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An introductory guide to cultural theory and popular culture
Book Reviews were considered to be the most relevant to agrarian land law in his or her country, with the consequence that some of the essays address issues unique to the author’s own country. This latitude also means that agrarian land law has been given a broad definition, and much more than the laws relating to the ownership and use of agricultural land has been covered. Thus topics such as setaside regulation, afforestation laws, environmental protection legislation, nature conservation measures, law regulating public access to private land, and laws governing the landlord-tenant relationship all receive coverage. As one would expect, however, a dominant theme is the extent to which laws regulate the use of rural land, particularly through the mechanism of physical planning or zoning legislation which limits the possibility of building in rural areas. In The Netherlands, for example, where land is at a premium and the population dense, stringent measures have been introduced to control the allocation of land for different purposes. In France, on the other hand, measures do not exist for farmland preservation, although farmland is protected indirectly through urban zoning policy. In addition to physical planning laws, several European nations (e.g. The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Norway, Italy, France) have laws which authorise land consolidation. This is a concept unknown in the United Kingdom, but has a long history elsewhere, enabling land to be re-allocated so as to improve agricultural productivity and working conditions. The individual essays outline the often complicated details of the schemes in the various countries. Another general theme which permeates the essays is the means whereby individual countries restrict the freedom to own agricultural land. In Norway, for example, where the amount of good farmland is limited, and where the state is, therefore, anxious to ensure that farmland is actually owned by a farmer, agricultural land has to be used for farming and can ultimately be taken by the state if it lies fallow or is farmed improperly; land cannot be acquired without obtaining a concession from the King; and pre-emptive rights apply in favour of the state or municipality where a binding contract for the sale of farmland has been concluded. In several countries, there are regulations focusing on the size of agricultural holdings, usually intended (as, for example, in France and Germany) to prevent undesirable subdivisions of farm property. By contrast, in New Zealand, where there is a policy of fostering the ownership of land by the greatest number of independent farmers, there is legislation which seeks to control the undue aggregation of farmland. In addition to limitations on the ownership of agrarian land, several of the essays highlight restrictions on the use of agricultural land. Those engaged in agriculture are both the beneficiaries and the targets of environmental regulation: their livelihood depends on clean water, uncontaminated soil and pure air; but they can also be polluters of the natural environment. The essays consider, therefore, not only anti-pollution measures designed to protect farmers, but also, for example, soil protection legislation, designed to regulate the use of herbicides and pesticides and also of animal manure, which is a particularly serious problem in The Netherlands. In addition, at a time when it is recognised that nature and agriculture are very much interlinked, various authors examine legislation which has been enacted imposing limitations on the use of agrarian
land on conservation grounds, such as the legislation in the United Kingdom which restricts the use of land lying within Sites of Special Scientific Interest, National Parks and Nature Reserves. A final theme which can be identified is the importance of the agricultural lease. Although in the United States of America, for example, farm leases are viewed as a matter of contract, with a minimum amount of statutory regulation, in most countries (e.g. United Kingdom, The Netherlands, Belgium, France, Italy) security of tenure is conferred on tenant farmers in order to encourage best use of the farmland; and in several (e.g. The Netherlands, France, Italy) rent regulation also exists. The means, however, by which individual countries confer security differ widely. In conclusion, the appearance of this collection of very authoritative and, for the most part, highly readable essays is to be warmly welcomed. The essays are not intended to provide a comprehensive account of the law operating in the various countries, although each chapter does contain a selection of notes and references for further reading. Instead, the essays are valuable for identifying important issues affecting agrarian land in the western world, and also for highlighting the wide variety of problems experienced by individual countries and their legislative responses to them. These responses have to be seen in the context of the need to achieve a balance between the individual right of property on the one hand and the protection of the environment for the good of the general community on the other, between assisting those engaged in the production of food today without prejudicing the ability of their successors to provide food tomorrow. A comparative account such as this provides an excellent opportunity to examine how different countries have attempted to resolve these tensions. The author of the essay on French law describes his chapter as ‘a freeze frame from the movie of agricultural law’. All the authors are to be highly commended for producing such informative and interesting ‘shots’, which not only show us, in the foreground, the laws which are in force in their countries, but also give us the essential geographical, historical and political background against which those laws operate. The editors are to be congratulated for compiling a ‘film’, which brings together the talents of so many stars of agricultural law and which deserves to attract an audience encompassing not only lawyers but also geographers and social, political, and environmental scientists, all of whom will assuredly be stimulated by the experience. It may be ‘That’s all, folks’ at the moment; but as agricultural land-use issues are constantly changing, this reviewer very much hopes that, in due course, a sequel of equal quality will be forthcoming. A.H.R. BRIERLEY Faculty of Law, University of Bristol
An Introductory Guide to Cultural Theory and Popular Culture, John Storey, xiii + 238 pp., 1993, Harvester Wheatsheaf, Hemel Hempstead, f10.95 pbk.
In his preface, John Storey sets out his intention ‘to focus on the theoretical and methodological implications and ramifications of specific moments in the history of the
94
Book
study of popular culture’ (p. xi) and to provide an introduction to the study of popular culture. In many ways he does this admirably, and my major quibble is with his delineation of subject matter in the title: the content of the volume seems as concerned with cultural theory in general as with popular culture as such. Nevertheless, Storey skilfully picks his way through the vast and sometimes daunting terrain of cultural theory, directing the reader to those areas which help us to explain many aspects of contemporary and popular culture. Although accessible and topical, the introductory chapter, in which Storey defines some important concepts such as culture itself, popular culture, and ideology is disappointing. It is disappointing because meanings and definitions are listed briefly rather than explained. A cursory look at definitions of culture also fails to direct readers to other useful introductory reading. (However, this reviewer’s vested interest in one such text should be admitted here, as also her position as a sociologist, rather than a cultural theorist per se.) The strengths of Storey’s volume consist in the detailed exposition of major theoretical orientations in the field of cultural theory. Beginning with the ‘culture and civilisation’ debate and the ideas of Arnold and Leavis (but inexplicably ignoring the more complex views of T.S. Eliot), he moves on to an admirably lucid look at influential thinkers in the field, like Raymond Williams and E.P. Thompson. Moving on to structuralism and poststructuralism, Storey expertly leads the inexperienced reader into notoriously difficult territory, even managing to adequately summarise Lacan in three pages! Moving from Foucault and Edward Said, to varieties of Marxism and then on to the morass of postmodernism, however, there is some unevenness in the clarity of exposition. It is as if Storey is not always clear who his readers are and where they may be coming from. On the one hand he introduces marxist theories. including Althusserianism. in a way which does not assume much prior knowledge. while on the other, he posits postmodernism as an attack on modernism, in a way which seems to assume considerable familiarity with the latter by the reader. Frequently too, the links between the different theoretical perspectives and schools are not made explicit enough, and sometimes, even, their relevance to Storey’s stated major focus - popular culture - is not clearly stated, but left to emerge from the discussion. An exception here is the excellent chapter on the effect of feminist cultural theorising on the field of popular culture. In general, Storey makes accessible and exciting a wide range of cultural theory. His method of using topical and interesting examples, of ‘doing’ cultural analysis. is particularly effective and he steers a careful course, avoiding both an elitest and an uncritical populist position on popular culture. He demonstrates ‘the extent to which popular culture is a concept of ideological contestation and variability’ (p. 181) and the final chapter addresses current theoretical preoccupations in the field. Each chapter usefully lists further reading, although there is no bibliography. The academic merits of the volume are complemented by its physical presentation which is refreshingly free of typographical and editorial errors. ROSAMUND BILLINGTON Division of Behuvioural Science University of Humberside
Reviews Geographic rurale: position et mCthode. J. Bonnamour, 136 pp., 1993, Masson, Paris, 140 French francs Gkographies et campagnes. Melanges Jacqueline Bonnamour, V. Rey (ed.), 372 pp., 1993, Cahiers de Fontenay, Ecole Normale Superieure de FontenayKaint-Cloud. Paris, 200 French francs
Despite its simple cover and slim format, GPogruphie rurale is not a textbook aimed at introductory undergraduates. Instead, it is a critical reflection on the practice of rural geography over the past 20 years by one of the country’s most experienced academic commentators. Madame Bonnamour published her detailed doctoral thesis on a part of Burgundy in 1966 (Le Morvan: la terre et les hommes), and for many years taught rural geography at the UniversitP de Paris I, as well as directing the laboratory of rural geography at the Ecole Normale Suptrieure at Fontenay-aux-Roses in the suburbs of Paris. In these capacities she trained many cohorts of students and future lecturers and supervised an important number of doctoral theses. as well as sitting on countless examining juries for doctoral candidates. Her knowledge of the academic world of French geographers is extensive and she makes full use of it in this densely packed work of reflection and advice, which comes 20 years after her Gkogruphie rurale. me’thodes et perspectives (Masson, 1973). Its doublecolumn pages contain a mine of information, bibliographical references, opinion and advice. The book provides a personal exploration of the vast output by French rural geographers in recent years, with the intention of steering advanced undergraduates and postgraduates along a coherent path through hundreds of research items, many of which are relatively inaccessible. It does not venture far into the domains of adjacent disciplines, such as agricultural economics or rural sociology, although Madame Bonnamour has collaborated with scholars in other fields throughout her career. Nor does it pay any attention to the work of non-French rural geographers. One 1965 item from L. Dudley Stamp is mentioned on page 95 but The Journul of Rural Studies does not get a look in, nor any other Anglo-Saxon work for that matter. Such material simply does not fit the national boundaries of this very personal analysis. In any case, there is plenty to discuss, with French geographers since 1980 having produced 65 theses d’ktat - (equivalent to perhaps double the length of the average AngloAmerican Ph.D.) on aspects of rural geography, 22 of which relate to France and I6 to francophone Africa. In addition, 405 th&es de troiskne cycle (perhaps just below the average Ph.D.) have been completed on rural geography topics, and there are also 85 ‘new doctoral theses’ (very similar to the Ph.D.) on rural themes. Hundreds of articles in French academic journals complete the crop. In this methodological rather than substantive work, Professor Bonnamour charts the changing approaches adopted by French geographers to defining ‘the rural’, coping with time (more on the present, much less on the past), reconciling landscape with society, moving from ‘pure’ to ‘applicable’ studies, and embracing quantitatrve as well as qualitative techniques of analysis. She argues that the ‘rural’ does display its own characteristics but these are best understood in the context of wider socioeconomic and political systems. and should not be divorced from them. Landscapes provide inspiration and
land on conservation grounds, such as the legislation in the United Kingdom which restricts the use of land lying within Sites of Special Scientific Interest, National Parks and Nature Reserves. A final theme which can be identified is the importance of the agricultural lease. Although in the United States of America, for example, farm leases are viewed as a matter of contract, with a minimum amount of statutory regulation, in most countries (e.g. United Kingdom, The Netherlands, Belgium, France, Italy) security of tenure is conferred on tenant farmers in order to encourage best use of the farmland; and in several (e.g. The Netherlands, France, Italy) rent regulation also exists. The means, however, by which individual countries confer security differ widely. In conclusion, the appearance of this collection of very authoritative and, for the most part, highly readable essays is to be warmly welcomed. The essays are not intended to provide a comprehensive account of the law operating in the various countries, although each chapter does contain a selection of notes and references for further reading. Instead, the essays are valuable for identifying important issues affecting agrarian land in the western world, and also for highlighting the wide variety of problems experienced by individual countries and their legislative responses to them. These responses have to be seen in the context of the need to achieve a balance between the individual right of property on the one hand and the protection of the environment for the good of the general community on the other, between assisting those engaged in the production of food today without prejudicing the ability of their successors to provide food tomorrow. A comparative account such as this provides an excellent opportunity to examine how different countries have attempted to resolve these tensions. The author of the essay on French law describes his chapter as ‘a freeze frame from the movie of agricultural law’. All the authors are to be highly commended for producing such informative and interesting ‘shots’, which not only show us, in the foreground, the laws which are in force in their countries, but also give us the essential geographical, historical and political background against which those laws operate. The editors are to be congratulated for compiling a ‘film’, which brings together the talents of so many stars of agricultural law and which deserves to attract an audience encompassing not only lawyers but also geographers and social, political, and environmental scientists, all of whom will assuredly be stimulated by the experience. It may be ‘That’s all, folks’ at the moment; but as agricultural land-use issues are constantly changing, this reviewer very much hopes that, in due course, a sequel of equal quality will be forthcoming. A.H.R. BRIERLEY Faculty of Law, University of Bristol
An Introductory Guide to Cultural Theory and Popular Culture, John Storey, xiii + 238 pp., 1993, Harvester Wheatsheaf, Hemel Hempstead, f10.95 pbk.
In his preface, John Storey sets out his intention ‘to focus on the theoretical and methodological implications and ramifications of specific moments in the history of the
94
Book
study of popular culture’ (p. xi) and to provide an introduction to the study of popular culture. In many ways he does this admirably, and my major quibble is with his delineation of subject matter in the title: the content of the volume seems as concerned with cultural theory in general as with popular culture as such. Nevertheless, Storey skilfully picks his way through the vast and sometimes daunting terrain of cultural theory, directing the reader to those areas which help us to explain many aspects of contemporary and popular culture. Although accessible and topical, the introductory chapter, in which Storey defines some important concepts such as culture itself, popular culture, and ideology is disappointing. It is disappointing because meanings and definitions are listed briefly rather than explained. A cursory look at definitions of culture also fails to direct readers to other useful introductory reading. (However, this reviewer’s vested interest in one such text should be admitted here, as also her position as a sociologist, rather than a cultural theorist per se.) The strengths of Storey’s volume consist in the detailed exposition of major theoretical orientations in the field of cultural theory. Beginning with the ‘culture and civilisation’ debate and the ideas of Arnold and Leavis (but inexplicably ignoring the more complex views of T.S. Eliot), he moves on to an admirably lucid look at influential thinkers in the field, like Raymond Williams and E.P. Thompson. Moving on to structuralism and poststructuralism, Storey expertly leads the inexperienced reader into notoriously difficult territory, even managing to adequately summarise Lacan in three pages! Moving from Foucault and Edward Said, to varieties of Marxism and then on to the morass of postmodernism, however, there is some unevenness in the clarity of exposition. It is as if Storey is not always clear who his readers are and where they may be coming from. On the one hand he introduces marxist theories. including Althusserianism. in a way which does not assume much prior knowledge. while on the other, he posits postmodernism as an attack on modernism, in a way which seems to assume considerable familiarity with the latter by the reader. Frequently too, the links between the different theoretical perspectives and schools are not made explicit enough, and sometimes, even, their relevance to Storey’s stated major focus - popular culture - is not clearly stated, but left to emerge from the discussion. An exception here is the excellent chapter on the effect of feminist cultural theorising on the field of popular culture. In general, Storey makes accessible and exciting a wide range of cultural theory. His method of using topical and interesting examples, of ‘doing’ cultural analysis. is particularly effective and he steers a careful course, avoiding both an elitest and an uncritical populist position on popular culture. He demonstrates ‘the extent to which popular culture is a concept of ideological contestation and variability’ (p. 181) and the final chapter addresses current theoretical preoccupations in the field. Each chapter usefully lists further reading, although there is no bibliography. The academic merits of the volume are complemented by its physical presentation which is refreshingly free of typographical and editorial errors. ROSAMUND BILLINGTON Division of Behuvioural Science University of Humberside
Reviews Geographic rurale: position et mCthode. J. Bonnamour, 136 pp., 1993, Masson, Paris, 140 French francs Gkographies et campagnes. Melanges Jacqueline Bonnamour, V. Rey (ed.), 372 pp., 1993, Cahiers de Fontenay, Ecole Normale Superieure de FontenayKaint-Cloud. Paris, 200 French francs
Despite its simple cover and slim format, GPogruphie rurale is not a textbook aimed at introductory undergraduates. Instead, it is a critical reflection on the practice of rural geography over the past 20 years by one of the country’s most experienced academic commentators. Madame Bonnamour published her detailed doctoral thesis on a part of Burgundy in 1966 (Le Morvan: la terre et les hommes), and for many years taught rural geography at the UniversitP de Paris I, as well as directing the laboratory of rural geography at the Ecole Normale Suptrieure at Fontenay-aux-Roses in the suburbs of Paris. In these capacities she trained many cohorts of students and future lecturers and supervised an important number of doctoral theses. as well as sitting on countless examining juries for doctoral candidates. Her knowledge of the academic world of French geographers is extensive and she makes full use of it in this densely packed work of reflection and advice, which comes 20 years after her Gkogruphie rurale. me’thodes et perspectives (Masson, 1973). Its doublecolumn pages contain a mine of information, bibliographical references, opinion and advice. The book provides a personal exploration of the vast output by French rural geographers in recent years, with the intention of steering advanced undergraduates and postgraduates along a coherent path through hundreds of research items, many of which are relatively inaccessible. It does not venture far into the domains of adjacent disciplines, such as agricultural economics or rural sociology, although Madame Bonnamour has collaborated with scholars in other fields throughout her career. Nor does it pay any attention to the work of non-French rural geographers. One 1965 item from L. Dudley Stamp is mentioned on page 95 but The Journul of Rural Studies does not get a look in, nor any other Anglo-Saxon work for that matter. Such material simply does not fit the national boundaries of this very personal analysis. In any case, there is plenty to discuss, with French geographers since 1980 having produced 65 theses d’ktat - (equivalent to perhaps double the length of the average AngloAmerican Ph.D.) on aspects of rural geography, 22 of which relate to France and I6 to francophone Africa. In addition, 405 th&es de troiskne cycle (perhaps just below the average Ph.D.) have been completed on rural geography topics, and there are also 85 ‘new doctoral theses’ (very similar to the Ph.D.) on rural themes. Hundreds of articles in French academic journals complete the crop. In this methodological rather than substantive work, Professor Bonnamour charts the changing approaches adopted by French geographers to defining ‘the rural’, coping with time (more on the present, much less on the past), reconciling landscape with society, moving from ‘pure’ to ‘applicable’ studies, and embracing quantitatrve as well as qualitative techniques of analysis. She argues that the ‘rural’ does display its own characteristics but these are best understood in the context of wider socioeconomic and political systems. and should not be divorced from them. Landscapes provide inspiration and