Geographical Periphery Research Articles

Plant performance in central and northern peripheral populations of the widespreadPlantago coronopus

Peripheral populations have long been predicted to show lower vital rates, higher demographic fluctuations, and lower densities than central populations. However, recent research has questioned the existence of clear patterns across species’ ranges. To test these hypotheses, we monitored five central and six northern peripheral populations of the widespread herbPlantago coronopusalong the European Atlantic coast during 5 yr. We estimated population density, and calculated mean values and temporal variability of four vital rates (survival, individual growth, fecundity and recruitment) in hundreds of plants in permanent plots. Central populations showed higher fecundity, whereas peripheral populations had higher recruitment per reproductive plant, indicating a higher overall reproductive success in the periphery. Central populations showed a marginally significant tendency for higher growth, and there were no differences between range positions in survival. Fecundity and growth were affected by intraspecific competition, and recruitment was affected by precipitation, highlighting the importance of local environmental conditions for population performance. Central and peripheral populations showed no significant differences in temporal variability of vital rates. Finally, density was significantly higher in peripheral than in central populations, in discrepancy with the abundant‐centre model. Density was correlated to seedling recruitment, which would counterbalance in peripheral populations the lower fecundity and the tendency for lower growth of established plants. Such compensations among vital rates might be particularly common in widespread plants, and advise against simplistic assumptions of population performance across ranges. The whole species’ life cycle should be considered, since different arrangements of vital rates are expected to maximize fitness in local environments. Our results show also the importance of discerning between geographical periphery and ecological marginality. In a context of climate‐induced range shifts, these considerations are crucial for the reliability of niche‐models and the management of plant peripheral populations.

Representation of Space in Mizrahi Fiction

Mizrahi writers are aware that their location in Israel—the geographical periphery—had hitherto not been portrayed in Israeli literature. This constitutes a cultural position of alienage and exceptionality and at the same time a new and concrete place—poor neighborhoods in southern Tel Aviv and western Jerusalem and development towns established in the 1950s and 1960s at the country's border and in sparsely populated areas as part of a policy of dispersal of the Mizrahi population and distancing it from the country's center. The disconnection from the centers arouses a Mizrahi consciousness of the periphery which divided the Israeli space, imagined to be uniform, into ethnic zones. Mizrahi fiction gazes into the distances of consciousness that distinguish the geographic center from its margins in a dual perspective: it examines the margins with a gaze that creates awareness of the existence of a prestigious and attractive center and examines the center itself as a place that cannot be penetrated by Mizrahim and turned into a home for them. In this sense, the spatial consciousness of Mizrahi authors highlights a lack of belonging—both to the periphery and to the center—and a constant migratory movement between these two split geographical foci. I argue that, instead of the hegemonic unitary and complete space, Mizrahi fiction of the second generation—texts written during the last two decades—offers an ethnic perception that divides space, thus defining a "diasporic" point of view.

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The rise and fall of the right to “proper representation”: regulation policy concerning minorities and cultural diversity in Israeli commercial television

This article reviews the content and effects of the regulation policy that has been enforced in Israel since the mid-2000s to increase the share of elite formats (drama, documentary films) and expand the presence of minorities, geographical periphery and women in commercial TV programming. We discuss the rationale for the regulation policy and try to explain why it failed, and in what way this failure has contributed to the financial crisis currently experienced by the Israeli broadcasting industry.

Southeast Asia and the Middle East

As part of a growing interest in global and transnational patterns connectingdifferent parts of the Muslim world, scholarship on Islam in Southeast Asia,which has long suffered from what Robert Hefner once called a “double marginalisation” in the work of both Islamicists and Asianists, has madeconsiderable progress in mapping the networks connecting Dar al-Islam’seastern geographical peripheries with its perceived Middle Eastern “heartland.”And while Cornell historian Eric Tagliacozzo notes that several studiesdeal with the history of the commercial, educational, and religiousexchanges between the Hijaz and insular Southeast Asia, making good forthe “paucity of historiography of this particular transregional dialogue,” hesees his edited volume as filling the lacuna on “what the parameters of thislong-distance dialogue between civilizations have meant over the centuries”(p. 1). Using Fernand Braudel’s notion of longue durée as a rubric, he hasgrouped the collected essays under the respective headings of “The EarlyDimensions of Contacts,” “The Colonial Age,” “The First Half of the 20thCentury,” and “Into Modernity.” ...

MIZRAHIM AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF SACRED SPACE IN THE STATE OF ISRAEL, 1948–1968

The article deals with the ways in which Mizrahim—Jewish immigrants who came to the State of Israel after 1948—influenced the local Jewish sacred geography. Besides taking part in rituals in the older and more established holy places such as King David’s Tomb on Mount Zion, Mizrahim tended to adopt and develop holy places where only hints of ancient Jewish sanctity were to be found. These places were used before 1948 mainly by the local Muslim population and were adopted now by Jews. This reality prevailed mainly in the social and geographical periphery of Israel, in regions and places where immigrants were usually settled by the Israeli establishment during the 1950s and 1960s. Mizrahim, in need of accessible and informal holy sites near their new settlements, brought now to the development of such places as the Tomb of Raban Gamliel in Yavne, the Tomb of Judah in Yahud, and the Tomb of Benjamin near Kfar‐Saba. The emergence of this sacred space, in a state that had just come into being and into which there had been mass immigration of Mizrahim, displacing or replacing the indigenous population of Arabs, is at the heart of the paper.

Re‐thinking frontiers in Southeast Asia

Re‐thinking frontiers in Southeast Asia

Border crossings in the Asia Pacific: Metaphoric and jurisdictional

Lerner’s description contextualises our interest in borders. The papers in this special section of Asia Pacific Viewpoint have been inspired by recent work that examine borders not as forever peripheral to core interests of the state, but as sites of opportunity for state actors and institutions, personal discovery of freed spaces for identity formation and alternative gender roles (Schendel and Abraham, 2005; Tagliacozzo, 2005; Horstman and Wadley, 2006). They deal with both metaphoric and national/ jurisdictional boundaries by privileging narratives of those who are actually involved in negotiating one or both (Kyle and Siracusa, 2005). The papers further address the hierarchies of power that are linked to these narratives. Scott’s (1998) seminal work of problematising state attempts to exercise power for the control of publics and spaces through technologies of administration (censuses, town planning, mapping and systematised revenue generation and collection) has clear influence in much of current writing on borderlands as it does on contributors to the present volume. Attempts at control, according to Scott (1998), is fraught with tension since control over populations whose loyalty cannot be assumed or taken for granted is a perpetual anxiety for many states. Such populations include those who can escape state scrutiny because of being located at the geographical periphery where state presence may be weak or because of historical links that promote dual or multiple cultural affiliations whether prompted by geography or not. Consequently, such efforts are often unsuccessful. Similarly, Thongchai Winchakul’s (1994) pioneering work expanded on the notion of the nation-state as problematic when viewed from local perspectives and the ambiguity of the margin, thereby arguing for social scientists to pay more attention to local stories of the nation (Thongchai, 2002 cited in Horstman and Wadley, 2006). Work on borders has proceeded to examine international jurisdictional borders as there to be crossed and has taken up the challenge of locating the political economic and cultural dynamism of border regions, which, in Horstman and Wadley’s (2006) terms, is about ‘centering the margins’. More importantly, border studies have gone a step further in suggesting that border regions can be found throughout the geographical space of the nation (Cummings, 2006). This is because, borders, if viewed as dynamic social spaces in which dominant and marginal people negotiate their relationships, are to be found in most nation-states that are ethnically diverse such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea and Thailand, areas that are covered in this volume.

The Queer Periphery: Sexual Deviancy and the Cultural Understanding of Space

ABSTRACT The association of normative sexuality with the geographical center and sexual deviancy with the geographical periphery represents a pattern of thinking that has stayed with us in different guises throughout history. The article traces this pattern and some of its complex ramifications from the ancient Greeks to the present.

Germany: From Surplus Exports to Destruction

German reunification, the end of the Cold War, and the fall of the iron curtain, as well as the large number of Eastern European countries from the former Eastern bloc that have gradually became members of the EU and/or NATO partners, have resulted in Germany ‘moving’ from the geographical periphery of the Cold War period into the centre of both the European Union and NATO alliances. This change in the security environment has had an impact on the German security and defence policy and has led to a process of continuous restructuring and resizing of Germany's armed forces, rendering large numbers of military SALW surplus. While in the immediate aftermath of unification, exports were initially chosen as the main means to reduce surplus weapons, this policy was changed to destruction becoming the means of reducing surplus stocks: from 1990 to 2006, the German military destroyed a total of 2,076,442 SALW from its own inventories, accomplished entirely through domestic processes. While the inheritance of an entire army and its weapons constitute a context-specific example, one technique can be drawn from the German case: surplus is identified by determining the national armament and security requirements, where surplus is anything left over. This method implies that international efforts to destroy surplus weapons should focus on assisting countries to determine what their armament requirements are; this would facilitate determining the quantity of arms over and beyond this armament requirement as surplus, which could then be easily destroyed.

A földrajzi centrum és periféria lehetséges lehatárolásai

A centrum-periféria duál a regionális tudomány egyik legfontosabb, a földrajzi szakirodalom által gyakran használt fogalompárja. A cikkben a földrajzi periféria és a földrajzi centrum definíciójából kiindulva azok térinformatikai eszközökkel való lehatárolására teszünk kísérletet. Egyszerű, könnyen érthető és megvalósítható módszereket kerestünk, amelyeket először geometriai formákon vizsgáltunk, majd kilépve a földrajzi térbe a gyakorlati megvalósítás közben felmerült problémálcat és megoldásaikat vázoljuk fel. A vizsgálat egy nagyobb volumenű kutatás kiindulópontja.

Spanish King of the Incas: The Epic Life of Pedro Bohorques

Spanish King of the Incas: The Epic Life of Pedro Bohorques

Media, power and space: ways of constructing the periphery as the ‘other’

The article examines the representation patterns of the Israeli geographic periphery in the national media over a period of four decades. Its main goal is to analyse the role that the national press plays in constructing the periphery as the ‘other’ in public consciousness. Our analysis demonstrates how the press makes use of diverse strategies, all leading to the construction of peripheral locations as ‘unimportant’, ‘marginal’ or ‘negligible’, and all characterized by events, customs, culture, norms and behaviour patterns different from those characteristic of the ‘centre’. We will show how the national press glorifies the Israeli ‘centre’, defines who is included within its boundaries and who is not, and delineates between it and the periphery. Les médias, le pouvoir et l'espace: les manières de construire la périphérie en tant qu’ «Autre» centre–périphérie, images négatives, médias Cet article propose un examen des schémas de représentation de la périphérie géographique d'Israël dans les médias nationaux au cours des quatre dernières décennies. L'objectif principal est d'analyser le rôle de la presse nationale dans la construction de la périphérie en tant qu’ «Autre» dans la conscience publique. Notre étude met en évidence comment la presse applique diverses stratégies qui, dans l'ensemble, permettent la construction de lieux périphériques «sans importances», «marginaux» ou «négligeables» définis par des événements, coutumes, normes et comportements distincts de ceux qui caractérisent le «centre». Nous allons montrer comment la presse nationale glorifie le «centre» israélite, détermine qui peut se trouver à l'intérieur de ses frontières et qui en est exclus, et trace une limite entre le centre et la périphérie. Los medios de comunicación, el poder y el espacio: maneras de construir la periferia como ‘lo otro’ centro–periferia, imágenes negativas, los medios de comunicación Este artículo examina representaciones de la periferia geográfica de Israel en los medios de comunicación nacionales durante un período de cuatro décadas. El objetivo principal es analizar el papel jugado por la prensa nacional en la construcción de la periferia como ‘lo otro’ en la conciencia pública. Nuestro análisis demuestra cómo la prensa hace uso de diversas estratégias que llevan a la construcción de lugares periféricos que son considerados ‘no importantes’, marginales’, o ‘insignificantes’. Estos lugares se caracterizan por acontecimientos, costumbres, cultura, normas y pautas de comportamiento siempre distintos de los del ‘centro’. Enseñamos el modo en que la prensa nacional glorifica el ‘centro’ israelí, define a quién se incluye y a quién no, y traza una línea entre este centro y la periferia.

Translating Local Knowledge at Organizational Peripheries*

This article theorizes about the kinds of knowing present in organizations that share both a structural similarity in the organization of work and work practices – a ‘double periphery’ in which a community of practitioners acts across both a horizontal, geographic periphery and a vertical, hierarchical periphery – and a common mode of practice – translating across these peripheral borders. In principle, these workers develop knowledge in interaction with clients and customers that could be valuable to the organization, were it but to learn from them. Instead, the ‘local knowledge’ they learn in acting across these peripheries is discounted, if not disparaged, by more centrally-located managers and executives. The article theorizes about the nature of translating local knowledge concerning organizational practices and about the structural character of local versus ‘expert’ knowledge.

Translating Local Knowledge at Organizational Peripheries*

AbstractThis article theorizes about the kinds of knowing present in organizations that share both a structural similarity in the organization of work and work practices – a ‘double periphery’ in which a community of practitioners acts across both a horizontal, geographic periphery and a vertical, hierarchical periphery – and a common mode of practice – translating across these peripheral borders. In principle, these workers develop knowledge in interaction with clients and customers that could be valuable to the organization, were it but to learn from them. Instead, the ‘local knowledge’ they learn in acting across these peripheries is discounted, if not disparaged, by more centrally‐located managers and executives. The article theorizes about the nature of translating local knowledge concerning organizational practices and about the structural character of local versus ‘expert’ knowledge.

Acute Peritoneal Dialysis in Eastern Nepal

B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences is the only dialysis center outside the capital city of Nepal. Although the burden of renal failure in Nepal is high, limited resources and dialysis facilities are the major constraint on management of acute renal failure (ARF) and acute dialysis in chronic renal failure (CRF). In the present study, carried out from January 2000 to June 2002, we looked into the prospect of introducing peritoneal dialysis (PD) to the district hospitals for treatment of ARF and acute dialysis in CRF. We designed a form to evaluate the causes of renal failure and the indications for, complications of, and outcomes of dialysis. During this study, junior doctors in our hospitals completed the forms. Resident doctors were trained to do intermittent peritoneal dialysis (IPD) and were responsible for the carrying out the procedure under supervision, together with a staff nurse. A total of 120 patients underwent IPD during the study period, including 66 men and 54 women. The most common indications for acute dialysis in CRF were metabolic acidosis (56%), uremic encephalopathy (45%), and fluid overload (44%). The most common causes of ARF were acute gastroenteritis (20%), sepsis (20%), and septic abortion (16%). Fifteen patients died of sepsis and multi-organ failure. Lack of dialysis facilities in the geographic periphery means that most patients present late in the course of their disease, as evidenced by severe metabolic acidosis and uremic encephalopathy. Peritoneal dialysis is a simple procedure, easily tolerated by the patient and requiring less expertise than hemodialysis does. Moreover, nursing staff, technicians, and doctors can be easily trained in the technique. Despite certain limitations, PD still has much potential and can be successfully accomplished in district hospitals and less accessible areas.

Life Planning in the Periphery

Young people living in the Danish-German border region - a geographical periphery of Denmark - are at risk of being marginalized compared to those living in the urban centres. This has traditionally led to a mobility pattern where the ambitious young people move to the urban centres to better their life chances, while the others simply accept the opportunities open to them in their home district. The article questions this view of the spatial differentiation between young people resulting from the changes brought about by globalization. It investigates the diverse strategies of young people living in the border region in dealing with their life opportunities, and reflects upon the influencing factors such as the affiliation and connectedness of young people to their home area, the incentives to leave the home district and move to the urban centres versus staying in the area, the perception of the neighbouring country, and the motives behind going abroad for study or work.

The spatial nature of cultural recognition: constructing Finnish North Karelia in the centre/periphery dimension of cultural policy

: This article asks how a regional community is culturally constructed as a policy subject in the centre/periphery relation of Finnish cultural policy. The focus is on the options the cultural recognitions analysed from the cultural policy documents of central government and the provincial administration of North Karelia provide for different political interests. It is stated here that the democratisation of cultural policy can be open for and a vehicle of the interests the prevailing spatial dominance attempts to get within the population of peripheries. North Karelia has for centuries been a geographic and economic periphery without inner cultural distinctions. Yet it is regarded as a culturally rich and specific area. The analysis shows that the regional community has continuously been used as a partisan identity for maintaining and reinforcing the spatial integration of national projects. Public cultural image would provide a symbolic compensation for the economically underprivileged. Furthermore, the strong cultural identity of North Karelia has constantly been taken by the regional establishment as an instrument to fight the “opponents of common regional interests” in political conflicts. Thus the principles of democracy have not always meant the capability or attitude to notice cultural polyphony within the region abreast of cultural political decision-making.

ON OTTOMAN JUSTICE: INTERPRETATIONS IN CONFLICT (1600 - 1800)

AbstractThis essay investigates the ways in which the notion of "justice" was utilized as a mechanism of political legitimization in the early-modern Ottoman Empire. I claim that there existed alternative definitions of justice and that these were instrumental in the struggle between the central government and those official and unofficial power-holders in the administrative and geographical peripheries of the empire. According to the specialized terminology of the Ottoman administrative system, "justice" was the protection of the rural and urban producers against abuses of the military elite. This definition highlighted the personal benevolence of the ruler who claimed to be the sole protector of the weak against oppression. On the other hand, at least some segments of the ruling elite insisted on representing justice as the recognition of the mutual rights and obligations of the sultan and his "servants." Justice, in this context, referred to the protection of privileges and entitlements of those who were thought to deserve them. While using a variety of sources - including treatises on government and ethics composed by the Ottoman literati, documents from regional court records and correspondence between the imperial center and the officials in the provinces - my primary focus is on Evliya Çelebi's seventeenth-century travel-book, Seyahatname, and a well-known seventeenth century chronicle, Tarih-i Naima.

CHRISTOPHER S. TAYLOR, In the Vicinity of the Righteous: Ziy―ara and the Veneration of Muslim Saints in Late Medieval Egypt, Islamic History and Civilization, Studies and Texts, vol. 32 (Leiden, Boston, Cologne: E. J. Brill, 1999). Pp. 280. $93.50 cloth.

This book, based on a Ph.D. thesis submitted at Princeton University about ten years ago, is a welcome contribution to historians' relatively narrow preoccupation with Islam as practiced rather than the Islam of textual production. Its author, currently associate professor of religious studies at Drew University, sets out to describe and analyze a vital practice of Islamic piety that is the cult of Muslim dead “saints” (ziy―ara) in Egypt between 1200 and 1500 C.E. The choice of the topic is certainly pertinent, for, as Taylor notes, the saint phenomenon has not received the study it deserves. Goldziher's pioneering article, although written more than 100 years ago, remains to a large extent unsurpassed, and most of the research since has been done on the geographic peripheries of the Islamic world and largely in a modern context.