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The role of women as mineworkers and as household workers has been erased. Here, we challenge the masculinity associated with the mines, taking a longer-term and a global labour history perspective. We foreground the importance of women as mineworkers in different parts of the world since the early modern period and analyse the changes introduced in coal mining in the nineteenth and early twentieth century, the masculinization and mechanization, and the growing importance of women in contemporary artisanal and small-scale mining. The effect of protective laws and the exclusion of women from underground tasks was to restrict women's work more to the household, which played a pivotal role in mining communities but is insufficiently recognized. This process of “de-labourization” of women's work was closely connected with the distinction between productive and unproductive labour. This introductory article therefore centres on the important work carried out in the household by women and children. Finally, we present the three articles in this Special Theme and discuss how each of them is in dialogue with the topics addressed here. Many thanks also to Marie-José Spreeuwenberg for her invaluable engagement.

Underground mining in Potosí was a male sphere. Nevertheless, women were actively involved in the early stages of silver mining in Potosí, when traditional technologies were still in use. They also played an important role in the local ore market. After the introduction of new technology and the reorganization of the labour force, the process of refining ore was much more complicated. Women then participated in some stages of the process: in selecting the ores and sieving. This implies that mining is a complex process with a labour and gender division that has been underrated and underestimated. More importantly, women became owners of rudimentary mills (trapiches) where the ore was processed, selling different amounts of silver to the Spanish authorities, making their living in this way.

This article analyses female labour in Spanish mines during the golden age of the sector in Spain between 1860 and 1936. Although they were a small percentage of total employment, women accounted for a significant share of the workforce in certain Spanish districts. On the one hand, the study quantifies work performed directly by women, who were mostly engaged in preparation and concentration of the minerals, as well as the extent of female child labour. This has been done by using official statistics, analysing the share of women employed for each type of mineral extracted, the mining area where this activity took place, and other variables. In the article, the authors seek to identify possible causes of such a heterogeneous distribution of female labour in the mining industry in Spain. This situation was common in the sector throughout the world. On the other hand, the article analyses attitudes of institutions, unions, and the like that limited employment opportunities for women in mining (banning them from performing underground tasks and other activities) and even proposed excluding them altogether, responding to workers’ demands in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. We examine the objectives pursued by these institutions, which in some cases related to protection (physical and moral) of female workers but overall aimed mainly to preserve the social role of women (particularly reproduction) and exclude them from the workforce. The pressure on female workers was the most pronounced in the workplace. These factors gave rise to a global setback in female employment, especially among the youngest workers. Given this situation, the quantitative data used, together with information drawn from different sources, reveal that women resisted giving up these jobs, particularly in the districts with a larger share of female workers.

To date, research on work in the mines in Greece has ignored the significance of gender in the workplace, since mining is associated exclusively with male labour. As such, it is considered, indirectly, not subject to gender relations. The article examines the influence of family and gender relations on labour in the Greek mines in the period 1860–1940 by highlighting migration trajectories, paternalistic practices, and the division of labour in mining communities. Sources include: official publications of the Mines Inspectorate and the Mines and Industrial Censuses, the Greek Miners’ Fund Archive, British and French consular reports, various economic and technical reports by experts, literature and narratives, the local press from mining regions, and the Archive of the Seriphos Mines.

In this article, I will examine the concept of xujing 虛靜 (emptiness and stillness) in Daoism and its relationship with the aesthetic appreciation of nature and environmental ethics. Firstly, I will examine the Chinese philosophical understanding of nature through the concept of qi. I point out that qi is characterized by four interrelated features, which are emptiness, creativity, vitality, and stillness. Xujing are also aesthetically appreciated as the objective features of qi. Secondly, I will discuss why, as the objective features of qi, xujing are considered to be features that have aesthetic value. I argue that empathy is the reason why emptiness as the objective feature of qi is regarded as having aesthetic value. Thirdly, I will discuss how the aesthetic concept of emptiness helps contribute to the construction of place-based environmental ethics.

Recent advances in the field of technology have led to the emergence of innovative technological smart solutions providing unprecedented opportunities for application in the tourism and hospitality industry. With intensified competition in the tourism market place, it has become paramount for businesses to explore the potential of technologies, not only to optimize existing processes but facilitate the creation of more meaningful and personalized services and experiences. This study aims to bridge the current knowledge gap between smart technologies and experience personalization to understand how smart mobile technologies can facilitate personalized experiences in the context of the hospitality industry. By adopting a qualitative case study approach, this paper makes a two-fold contribution; it a) identifies the requirements of smart technologies for experience creation, including information aggregation, ubiquitous mobile connectedness and real time synchronization and b) highlights how smart technology integration can lead to two distinct levels of personalized tourism experiences. The paper concludes with the development of a model depicting the dynamic process of experience personalization and a discussion of the strategic implications for tourism and hospitality management and research.

Lyophilized drugs and biologics have an outsized role in protecting public health due to their ability to provide extended shelf life for stockpiling. Over 70% (14 out of 19) of antibiotics on the Essential Medicines list are supplied as lyophilized sterile powders for injection (FDA, 1 ). Additionally, many new drugs, including first-in-kind medicines, such as the first checkpoint inhibitor cancer immunotherapy Keytruda, were initially introduced to market in a lyophilized form, accelerating availability to patients by several years while a stable liquid formulation was being developed. The article describes methodologies, both short-term and long-term, to address the current manufacturing challenges for lyophilized injectables based on the findings of the workshop by National Institute of Pharmaceutical Technology and Education held in January 2024. 

Although great progress has been made in the effectiveness and availability of medicines, there is still more work to do assuring greater access and continuing to advance disease treatments. Recent advances in both the types of treatments that can be developed and the technology to produce, characterize, collect relevant data from, and deliver medicines to patients have accelerated in recent experience. The National Institute for Pharmaceutical Technology and Education assembled representatives from academia, industry, and health authorities to assess progress. This article gives a perspective on recent trends in advanced manufacturing of injectable pharmaceutical products and provides some insight from which pharmaceutical manufacturers may implement valuable improvements based on these technological advances.

Emerging pharmaceutical markets like Brazil, India, and China have seen significant growth due to rising medication demand, expanding middle-class access, and government support. However, this growth often focuses on cost-driven strategies like generic drug production rather than innovation. Challenges such as fragmented regulatory systems, limited infrastructure, low R&D budgets, and dependence on imported active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) limit global competitiveness in drug innovation. R&D investment in these markets rarely exceeds 5% of revenue, compared to 20% in established markets, widening the innovation gap. Advanced technologies such as physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling, artificial intelligence (AI), and virtual bioequivalence studies present opportunities to overcome these barriers. These tools streamline drug development, lower costs, and improve regulatory processes. For instance, a case study on generic donepezil showed that a $150,000 investment in PBPK modeling software could yield returns of 113.7% when clinical studies are required and 1,120% if a biowaiver is granted. These results demonstrate the financial and operational advantages of adopting innovative technologies, enabling faster market entry and scalability across portfolios. By embracing advanced tools, companies in emerging markets can align with global regulatory trends, enhance sustainability through resource efficiency, and improve access to affordable medicines. This approach bridges the gap between economic growth and technological leadership, fostering global competitiveness and contributing to public health advancements.