What does it mean to be human in a world of technology? What could be the role of religion in responding to the ecological crisis? Should we be concerned about the modification of food, and even of... Show moreWhat does it mean to be human in a world of technology? What could be the role of religion in responding to the ecological crisis? Should we be concerned about the modification of food, and even of ourselves? Who do we trust to make decisions regarding our common future? What do we use our technology for? These are not questions for experts only. How can the wider public be involved? Do experts and the general public trust each other sufficiently? Or is the public ignorant, in the eyes of the scientists? And are too many engineers narrow minded, according to the general public? The contributors to this timely and necessary volume address expertise, trust and engagement, as we consider our technological condition , religious resources for the ecological crisis , biotechnology , and matters of trust between scientists and the general public. With contributions from leading scholars in the field, including James Miller from Queen's University, Canada and Tony Watling from the University College, London, this book will captivate a range of readers interested in the spirtitual dimension of of our culture and society Show less
The ship's surgeons in the employ of the Dutch East India Company were responsible for the healthcare on board the ships and in the hospitals founded by the Company in a vast geographical area... Show moreThe ship's surgeons in the employ of the Dutch East India Company were responsible for the healthcare on board the ships and in the hospitals founded by the Company in a vast geographical area expanding from South Africa to Japan. They were not highly regarded by their contemporaries, who criticised them for being little more than barbers or loblolly boys. The author of this fascinating study paints the true picture of the profession, drawing on her analysis of data for some 3,000 ship's surgeons in the Company's service, and including the recruitment policy of the Company, the career of the surgeons, their geographical origins, their life expectancy, to mention but a few. The results of her analysis, based on many hitherto unpublished sources, show this negative image to be a myth. The surgeons were, as a rule, fairly well educated according to the standards of their time. The tragic fact that they were confronted with diseases unknown in Europe and incurable at the time contributed to the sailors' and the society's dismissive attitude to their skills Show less
Abujaber, Raouf Sa'd; Kaptijn, Eva; Zeist, Willem van; et al. 2009
The Jordan Valley continues to present many fascinating facets: a barrier as well as a demographic centre, a steppe as well as a fertile agricultural zone, and a region inhabited by a mix of... Show moreThe Jordan Valley continues to present many fascinating facets: a barrier as well as a demographic centre, a steppe as well as a fertile agricultural zone, and a region inhabited by a mix of different ethnic groups, cultures and ideas. This rich volume, written in honour of the Leiden archaeologist Gerrit van der Kooij, presents a wealth of research material from wide range of scholars. Chronologically and thematically diverse, the chapters include material on, among others, historical reports of the Zerqa Triangle; the palaeoecology of the Hula area; Khirbet Kerak Ware found at Jericho; the Jordan Valley during the Early Bronze Age; clay tablets of Tell Deir ‘Alla; a shrine model from Tel Kinrot; an anthropomorphic statue from Tell Damiyah; and sugar production in Jericho during the Ayyubid and Mamluk periods. Also incuded is an overview of Dutch cultural and archaeological activities in Jordan during the last fifty years. Show less
Ubink, Janine; Rahmato, Dessalegn; Amanor, Kojo Sebastian 2009
Miljoenen mensen wonen en werken op land waarop zij geen officiC+le rechten hebben. Hun bezit wordt vaak wel beschermd door niet-statelijke rechten die wortelen in lokale gemeenschappen.... Show moreMiljoenen mensen wonen en werken op land waarop zij geen officiC+le rechten hebben. Hun bezit wordt vaak wel beschermd door niet-statelijke rechten die wortelen in lokale gemeenschappen. Ontwikkelingsdeskundigen en donoren hebben lange tijd zulke onofficiC+le regelingen als een hinderpaal voor ontwikkeling gezien en gewerkt aan invoering van individueel eigendom en complexe registratie, teneinde investeringen in land, huis en bedrijfje aan te moedigen en de productiviteit te verhogen. Deze aanpak werkt niet en daarom wordt nu gezocht naar een nieuwe, pluralistischer aanpak die probeert lokale regelingen te erkennen en waar nodig te verbeteren. In dit boek worden zulke nieuwe benaderingen onderzocht. Experts uit acht landen in AziC+, Latijns-Amerika en Afrika behandelen eerst de landwetgeving en -politiek van hun land en komen dan met een concrete gevalstudie van zo'n nieuwe aanpak. Steeds is de vraag wat zo'n nieuwe statelijke aanpak van landrechten betekent in het dagelijkse leven van kleine boeren (ruraal), van bewoners van onofficiC+le stedelijke wijken (urbaan) en van mensen die onder de rook van de stad wonen en werken (peri-urbaan). Hoe zeker voelen zij zich nu van hun rechten (tenure security), kennen ze de nieuwe regeling en kunnen ze zich er effectief op beroepen (legal empowerment), werken de overheidsinstanties controleerbaar (control of bureaucrats)? Millions of people live and work on land that they do not legally own in accordance with enforceable state law. The absence of state recognition for local property rights affects people's tenure security and impedes development. Efforts to legalise extra-legal land tenure have traditionally emphasised individual titling and registration. Disappointment with such approaches have led to a search for 'a third way' in land tenure regulation that will reconcile state perspectives with local land rights. This book contributes to the quest for a new pluralistic approach. It combines the description of land tenure regimes in Africa, Latin America and Asia with an analysis of designs, objectives, and actual implementation of specific legalisation programmes. This allows for conclusions on the relationship between various kinds of legalisations and tenure security and the challenges to improve the design and implementation of legalisation programmes Show less
Hanstad, Tim; Prosterman, Roy L.; Mitchell, Robert et. al. 2009
Most of the world’s estimated 1.4 billion poorest people are still rural. Yet the majority lack ownership (or any secure rights) to the land that is their principal source of livelihood. Although... Show moreMost of the world’s estimated 1.4 billion poorest people are still rural. Yet the majority lack ownership (or any secure rights) to the land that is their principal source of livelihood. Although land law and related reforms have transformed the lives of millions of families by providing secure land rights, not all such efforts have succeeded. Over the years, the conventional wisdom concerning law and land tenure reform—what is needed, what is possible, and how such reform contributes to pro-poor development—has changed, sometimes in striking ways. Lawyers at the Rural Development Institute and the University of Washington School of Law in Seattle have spent more than four decades advising on, helping formulate and assessing the results of land tenure reform efforts around the world. The present volume distils key lessons from that work and parallel work by others. Show less
Kamermans, Hans; Leusen, Martijn van; Verhagen, Philip 2009
ederland is een van de weinige Europese landen waar voorspellende modellen een rol spelen in het beheer van archeologisch erfgoed. Deze modellen worden gebruikt om de locatie van archeologische... Show moreederland is een van de weinige Europese landen waar voorspellende modellen een rol spelen in het beheer van archeologisch erfgoed. Deze modellen worden gebruikt om de locatie van archeologische vindplaatsen te voorspellen. Ze spelen zo een rol in toekomstige ontwikkelingen van het moderne landschap. Voor veel onderzoekers is het gebruik van voorspellende modellen in de monumentenzorg omstreden. Tussen 2002 en 2006 onderzocht een team van Nederlandse onderzoekers het gebruik van deze modellen in de Nederlandse archeologische monumentenzorg. Een van de doelen was het ontwikkelen van een best practice voor het maken en gebruiken van deze modellen. Dit boek is hier het resultaat van, het bevat naast technische bijdragen artikelen over hoe de modellen gebruikt moeten. Meer informatie over het onderzoeksproject Predictive Modelling for Archaeological Heritage Management kunt u "http://archaeology.leiden.edu/research/computerapplications/bbopredmod.html">hier vinden. The Netherlands are one of the few countries in Europe where predictive models play an important role in cultural heritage management. The models are used to predict archaeological site location in order to guide future developments in the modern landscape. Many scholars however consider the application of predictive models for this purpose highly controversial. Between 2002 and 2006 a team of Dutch researchers conducted strategic research into predictive modelling on behalf of Dutch cultural resource management. One of the goals was to develop best practices for the production and application of these models. This book is the second and final edited volume of publications of this Predictive Modelling project. It brings together technical papers on developing new methods for predictive modelling and applied, interdisciplinary 'action research' focusing on how the models are, or should be, used by stakeholders in cultural heritage management in the Netherlands. For more information on the researchproject, please click "http://archaeology.leiden.edu/research/computerapplications/bbopredmod.html">here Show less
The understanding of the neolithisation process in the Netherlands has increased considerably during the last decades. A coherent overview of the archaeobotanical research on the transition from... Show moreThe understanding of the neolithisation process in the Netherlands has increased considerably during the last decades. A coherent overview of the archaeobotanical research on the transition from hunting and gathering to agriculture was, however, lacking until now. This thesis aims to provide a better understanding of the neolithisation process in the Dutch wetlands by means of the reconstruction of the natural vegetation, human impact, plant use and cultivation practises at the time of the Late Mesolithic, the Swifterbant culture and the Hazendonk group. The study is a literature study based on the analysis of published and unpublished data on pollen, seeds and fruits, wood, charcoal and tubers from four wetland regions. The extensive botanical data sets of recently excavated sites have been combined and compared with evidence of earlier investigations, resulting in a coherent overview and new interpretations. The evidence from the Dutch wetlands has furthermore been compared with that of comparable cultural groups in Northwestern Europe. Show less
