This research is concerned with the practice of local partnerships in the promotion of rural development with particular reference to two case study areas, Newent in the UK and Sault in France. In recent years, local partnership working has become increasingly common in the promotion of rural development. It is presented by academics, politicians, policy makers and practitioners as 'inherent' and 'imperative' to the preparation and implementation of rural development programmes today. However, there still exists limited understanding and knowledge about local partnership working in practice and the validity and importance of such statements. To advance this understanding the present research had four main objectives organised around the identification and the exploration of four main issues: the reasons, the processes, the outcomes and the implications of the local partnership practice in rural development. The author has sought to elucidate the subject by means of a detailed exploratory study involving the longitudinal observation of two particular examples of local partnerships. Two case study areas were selected, both with an active history of rural development initiatives and partnership working at parish or commune level. Newent is a small town in the Forest of Dean, which has sought to address growing socio-economic decline in recent years by preparing and implementing a regeneration strategy through local partnership working. Sault is a village in Provence, which has had to respond to depopulation and various economic difficulties as well as the closure in 1996-98 of the military base of Albion. Qualitative data on local partnership evolution and operation, collected in both areas between 1998 and 2001, was assembled from documentary research, semi structured interviews and direct observation at meetings. This investigation has allowed the identification of various explanations for the recent increase in the practice of local partnership in rural development, explanations which are mainly associated with the underlying context of the rural development process today and with the meaning of the partnership concept itself. From this investigation local partnership working in rural development has emerged as a long-term, progressive, comprehensive and pragmatic process that is organised over time. Its existence and longevity depend primarily on the local context, the existence of opportunities, the issues to be addressed, a broad mobilisation of local/rural actors, a flexible local space, some local re-organisation as well as regular and concrete achievements. In this respect, the most commonly reported outcomes of local partnership working pertain to the process of partnership working more than to the tangible outputs that may have resulted from it. These meet the initial expected benefits from such a practice as for example broader participation, greater reciprocity between rural development actors and territories, and an increase in local capacity for development action.

Zero valent iron nanoparticles (nZVI) are being used in environmental remediation of contaminants due to their reducing properties. Toxic chemicals such as hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) are released into environmental waters from industrial effluent and are capable of triggering life threatening diseases in humans. Solution phase Cr(VI) has can be converted to less harmful trivalent chromium (Cr(III)) using nZVI, which decreases the oxidation state. Cr(III) binds to iron and can be removed, thereby decreasing the concentration of solution phase Cr(VI). The nZVI have a high specific surface area though aggregate in solution which decreases specific surface area. In this study rhamnolipid surfactant capped nZVI of 50 nm were synthesized and were compared to nZVI without any incorporated surfactant using various characterization methods. At 10mg/L rhamnolipid incorporated nZVI and maintained a core size of 50 nm whilst raw nZVI z-average diameter increases from 341 nm to 1993 nm forming micron sized nZVI aggregates. It was determined that 1 gram of micro sized nZVI was able to convert 3 mg of Cr(VI) whilst 1 gram of nZVI was able to convert 36 mg in the same time period indicating that rhamnolipid was able to disperse particles and increase efficiency of the reaction.

A method was developed and validated for GC/MS analysis of PBDEs in a variety of matrices (soil, dust, sediment, and 10 types of foodstuffs), represented by a total of 313 samples. Extensive environmental contamination by PBDEs is shown to arise as a result of improper e-waste handling in Guiyu, China, with open burning and circuit boards shredding operations identified as the most significant sources of PBDEs to soil and sediment. Elevated concentrations of selected key pollutants, including legacy and novel brominated flame retardants (NBFRs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and metals/metalloids, were detected in a number of dietary samples from Taizhou e-waste recycling sites, confirming the hypothesis that improper e-waste handling is an important source of toxic contaminants to locally produced foods. Human exposure, of both adults and children, to key pollutants via diet was estimated, with results suggesting that children are particularly exposed to a range of toxic substances through a locally-sourced diet. This was especially evident in the case of PCBs, PBDEs, cadmium, and lead. Concentrations of, and/or routes of human exposure to, several contaminants (e.g., PBDEs in duck eggs, and compound-specific NBFRs in diet originating from Taizhou) are reported here for the first time. Application of a simple pharmacokinetic model to predict human body burden of PBDEs (based on estimated dietary intake) provided predicted PBDE body burdens that compared satisfactorily in most instances with those reported elsewhere in blood of adults from Taizhou e-waste sites.

This thesis deals with Taiwan as a post-colonial nation, with an identity that remains somewhat ambiguous, from both internal and external perspectives. Specifically, in this thesis, the complexities of its Taiwan’s multicultural legacies are explored through the presentation in industrial heritage sites. Industrial heritage in Taiwan is mainly the product of the Japanese colonial period between 1895 and 1945, which spans the first half of the twentieth century. This fifty-year colonial industrialisation is arguably Taiwan’s most influential industrial heritage because it began a rapid process of modernisation that is continuing today. The key to this process is the industrialisation that led to the development of main parts of the island, catalysed new communities and social patterns and structured daily life. These industrial locations have now become heritage sites for tourism and creative development, Moreover, the interpretation of these sites highlights the re-contextualisation of the Taiwanese legacy from both political and economic perspectives. However, these sites also reveal some highly problematic place-related aspects of the colonial narrative. This thesis examines how this heritage is produced in a society that remains connected to Japanese culture, a society in which industrial heritage is influenced by the increasing convergence between cultural tourism, museumification and commercialisation Furthermore, new relationships are identified, which reflect the patterns and trends of wider economic, social and cultural changes. The thesis concludes by offering a deeper understanding of the valorisation of industrial heritage in Taiwan and its influence on broader Taiwanese narratives of geopolitics and global heritage agenda.

The end of 2006 was a milestone for the Government of Indonesia in the initiation of the disaster risk reduction program. The aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami that hit the Aceh Province and Nias Island in the North Sumatra Province, in December 2004, had taken 2 years to deal with. From the start of 2005 until mid-2006 was a period of emergency, rehabilitation and reconstruction. Therefore, the government began publishing a national action plan for disaster risk reduction (2006-2009). It later became the beginning of the shifting paradigm of emergency, rehabilitation and reconstruction, to become the paradigm of disaster mitigation (disaster risk reduction). The initiative was also taken by the Indonesian government as part of integrating the international commitments of the United Nations and the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA 2005 -2015) about Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters. The Indonesian government then opened support from donors to support the implementation of the NAP-DRR program, while supporting the creation of instrument-instrument for disaster management activities for the government. Various support was received by the government to support the DRR program in Indonesia. Such support gave assistance, institutional strengthening, and also grant aid. A grant of 4.3 million pounds from DFID (the UK government) is the largest received by the Indonesian government to support the implementation of DRR in Indonesia. In the implementation of grant aid, the UK government has given an enormous influence on the governance of disaster management in Indonesia. The aim of this research is to explore and investigate the impact of the UKAid project in support of the DRR programme implemented by the Indonesian Government. The research objectives is : to explore and understand the context of UKAid in support of SCDRR project; to explore the SCDRR project as part of humanitarian aid; to analyse the obstacles affecting the impact of UKAid at governmental level and in optimising foreign assistance fund for DRR activities; and identify and assess the lessons and good practice learnt after DRR project in maintaining post project sustainability incorporating the lessons learnt into the government regulatory framework. This study needed to look at the long-standing problem of financial constraints of developing countries in the allocation of funding for disaster risk reduction, which has not been a top priority. The research gap identified with study through SCDRR performance as a government project, it indirectly gave a lot of feedback, initiatives and encouragement for the formation of institutions in the system of management of disaster, including the birth of various regulations related to disaster management in general and supporting disaster risk reduction programs as the impact of the DFID/UK Aid projects in Indonesia. This study adopts methodology a single case study of the SC-DRR project activities, which was implemented in seven provinces and one city in Indonesia. The strategy of the research is conducted by observing the effects produced after the implementation of the DRR project was implemented and categorized at the national and regional levels. A number of interviews with experts from government and non-government have been conducted in order to complement findings outcomes in seven scopes of impact: (1) Strengthening Aid influence in government institutions; (2) Challenges and lessons learnt post SCDRR activities; (3) Effect of humanitarian assistance for DRR in Indonesia; (4) Existence of Indonesian Disaster Data and information (DIBI); (5) Existence of DFID and UK Aid in Indonesia; (6) Optimizing of DFID grant through Project SCDRR; and (7) The influence of the SCDRR Project. The contribution to knowledge and practice through this study was demonstrate the models framework of impact analysis as a research tool for foreign aid to Indonesia (developing country), which was integrated with another framework analysis impact for humanitarian aid developed by Hoffman for detailed analysis. The integrating of aspect national and regional level into the models framework will useful analysis for the policy maker in particular at developing country.

Many studies have focused on ethnic entrepreneurship and Polish migration to the UK, but very little is known about Polish immigrant enterprises and established businesses in Western Europe in the post EU enlargement era. This thesis addresses this gap and contributes to the debate about Polish entrepreneurs by examining the trajectories of Polish immigrant entrepreneurs starting their own business in the West Midlands region of the UK. This research is based on the results of forty-eight in depth interviews with Polish entrepreneurs in the West Midlands, who migrated around the time of EU enlargement in May 2004. The analysis concludes that Polish entrepreneurs in the West Midlands made carefully constructed decisions regarding the timing of their migration in order to establish successful businesses. This is achieved through the use of translocal relationships, which become increasingly localised by adopting business adaptation strategies. There are some notable differences in the experiences of pre-accession and post-accession entrepreneurs. Since the research highlights the local element of Polish entrepreneurs in the UK, it provides the foundation for research into the local lives of these entrepreneurs in Poland, before they migrated to the UK.

The thesis explores the relationship between late Neolithic knappers and flint resources at the settlement of Rocca di Rivoli (Verona, Italy), a key site for the understanding of the late Neolithic in northern Italy. Approximately 8000 flint artefacts were recorded by means of an attribute-based relational database and subsequently analysed. The use of the \(chaîne\) \(opératoire\) method, combined with a social agency approach, provided a useful framework within which to discuss topics such as tradition, style and specialization in the context of the late Neolithic of northern Italy. The intrinsic nature of the site, characterized by secondary deposition in pits, challenged the potential retrieval of data and subsequent interpretation and resulted in the identification of fragmented \(chaînes\) \(opératoires\). In addition, the poor conservation of the finds and bias in accessibility procedures to the collection limited the choice of analytical methods available. Nonetheless, significant results were obtained. At Rocca di Rivoli there were clear preferences in terms of raw material: flint coming from the Maiolica outcrops was by far the preferred variety to be working with. It is suggested that raw material procurement possibly took place in different ways, but that a more precise identification in terms of its organization is not possible at this stage. The 16 \(chaînes\) \(opératoires\) identified at Rocca di Rivoli represent basic frameworks allowing for endless variations and additions taking place during the unfolding of flint knapping activity. It is argued throughout the present work that knapping was undertaken by both expert and non-expert knappers, including apprentices. Some aspects characterising the practice of flint knapping changed throughout occupation of the sire, possibly pointing at changes in social dynamics affecting the community of Rocca di Rivoli.

This thesis examines the relationship between the production of urban space and the reproduction of capital. Taking the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park as a case study, I conducted ethnographic research during the London 2012 Olympics and the Park's first 'Legacy' year. My research proceeded from an embodied walking practice (which prompted reflection on my transgender presentation as a complicating factor), and also included interviews and archival research. My analysis centres on Henri Lefebvre, situating his work on space within a concern for the relationship between everyday life and the concrete abstractions constituted therein. Taking this relationship as essential to the reproduction of capital, I explore the production of the Olympic Park as an actually-existing abstract space that mirrors the dual character of the value form. I open my account of this production with the Olympic festival, a total social moment mobilised towards the realisation of value. I then examine each of Lefebvre's three formants of abstract space in turn. I present the construction of the Park as the materialisation of an abstractly conceived space designed to incorporate a disordered post-industrial space into a new mode of accumulation. I frame the inhabitation of the Park in its Legacy era as a temporalisation of empty space, arguing that abstract time is co-constituted with abstract space in internally contradictory everyday practice. And I address the incorporation of the Park into a set of post-industrial, anti-urban, and leisureoriented spaces that form a representational space reflective of the movement of capital in its ascendant, financialised, form. I conclude with a discussion of the Olympic Park as 'catalyst', securing the reproduction of capital by encouraging further redevelopment, but also sharpening capital's contradictions as an abstract space in conflict with its own concrete content, predicated on the subsumption of the utopian potential of everyday life.

This thesis examines the relationship between Amazonian Dark Earths (ADE) and Caboclo subsistence on the Middle Madeira River, Brazil. ADE are fertile anthropogenic (man-made) soils formed through practices of burning and waste disposal by pre-Columbian Amerindian populations. “Caboclo” is a social category that refers to the people of diverse origins that form the majority of the contemporary rural population of Brazilian Amazonia. Bitter manioc fields (roças) and homegardens (sítios) are the principal forms of Caboclo subsistence cultivation on ADE on the Middle Madeira River. Multi-sited ethnography shows that differences in historical ecology at both local and regional scales either enable or constrain Caboclo subsistence cultivation on ADE. At communities located on long-term landholdings with a history of egalitarian land-tenure and multi-generational kinship there is a rich body of local knowledge and practice relating to the cultivation of ADE. Interviews with 249 farmers in six localities demonstrate that bitter manioc cultivation in fertile soils (floodplain and ADE) tends to be characterised by intensive swidden systems with smaller fields, shorter fallows, and a predominance of what locals refer to as “weak” (low starch fast maturing) landraces. Bitter manioc cultivation in infertile soils (Oxisols and Ultisols) is characterised by more extensive shifting cultivation systems with larger fields, longer fallows and a predominance of what locals refer to as “strong” (high starch slow maturing) landraces. Interviews with 63 households at 16 communities show that homegardens on ADE combine the most common species of homegardens on Oxisols and in the Floodplain, with other species that occur most frequently on ADE. Homegardens on ADE exhibit significantly higher culturally salient species diversity when compared to homegardens on the other types of soil. Collectively, bitter manioc fields and homegardens constitute cultivated landscapes that show diverging agrobiodiversity on different soils, the outcome of an interplay between soil affordances, Caboclo agency and plant responses over time. These findings provide a springboard for some conclusions concerning the relationship between ADE and agriculture in the pre-Columbian period, drawing on what is known from the historical and archaeological record.

"Sayling, Stories from the Mothership" is a collection of ethnographic fictions ? short stories ? adapted from notes, archival materials, and interviews compiled over a year of geographic fieldwork in southwestern Nigeria. Touching on a wide range of themes, from domesticity to internet fraud, the stories explore the interface of occult violence and youth politics in the contemporary period. They are connected through overlapping characters and through their relationships to a central geography: the University of Ibadan (UI), Nigeria?s oldest and most prestigious institute of higher education and the site of origin for the nation?s first campus ?cult?: the Pyrates Confraternity. The collection is, in essence, a character study of Nigerian campus cultism, itself. The stories are organized into three sections that can be mapped onto a ritual landscape: the stages of initiation, participation, and renunciation serve to link diverse voices and life stories. The dissertation is framed by a Preface and Epilogue that explore issues of race, representation, and reflexivity, themes that are important to a project engaging with living memories of contemporary violence. A critical prologue and footnotes throughout serve to connect the creative core of this work to larger academic, literary, and ethnographic contexts. An appendix features maps that highlight spaces and dates important to the stories as well as four original interview ?transcripts?, semi-fictionalised records that provide both additional ethnographic detail and evidence of methodology.