Marker Of Regional Identity Research Articles

Integrated pond aquaculture and regional identity: ethnobiology of the golden humped tench of Poirino highlands, Northwest Italy

BackgroundSocial–ecological systems are based on particular species and on their direct and human-mediated interactions. The ‘golden humped tench’ or tinca gobba dorata, a variety of tench—Tinca tinca (L., 1758)—traditionally bred in artificial ponds called peschiere in Poirino highlands, northwest Italy, is one of such species. The aim of the study is to investigate the traditional farming of the golden humped tench, the associated knowledge, practices, and gastronomy, and to discuss the changes that the tench, the ponds, and their role in the local social–ecological system are going through.MethodsThe data analyzed were collected in different locations of Poirino highlands during May–September 2021. Fieldwork included semi-structured interviews (n = 23) with current and former tench farmers about the breeding and gastronomy of the tench and the management of the peschiere. The interviewees’ selection occurred through an exponential non-discriminative snowball sampling, and interview transcripts were qualitatively analyzed through inductive thematic content analysis.ResultsThe golden humped tench has been farmed for centuries in ponds used also to water livestock and to irrigate cultivated fields, and managed by every peasant household in the area. This integrated aquaculture system is underpinned by detailed knowledge on the peschiera ecosystem and on the tench life cycle and supports a gastronomic knowledge that is part of the local heritage. The ongoing process of gastronomic valorization of the tench is sustaining the role of the fish in locals’ livelihoods and as a marker of regional identity, but it is also transforming tench farming, already threatened by livelihood change, pesticides, and invasive species, in controversial ways.ConclusionsWe argue that ponds and tenches are core elements of the local social–ecological system, defining the cultural landscape and engendering a form of regional identity around them. Studying integrated aquaculture systems and associated knowledge and practices is relevant to design sustainable systems of food production and to address possibilities of conservation of biodiversity and livelihoods in aquatic environments.

“Stone” Streets of Ekaterinburg

The paper studies a group of Ekaterinburg street names associated with “stone craft”. These would include the names directly motivated by mineralogical vocabulary (Ametistovaya St., Rodonitovaya St.) or indirectly conveying the “stone” naming motif (Kamenotesov St., Bazhova St.). Street names of the Ural capital are considered from the standpoint of the formation of a local brand of the region, as markers of regional identity. The authors note that some street names motivated by gemmonyms refer to the designations of “gem-colored” (precious and semi-precious) stones mined in the Urals and commonly regarded as a kind of Ural “kite-mark” (Malakhitovaya St., Izumrudnaya St.). On the other hand, there are street names associated with the designations of minerals that are little known to the general public and, unlike the “Ural gems”, lack the evaluative connotations (Boksitovy lane, Slantsevaya St.). Among the street names implicitly referring to the “stone” theme are those dedicated to the memory of public figures in the field of “stone” sciences and arts (Academician Fersman St., Danily Zvereva St.), as well as collective titles-dedications to the people of mining professions (Geologists St., Starateley Lane). The authors conclude that the “stone”-related naming pattern is still productive today, particularly in the case of emerging districts or settlements where lot of streets should be named at once, and the variety of minerals simplifies the task. It also seems to be a fortunate case in which the naming pragmatics does not contradict the noble idea of popularizing the Ural minerals and the formation of local identity by means of creating new names for streets and other urban objects which are yet to be studied.

Traditional Fashion Practice and Cultural Sustainability: A Case Study of Nubi in Korea

Using the case of nubi in South Korea, this study proposes the significance of a traditional fashion practice in terms of its potential to contribute towards cultural sustainability. Nubi refers to a particular stitching technique applied to clothing and textile objects. Both tangible and intangible qualities of nubi are reflected using a practice-based approach. From the material’s quality aspect, nubi is a labor-intensive process and requires highly skilled artisans. The meaning of nubi involves modernization and adopting new methods, and adopting placeness as a marker of regional identity. Last, the artisanship and authenticity of nubi demonstrates the competence involved and the indefinite stages of design and creation. These qualities are characterized by complex dialogue between regionality, people, and social-cultural values. The potential contributions of traditional fashion practice towards cultural sustainability are highlighted by safeguarding and respecting indigenous cultures, performed through materialized interrelations between various aspects of practice, as cultural diversity comprises both tangible and intangible culture. This offers the potential for nourishment of creativity by preserving the vitality and diversity of cultures, which is something that cultural sustainability requires.

Диалекты как маркер идентичности в современной Северной Англии

Диалекты как маркер идентичности в современной Северной Англии

‘Heritagisation’, a challenge for tourism promotion and regional development: an example of food heritage

As a marker of regional identity, heritage remains a complex field of inquiry. The discussion proposed here will use food to investigate the process of heritage construction or ‘heritagisation’ as an important issue for rural tourism promotion. If food today is considered to be a locus of inter-cultural exchange that contributes to the construction of social identities, then it could also be considered as an important resource for rural development strategy. As it is also strongly associated with the tourism sector, gastronomic heritage, in its forms of construction and mobilisation, calls into question the social and cultural dynamics of a given space. The objective of this discussion is twofold and will treat the notion of heritage as a social construct and as a resource for action. We will attempt to answer the following question: At what point can heritage become a resource and component of professional opportunities? To what extent does this prove to be undeniably subject to the process of local ownership? Methodological note: I emphasise that this discussion, which results from a study of three rural regions in France, will attempt to formally and objectively posit a means of comprehending the process of heritage creation.

From forgotten film to a film archive: the curious history ofFrom Stump to Ship

H ow did a forgotten 1930 logging film become a marker of regional identity for many Maine residents? How did its unexpected resurgence in the 1980s lead to the creation of Northeast Historic Film, a model regional archive? How did this obscure, amateur 16mm production land on the National Film Registry in 2002? To answer these questions it is necessary to retrace the history of the 28-minute amateur film From Stump to Ship. The movie, which was rediscovered and reconstructed in the early 1980s, depicts a vanished chapter in the history of the Maine woods. While just its recovery is culturally significant, the critical factor in From Stump to Ship's widespread popularity is that the.4ilm was made deliberately accessible to the people of Maine. While some archival films are carefully protected and seen only by archivists and scholars within a controlled environment, From Stump to Ship broke free from the archival setting and went on the road. Viewed by thousands of people from various socioeconomic backgrounds in cities and small towns across the state of Maine, the film helped to foster a collective memory of woods life. It also helped to publicly commemorate the work of early twentieth century woodsmen, enhance a sense of regional identity and increase interest in Maine history. The From Stump to Ship phenomenon was created by a combination of factors: serendipity, hard work, the understanding that amateur film has the power to connect people, places, and communities, and an artifact that provides contemporary viewers with a social history of early twentieth century woodmen. Discovering From Stump to Ship Alfred Ames, the president of the Machias Lumber Company in Washington County, Maine, purchased a 16mm moving picture camera to document the twilight of his family's business the long lumber industry. Ames took full advantage of the mass marketed, amateur-film technology that was invented in 1923 and popularised throughout the 1920s, for the film is full of the industrious activity of Ames' employees and the natural motion of the Machias River.1 In 1929-30, with the help of a friend, Dr. Howard Kane, who did some of the filming with his professional quality movie camera, Ames meticulously recorded the extraordinary labour of both woodsmen and horses. He documented his employees sawing down trees; horses hauling great loads of logs though the woods; river drivers agilely running over logs in rushing rivers; the powerful current of the Machias River forcing thousands of logs to tumble and roll; men expertly clearing log jams at the head of the river's falls; men in bateaus flying down river rapids; the proficiencies of mill employees cutting logs with a 48-foot band saw, and finally, the schooner Lucy Evelyn, loaded with more than two million laths, setting out to sea. In short, Ames' amateur film