The Elphinstone Review Volume 5: May 2019 Editorial Board Mariana Consoni Rubio, Head Editor Miruna Hadu, Head Editor Ebba Strutzenbladh, Head Editor Nina Amundsen Jade Howard Georgia Littlechild Delaine Lorio Antonio Oraldi Vilma Pullinen Ginevra Rollo Emily Scott Administrative Support Dr Isabel Seidel Academic Advisory Board Dr Timothy Baker Dr Luca Moretti Front Cover © Josiah Bircham Text © The Contributors Financial Support from Development Trust Student Experience Fund 2018/2019 Production design and Print by UNIPRINT Published by The University of Aberdeen in conjunction with Uniprint King's College, Old Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 3FX Contents Editorial by The Elphinstone Review Head Editors .................................................... 4 The Nigg Stone and its Cultural Milieu by Colin Page ed. by Emily Scott.................................................................. 6 “Your presence is enough to make a huge difference”: constructions of agency in voluntourism discourse by Jasper Friedrich ed. by Mariana Consoni Rubio ................................. 23 From waste products to a living soil: a review of the formation, the functioning and the practical utility of constructed soils by Emily Magkourilou ed. by Jade Howard ............................................... 43 Modern day Orientalism: U.S. foreign policy towards Syria by Lilith Maimouna Dost ed. by Georgia Littlechild .................................. 70 The influence of lobbying in US politics by Dwight Robinson ed. by Miruna Hadu .................................................. 84 Black identity politics in postmodern art: Chris Ofili and Yinka Shonibare by Julie Solevad ed. by Ginevra Rollo ........................................................ 98 Commercial Surrogacy: a way for women to sell their labour? by Floriane Ramfos ed. by Vilma Pullinen ............................................... 114 The Hindu/Muslim divide: how the British exacerbated religious tensions on the Indian subcontinent to consolidate colonial rule by Jamie Douglas ed. by Nina Amundsen ................................................ 129 An essay concerning the attribution of credibility in testimonial injustice by Benjamin Podmore ed. by Antonio Oraldi ........................................... 145 Controlling our own dying: a human right or a privilege? by Mie Astrup Jensen ed. by Delaine Lorio .............................................. 156 Place as self-portrait: transcending self in two modernist writers by Enxhi Mandija ed. by Ebba Strutzenbladh .......................................... 173 ‘I am nothing but a bundle of nerves dressed up to look like a man’: representations of ‘Queer’ otherness in The Tenant of Wildfell Hall and The Woman in White by Kiril Atanasov ed. by Ebba Strutzenbladh ........................................... 188 Editorial Mariana Consoni Rubio, Miruna Hadu and Ebba Strutzenbladh With the V volume of The Elphinstone Review, our aim has been to continue to put interdisciplinarity and accessibility first. Our team of excellent editors has assisted us in reviewing and preparing for publication 12 undergraduate papers, all contributing with a unique perspective to the journal. Our edition covers topics from the Social Sciences and Humanities to the Natural Sciences, and this broad range of themes is possible due to the enthusiasm we see in student writers and editors. The ever-growing amount of submissions has given us the luxury of being able to choose from an impressive pool of articles, now presented to you with the hope that the same volume will allow you to both learn something new and return to existing interests. We would also like to express our gratitude for the administrative support of Dr Isabel Seidel, who has made sure that the road from initial meeting to launch event has been as smooth as possible. The availability of Dr Timothy Baker and Dr Luca Moretti as academic advisors has also been much appreciated. In addition, the Development Trust Student Experience Fund has once again made the printing of this journal possible, thereby providing editors and writers with the opportunity to see our names in print after two semesters of hard work. It should also be mentioned that we owe to the Development Trust the chance to celebrate our endeavours with a launch event for everyone involved in the production of the journal. As head editors, we have been proud to see our editorial team put in all the work necessary to make this volume what it is. We can now look back at months of hard work and enjoy the outcome, which would not have been possible without our great editors and their comments in the reviewing process. Their efforts in preparing the articles for publication have been an invaluable help to us. With their inquisitiveness and enthusiasm, they ensured that every part of the process was stimulating and exciting. Similarly, the authors deserve recognition for their brilliant articles and their willingness to work with the editorial team to finalise their texts. We are also delighted to contribute to The Elphinstone Review branching out, through the creation of a website for the journal. With the kind support of Dr Seidel and the Social Science School, The Elphinstone Review has now found a permanent home, easily accessible to all students. This page also features online versions of this and last year’s volumes to further ensure that the journal reaches as many readers as possible. With this, we thank you for picking up a copy of The Elphinstone Review. We hope that it can provide inspiration for future essays, and perhaps a dissertation, or encourage you to get involved with the journal yourself. Whatever you take away from the articles, we are confident that you will appreciate the range and quality of the work carried out at the University of Aberdeen just as much as we do. The Elphinstone Review Editorial Board _____________ The opinions expressed in the articles presented hereafter do not necessarily reflect the views of the institution, the editorial board, or the contributors. They are to be seen as exercises of academic criticism, and intend to spark intellectual debate. The Nigg Stone and its Cultural Milieu Colin Page1 _______________________________________________________ During the 7th and 8th centuries throughout the North and North East of what is now Scotland, a rich tradition of stone carving developed amongst the Pictish People. There are a few specialist museums where this art work can be seen (e.g. Meigle, Perthshire and St Vigean’s in Angus). Yet throughout this area, by roadsides and in quiet country churchyards the bulk of this work will be found. This essay looks specifically at one such example, the Nigg Stone, which is located in the Old Church of Nigg in Easter Ross. This stone was described by George Henderson, one of the leading authorities on Early Medieval Art, as ‘in the mastery and range of its decorative forms and the superlative technique to which nothing seems too difficult, is one of the grandest representations of the Cross in early medieval Europe.’1 The essay concentrates on the religious iconography of the stone which reinforces the view that the Pictish Kingdom was very much part of and in contact with its neighbours and with wider Christendom. The essay suggests the possibility of royal patronage due in part to the Davidic imagery found on the stone and argues that in this genre, it is unique in its depiction of both the bread and wine of the Eucharist. It also argues that just as written texts, particularly scripture, in this period are given layers of meaning, it is logical to extend this to what is a visual text. ‘At Nigg I was most kindly received by the minister, the Rev. John Fraser, the monument in his churchyard is quite the finest work of Celtic art in sculpture which I have seen, not excluding the high 1 Colin Page is originally from Perthshire but has lived most of his adult life in the Easter Ross area. Having been fortunate enough to retire early from teaching in 2016, much of his time has been taken up with study for a Bachelor of Theology degree. Although this degree is distance learning, in 2018 he travelled twice a week (250- mile round trip) to Aberdeen, to take Professor Geddes’ excellent course ‘The Art of Angels’. When not studying, other interests include gardening, painting, dog walking, and curling. crosses of Ireland.’2 J Romilly Allen, author of the seminal work ‘The Early Christian Monuments of Scotland’ published in 1903, would not be the last critic to comment favourably on the artistic merits of the Nigg Stone. By concentrating on the narrative iconography found on this stone, it will be argued that much can be revealed about the cultural milieu from which it was produced. Some consideration will also be given to its location and the neighbouring stones, as well as the significance of the recently discovered Pictish Monastery at Tarbat. It is also intended to explore the influences and cross fertilisation of artistic ideas from wider Pictland and beyond, arguing that this was a sophisticated culture, very much in contact with and part of a much wider Christian world. The Nigg Stone is located in the old parish church of Nigg, on the Tarbat Peninsula, Easter Ross. Close by are two important cross slabs, at Hilton of Cadboll3and Shandwick and several substantial cross fragments have been found at Portmahomack. The Nigg Stone is also just about 12 miles away from a group of stones at Rosemarkie, on the Black Isle. The carving of the Nigg stone follows normal Pictish practice, with the front of the slab in high relief and the back in lower relief.4 Bede tells us that Nechtan, king of the Picts, ‘asked for builders to be sent to build a church of stone.’5 This would have provided not only new methods of stone carving but also access to art acquired by Abbot Ceolfrith and Benedict Biscop, during their journeys to Rome. The slab was cut to have a triangular top which is unique in this area, but is found on four stones in southern Pictland, the best examples being Aberlemno and Glamis. Yet, Nigg is the only stone which treats 2 J.