London Oxford Research Articles

Housing crisis, part 1: on the streets

On London's Oxford Street, the UK's homelessness crisis is very visible. Among bustling commuters and shoppers, men and women shelter in doorways, under bridges, and outside shops, bundled in sleeping bags and coats. It is summer, so the weather is relatively mild. But as the nights grow colder, winter sharpens inequality, and no group is more vulnerable to freezing weather than people sleeping on the streets.

Book Reviews

87 Journal of South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies Vol. XLI, No.1, Fall 2017 Book Reviews Edited by Nadia Barsoum CITY SCAPES OF VIOLENCE IN KARACHI: Publics and counterpublics edited by Nicholas Khan. UK, London Oxford University Press 2017, 252 pages. This book fundamentally concerns the relation of violence and language. The authors in these pages combine academic, contributions, creative non-fiction, literary works, journalistic analyses, social movements, texts and auto-ethnographies. They investigate the structural, political-economic, cultural, and geographic shaping of Karachi’s violence, and make comparative, synchronic, and diachronic connections in their particular case studies, biographical analyze, studies of particular localities, and analyses of the city as a whole. POLITICS AND STATE- SOCIETY RELATIONS IN INDIA by James Manor; New York Oxford University Press, 2017, 365 pages. This book revisits studies of key themes during the years of prime ministerial dominance, and then assesses the transition through the post-1989 period of hung parliaments to the present day. It examines the democratic process and state society relations during those two periods. It provides signposts as India navigates its way through a new phase THE SHIA REVIVAL: How Conflicts within Islam will reshape the Future by Vali Nasr. New York: W.W. Norton and company, Independent Publishers since 1923. This edition was updated in 2016, 310 pages. This book is not a work of historical scholarship. Its contribution is in the new ideas and arguments that it brings to an understanding of the Islamic world in the Middle East history and politics. It is written for the general audience. The author avoided the usual method of transliteration or citation of notes seen in scholarly works. The author used a simplified phonetic pattern closer to the Arabic, Persian or Urdu pronunciation, depending on the context of the discussion. The notes are meant for the most part to provide references for a striking piece of information or a quotation. 88 GUARDIANS OF THE ARAB STATE: When Militaries Intervene in Politics from Iraq to Mauritania by Florence Gaub. UK, London Oxford University Press 2017, 272 pages. this volume explains clearly and concisely how and why military organizations become involved in politics across the Middle East and North Africa, identifying four key factors: a high degree of organizational capacity, clear institutional interest, a forgiving population and weak civilian control. Looking at numerous case studies ranging from Mauritania to Iraq, the book finds that these factors are common to all Arab countries to have experienced coups in the last century. It also finds that the opposite is true in cases like Jordan, where strong civilian control and the absence of capacity, interest, or a positive public image made coup attempts futile. Gaub also convincingly argues that the reasons are structural rather than cultural, thereby proving a counter-narrative to conventional explanations which look at Arab coups along religious or historical lines. In essence, the questions addressed herein lead back to issues of weak statehood, legitimacy, and resource constraints—all problems the Arab world has struggled with since independence . Guardians of the Arab State picks up where previous literature on Middle Eastern military forces dropped the debate, and provides an updated and insightful analysis into the soul of Arab armies. YEMENS ENDURES: Civil War, Saudi Adventurism and the Future of Arabia by Ginny Hill. UK, London Oxford University Press 2017, 391 pages. Hill examines why is the oil-rich Saudi Arabia involved in a costly and merciless war against neighboring, Yemen, the poorest country in the Middle East? Why, with billions of dollars of British and American weapons, have the Saudis lost the upper hand to the Houthi rebels? In this first authoritative account of the present conflict, Ginny Hill delves into a country still dominated by the pernicious influence of career dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh, who masterminded patronage networks that kept the state weak, allowing conflict and inequality to flourish . After three decades, he was forced from office by street protests in 2011. In the chaos following his departure, civil war and regional interference plague the country. While the Saudis battle the Houthis—whom they believe are backed by Iran—ISIS, Al-Qaeda and separatist groups compete to exploit the broken state...

‘Mr Bourne's dilemma’. Consumer culture, property speculation and department store demise: the rise and fall of Bourne and Hollingsworth on London's Oxford Street

This paper explores the twentieth-century rise and fall of the traditional department store Bourne and Hollingsworth in London's Oxford Street as a means of re-examining the historical geographies of metropolitan consumption cultures. The research moves away from a preoccupation with urban retail's novelty and spectacle towards a consideration of the more conventional and conservative kinds of consumption that have been a vital part of the retail ecology of many major cities in the twentieth century. The paper analyses the intersections of different dimensions of the history of metropolitan consumption: with a culturalist focus on consumer identity and urban microgrographies; but also an examination of this as a family-owned, paternalistic business, and as a material space, both as a building designed and refurbished by its owners, management, architects and shopfitters, and as a particular site within the routes and flows of the West End. The final approach to Bourne and Hollingsworth as urban property, as a distinctive form of capital asset in the city, allows a new understanding of the vulnerability of this kind of retailing by the later twentieth century. The study shows that an emphasis on the significance of cultures of consumption provides at best a partial explanation for changes in the landscapes of consumption: it is argued that cities are the sites of complex intersections between cultural practices and other kinds of geography, in this case those of asset values and opportunities for property speculation.

Piercy Conner

AbstractPiercy Conner first came to broader public attention with its prototype for the Microflat. Displayed in the windows of Selfridges on London's Oxford Street, it ignited discussions in the press about means of realising affordable urban housing. Lucy Bullivant describes this young practice's enduring commitment to high‐density public‐housing solutions and the work it has undertaken in communication techniques. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Prenatal Testing, Reproductive Autonomy, and Disability Interests

The issue of prenatal testing and selective abortion has never received open public appraisal. This is somewhat regrettable. The interest in this area, however, is rapidly growing. In part this is a result of concerns about the rate of development in genetic knowledge and questions as to its application. For instance, there will be a huge increase in the scope of conditions or features for which we will be able to screen, some of which could hardly be described as significant. Further, for some time now, people with disabilities have had concerns about the practice of prenatal testing and selective abortion. This article looks at the relationship between reproductive autonomy, prenatal testing and associated practices, and the interests of people with disabilities. It asks whether such practices negatively affect the interests of such individuals, and if so, how. This is an important question for the formulation of public policy in this area. Although some groups have studied this issue in detail, policy bodies do not necessarily fully engage with their analyses. This may be a reflection of public confusion about this issue. To some degree, fear of causing offense may also inhibit both expression of public opinion and, in turn, policy analysis. This is unfortunate and needs to be acknowledged.I am grateful to participants of the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine—King's College London—Oxford Consortium on Bioethics, 2003, for comments on an earlier draft of this paper and particularly to Professor Jonathan Glover and Dr. Bobbie Farsides for conversations relating to it.

News

Sign of the times: a temporary staff agency in London's Oxford Street responds to recent evidence that nurses are leaving the profession to take up administrative posts.

A london haven for christmas shoppers.

Foot weary' RCN members ploughing their way through the crowds of Christmas shoppers along London's Oxford Street can find a haven of peace, good food and even a reviving drink at the RCN Club, says Club Commit tee Chairman, Hope Trenchard.

Shops within shops: The consumer viewpoint

For some years now the technique of setting up “concessions” or shops within shops has been familiar in department stores. But with the closing of Bournes in London's Oxford Street, one of the most extensive practitioners of the technique — doubts began to set in. Dr Peter McGoldrick and his colleagues at UMIST have recently carried out a study into the question of shops within shops, based mainly on consumers' perceptions of them. They found that most retailers have now become more measured in their approach to concessions. It has been recognised that a diversity of names, design formats and staff loyalties may not produce the most coherent or powerful image for the retailer. Awareness of concessions amongst shoppers, however, is rather higher than expected. Younger and more affluent consumers tended to be the most aware, but most shoppers did not express strong preferences between concessions and own departments. The survey concludes that it would be a mistake to assume that concessions are entering a sharp decline — in fact there are signs of considerable growth potential in the superstore and variety store sectors. The major department store groups are however likely to seek even more control over their concessionaires, giving them less autonomy in their design and selling styles.

Debenhams lights up Oxford Street

People who have been talking for years, with doom‐laden relish, about the death of the department store should take a trip to London's Oxford Street and take a look at the new Debenhams. Elegant, brilliantly lit, and with a generous approach to the use of space, the new store provides an appropriate backdrop for fashion merchandise which is sharply and colourfully contemporary. If the store doesn't quite have that deeply luxurious, self‐confident feel of the best department stores in Zurich, for example, or Copenhagen, then that in itself reflects the mood of 1980s Britain and the dichotomy of its economy — superficial glitter successfully concealing deeper uncertainties. And whatever happened to the much‐vaunted galleria idea? David Sands reports.

The Trial of Luther. By Daniel Olivier, trans, by John Tonkin. Pp. xii + 194. London–Oxford: Mowbray, 1978. £4.95.

The Trial of Luther. By Daniel Olivier, trans, by John Tonkin. Pp. xii + 194. London–Oxford: Mowbray, 1978. £4.95.

The Meek and the Mighty: the Emergence of the Evangelical Movement in Russia. By Hans Brandenburg. (Keston Book, 7). Pp. xiv + 210. London–Oxford: Mowbrays, 1976. £3.25.

The Meek and the Mighty: the Emergence of the Evangelical Movement in Russia. By Hans Brandenburg. (Keston Book, 7). Pp. xiv + 210. London–Oxford: Mowbrays, 1976. £3.25.

The Religion of the Russian People. By Pierre Pascal, trans, by Rowan Williams. Pp. x + 130. London–Oxford: Mowbray, 1976. £2.95.

The Religion of the Russian People. By Pierre Pascal, trans, by Rowan Williams. Pp. x + 130. London–Oxford: Mowbray, 1976. £2.95.

REVIEWS

REVIEWS Ben Jonson. Poems. Edited by I DONALDSON Pp xxii+410London Oxford University Press, 1975 Cloth, £ 6 50, paper, £2 75 net C. F. WILLIAMSON C. F. WILLIAMSON Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The Review of English Studies, Volume XXVIII, Issue 111, August 1977, Pages 340–342, https://doi.org/10.1093/res/XXVIII.111.340 Published: 01 August 1977

The British campaign in Ireland, 1919–1921 : the development of political and military politics. By Charles Townshend. Pp xiii, 242. London Oxford University Press. 1975 £8.50. (Oxford Historical Monographs, ed. Barbara Harvey, A.D. Macintyre, R.W Southern, A.F Thompson and H.R. Trevor-Roper)

The British campaign in Ireland, 1919–1921 : the development of political and military politics. By Charles Townshend. Pp xiii, 242. London Oxford University Press. 1975 £8.50. (Oxford Historical Monographs, ed. Barbara Harvey, A.D. Macintyre, R.W Southern, A.F Thompson and H.R. Trevor-Roper)

Christ in Christian Tradition, I: From the Apostolic Age to Chalcedon (451), 2nd, revised ed. By Aloys Grillmeier, S.J., trans, by John Bowden. Pp. xxiv + 600. London–Oxford: Mowbray, 1975. £17.50.

Christ in Christian Tradition, <i>I</i>: From the Apostolic Age to Chalcedon (451), 2nd, revised ed. By Aloys Grillmeier, S.J., trans, by John Bowden. Pp. xxiv + 600. London–Oxford: Mowbray, 1975. £17.50.

Evelyn Underhill (1875–1941): an introduction to her Life and Writings. By Christopher J. R. Armstrong. Pp. xiv + 304. London–Oxford: Mowbray, 1975. £6.

Evelyn Underhill (1875–1941): an introduction to her Life and Writings. By Christopher J. R. Armstrong. Pp. xiv + 304. London–Oxford: Mowbray, 1975. £6.

REVIEWS

Journal Article REVIEWS Get access The Theory of the Novel. New Essays. Edited by JOHN HALPERIN. Pp XII+396. London Oxford University Press, 1974 £6.25 net JEREMY LANE JEREMY LANE Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The Review of English Studies, Volume XXVII, Issue 105, February 1976, Pages 102–105, https://doi.org/10.1093/res/XXVII.105.102 Published: 01 February 1976

REVIEWS

REVIEWS Get access The Self Conscious Imagination. By KATHLEEN COBURN Pp viii+78 (The Riddell Memorial Lectures, Forty-fourth Series) London Oxford University Press, 1974 £1.75 net. Coleridge's Nightmare Poetry. By PAUL MAGNUSON Pp xviii+134 Charlottesville University Press of Virginia, 1974. $9.50 W J B OWEN W J B OWEN Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The Review of English Studies, Volume XXVII, Issue 106, May 1976, Pages 221–223, https://doi.org/10.1093/res/XXVII.106.221 Published: 01 May 1976

REVIEWS

REVIEWS Private Chronicles. A Study of English Diaries. By ROBERT A. FOTHERGILL. Pp x+214+14 plates London Oxford University Press, 1974 £4.50 net. MARILYN BUTLER MARILYN BUTLER Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The Review of English Studies, Volume XXVII, Issue 105, February 1976, Pages 110–111, https://doi.org/10.1093/res/XXVII.105.110 Published: 01 February 1976

REVIEWS

REVIEWS Get access Henry James and Pragmatistic Thought. A Study in the Relationship between the Philosophy of William James and the Literary Art of Henry James. By RICHARD A. HOCKS. Pp xii+258Chapel Hill University of North Carolina Press, London Oxford University Press, 1974. £575 net. Henry James and The Turn of the Screw. By E.A. SHEPPARD. Pp. xii+292. Auckland University Press: London Oxford University Press, 1974. £8 net. KENNETH GRAHAM KENNETH GRAHAM Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The Review of English Studies, Volume XXVII, Issue 108, November 1976, Pages 495–498, https://doi.org/10.1093/res/XXVII.108.495 Published: 01 November 1976