Search

A fundamental element of quality healthcare is that provision is accessible to all users and culturally sensitive to them. However, there is evidence to suggest that there is inequity of provision across all cultures. Furthermore, there is a paucity of published research in the United Kingdom concerning palliative care for minority ethnic families with a life-threatened or life-limited child or young person. The article sets out to discuss the findings of a literature review and, drawing on current work by the Centre for Children and Families Applied Research at Coventry University under the leadership of Professor Jane Coad, to explore the interface between South Asian cultures and the experience of palliative care services of children, young peoples, and families. All families require a broad range of services which are appropriately delivered and accessible throughout the trajectory of their child's illness. The literature review findings reveal that how families understand concepts such as health and disease arise from the complex interaction between personal experience and cultural lifestyle including language, family values, and faith. There is an urgent need to involve South Asian families in research in order to provide a robust evidence-base on which to develop service provision so that care is matched to the unique needs of individuals concerned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents summaries of literature reviews conducted on the role and scope of spatial planning, community engagement and culture change. The reviews were intended to add to the understanding of the scope and potential of spatial planning through a systematic and reflective review of research and comment from Great Britain and mainland Europe.

This paper explores how making art alongside clients supported a relational intersectional approach and aided the development of an attuned therapeutic relationship with Matthieu (pseudonym), a Black-British autistic adolescent who experienced domestic violence. The art therapy intervention took place at a Special Educational Needs (SEN) secondary school. Authenticity and capacity for consent were carefully considered not to compromise safety and trust in the therapeutic relationship. Consent was given via Matthieu's primary caregiver: this was in line with the therapy organisation's confidentiality framework. A relational intersectional approach examines the impacts of domestic abuse, structural violence, autism, and race in the therapeutic alliance to illuminate how chronic experiences of systemic harm and domestic violence may weigh on a black autistic young boy. Making art with clients, also termed 'Working alongside', has been shown to support mentalising process, attunement and support relationship building with autistic young people. The therapeutic relationship became accessible, and a shared racial identity encounter strengthened therapeutic rapport. Working alongside supported a relational intersectional approach and was pivotal to Matthieu's engagement in art therapy. Art therapy literature exploring the impact of shared ethnicity in the therapeutic encounter is an area needing further research. Therapist images made during a session with their client are generally termed 'working alongside'. Working alongside can encourage empathy, understanding and relationship-building with autistic young people with complex social-emotional needs and histories of domestic abuse. This practice paper highlights a journey of working alongside in art therapy practice with Matthieu, a Black-British autistic adolescent who had experienced domestic violence. A sensitive social, cultural, and political analysis aims to explore the intersection of race, gender and ability by enhancing discussions around the impact of shared racial identity on the therapeutic relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the United Kingdom, people with non-white ethnicities are more likely to report being in worse health conditions and have poorer experiences of healthcare services than white counterparts. The voices of those of Black ethnicities are often merged in literature among other non-white ethnicities. This literature review aims to analyse studies that investigate Black participant experiences of primary care in the UK. We conducted a systematic literature review searching Medline, Web of Science, EMBASE, SCOPUS, Social Policy and Practice, CINAHL plus, Psych INFO and Global Health with specific search terms for appropriate studies. No publish date limit was applied. 40 papers (39 articles and 1 thesis) were deemed eligible for inclusion in the review. A number of major themes emerged. Patient expectations of healthcare and the health seeking behaviour impacted their interactions with health systems in the UK. Both language and finances emerged as barriers through which some Black participants interacted with primary care services. (Mis)trust of clinicians and the health system was a common theme that often negatively impacted views of UK primary care services. The social context of the primary care service and instances of a cultural disconnect also impacted views of primary care services. Some papers detail patients recognising differential treatment based on ethnicity. The review included the voices of primary care professionals where descriptions of Black patients were overwhelmingly negative. Views and experiences of Black groups may be radically different to other ethnic minorities and thus, should be teased out of broader umbrella terms like Black and Asian Minority Ethnic (BAME) and Black Minority Ethnic (BME). To address ethnicity-based health inequalities, culturally sensitive interventions that engage with the impacted community including co-designed interventions should be considered while acknowledging the implications of being racialised as Black in the UK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates alcohol consumption within cultures of football fandom through the innovative combination of theories of the carnivalesque and Bourdieu's concepts of habitus, field, and capital. Focus groups (n = 79) were conducted with football supporters in England and Scotland. Semi-structured interviews (n = 15) were also conducted with key organizational stakeholders. Research explored the importance and role of alcohol consumption for supporters when watching or attending matches.. Participants confirmed the cultural significance, perceived normalcy and historical links between football and alcohol consumption. Supporters highlighted the importance of the sociability, friendship, and social capital aspects of alcohol consumption. Participants believed football supporters are perceived differently in comparison with supporters of other sports, arguing that legislation surrounding alcohol consumption at other sports allowed supporters to enhance the carnivalesque by drinking alcohol, whereas football fans were more restricted. Participants agreed the habitus of excessive drinking and violence associated with football supporters led to a bad reputation, however, this view was outdated. Participants also recognized a growing drug culture in football. The findings draw attention to the alcohol-sport relationship and the contested relations, and diverging interests and influences, within the social field of football. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Social & Cultural Geography is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper explores the engagement and attitudes of students in a UK school learning about the Holocaust, with a focus on refugee students. This paper explores students' behavioral, cognitive and emotional engagement with the subject, with a focus on the students' experiences. Findings revealed an enthusiasm and understanding from most students, but particularly refugee students. The culture in the classroom was also studied, showing that there were pockets of antisemitism in its contemporary form present in the classroom, impacting student learning. This paper explores the links between these findings, the implications and suggestions of what this means for current practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates if inter-organizational socialization mechanisms initiated by a buyer organization towards a strategic supplier can influence the culture within that supplier organization to ultimately improve supplier performance to the buyer. Using a quantitative sample of 279 UK companies from across a variety of industry sectors, statistical techniques were utilized to examine the effect of informal and formal socialization mechanisms on the culture of a strategic supplier as measured by their organizational practices and the subsequent supplier performance outcomes. It was found that both informal and formal socialization efforts by a buyer organization have a significant influence on the culture of the supplier organization as measured by their organizational practices. Socialization efforts by the buyer organization influence the organizational practices of the supplier to be more result-oriented, employee-centred, open, pragmatic to customer needs and market focussed. These organizational practices were found to positively influence supplier operational performance in the eyes of the buyer organization as measured by on time delivery, conformance to product specifications, flexibility to respond to changing customer needs and cost reduction initiatives. Modelling the influence of informal and formal socialization efforts by a buyer on the organizational culture of a key supply chain partner provides new insights to academics. Firstly, this work makes a significant contribution to the extant research on socialization in the supply chain literature. Secondly, it raises the importance of understanding the influence of culture on supplier operational performance. Although the study used a dyadic method to validate the cultural insights, our study only took a snapshot of culture at one point in time. Organization culture as displayed through organizational practices is a complex construct that changes over time. Therefore, to further understand the intricacies of organization culture, a longitudinal study would be useful in the future. Secondly, future studies could develop into themes such as the green supply chain and sustainability issues. Finally, our study was undertaken in the UK. It would be useful to replicate this study in a different setting, including Eastern countries. Organizations should engage early with their key supply base from a socialization perspective. The importance of joint away days, cross function teams alongside effective communication and on site visits have been fund to have a significant influence on shaping a high performance culture along the supply chain. Therefore, a buyers' early understanding of their key supplier's culture via these mechanisms appear critical for long-term supply chain success. Measuring supplier culture at the visible level of organizational practices removes the ethereal qualities often attributed to culture as a concept; buyers can influence supplier culture. This paper presents an empirically tested model which includes informal socialization, formal socialization, deconstructed organizational culture and supplier operational performance in a supply chain setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzes texts in British books, journals, newspapers, magazines, and websites alongside field research, interviews and visits to training institutions to document the history and expansion of Taijiquan (also known as Tai Chi) in the United Kingdom (UK). By applying Eichberg's "body cultures" model and suggested methodology, this paper explores the spread and change of Taijiquan, and the communication-based dynamics of its diffusion and transformation. This UK-focused research seeks to understand how the cross-cultural spread of Taijiquan contributes to cultural diffusions as part of the globalization process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Racism is often perceived as a conscious choice an individual makes to abuse another, or an explicit statement that a group of people are inferior to another. Less often is racism construed as a product of institutional culture. This inability to accurately depict the problem has stunted the ability of lawmakers to craft legislation that will adequately combat racism. This paper explores attempts in the recent past that have provided remedies for those subject to racism rather than addressing its systemic causes. S149 of the Equality Act in the United Kingdom bucked this trend by obligating public authorities to take proactive steps to eliminate discrimination. This paper examines the challenges the provision has faced, explores how it could work to prevent racism in the coming years, and argues that it remains important today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decolonisation is a socio-political movement which challenges Eurocentrism and post-colonial notions of power. This has numerous implications for higher education institutions (HEIs), where the content and delivery of curricula may be seen as products of colonial legacy. The decolonisation agenda has increasing support from students, the academy, and regulatory bodies, which together are invoking HEIs to act. This paper reports on research undertaken within a UK HEI, which benchmarked the extent to which programmes followed characteristics of (de)colonised curricula. A survey, based on existing open access resources, was completed by 99 staff and 290 students across four schools. Findings suggest differences in how curricula are perceived by staff and students, and between white and minority ethnic student groups. Given growing global interest in decolonisation and associated social justice themes, this research has important applications for other HEIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Social & Cultural Geography is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background and aim: A Society's view of disability may influence the perception and use of Assistive Technology (AT) products. Semantic cues or cultural coding provide the viewer with a series of visual stimuli to be given or ascribed meaning. Previous research has shown cognitive approaches to visual perception and assignment of meaning vary between diverse cultures. This study reviews the influence of contextual settings on perception, to provide the basis for a debate on the societal perception of communicative content (semantic/meaning) of an AT product; and, the relevance of different cultural cognitive styles. The paper explores, from a cultural viewpoint, the overall understanding of disability internationally. Method: A Semantic Differential (SD) scale was used to obtain views on the image of an attendant wheelchair from nine hundred and ninety-one (991) young adults from the United Kingdom (UK) and Pakistan (PAK), reflecting the individualist and collectivist societies, respectively. This survey follows a previous paper-based study using the same image and protocol. Comparing the two surveys, a consensus of views from the two groups was achieved. Results and conclusion: The responses from the UK group were skewed towards a negative view of disability compared to the Pakistan group. This inferred greater social stigma associated with this AT product in the UK. The combined findings from both surveys provide insights into societal perception of AT products and disability. Areas for future research are suggested, including what visual components of an AT product (graphemes) appear to be associated with positive or negative responses for collectivist and individual societal groups. Assistive Technology (AT) product designers, academics, professionals and stakeholders need to be aware of challenges which are originated from one's socio-cultural environment. AT products convey certain meanings, semantics, which are interpreted by the society and are subjective to a specific cultural setting. •For the effective communication of meanings and values an AT product relies on the visual clues and design features embedded within the design. However, there have been a limited number of studies reviewing this aspect of product semantics. •The survey and associated testing has highlighted the differences in cultural perception towards AT products and demonstrated the importance of effectively designing the semantic attributes of an AT product as well as its function. •The demonstration of the efficacy of methods within the study for exploring the interpretation of semantic attributes of AT products will help designers and developers better understand the perceptions of individual cultures and societal groups. •A better understanding of different cultures and societies will enable designers and clinicians who specify AT products to reduce AT product abandonment; and, the associated stigma around disability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the impacts of cultural mega-events on a city's projected image have been extensively explored, less attention has been devoted to their role in relation to territorial stigmatization. These events have, in some cases, engaged with issues of stigmatization, as happened in Glasgow (European City of Culture 1990) and Derry-Londonderry (UK City of Culture 2013). This paper explores how built heritage is mobilized through a cultural mega-event in relation to stigma, through a case study of the city of Hull, in Northern England. Despite being among the country's main ports until the 1930s, Hull suffered from steady structural socio-economic decline, in particular due to the demise of its fishing industry from the 1970s onwards. Hull UK City of Culture 2017 was understood as an opportunity to counter negative external perceptions. Heritage was mobilized to tell the story of the city, engage residents and visitors in cultural activities and boost civic pride. Events in 2017 and beyond promoted heritage learning in innovative ways, also through the spectacularisation of heritage spaces. However, the official evaluation of Hull 2017 shows how positive immediate results were later scaled down, suggesting that these events are not sufficient on their own to counter stigmatization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article considers the theoretical concepts of cultural visibility, naturalization and the notion of technological, institutional and imaginative props, which are used by the author in the operation of money in eighteenth and nineteenth century Great Britain. It discusses assumptions pertaining to the constitutive fictions embedded in all monetary forms, as well as to the use of monetary instruments as credit instruments. A historical background on money in Great Britain is presented.

There has been increasing media and political questioning of the national loyalties and identities held by young British Muslims, with a particular focus on those seen to separate themselves through strict and religiously observant dress and lifestyles. This paper draws primarily on research focusing on the meanings of ‘Britishness’ held amongst a group of visibly observant young Muslim adults. Empirical evidence is provided to demonstrate that although these young adults demonstrated an explicit and visible sense of Muslim identity, this co-existed without any conscious conflict with their British identity. The young adults’ acknowledgement of their religious attachment developed from a positive and proactive identification with Islam rather than one in opposition or rebellion against a British identity. Therefore, in a wider context, their lives must not be analysed only through the lens of religion, dress and appearance as this has repercussions in relation to national policy formation and subsequent perceptions of wider society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to analyse and evaluate the subject of supporter ownership as a form of football governance. The historical evolution of football has seen the game transform into a contemporary global product that transcends geographical boundaries, culture and tradition. The formation of Supporters Direct in 2000 represents the formalization of supporter activism as supporters sought to promote democratic practices within the game in search of a sustainable sport. The emergence of Supporters’ Trusts across the UK and Ireland symbolizes a significant shift in the governance of football. The embracement of community as a concept and an awareness of group ideology, has enabled the Supporters’ Trust model to prosper at a lower level of the game. This paper seeks to trace the conditions which contributed to the emergence of supporter ownership; explore how the concept has been formalized; and examine the role of active supporters in the League of Ireland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The notion of evidence-informed policy making and the arguments in its favour are well established. At the same time, however, regular evidence use is yet to become a routine way of life for educational policy makers, particularly within the UK. This paper engages with the notion of expertise in evidence use, and with Flyvbjerg’s idea of phronesis. It also details how the phronetic approach can be adopted by policy makers and the potential implications for the policy development process. Given the issues that abound with current attempts to embed and enact evidence-informed policy making, the phronetic approach presents an alternative and viable way of both perceiving how evidence is currently used and also establishing enhanced levels of evidence use. In particular, the paper spotlights a need for current thought in this area to move away from rational and linear perspectives to encourage policy makers continuously to incorporate the most recent evidence into their thinking, and to make well-rounded decisions. The mechanisms required to facilitate phronetic expertise are examined as are the cultural issues that need to be addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although there has been increasing focus in recent years on interdisciplinary approaches to health and disease, and in particular the dimension of social inequalities in epidemics, infectious diseases have been much less focused on. This is especially true in the area of cultural dynamics and their effects on pathogen behaviours, although there is evidence to suggest that this relationship is central to shaping our interactions with infectious disease agents on a variety of levels. This paper makes a case for a biocultural approach to pandemics such as COVID-19. It then uses this biocultural framework to examine the anthropogenic dynamics that influenced and continue to shape the COVID-19 pandemic, both during its initial phase and during critical intersections of the pandemic. Through this understanding of biocultural interactions between people, animals and pathogens, a broader societal and political dimension is drawn as a function of population level and international cultures, to reflect on the culturally mediated differential burden of the pandemic. Ultimately, it is argued that a biocultural perspective on infectious disease pandemics will allow for critical reflection on how culture shapes our behaviours at all levels, and how the effects of these behaviours are ultimately foundational to pathogen ecology and evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines a case of social conflict in an overlooked corner of England (Lincolnshire) in the late 1980s when self-described 'local' people opposed private housing developments and the migration of 'southerners', 'townies' and 'commuters' into their towns and villages. Protestors lamented change and disliked newcomers. This was a reaction to the arrival of affluent, 'post-industrial' workers on the back of a booming service sector. They personified a series of complex, interconnected socioeconomic and cultural changes which disrupted patterns of life rooted in disappearing productive industries and destabilised communities amidst factory closures, agricultural mechanisation, job losses and now suburbanisation. This affected meanings ascribed to places and introduced hierarchies and conflicts structured around Britain's transition towards a service economy. Opposition was expressed through nostalgia, conservationism, inverse snobbery, anti-metropolitanism, attachment to 'local' identities, and concerns about declining independence, community and power. This paper argues that these protests demonstrate the emergence of new ideas about social relations, difference and distinction in post-industrial England. The findings also highlight feelings which would slowly seep into a new, reactionary politics foreshadowing the way that many towns and rural areas (including Lincolnshire) embraced a new political right in the first decades of the next millennium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This paper reports findings from a one-year UK knowledge exchange (KE) project completed in 2015. Stakeholders’ experiences of evaluation were explored in order to develop online resources to strengthen knowledge and capacity within the arts and health sector (www.creativeandcredible.co.uk). Methods: The project used mixed methods, including a survey, interviews and focus groups, guided by a Stakeholder Reference Group comprised of 26 leading UK evaluators, researchers, artists, health professionals, commissioners and funders. Results: The project identified opportunities for arts arising from current health and social care policy agendas. It also identified challenges including the lack of agreed evaluation frameworks and difficulties in evaluation practice. Conclusions: Co-production between stakeholders is needed to strengthen evaluation practice and support the development of the arts and health sector. Effective co-production can be undermined by structural and cultural barriers as well as unequal stakeholder relationships. The paper discusses recent initiatives designed to support best practice. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The growth and employment of non-traditional research methods have increased dramatically over the last few decades, especially within the USA and the UK. With the increase of globalisation of research these new methodologies are gaining use and credibility within the human disciplines in Australia. The following paper examines the new methodologies movement from an historical context, funding perspective and as part of the wider, morally oriented 'culture wars' that have been playing out on the main arena of Australian socio-political life over the past decade. In an attempt to gain a deeper understanding of some of the issues, challenges and benefits of these new methodologies the paper proceeds to examine some of the methods involved in arts-based social inquiry. It argues that regardless of the increased call to employ engaged and innovative research, the constraints of the Australian funding and political environment has resulted in the maintenance and dominance of traditional methodological approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the problem that health and social care practitioners, intending to satisfy their ethnic minority users' cultural preferences, end up providing services against their wishes. In particular it points out that this problem is caused by over-emphasising two key assumptions of ethnic minority groups. The first assumption is that all members of the same ethnic minority group organise their health and social care according to their cultural principles. The second assumption is that their cultural principles are monolithic. Demonstrating that these two assumptions may not necessarily be applicable to all ethnic minority groups, this paper discusses the diverse strategies used by Chinese people in Britain to organise their health and social care, and the differences between their two important cultural principles, Taoism and Confucianism. In order to demonstrate to professionals and the Government that they should not over-emphasise these two assumptions and that they need to pay attention to ethnic minority groups' diverse needs, the paper suggests that different ethnic minority groups may need to unite to increase their influence in the service provision process. However it also warns that this tactic may lead to the subordination of minority group interests in the articulation of those large groups. [image omitted][image omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the paper is to examine current and evolving supply side transition policy initiatives in the light of (a) particular demand side needs of urban young people classified as those most disadvantaged and potentially marginalized; and (b) the emerging realities of accessing and operating within particular examples of high value-added knowledge work arenas of the new urban economies in the UK. The paper is a synthesis of qualitative research undertaken by the author over the last five years that has examined notions of transition, development and learning for both young people and adults as they attempt to navigate their pathways in, and through, the new economies of the post-industrial urban context. The paper communicates the importance of a number of sociocultural theoretical concepts as a way of illuminating transition choices, actions and opportunities for disadvantaged young people. These concepts also enable a broader set of critical questions to be asked about current 14–19 transition policy and practice, particularly with regards to Connexions and the Careers Education and Guidance in England 11–19 National Framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the findings of a qualitative study about the impact of ethnicity, gender, and socio-economic status upon health, and use and access to appropriate service provision. A total of 54 interviews were carried out with women who identified themselves as Muslim and Bangladeshi. Health and social care professionals were also interviewed. However, the focus of this paper is upon the ways in which women conceptualised their health and social care needs and concerns. Our findings indicate that individual characteristics serve to mediate the influence of gender and ethnicity on health, but for the women in our study, socio-economic status represents the most potent factor in adversely affecting their health status and access to health care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores recent shifts in the meaning and culture of adolescent drug use, contrasting developments in the United Kingdom and Australia. Of particular interest will be the claim that drug use has become a normal feature of young people's life-experience. The paper draws upon Howard Parker's 'normalization thesis', arguing that Parker's approach has some value in accounting for the changing nature of adolescent drug use in Australia. Available epidemiological evidence indicates that young people's consumption of illicit substances has risen dramatically in Australia in the past decade, although not at quite the rates recorded in the United Kingdom. The paper also draws upon contemporary debates in sociology and cultural studies in an attempt to explain these shifts in adolescent drug use. I conclude that greater attention to consumption and identity formation within youth cultures offers important new ways of understanding recent changes in the culture and meaning of drug use for young people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stuart Hall made multiple and significant methodological and theoretical contributions during the years he directed the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies. This essay highlights, critiques, and shows the continuing value and relevance of two works. Hall's (1975)Introduction to Paper Voices: The Popular Press and Social Change 1935-1965is an excellent example of an early methodological intervention by Hall. It remains a highly useful manual for discourse analysis. Hall's pioneering 4-part model of encoding and decoding is used to illustrate a major theoretical intervention. Hall wrote “Encoding and Decoding in the Television Discourse” in 1973 for students at the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies. The 1980 version is shorter and its politics somewhat tamed but even so it justifiably inspired considerable work on the articulation of producer and audience work. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper describes research undertaken as part of an MA study in leadership. It draws on interviews with six high profile leaders at the fore front of end of life care sector in the UK. Its findings and emerging themes offer insights about the opportunities for social work leaders in palliative care in the future and how the profession and palliative care sector address current barriers to taking advantage of such opportunity. The main focus of this paper is leadership related to palliative care social work. However, it relates to much broader themes including the history, politics and culture of this profession and the requirements for leadership on the part of social work in the broader contexts of health and social care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper draws on the views of lecturers working in and delivering college-based higher education (CBHE) in the UK. There have been numerous works on the culture of higher education in further education (HE in FE). However, as noted by some literati, the culture of further education (FE) is not easy to define, and does not readily lend itself to the incorporation of a higher education (HE) culture. This could be due to the large number of changes FE has had to adopt owing to various government policies. The study comprises 26 in-depth individual interviews conducted at various further education colleges throughout the Yorkshire and Humber region of the UK. Via the use of an interpretivist approach, common themes and word use were extracted from the narratives for analysis. The organisational culture of these further education colleges was relatively easy to define, the word ‘blame’ being one of the common themes. However, when identifying if the individual colleges had a HE culture; this proved more difficult. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In the last 20 years, industrialised Western nations have witnessed a marked increase in right-wing social movements and political parties. While the origins and agendas of these groups differ in important ways, all arose in a climate of intensifying globalisation. All arose in the context of a widespread embrace of multiculturalism and cultural diversity. And all are keenly focused on the perceived threats posed by immigration. This paper examines immigration threat narratives constructed by four of these groups: the British National Party, the One Nation Party, the Tea Party Patriots, and the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps. Striking similarities in the narratives employed by these groups suggest the emergence of a transnational right-wing populist ‘playbook’. The paper further argues that even when the direct electoral impact of such groups is relatively small, they have the potential to substantially reshape broader political discourse and public policy. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article focuses on current crisis in English schooling in the mid-1990s. At present, attempts to understand the limitations of an anti-oppressive problematic are hindered by a confusion over terms that different social and cultural analyses employ. Much of this work has taken place in the U.S., where social movement theory has suggested, that such a confusion may be overcome by understanding anti-oppressive positions in terms of collective identity formations. Within a British context, there is a need to be sensitive to the socio-historical development of New Social Movements. For example, contemporary accounts of anti-oppressive positions tend to fuse different moments in social and cultural analysis. It is important to hold onto a distinction between an earlier moment that came to be identified as identity politics and a later moment, that of the new politics of cultural difference. This is not to suggest a linear development from one to the other. Thus, this paper focuses on accounts of schooling that are premised upon an anti-oppressive problematic.

The current trend in public policy is to valorise culture as a tool for social, economic and political transformation. This paper offers a direct contribution to debates that seek to unpack and problematise cities of culture. We adopt a more circumspect approach towards some aspects of the anticipated transformative powers of culture, and in particular the tendency to fetishize the economics of culture. Our empiricism is grounded in a detailed study of Derry~Londonderry as the inaugural UK City of Culture in 2013. We question whether City of Culture was 'life and place changing' or a '12 month party', and reveal different interpretations of success. In our view there is more potential in viewing culture as a peace resource for overcoming divisions in a socially and culturally segregated city, rather than its ability to tackle entrenched economic problems. Moving beyond the specifics of the case study we also provide lessons for future cities of culture and more generalizable insights for the academic and policy literatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The purpose of this paper was to highlight the importance of cultural infl uence in understanding hearing-help seeking and hearing-aid uptake. Design: Information on audiological services in different countries and ' theories related to cross-culture ' is presented, followed by a general discussion. Study sample: Twenty-seven relevant literature reviews on hearing impairment, cross-cultural studies, and the health psychology model and others as secondary resources. Results: Despite the adverse consequences of hearing impairment and the significant potential benefits of audiological rehabilitation, only a small number of those with hearing impairment seek professional help and take up appropriate rehabilitation. Therefore, hearing help-seeking and hearing-aid uptake has recently become the hot topic for clinicians and researchers. Previous research has identified many contributing factors for hearing help-seeking with self-reported hearing disability being one of the main factors. Although significant differences in help-seeking and hearing-aid adoption rates have been reported across countries in population studies, limited literature on the infl uence of cross-cultural factors in this area calls for an immediate need for research. Conclusions: This paper highlights the importance of psychological models and cross-cultural research in the area of hearing help-seeking and hearing-aid uptake, and consequently some directions for future research are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The recognition of medical professionalism as a complex social construct makes context, geographical location and culture important considerations in any discussion of professional behaviour. Medical students, medical educators and practitioners are now much more on the move globally, exposing them to cultural and social attitudes, values and beliefs that may differ from their own traditional perceptions of professionalism. Aims and Methods: This paper uses the model of the intercultural development continuum and the concept of 'cultural fit' to discuss what might transpire when a student, teacher or doctor is faced with a new cultural environment. Using our own experiences as medical educators working abroad and supported by evidence in the literature, we have developed four anecdotal scenarios to highlight some of the challenges that different cultural contexts bring to our current (Western) understanding of professionalism. Results and Conclusions: The scenarios highlight some of the potentially different regional and/or cultural perspectives and nuances of professional behaviours, attitudes or values that many of us either take for granted or find difficult, depending on our training and socio-cultural upbringing. With this paper, we hope to start a long overdue conversation about global professionalism amongst medical educators, identify potential areas for research and highlight a need for medical schools to embrace a 'global' approach to how professionalism is embedded in their curricula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although considerable attention has been given to issues impacting on the educational experiences of Gypsy/Traveller learners in the UK, most of the literature is oriented towards ethnicity rather than gender. This paper illuminates the experiences of young Gypsy/Traveller women who are engaging with secondary education, and functioning in a dual cultural framework, in a time of increased gender equality. The intersectionality of culture, class and religion frequently conflicts with the notions of gender equality and education, requiring young women to make difficult choices. It is suggested there is an urgent need to problematise and deconstruct stereotypes typically held about Gypsy/Traveller girls, as not all young women feel disengaged, restricted, excluded and in conflict. While some young women, as is their right, wish to conform to cultural-gendered norms, this study has revealed some strong, resilient women who critically challenge values and norms within their community, which negate their right to a full education, to bring about positive change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interest in the proposed connection between culture and entrepreneurship has grown significantly in recent years. However, less attention has been given to the nature of the overall impact of this proposed association on development outcomes, particularly at the local level. In response, this paper analyses the relationship between the nature of the culture, entrepreneurship and development experienced across localities, proposing that the link between culture and development is mediated by entrepreneurship. It focuses upon the concept of community culture, as well as embracing a notion of development incorporating both economic and social well-being outcomes. Drawing upon a multivariate spatial analysis of data from localities in Great Britain, the findings indicate that differences in rates of entrepreneurship are strongly influenced by the community culture present in these localities. Furthermore, a bidirectional relationship is found to exist between entrepreneurship and economic and social development outcomes. It is concluded that the embeddedness of local community culture presents a significant challenge for those places seeking to promote entrepreneurially driven development. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study highlights the importance of international spectator sports in the maintenance of collective identity among international students. No research has been conducted on the international student experience of sport fandom away from home and on the impact of such a following on national identification. Using qualitative findings from interviews with international postgraduate students in England, this paper shows how the FIFA World Cup tournament in 2010 offered the opportunity to celebrate and consolidate national and regional identity, as well as to heal wounds. Far away from the home country, the televised football matches galvanised students into forming temporary conational communities in a bid to recreate some of the atmosphere of celebration taking place at home, and to bond at a distance with the home culture. This paper offers an important contribution to the literature on international education by pointing to the role played by sport in the international student experience. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: The paper plots some shifts in educational policy between 1988 and 2009 in England that launched the rhetoric of a ‘gender gap’ as a key political and social concern. The rhetoric was fuelled by a rise in the importance of quantification in technologies of accountability and global comparisons of achievement. A focus on boys and attainment emerged, along with new requirements for measuring educational achievement in the context of debates about standards and the growing marketisation of education following the 1988 Educational Reform Act (ERA) in England and Wales. Purpose: Theoretically, the paper explores the effect of ‘gender gap’ rhetoric on pedagogy. The arguments about pedagogy presented here are based on the premise that sex-group is different from gender. Sex-group is a form of labelling and categorising persons as either male or female with reference to a biological classification that focuses on genitalia and reproductive organs. The emergence of ‘gender gap’ rhetoric is investigated within a temporal perspective, through an overview of guidance to teachers about pedagogy published between 1932 and 2007. This temporal lens becomes a heuristic for presenting the main point of the paper, which is that technologies of measurement construct reified representations of the learner. This is used to demonstrate how gender, as a sociocultural and political phenomenon, morphed into sex-group, a biological categorisation, and how this has had unintended effects of pedagogy. Sources of evidence: Analysis of three landmark educational documents focuses on changes in representations of society, the learner and pedagogy. The documents are the Hadow Report (1931), the Plowden Report (1967) and a guidance document for teachers called ‘Confident, Capable and Creative: supporting boys’ achievements’ (Department for Children, Schools and Families 2007,http://www.foundationyears.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Confident_Capable_Boys.pdf). Main argument:Analysis demonstrates the way that technologies of measurement construct reified or ‘ideal’ representations of the learner and how technologies used for measuring sex-group difference have changed across time. Shifts in representations of the learner, from the ‘bone child’ to the ‘gene child’ and eventually to the ‘masculine child’ were detected. These shifts represent a gradual decline in the emphasis on pedagogy as nurture, towards a heightened focus on the supposedly innate characteristics of individuals, in line with neoliberalism. Conclusions:The discussion points to some of the unintended effects on pedagogy and practice that take place when gender becomes sex. If teachers are constantly presented with the message that boys and girls learn differently due to innate genetic make-up, they may assume that whatever pedagogic strategies they employ, these will be ineffective in the face of what some educational consultants tell them are boys’ and girls’ innate genetic features. In effect, teachers are being told that biology controls learning and that social and cultural contexts, and thus their own classroom environments, cannot counter the forces of nature. Some methodological implications of studying gender as opposed to sex-group are discussed. The conclusion advocates a shift back to the study of gender as a historical, sociocultural phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Raymond Williams once remarked that 'Culture is one of the two or three most complicated words in the English language' (1983). He never said what the other ones were but had he been writing today, one of these might well have been 'heritage'. Indeed, the imbrications of 'culture' and 'heritage', and the vexed nature of their relationship, particularly with regard to popular music, are such that each has come to serve as a synonym for the other in the wider sociocultural imaginary. This paper casts a critical spotlight on discourses of cultural heritage in the UK by questioning what makes popular music culture 'heritage' and considering the extent to which the UK popular music has become increasingly heritagised. Relating the specific example of popular music to wider debates on cultural heritage and heritagisation, the paper calls for greater problematising of discourses of popular music as cultural heritage, and considers, by way of conclusion, how a critical focus on the lived, performative and 'hauntological' dynamics of music heritage practices can illuminate understandings of the way cultures of music and memory are negotiated and transacted in the present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focusing on the Working Men’s College (WMC), this study charts the chequered fortunes of a Victorian project: providing workers with a ‘liberal education’. The paper analyses the project’s aim (making ‘better citizens’), its disciplinary content (the humanities and/or the sciences) and its challenges (the increasing prestige of vocational studies). It argues that, in an increasingly professionalised society, a ‘liberal education’ for workers became contentious ground. As the role of the sciences within a ‘liberal education’ diminished, and the provision of practical skills took precedence in the local-authority-funded courses, Victorian workers’ opportunities for education became polarised between ‘useful’ sciences and ‘profitless’ humanities. With natural scientists losing the intellectual independence of their discipline to technicians, the WMC Edwardian educators chose to side unequivocally with the humanities. The paper contends that it was in the Edwardian context of the adult education movement that the ‘two cultures’ debate first emerged in Britain. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article discusses papers submitted to a conference related to labor in Great Britain. The paper "The Labour Aristocracy: Twenty-Five Years After" suggested that some of the recently revived debate on the labour aristocracy was beside the point, since it polemized against a quasi-Leninist view of the origins of British reformism which was not tenable and which some prominent studies in this field had not held. Some of it was part of a wider conceptual discussion about the relations between base and superstructure, economics and culture, class and status. The paper, while accepting the recent emphasis on culture and life-styles, nevertheless drew attention to the economic advantages secured by collective action, which established the labour aristocracy as an aristocracy within and of the working class. Thirdly, by implication rather than explicitly, it was part of a debate about the general nature of the British industrial development and the making as well as: the transformations of the working class within it. The study of the labour aristocracy had increasingly converged with that of the pre-industrial artisans and their fortunes in early industrialism.

Migration has been associated with distress and severe mental health problems among a range of populations around the world, including the Polish people. Poles are currently the largest immigrant population in the UK and, despite these statistics, little is still known about mental health needs of this group. This study adopted a systematic review design to explore the existing literature in the area. Five electronic databases were searched with eight studies meeting the inclusion criteria. These studies were analysed by means of thematic synthesis. Three main themes were observed in these studies: (1) The negative mental health aspects of migration - this included frustration and multiple stresses; language difficulties; financial hardship; discrimination and isolation; unfamiliarity with the culture; cultural stigma and shame; 2) The positive mental health aspects of migration - comprised of freedom and new opportunities; and (3) Coping - this incorporated personal traits; social capital; and culture as well as individual differences. Current findings support broader literature into migrant stress and highlight a range of mental health needs of the studied population. The discursive component of this paper considers the implications for professionals working with this group and highlights the need for more specific research in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little is known about cultural variation in perceptions about the age when youngsters should be regarded as competent to make decisions. This is of particular importance as research has shown the significant effect of parental influence on their children’s decision-making. A public survey of 400 adults from diverse socio-cultural backgrounds in the UK and Spain was carried out. Their attitudes regarding adolescents’ ability with regard to common areas of decision-making were assessed using case vignettes including discontinuing family traditions and religious practice. It was found that White British adults agreed for younger adolescents to make decisions about themselves compared with the other ethnic groups. High religious practice was associated with later age to make decisions. The paper argues that there is socio-cultural variation in adults’ attitudes regarding the age when youngsters should make decisions about themselves and for the need of professionals to take this into account. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the foundation of a joint research project between social work (SW) colleagues at Hope Africa University in Burundi, and Oxford Brookes University in the United Kingdom (UK). It considers the destructive impact of colonialism on indigenous SW practices in Burundi setting out an argument for decolonisation of the SW curriculum both in Burundi and the UK. Drawing on the work of Mbembe and the traditional concepts of Ikibiri and Ubuntu, the article sets out a framework for cross-cultural collaboration not dominated by western colonial ideas and works towards the Global Agenda for SW. Potential barriers, and solutions to collaborative working are identified and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores 'public' attitudes to the use of donated gametes in infertility treatment amongst members of British South Asian communities in the UK. The study included 14 single-sex focus groups with a total of 100 participants of Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi origins in three English cities and 20 individual semi-structured interviews with key informants. It explores five themes from the data: childlessness and stigma; using sperm and using eggs; cultural connections; choosing gametes; religion and the use of donated gametes; and disclosure and the management of information. The paper demonstrates that the socio-cultural context of fertility treatment is highly relevant and those delivering services and those consulting the public need to be aware of cultural and gender differences. Third party assisted conception represents a challenge to received ideas of identity and has implications for social reproduction and kinship which go well beyond immediate conjugal relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses whether eco-driving may be encouraged by providing drivers with feedback, and how eco-driving attitudes fit with other environmental attitudes. Eight focus groups, including fleet drivers, discussed how feedback and other motives might affect driving behaviour. A survey of 350 respondents investigated attitudes towards saving fuel, the role of incentives and use of eco-friendly products. The focus groups' findings show that the environment is a lower priority than comfort and convenience, that feedback might provide a stimulus to eco-driving and that saving money was less important than saving time. The attitude survey showed that price, convenience, attitudes and eco-driving are not conceptually linked together, that convenience is rated as more important than saving money from fuel efficiency and that although the environment is of concern, it is not a high enough priority to increase fuel efficiency. The findings are discussed in relation to the low level of priority given to environmental concerns and the inability of financial incentives presenting significant challenges in terms of changing the subjective norms of the majority of drivers. Practitioner summary:This paper, using focus groups and a questionnaire, aims to understand how feedback devices, attitudes and motivation can improve eco-driving behaviours. The incentive to save money by better fuel economy was found to be insufficient, and roles for feedback devices and how information is presented are identified. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper reports on a current program, the Hive in the Cliff, geared toward initiating social and economic renewal in Broughton, Salford, through a culturally led regeneration and conservation program. Case studies examined included a focus on activities and relationships between individuals at different stages of the life course, but they were not branded as intergenerational activities. Intergenerational relations outlined are implicit outcomes of cultural activities in which knowledge about people, life stories, and evolution of a community are shared and preserved between and across generations. The focus on shared spaces and places shows how intergenerational solidarity may be made knowable through activities involving different generations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many of the principles and practices that have influenced outdoor education in Aotearoa New Zealand find their genesis in the United Kingdom and North America. In recent times, many of these foundational assumptions have been called into question. This paper highlights how emerging ‘local’ voices are questioning and reframing how outdoor education is conceptualised and practiced. In large part this is due to a sense of distinctiveness borne from the bicultural foundations that underpin governance and policy-making. This paper explores how outdoor educators are developing pedagogies that acknowledge the particularities of our context, particularly the bicultural foundation of Aotearoa New Zealand. The paper highlights how social and cultural influences shape educational policy and how outdoor educators are responding, both theoretically and practically, to meet the needs of learners in an increasingly diverse society. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper examines the role that Arts Council England (ACE) has played since the 1980s in promoting race equality and cultural diversity within the arts. It looks at critiques of the work of ACE in this area, the progress that has been made, where the debate around diversity is currently headed and the future policy options that are open to ACE. It also offers a brief assessment of two major recent schemes - the Decibel programme, a development programme aimed at raising the profile of artists with African, Caribbean or Asian heritage; and the Race Equality Scheme, introduced under the requirements of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act (2000) as an exemplar scheme for the funded arts sector. The paper argues that while ACE has helped to promote significant change and progress to date, inequalities still persist. Hence, ACE needs to maintain a proactive engagement with questions of race equality and cultural diversity and should to develop a more sophisticated understanding and approach in order to fulfil its role as a national arts development body that reflects the contemporary cultural life of Britain, and which ensures the continuing good standing of British artistic and creative output on the world stage. This paper proposes that for ACE to deliver its mandate in a manner that is equitable and in step with current cultural dynamics in Britain, a proactive approach to the contemporary cultural diversity of Britain is necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several different accounts of 'mediatisation' and 'mediation' circulate in the literature of media studies. This paper begins with a parsing of them, considering their conceptual distinctions and similarities. The argument developed here is for a general theory of mediation and a more particular view of mediatisation. Although developing a critical assessment of a prevailing notion of mediatisation, the paper does not dismiss it, but regards it as exhibiting a limited usefulness. In order to make its case, the paper relies on the case study of Evangelical ephemeral print in Britain circa 1800, examining the production and circulation of tracts in order to show that arguments for mediatisation need to be strongly qualified by historical evidence. Greater reliance on historical precedents will strengthen studies of mediatisation by chastening the often exorbitant and ahistorical claims made for it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]