Search

This article explores a seaborne genealogy of sovereignty and governmentality by drawing on the case of nineteenth- and twentieth-century Egypt. It argues that a particular form of totalizing sovereignty emerged through the Levant Crisis and its resolution in 1841 when the Mediterranean became mare clausum. Subsequently, it demonstrates how a rivaling seaborne genealogy of sovereignty and governmentality complicates the standard Foucauldian narrative of the emergence of governmentality. In contrast to the classic land-based history of sovereignty and governmentality, a seaborne story can point to a different and earlier periodization of colonization that involves the acquisition of naval stations, outposts, and customs houses hidden under the veneer of naval science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nathaniel Hawthorne's essay "The Custom-House" takes the form of a classic nekuia, a descent into the underworld to confront the dead but commanding father and redeem a saving cultural message or vision. The custom house is the setting for this journey, which takes the form of a series of spectral encounters. Hawthorne refuses to acknowledge the initial supplicants (King Derby, and John and William Hathorne) but acquiesces to the demands of a third, Surveyor Pue. As is well-known, the essay has a problematic relationship with the romance that follows it. For one thing, the Hawthorne of "The Custom-House" is a spent force, a failed romancer. In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne both defies his Puritan ancestors and accedes to their wishes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article looks at colonial copyright, focusing on books and literature as material that collects meaning according to the transmission and classification of books at custom houses and political entries. Topics include the nomenclature of the nation-state and copyright, shaping of copyright in colonial southern Africa, and colonial port cities. The commercial and regulatory functions of customs is discussed.

In spite of the huge amount of studies and researches focused on the dogana della mena delle pecore di Foggia, the custom house that managed the transhumance from Abruzzi to Apulia between the fifteenth and the nineteenth century, few scholars have accurately turned their attention to the varied typology of written records released by kings, viceroys and officials in Naples and Foggia in order to administrate and reform one of the most important and profitable institutions of the kingdom. This paper closely considers the surviving documentation from the Magnanimous reorganization of the dogana (forties of the fifteenth century) to the reintegra (cadastral inquiry) carried on roughly one hundred years later (1548- 1555), throwing new light on the intricate process of drafting and archiving records in Foggia and Naples and, in general, on the functioning of the dogana during its first century of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Antelope Wells Customs Station (LA170810) is an informal U.S. Customs complex established ca. 1916 that remained in operation until the early 1950s. The site consists of a thrice-modified building, the original exhibiting architectural characteristics consistent with Pueblo Revival style architecture, while a succession of later additions extend through the late 1940s. The Antelope Wells complex represents a relatively uncommon early twentieth century Customs facility oriented primarily toward the management of livestock crossing the U.S. -Mexican border. Absent a formal customs port of entry until 1928, this customs station provided interim management of border interactions at a time when U.S. customs facilities were in their infancy. Title searches suggest this facility may have been constructed informally after 1916 by the U.S. Customs Service on private lands held by Charles K. Warren. USGS maps show the structure itself was certainly present no later than 1917. The pronounced livestock-management characteristics of the facility, combined with archeological data, show that this facility continued to be used after the 1928 port of entry was constructed 2.5 miles to the southwest and remained in use through the late 1940s when new port of entry corrals were constructed elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article reviews the exhibition "People Building Better Cities: Participation and Inclusive Urbanization" at the Customs House in Sydney, Australia from April 12, 2013 to May 12, 2013.

From the time that visitors from Europe and Americans began traveling to Japan in the late 19th century, the long-held and highly ritualized bathing customs of the Japanese have been a topic of much interest and curiosity. This paper first examines the history of bathing culture and customs in Japan from earliest times to the present, showing the deep significance bathing holds to the Japanese for both physical and moral cleanliness and the way it influenced how, where, and when the people bathe. The paper continues with views on bathing customs by visitors to Japan from the late Edo and Meiji Periods and on into the present day. Early travelers took great interest in these customs, especially in their direct contrast to contemporary beliefs about physical hygiene, and from this time to the present, many Western visitors to Japan have commented on bathing practices in their writings on Japan. That such a personal practice has received such public attention by outsiders attests to the large and visible place the custom of bathing has in the culture of the Japanese, and a look at the history behind this custom will further the reader's understanding of an important aspect of Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information is given about the case Mohawks of Akwesasne v. Canada (Minister of Safety and Emergency Preparedness) which was heard in Federal Court on December 21, 2009. The Mohawk community of Akwesasne are requesting an interlocutory injunction and remedies related to the closing of a customs port on Cornwall Island. Applicants include Grand Chief Timothy Thompson and the Mohawk Council.

This essay discusses the symbolism of the customhouse in Herman Melville's novel "Redburn" and how Melville's work portrayed pre-Civil War nationalism in the U.S. along with geopolitical expansion. The author argues that "Redburn" portrays the U.S. as a society occupying more space than it knows what to do with. The author looks at the way "Redburn" uses conjoined images of urban space and literary production to portray prospects for cultural distinction.

The article discusses the history and social symbolism of military ceremonies in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, in the period from 1630 to 1711, with reference to and the function of these military displays as representations of the royal authorities. Topics discussed include the customs house of Rio De Janeiro as the location for multiple military ceremonies, the history of the Portuguese colonization of Brazil, and the history of military companies and power structures in Rio De Janeiro during this time.

Based on the tariff files kept by the China's first historical archives, this article explores the forms of commodity circulation in customs-house of Yangzhou in earlier stage of Qing Dynasty. The establishment and development of customs-house of Yangzhou in Qing Dynasty takes advantage of Yangzhou's advanced cannel shipping and its status of a commercial city. Large quantities of commodities concerned the national economy and the people's livelihood were transported to every corner of the state via customs--house of Yangzhou, which promoted the exchange of commodities in various economic areas, consequently, Yangzhou became one of the chief hubs of commodity circulation along the line of the cannel in earlier stage of Qing Dynasty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the iconicity of the huge clock and stalwart building, which was the most recognizable objects and has been the top tourist attraction in Shanghai, China. The Customs House and its clock stands when it opened its business and was immediately nicknamed Big Ching. It continues to show up in documentaries and feature films and be used in advertisements and on maps and guides to local entertainment. However, the story of urban icons need to be seen as tales of relationships.

Explores the emergence of bureaucratic individualism in `The Scarlet Letter,' a novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Theory of autonomous authorship within the theory of modern bureaucracy; Impact of Hawthorne's appointment as a civil servant at the United States Custom House on his literary efforts; Details of the bureaucratic sensibility of Hawthorne in his sketch of the novel.

Examines the trade between Poland and Italy from the customs house registers as of 1604. Increase in Italian emigration to Poland; Collection of duties for specific items of merchandise; Importance of overland transport as trade routes.

The article examines why Ammi Burnham Young's architectural design for the federal customhouses in the U.S. in the 1850s, abandoned porticoes, columns, and other neoclassical elements of contemporary architectures and adopted the more unpretentious forms of the Italian Renaissance palazzo. It explores the dynamic connection between aesthetic expression and design method, and between the method of creating form and the form that is actually produced. It is pointed out that the Civil War and its aftermath had destroyed the order that had supported Young's refined and economic aesthetic for federal civic architecture.