During most of the late medieval period, the Flemish city of Bruges acted as the main commercial hub of north-western Europe. In the course of the fifteenth century, however, Bruges lost much of its allure as an economic metropolis. One of the most urgent challenges the urban authorities were facing was the navigability of the waterways in and around the city. While the city government made structural investments to remedy the problems, written sources constantly emphasized how important it was that Bruges remained accessible from the sea. During the same period, the earliest preserved maps of the city and its environment emerged. Drawing on the work of Henri Lefebvre, this article argues that these visual representations were informed by the same commercial ideology. Despite, or exactly because of, the city's decreasing maritime accessibility, they conceived Bruges as a place that could easily be reached by trading ships and where merchants could trade in the best possible circumstances.

The political culture of Scotland's late medieval towns has been neglected in recent scholarship. This article seeks to provoke discussion through an analysis of communitarian language and its use by urban elites in the fifteenth century. The Scottish urban community, as elsewhere, could be positioned as a location, a legal construct and a group of people. This provided the burgh council with a variety of political tools which could be employed – consciously or otherwise – in order to legitimize its authority.

Changing environmental conditions in the Canadian Arctic are associated with an increase in marine tourism. A substantial decline in the extent of ice coverage in the summer season has resulted in greater accessibility for all categories of ships, and the tourism sector has been quick to respond to new opportunities. This increase in vessel traffic has raised significant issues for management, and particular concerns about the pleasure craft (non-commercial tourism) sector. This paper reports on research aimed at identifying change in the pleasure craft sector in Canadian Arctic waters since 1990; exploring management concerns held by stakeholders regarding changes in the sector; and, providing recommendations for government stakeholders. The paper is based on material gathered through an examination of existing data sources and stakeholder interviews (n = 22). Analysis was aimed at understanding the rapid development of the sector and potential management strategies, including research needs. Analysis reveals a dramatic increase in annual vessel numbers, particularly from 2010 onwards. Management concerns of interviewees relate to implications of this growth in four areas: visitor behaviour; services, facilities and infrastructure; control; and, planning and development. The paper concludes by describing recommendations in the areas of research needs, regulation, and strategic development.

After the Second World War, the British military organised 131 war crimes trials in Singapore, which served as the base for British war crimes investigations in Asia. These trials brought together diverse participants-judges and counsel from the UK, India, and other Allied countries; accused persons from Japan, Korea, and Taiwan; defence counsel from Japan; and witnesses from all over Asia. The majority of defendants in these trials did not deny their involvement in the war crimes concerned; instead, these defendants argued that their conduct was consistent with Japanese norms, beliefs and practices. This article explores trial participants' varied and contested interpretations of the culturally influenced arguments put forward by the defence.