Past Imperfect (Journal)
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The Response of the Church of England to Economic and Demographic Change: the Diocese of Chester, 1818-1851
No full textThe first decades of the nineteenth century saw dramatic population growth and urbanization in England. Nowhere was this more so than in the diocese of Chester. In response to this changing demographic pattern, the Church of England made substantial administrative changes and was energetic in securing financial aid. Nevertheless, massive population growth, the traditional poverty and uneven revenue of Chester clergy, and an ineffective parochial system prevented the Church of England from adequately providing for the spiritual care of its parishioners
Stirring Words, Ruling Ideas, and the Price of Bread: Reflections o a Gramsican-Thompsonian Approach to Cultural History
No full textThis paper undertakes to examine and criticize one or two analytical categories which have acquired currency among historians and social scientists working within a paradigm that derives, broadly speaking, from Marx. Specifically. I shall be concerned with questions of consciousness, agency, and determination: with the extent to which a "popular" culture can be distinguished from a "dominant" one; with the kinds of intercourse that may or may not occur between the two; and with the more general interplay between cultural processes and political and economic ones, out of which, it will be argued, emerge such quotidian facts as the price of bread. Still more specifically, I wish to consider the pertinence of the notions of "hegemony" and "the moral economy of the poor," as elaborated in the work of Antonio Gramsci and Edward Thompson, respectively, in investigating these matters
Urban Life in the Middle Ages 1000-1450
No full textUrban Life in the Middle Ages 1000-1450. By Keith Lilley. Houndsmill. NY: Palgrave, 2002. xvi, 295 pp.: maps, plates and tables. $75.00 (cloth)
A History of Neglect: Negotiating the Role of Safety in the Manhattan Project, 1939-1945
No full textThis paper examines the role of safety within the Manhattan Project, the Allied effort to build an atomic bomb during World War II. As an integral component of the American national defense strategy, the atomic bomb project was afforded tremendous resources and incorporated the expertise of the country\u27s top scientists, engineers, government officials, and military personnel. As a result, considerable Scientific and technological achievement was realized The Manhattan Project marked an important point in the ascendancy of science and technology throughout the twentieth century. However, the largely political and military goals of the project had consequences. Insufficient knowledge was gained regarding radiation hazards as a result of a preoccupation with speedy and secretive nuclear weapons development and the difficulty scientists had conducting health-related research. This paper argues that safety concerns were secondary to speed and secrecy in the search for the world\u27s first atomic bomb
Roman Baths: An Alternate Mode of Viewing the Evidence
No full textRoman baths are an important component in furthering our knowledge of Roman social life. They functioned as more than just a locus for cleansing the body. Currently, the literary sources provide the most details about the various social activities that occurred in the baths. However, where these activities took place within the complexes remains unclear. Archaeological reports do not adequately address how the rooms functioned. The argument presented here outlines some of the problems with the current methodology for examining room function in room baths. Then, using the site of Hammat Gader in Israel, introduces a different mode of viewing the evidence
The Immoral Moral Scientist. John Maynard Keynes
No full textThis paper undertakes to examine one aspect of the worldview of John Maynard Keynes - his alleged anti-Semitism. Keynes’ anti-Semitic utterances long attracted the attention of his biographers: some suspected anti-Semitism to be a permanent feature of Keynes’ worldview, others refuted such claims and underlined the element of reproduction of anti-Semitic clichés that already permeated Keynes own milieu. The aim of this article is to reveal multiple layers that moulded the nature of Keynes’ anti-Semitism within the context of his own socio-political milieu. When put in a dialogue with his political gestures, Keynes’ problematic utterances become to be seen in a different light