A
42 minute film of Gerry Martin's contributions at a seminar in Cambridge
in April 2003 on the theme of 'Glass' ['Understandings the Evolution
of the Global Economy Through the Histories of Materials, Commodities
and Artefacts']. Response
by Alan Macfarlane.
Eulogy
given by Alan Macfarlane at the funeral of Gerry Martin, 26th January
2004
Gerry
Martin, An Invisible Life (1930-2004)
The
following are some of the more extended pieces which Gerry has written
over the years:
Thoughts
on the absence of industrial capitalism and science in Tokugawa Japan.
September 1993. [This paper was written after lengthy discussions between
us on the comparison of England and Japan; Gerry and his wife Hilda
visited us in Japan later, in 1997, and much of our work has revolved
around this contrast]
Further
thoughts on the absence of industrial capitalism in Tokugawa Japan.
February 1994 [This contains a brief summary of the above paper, and
some comments on the paper by Alan Macfarlane]
Fertile
ground: some very preliminary thoughts. July 1994 [Some miscellaneous
thoughts on the nature of what is needed for economic, intellectual
and other progress]
Cultural
Diversity and Economic Growth. December 1994. [A paper presented
to an international conference at Munich. In particular starts to develop
the idea of an archaeological survey of the past, and the importance
of glass artefacts.]
Conditions
in the West. November 1996.[Comments after a talk by Alan Macfarlane
at the L.S.E. on the work of Ernest Gellner. Starts to develop the idea
of the triangle of knowledge-innovation-multiplication and other ideas.]
On
the foothills of modernity: reflections upon a Japanese fan. December
1997. [Written after a visit to Japan by Gerry and Hilda, where Alan
Macfarlane was a visiting Professor. Begins to develop the idea of function
curves and the very rapid growth in certain curves after a long period
of near stasis.]
Stasis
in complex artefacts: the Japanese Sword. March 1998 [draft of article
later as 'Stasis in Complex Artefacts' in John Ziman (ed.), Technological
Innovation as an Evolutionary Process', 2000]
Introduction:
preliminary reflections on some problems and approaches. April 1998.
[Develops the idea of an archaeological fantasy and extends the ideas
on the relationship between reliable knowledge and artefacts]
Synthesis
of the work. April 1998. [A synthesis of various pieces of work
by Gerry. Some of these may overlap with earlier pieces, and this may
need to be pruned].
Thoughts
on the approach to the Dartford Tunnel. May 1998. [A set of ideas
which came together when Gerry was driving up to Cambridge on one of
his monthly or bi-monthly day-long talks and walks with Alan. Mainly
reflections on discovery and innovation.]
Ideas
after a visit to Gerry: the seeds of the 'Glass' book (Alan) July
1999.
Tendencies.
Not yet dated. [A brief set of ideas considering the contrary tendencies
towards economic and innovative growth and stagnation]
See also
the jointly authored book on The
Glass Bathyscaphe and a
personal appreciation of Gerry.