scholarly journals Feminist Women’s Attitudes towards Feminist Men in the Canadian Atheist Movement

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 182-201
Author(s):  
Jonathan Simmons

Abstract Scholars of nonreligion and atheism have become increasingly interested in how the atheist movement reproduces gender inequalities. This growing research area is especially concerned with atheist activism’s contradictory embracing of gender egalitarianism on the one hand (especially when embedded in a critique of religion) and the exclusion of women from atheist spaces. Limited information is available on male atheists who identify as feminist or who express agreement with feminist goals. Although some scholars have addressed the rejection of feminist claims within organised nonreligion, this article examines both men’s adoption of the feminist label and women’s attitudes towards feminist men in the atheist movement. Drawing from thirty-five semi-structured interviews with atheist activists in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, I show that some feminist women perceived feminist men as passive or guided by insincere motivations (primarily to earn the attention and approval of women within atheist organisations). These findings shed light on the dilemmas of feminist men in atheist activism and contribute to understanding the gender dynamics of some atheist organisations.

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca Mount ◽  
Heather Valentine ◽  
Cheryl Gibson

Abstract Objectives An estimated 20 billion pounds of edible fruits and vegetables are wasted at the farm level every year, often due to being unmarketable or the farm growing excess.1 This wasted food could go towards meeting the hunger and nutritional needs of the one in eight Americans who are food insecure.2 Food distribution agencies are typically unable to provide a balanced diet for their clients.3 Rescuing or gleaning excess produce from farms can reduce food waste while providing fresh, nutritious food to people in need. However, there is limited information on what factors farmers take into consideration when deciding to donate excess produce. The purpose of this project was to learn about farmers’ views towards donating excess produce to food agencies. Methods Semi-structured interviews with fruit and vegetable farmers in the greater Kansas City metro area were completed as part of a larger program evaluation of the gleaning and food rescue agency, After the Harvest. Interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed, and analyzed for common themes across responses. Results Interviews were completed with 32 farmers. Sixteen farmers had previously donated produce to the gleaning agency and sixteen had not. Most reported having excess produce because they had grown more than they could harvest or sell. Excess produce was either donated to the gleaning agency, left in the field, composted, fed to animals, or donated directly by the farmer to food banks or churches. Farmers who had donated liked doing so because they want the food they grow to be consumed, the produce goes to people who need it, and the donation took very little time and effort. Those who had not donated were concerned about the amount of time it would take to organize the donation, having volunteers in their fields, and that the crops with excess amounts would be worth gleaning and donating to food agencies. Overall, farmers were very willing to donate excess produce and most were willing to have volunteer gleaners at their farms. Conclusions Farmers like to know the food they grow gets consumed but often do not have the time or resources to handle excess produce and are most likely to donate when it is made easier for them to do so. Food rescue agencies should provide flexible donation options to farmers and communicate to farmers that they can donate produce without losing time or money. Funding Sources The Hall Family Foundation.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Koen Smit ◽  
◽  
Matthijs Smakman ◽  
Sil Bakker ◽  
Jurgen Blokhuis ◽  
...  

Social Robotics is becoming more relevant for the healthcare sector as an increasing amount of research and development is invested by researchers and practice. One research area where additional research would help the acceptation and adoption of social robots is intramural care where people with dementia live. The current body of knowledge on this topic can be described as nascent. In this study, we add to the body of knowledge regarding the design and enactment of social robots like the one used in this study, the Tessa robot, with the goal to improve acceptation and adoption of social robots in dementia care. To do so, we conducted a case study at a healthcare organization, featuring semi-structured interviews, observations and talking mats. During this case study, an experiment was carried out in which a Tessa robot was used in intramural care with three clients suffering from dementia. The most important finding of this study is that for the robot to be accepted and effective it must be implemented properly in the existing healthcare processes, otherwise it might serve as a companion, but will not relieve the workload of healthcare workers.


2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 265-271
Author(s):  
Claudia Lintner

This article analyses the relationship between migrant entrepreneurship, marginalisation and social innovation. It does so, by looking how their ‘otherness’ is used on the one hand to reproduce their marginalised situation in society and on the other to develop new living and working arrangements promoting social innovation in society. The paper is based on a qualitative study, which was carried out from March 2014- 2016. In this period, twenty semi-structured interviews were conducted with migrant entrepreneurs and experts. As the results show, migrant entrepreneurs are characterised by a false dichotomy of “native weakness” in economic self-organisation against the “classical strength” of majority entrepreneurs. It is shown that new possibilities of acting in the context of migrant entrepreneurship are mostly organised in close relation to the lifeworlds and specific needs deriving from this sphere. Social innovation processes initiated by migrant entrepreneurs through their economic activities thus develop on a micro level and are hence less apparent. Supportive networks are missing on a structural level, so it becomes difficult for single innovative initiatives to be long-lasting.


2021 ◽  
pp. 109634802098727
Author(s):  
Josip Mikulić ◽  
Damir Krešić ◽  
Maja Šerić

The current study intends to contribute to a better understanding of the medical tourism experience. In particular, this study uses data from a survey-based study conducted on a sample of 1,209 medical tourists in Croatia. On the one hand, this study aims to explore and shed light on the decision-making process of medical tourists, and, on the other hand, to reveal which elements of both the medical institution and the destination where it is located, have largest potentials to drive medical tourist delight and/or frustration, in accordance with the three-factor theory of customer satisfaction.


Author(s):  
Juan P. Martínez ◽  
Inmaculada Méndez ◽  
Esther Secanilla ◽  
Ana Benavente ◽  
Julia García Sevilla

Starting from previous studies in professional caregivers of people with dementia and other diseases in institutionalized centers of different regions, the aim of this study was to compare burnout levels that workers present depending on the center, to create a caregiver profile with high professional accomplishment and to describe the quality of life that residents perceive Murcia and Barcelona. The instruments used were the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), the Professional Caregiver Survey developed ad hoc and the Brief Questionnaire of Quality of Life (CUBRECAVI in Spanish) on residents. The results show, on the one hand, that levels of professional accomplishment may be paradoxically higher in the case of catastrophe and, on the other hand, the 98.2% of users are satisfied with the residence in which is located and 81.8% with the manner in which occupy the time. The conclusions that are extrapolated from the study shed light on the current situation of workers and residents and the influence that an earthquake can have on them.


Author(s):  
W. P. M. H. Heemels ◽  
B. De Schutter ◽  
J. Lunze ◽  
M. Lazar

Wherever continuous and discrete dynamics interact, hybrid systems arise. This is especially the case in many technological systems in which logic decision-making and embedded control actions are combined with continuous physical processes. Also for many mechanical, biological, electrical and economical systems the use of hybrid models is essential to adequately describe their behaviour. To capture the evolution of these systems, mathematical models are needed that combine in one way or another the dynamics of the continuous parts of the system with the dynamics of the logic and discrete parts. These mathematical models come in all kinds of variations, but basically consist of some form of differential or difference equations on the one hand and automata or other discrete-event models on the other hand. The collection of analysis and synthesis techniques based on these models forms the research area of hybrid systems theory, which plays an important role in the multi-disciplinary design of many technological systems that surround us. This paper presents an overview from the perspective of the control community on modelling, analysis and control design for hybrid dynamical systems and surveys the major research lines in this appealing and lively research area.


Author(s):  
Carla Freijomil-Vázquez ◽  
Denise Gastaldo ◽  
Carmen Coronado ◽  
María-Jesús Movilla-Fernández

A generic qualitative research, using a poststructuralist feminist perspective, was conducted in a Spanish gynaecology unit with the following aims: (a) to analyse how asymmetric power relations in relation to biomedical knowledge and gender shape the medical encounters between gynaecologists and women diagnosed with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and (b) to explore the cognitive, moral, and emotional responses expressed by patients. A total of 21 women diagnosed with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia were recruited through purposive sampling. Semi-structured interviews were recorded and transcribed, and a thematic analysis was carried out. Two major themes were identified: (a) gendered relations in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia medical encounters are based on hidden, judgmental moral assumptions, making women feel irresponsible and blamed for contracting the human papillomavirus infection; (b) biomedical power is based on the positivist assumption of a single truth (scientific knowledge), creating asymmetric relations rendering women ignorant and infantilised. Women reacted vehemently during the interviews, revealing a nexus of cognitive, moral, and emotional reactions. In medical encounters for management of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, patients feel they are being morally judged and given limited information, generating emotional distress. Healthcare professionals should question whether their practices are based on stereotypical gender assumptions which lead to power asymmetries during encounters.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 485
Author(s):  
Blanca L. Díaz Mariño ◽  
Frida Carmina Caballero-Rico ◽  
Ramón Ventura Roque Hernández ◽  
José Alberto Ramírez de León ◽  
Daniel Alejandro González-Bandala

Understanding the value of research for society has become a priority, and several methodologies have been developed to assess the social impact of research. This study aimed to determine how productive interactions are developed during the execution of research projects. A retrospective study was conducted on 33 projects from 1999 to 2020. Semi-structured interviews with the technical managers were conducted to analyze how different actors of the project—researchers, government officials, and civil society and private sector stakeholders—were involved, illustrating how productive interactions occur in specific biodiversity contexts. The results revealed different levels and intensities of productive interactions; on the one hand, three projects involved all actors; eight involved researchers outside the institution; and 25 involved community members. The number of participants ranged from 2 to 37. All research evaluated had a disciplinary orientation. The type and time of interactions with other interested parties depended on the amount of funding, project type, project duration, and, significantly, on the profile of the technical manager. The importance of assessing and valuing productive interactions was identified as a fundamental element in promoting the social impact of research, as well as integrating inter- or multidisciplinary projects that impact the conservation of socio-ecological systems.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shani Kuna ◽  
Ronit Nadiv

PurposeThere has been ample research on the antecedents and consequences of workplace sexual harassment (WSH), a volatile issue in contemporary labor markets. There is, however, a lingering gap in the scholarly literature regarding the organizational practices involved in contending with WSH incidents following their occurrence. By exploring the practices and challenges of sexual harassment commissioners, a mandatory role performed by Israeli human resource practitioners, this study aims to unpack the embedded power dynamics, which construct how WSH is both deciphered and handled within organizations.Design/methodology/approachIn-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 45 sexual harassment commissioners (SHCs) in various business organizations in Israel to explore practitioners' conceptions of the challenges underlying their role. A grounded theory approach was utilized.FindingsThe findings demonstrate that, while SHCs seemingly are empowered by their exclusive authority to inquire into an intricate organizational matter, counter practices have emerged to undermine their authority and influence. This negatively affects their ability to reduce the prevalence of WSH. SHCs' attempts to approach WSH utilizing a power discourse are eroded by systematic barriers that channel them toward adoption of the default legal discourse. The latter frames WSH in terms of individual misconduct rather than as a phenomenon stemming from and expressive of organizational and societal gender inequalities.Research limitations/implicationsThis study does not represent the voices of WSH complainants or of top executives. The data focused on SHCs' descriptions of their role challenges.Practical implicationsImplications are suggested regarding the academic education and training of SHCs.Originality/valueThis study sheds light on covert and unspoken barriers to gender equality in the labor market.


KronoScope ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-27
Author(s):  
Carl Humphries

Abstract “Being is said in many ways,” claimed Aristotle, initiating a discussion about existential commitment that continues today. Might there not be reasons to say something similar about “having been,” or “having happened,” where these expressions denote something’s being located in the past? Moreover, if history – construed not only as an object of inquiry (actual events, etc.) but also as a way of casting light on certain matters – is primarily concerned with “things past,” then the question just posed also seems relevant to the question of what historical understanding amounts to. While the idea that ‘being’ may mean different things in different contexts has indisputable importance, the implications of other, past-temporal expressions are elusive. In what might any differences of substantive meaning encountered there consist? One starting point for responding – the one that provides the subject matter explored here – is furnished by the question of whether or not a certain way of addressing matters relating to the past permits or precludes forms of intelligibility that could be said to be ‘radically historical.’ After arguing that the existing options for addressing this issue remain unsatisfactory, I set out an alternative view of what it could mean to endorse or reject such an idea. This involves drawing distinctions and analogies connected with notions of temporal situatedness, human practicality and historicality, which are then linked to a further contrast between two ways of understanding the referential significance of what is involved when we self-ascribe a relation to a current situation in a manner construable as implying that we take ourselves to occupy a unique, yet circumstantially defined, perspective on that situation. As regards the latter, on one reading, the specific kind of indexically referring language we use – commonly labelled “de se” – is something whose rationale is exhausted by its practical utility as a communicative tool. On the other, it is viewed as capturing something of substantive importance about how we can be thought of as standing in relation to reality. I claim that this second reading, together with the line of thinking about self-identification and self-reference it helps foreground, can shed light on what it would mean to affirm or deny the possibility of radically historical forms of intelligibility – and thus also on what it could mean to ascribe a plurality of meanings to talk concerning things being ‘in the past.’


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