawasan Pengkalan Bujang dan sepanjang sungai Pengkalan Bujang kemungkinan merupakan pusat kerajaan Kedah Tua. Sekitarnya merupakan kawasan aktiviti ekonominya. Kewujudan pusat kerajaan, menunjukkan wujudnya kerajaan lama dan penempatan di Lembah Bujang merupakan sebuah penempatan satu negeri yang mempunyai kerajaan berpusat.

This thesis examines the interaction between the conflicting ideologies of crusade and commerce, during the period when the Turkish maritime emirates of Anatolia became the primary target of western crusading endeavour. Through the close study of papal documents and archival evidence from the Italian mercantile republics, two principal areas are focussed on: firstly, the extent to which the temporal and spiritual mechanisms (e.g. trade licences and indulgences) introduced by the popes of the fourteenth century  encouraged the Italian mercantile republics to participate in a crusade; secondly, the analysis of the policies of commercial exchange and military opposition adopted by the Latin states with regard to the Turks in the Aegean. The crusades in the Aegean are discussed in six chapters which broadly reflect the activities of the principal participants: 1) crusade negotiations during the pontificates of Clement V and John XXII: distractions to an Aegean crusade under Clement V; extrication from French influence under John XXII; gradual replacement of Byzantium as a target of the Aegean crusades during the 1320s; and the temporal and spiritual concessions granted by the popes to those Latin resisting the Turks in the Aegean; 2) the Zaccaria of Chios: their defence of the Aegean from Turkish attacks and the privileges they received from the papacy for this; 3) Venetian commercial activities in the Aegean: their alliances with and activities against the various Turkish emirates; 4) the 1334 naval league: the first anti-Turkish coalition; 5) the neglect of the Aegean crusades under Pope Benedict XII (1335-1342); 6) the Crusade of Smyrna and the climax of Latin efforts against the Turks in the first half of the fourteenth century (1343-1351). Although trade and crusade have often been regarded as incompatible by historians of the crusades (such as Stephen Runciman and Aziz Atiya), they both formed an integral, and inseparable, aspect of crusade policy and of western perceptions of the Turks.

Sugar Girls & Seamen illuminates the shadowy world of dockside prostitution in South Africa, focusing on the women of Cape Town and Durban who sell their hospitality to foreign sailors. Dockside "sugar girls" work at one of the busiest cultural intersections in the world. Through their continual interactions with foreign seamen, they become major traffickers in culture, ideas, languages, styles, goods, currencies, genes and diseases. Many learn the seamen's tongues, develop emotional relationships with them, have their babies and become entangled in vast webs of connection. In many ways, these South African mermaids are the ultimate cosmopolitans, the unsung sirens of globalisation. Based on fifteen months of research at the seamen's nightclubs, plus countless interviews with sugar girls, sailors, club owners, cabbies, bouncers and barmaids, this book provides a comprehensive account of dockside "romance" at the southern tip of Africa. Through stories, analysis and first-hand experiences, it reveals this gritty world in all its raw vitality and fragile humanity. Sugar Girls & Seamen is simultaneously racy and light, critical and profound.

Between the Congress of Vienna (1815) and the Crimean War (1853-1856) the Levantine Mediterranean was the theatre of several European countries’ navies, interested not only in trading with the Porte, but also in the political changes happening in that area. In this context, a new and relevant object was represented by the presence of the U.S. war frigates that watched the evolution of the events, in a period when the Ottoman Empire, mostly after the defeat at Navarino (1827), became more and more conscious of the need of renewing the fleet. Through the military and civil U.S. surveys written on board of those war frigates, this paper aims at build a new image of the Ottoman navy, not as much considered as those of other countries even before the Sinope disaster (1853), when it was destroyed by the Russian squadron. The U.S. sources, with the description of moves, ships, mariners and uses, help us better understand the reasons why the Ottomans, so feared ashore, “at sea, they are a mere name: their admirals know nothing of maneuvering, or, indie, even of sailing ships; and the mismanagement and disorder that would prevail, would lay them open an easy prey to the ships of any other nation” (G. Jones, New Haven 1829, II, 149).