scholarly journals Embodying Gender, Age, Ethnicity and Power in ‘the Field’: Reflections on Dress and the Presentation of the Self in Research with Older Pakistani Muslims

2012 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 73-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Zubair ◽  
Wendy Martin ◽  
Christina Victor

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in researching people growing older in the South Asian ethnic minority communities in the UK. However, these populations have received comparatively little attention in wide-ranging discussions on culturally and socially appropriate research methodologies. In this paper, we draw on the experiences of a young female Pakistani Muslim researcher researching older Pakistani Muslim women and men, to explore the significance of gender, age and ethnicity to fieldwork processes and ‘field’ relationships. In particular, we highlight the significance of dress and specific presentations of the embodied self within the research process. We do so by focusing upon three key issues: (1) Insider/Outsider boundaries and how these boundaries are continuously and actively negotiated in the field through the use of dress and specific presentations of the embodied ‘self’; (2) The links between gender, age and space - more specifically, how the researcher's use of traditional Pakistani dress, and her differing research relationships, are influenced by the older Pakistani Muslim participants’ gendered use of public and private space; and (3) The opportunities and vulnerabilities experienced by the researcher in the field, reinforced by her use (or otherwise) of the traditional and feminine Pakistani Muslim dress. Our research therefore highlights the role of different presentations of the embodied ‘self’ to fieldwork processes and relationships, and illustrates how age, gender and status intersect to produce fluctuating insider/outsider boundaries as well as different opportunities and experiences of power and vulnerability within research relationships.


2017 ◽  
Vol 39 (6) ◽  
pp. 815-824 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald Hirsch

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe how the voluntary living wage (LW) in the UK is set. It examines how this calculation relates to contemporary approaches to setting wage floors, both in relation to their goal of supporting adequate living standards and in relation to the place of wage floors in the labour mark. Design/methodology/approach The paper examines how compulsory and voluntary wage floors are being determined, in the UK and in particular the role of public consensus in contributing to the calculation and adoption of a LW. It then reflects on the future sustainability of a system of wage floors in which the concept of the LW plays a significant role. Findings The central finding is that widespread support for wages delivering socially acceptable minimum living standards has transformed the context in which low pay is being addressed in the UK. The LW idea has stimulated more decisive efforts to do so; however, if a compulsory version of a LW were to reach a level shown to be harming jobs, this could seriously undermine such efforts. Moreover, the extent to which adequate wages are compatible with high employment levels can also be influenced by state support for households, especially tax credits and Universal Credit. Originality/value The paper clarifies how the setting of the UK LW contributes to objectives related both to living standards and to labour markets, and critically addresses some key issues raised.



2005 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary Warnaby ◽  
David Bennison ◽  
Barry J. Davies

The role of town centre management (TCM) schemes in the UK has expanded to incorporate a more overt and explicit focus on marketing and promotion. This paper considers the marketing/promotional activities of TCM schemes in the UK. TCM schemes operate at the interface of the public and private sectors. The implications of this are discussed, including the need for a consensual approach by a wide range of urban stakeholders, and the actual activities undertaken, influenced by the funding imperative under which such schemes operate (which impacts on the feasibility of certain activities and the efforts made to evaluate them). Comparisons are drawn between specific place marketing practice by TCM schemes and wider place marketing strategies.



2014 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 111-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Pechurina

This article discusses ethical decisions in the qualitative research of homes, with particular focus on a situation, in which a researcher studies his/her own migrant community. While exploring more common topics, such as negotiating access and receiving permission to photograph within participants’ homes, this article will also highlight issues that occur specifically within community-based ethnographic studies among Russian migrants. Using examples from the study of Russian immigrants’ homes in the UK, this article raises important questions of social positioning and power distribution within studied community. It will demonstrate the complexities of ethical decision making at different stages of the research process, which reflects the constantly changing relationship(s) between the cultural and social backgrounds and identities of researchers and participants. The insider and outsider role of the researcher is relative and the constant need to balance it, while simultaneously creating difficult ethical dilemmas, often reveals rich data and moves the whole research process forward.



2020 ◽  
Vol 23 ◽  
pp. 36-57
Author(s):  
Iker Fidalgo Alday

El presente artículo parte de un caso de estudio concreto que es la investigación en torno al archivo del colectivo artístico “Fundación Rodríguez” (Vitoria-Gasteiz, 1994-2012). El proceso de investigación estará marcado por todo lo que conlleva enfrentarse a un archivo compuesto por contenido digital y con formatos a punto de la obsolescencia, así como las dificultades para su conservación y mantenimiento. Partiendo de esto, se contextualizará la práctica de “Fundación Rodríguez” y el papel que juega el concepto de archivo en varias de las fases de su producción artística. Para ello analizaremos su posición desde el trabajo colectivo, la disolución del rol del artista y la desmaterialización de la obra artística como los tres frentes principales desde los que se erige su producción. Con todo, podremos valorar desde la actualidad la vigencia y relevancia de su legado, así como la potencia del mismo en el contexto artístico al que pertenece. This article starts from a concrete case study that is the research around the archive of the artistic collective “Fundación Rodríguez” (Vitoria-Gasteiz, 1994-2012). The research process will be marked by all that is involved in dealing with an archive composed of digital content and formats on the verge of obsolescence, as well as the difficulties of preserving and maintaining them. Starting from this, the practice of “Fundación Rodríguez” and the role played by the concept of archive in several of the phases of its artistic production will be contextualized. To do so, we will analyze its position from the perspective of collective work, the dissolution of the role of the artist and the dematerialization of the artistic work as the three main fronts from which its production is built.With all this, we will be able to evaluate from the present time the validity and relevance of his legacy as well as its power in the artistic context to which it belongs.



Author(s):  
Andrew Ashworth ◽  
Julian V. Roberts

Sentencing represents the apex of the criminal process and is the most public stage of the criminal justice system. Controversial sentences attract widespread media coverage, intense public interest, and much public and political criticism. This chapter explores sentencing in the United Kingdom, and draws some conclusions with relevance to other common law jurisdictions. Sentencing has changed greatly in recent years, notably through the introduction of sentencing guidelines in England and Wales, and more recently, Scotland. However, there are still doubts about the fairness and consistency of sentencing practice, not least in the use of imprisonment. Among the key issues to be examined in this chapter are the tendency towards net-widening, the effects of race and gender, the impact of pleading guilty, the use of indeterminate sentences, the rise of mandatory sentences, and the role of the victim in the sentencing process. The chapter begins by outlining the methods by which cases come before the courts for sentencing. It then summarizes the specific sentences available to courts and examines current sentencing patterns, before turning to a more detailed exploration of sentencing guidelines, and of the key issues identified above. The chapter addresses two critical questions: What is sentencing (namely who exerts the power to punish)? Does sentencing in the UK measure up to appropriate standards of fairness and consistency?



2012 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 690-695 ◽  
Author(s):  
James G. Hodge ◽  
Lexi C. White ◽  
Andrew Sniegowski

Promoting and protecting the public's health in the United States and abroad are intricately tied to laws and policies. Laws provide support for public health measures, authorize specific actions among public and private actors, and empower public health officials. Laws can also inhibit or restrict efforts designed to improve communal health through protections for individual rights or structural principles of government. Advancing the health of populations through law is complex and subject to constant tradeoffs. This column seeks to explore the role of law in the interests of public health through scholarly and applied assessments across a spectrum of key issues. The first of these assessments focuses on a critical topic in emergency legal preparedness.



2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 176-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrike M. Vieten ◽  
Fiona Murphy

This article explores the ways a salient sectarian community division in Northern Ireland frames the imagination of newcomers and the experiences of asylum seekers and refugees. We examine the dominant ethno-national Christian communities and how their actions define the social-spatial landscape and challenges of manoeuvring everyday life in Northern Ireland as an ‘Other’. We argue all newcomers are impacted to some degree by sectarianism in Northern Ireland, adding a further complexified layer to the everyday and institutional racism so prevalent in different parts of the UK and elsewhere. First, we discuss the triangle of nation, gender and ethnicity in the context of Northern Ireland. We do so in order to problematise that in a society where two adversarial communities exist the ‘Other’ is positioned differently to other more cohesive national societies. This complication impacts how the Other is imagined as the persistence of binary communities shapes the way local civil society engages vulnerable newcomers, e.g. in the instance of our research, asylum seekers and refugees. This is followed by an examination of the situation of asylum seekers and refugees in Northern Ireland. We do so by contextualising the historical situation of newcomers and the socio-spatial landscape of the city of Belfast. In tandem with this, we discuss the role of NGO’s and civil support organisations in Belfast and contrast these views with the experiences of asylum seekers and refugees. This article is based on original empirical material from a study conducted in 2016 on the experiences of asylum seekers and refugees with living in Northern Ireland.



Author(s):  
Alan Dignam ◽  
John Lowry

Titles in the Core Text series take the reader straight to the heart of the subject, providing focused, concise, and reliable guides for students at all levels. This chapter focuses on raising equity from the general public and its consequences for the operation of the company. It begins by outlining the basics of raising equity before turning to the consequences of operating in a public market, with emphasis on areas such as takeovers and insider dealing. It then considers the distinction between public and private companies in terms of capital raising, how such companies are regulated, and how public companies differ from listed companies. It also discusses various methods of raising money from the public, the role of the Financial Conduct Authority and the London Stock Exchange in ensuring the proper functioning of the listed market in the UK, and the regulation of listed companies as well as takeovers and other public offers. The chapter concludes by examining the Takeovers Directive (Directive 2004/25/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of April 21, 2004 on Takeover Bids).



2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 29
Author(s):  
Reem Abuiyada ◽  
Ra’ed Abdulkarim

The paper examined the Palestinian Non-Governmental Organisations (PNGOs) from a historical perspective with focus on their roles, the challenges they faced, and their current status after the establishment of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) in 1994.It also examined their driving motives, their contributions to the advancement and development of the Palestinian society, and the challenges they faced. The role of health in development is highlighted and an introduction to NGOs in general is offered, with emphasis on their characteristics in comparison to the public and private sectors after the establishment of the PNA in parts of the West Bank and Gaza Strip (WBG).It is clear that PNGOs in general and health NGOs in particular played an instrumental role in providing much needed health services, but also in paving the road for the establishment of a Palestinian state. The paper showed that there are three main challenges that faced NGOs, namely, political challenges, financial challenges and the unclear role of the PNA. The first two challenges faced NGOs during the Israeli occupation and continue to do so after the establishment of the PNA. The third challenge became relevant only after the establishment of the PNA in parts of the WBG.



2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liz Warren ◽  
Martin Quinn ◽  
Gerhard Kristandl

Purpose This paper aims to explore the increasing role of financialisation on investment decisions in the power generation industry in Great Britain (GB). Such decisions affect society, and the relative role of financialisation in these macro-levels decisions has not been explored from a historical perspective. Design/methodology/approach The paper draws on historical material and interview data. Specifically, we use an approach inspired by institutional sociology drawing on elements of Scott’s (2014) pillars of institutions. Applying concepts stemming from regulative and normative pressures, we explore changes in investments over the analysis period to determine forces which institutionalised practices – such as accounting – into investment in power generation. Findings Investments in electricity generation have different levels of public and private participation. However, the common logics that underpin such investment practices provide an important understanding of political-economics and institutional change in the UK. Thus, the heightened use of accounting in investment has been, to some extent, a contributory factor to the power supply problems now faced by the British public. Originality/value This paper contributes to prior literature on the effects of financialisation on society, adding power generation/energy supply to the many societal level issues already explored. It also provides brief but unique insights into the changing nature of the role of accounting in an industry sector over an extended timeframe.



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