Frances Wright’s America: A 19th-Century Utopia

Frances Wright, a British social reformer and feminist, published an account of her American travels: Views of Society and Manners in America in 1821. Wright founded an experimental community in Nashoba, Tennessee, whose aim was to buy black slaves, educate them, and then liberate them. Even though the enterprise turned out to be a failure, the author continued to fight for the cause of black emancipation. My paper examines Wright’s portrayal of America in Views, which, compared to most other early 19th-century British travel accounts, is surprisingly enthusiastic. Wright idealizes the young republic, seeing it as a perfect embodiment of her ideals. I argue that Wright’s vision of the young republic is utopian, and it prevents her from seeing any flaws in the American system. This is especially pronounced in the case of the central problem posed by British travelogues of the era, slavery, which troubles her not so much on moral grounds, but as a blemish on the character of the country of freedom and equality.

Barriers and support to exclusive breastfeeding in Sukoharjo district, Central Java province, Indonesia: a qualitative study

PurposeThe World Health Organization (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of a child's life. However, while the national coverage was 61.33%, the coverage in Sukoharjo was 39.33%. Effective intervention is needed to promote the importance of exclusive breastfeeding, and this requires knowledge of the barriers and support structures in place. This study analyzed the supports and barriers of exclusive breastfeeding in Sukoharjo, Central Java, Indonesia.Design/methodology/approachThis qualitative study used in-depth interviews conducted from December 2017 to March 2018. The population consisted of 33 informants (29 mothers with babies over six months of age, a pregnant mother, two midwives working in the community health center and a staff member in the district health department).FindingsThere were barriers to and support for exclusive breastfeeding in Sukoharjo, Central Java province, Indonesia. The district already has support systems in place, while the barriers emerge from society, the baby's condition, environmental and other sources. The government has tried to overcome the barriers.Research limitations/implicationsThe limitation of this study was that the triangulation method was not utilized. However, the use of various informants strengthened the findings.Practical implicationsThe district government, especially the health department, needs to establish a program to evaluate existing exclusive breastfeeding support programs thoroughly. Smarter and more comprehensive interventions may be needed, for example, by integrating various supports into one activity. For researchers, the findings of this study imply that they can conduct experimental community research using the framework of the two aforementioned theories of behavior change. For example, investigation of combining the support of trained peers with the presence of family members such as the grandmothers of the babies. If both types of support are conducted concurrently, it may strengthen support and reduce barriers from either inside or outside the home.Social implicationsThe district government, especially the health department, needs to establish a program to evaluate existing exclusive breastfeeding support programs thoroughly. Smarter and more comprehensive interventions may be needed, for example, by integrating various supports into one activity. For researchers, the findings of this study imply that they can conduct experimental community research using the framework of the two aforementioned theories of behavior change. For example, investigation of combining the support of trained peers with the presence of family members such as the grandmothers of the babies. If both types of support are conducted concurrently, it may strengthen support and reduce barriers from either inside or outside the home.Originality/valueThere are barriers to exclusive breastfeeding in Sukoharjo, but the government has made effective attempts to overcome them. The support systems in place were in line with the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and social cognitive theory (SCT).

Improving knowledge, attitude, and practices of complementary feeding using practical intervention training for parents living in stunting villages in Central Lombok, Indonesia: A community-based study

BackgroundStunting is one of the major child public health concerns in Indonesia. West Nusa Tenggara (WNT) province, specifically, is still struggling to reduce its stunting prevalence as it is still higher than the average national prevalence, accounted for 31.4% in 2018. Ensuring knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) of complementary feeding among parents is relevant to succeeding in the implementation of stunting reduction programs. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of interventions in the form of seminar and workshop on preparing complementary feeding in stunting villages in Central Lombok, Indonesia.MethodsThis is a quasi-experimental community-based study, held in three stunting villages of Central Lombok, WNT, from June until August 2019. Three villages were chosen randomly from ten stunting-villages in Central Lombok District and divided into three groups, i.e., control group, seminar group and seminar and workshop group. We assessed KAP before and after intervention with a four-week interval.ResultsA total of 205 participants were enrolled in this study, consisting of 67, 70, and 68 participants for the control group, the first intervention group, and the second intervention group, respectively. Most participants had poor knowledge (75.1%) of complementary feeding in the baseline assessment. We found an insignificant change in knowledge, but notable alterations in attitudes and practices after intervention. Seminar intervention could increase practice, while complete intervention (seminar and workshop) could increase both practices and attitudes significantly (p = 0.015 dan p = 0.014). We found that complete intervention was more effective in increasing attitudes compared to the control group (p = 0.039). In contrast, practices in both seminar and complete intervention was increased effectively than controls (p = 0.006 vs. p = 0.008), and no differences between seminar and complete intervention group (p = 0.943).ConclusionsComplementary feeding KAP among parents in stunting villages in Central Lombok was inadequate. Our study showed that the combination of seminar and workshop increased parents’ attitudes and practices, while the seminar only increased parents’ practices. We suggest further prospective study to assess how long the effectivity of such interventions could impact and last; and obtain any cultural concerns.Trial registration: 376/UN18.8/ETIK/2018

The Escambia Project: An Experiment in Community-Led Legal Design

This article shares observations made during an experimental community-led design project undertaken to identify promising new solutions for civil justice services which low-income Escambia County residents could easily use. The Florida Bar Foundation-funded project generated three new initiatives that were prototyped, filed tested, and prepared for continuation. The Escambia Project ultimately engaged more than 100 community members and relied on the support of dozens of local volunteers and organizations. All three initiatives have been adopted by the local legal aid program partner or the community and continue in some form. The article also contains lessons learned and recommendations for how community-led participatory design could help transform the justice system.

Implementasi Budaya Guyub Rukun di SMK N 1 Donorojo Pacitan melalui Kegiatan Kemasyarakatan dalam Penanganan Pandemi Covid-19

AbstrakPenelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengeksplorasi konsep budaya guyub rukun yang diterapkan oleh SMKN 1 Donorojo Pacitan dalam penanganan, pencegahan penyebaran Covid-19 di Kabupaten Pacitan. Lebih lanjut, penelitian ini mengeksplorasi kompleksitas yang ada di dalamnya, dengan sudut pandang budaya, pendidikan vokasi, dan pendidikan kemasyarakatan dalam melatih siswa; dan kerjasama warga SMKN 1 Donorojo Pacitan dengan masyarakat serta pemerintah Kabupaten Pacitan dalam produksi massal masker kain guna pencegahan Covid-19 dan mengatasi kelangkaan masker. Penelitian ini menggunakan jenis kualitatif, dengan pendekatan interdisiplin yang memadukan studi lapangan, eksperimental, pengabdian kemasyarakatan, dan kebudayaan. Penelitian dilakukan pada Maret 2020 hingga Mei 2020, dengan batasan spasial Kabupaten Pacitan. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwasanya dalam kegiatan kemasyarakatan berbasis budaya guyub rukun melalui pembuatan masker oleh SMKN 1 Donorojo Pacitan ini memiiki kompleksitas. Kompleksitas tersebut seringkali tidak disadari, karena memang pada dasarnya kebutuhan kosmos manusia adalah saling membantu. Tidak hanya dalam hal kosmos manusia, kegiatan yang dilakukan oleh SMKN 1 Donorojo Pacitandapat memunculkan rasa kerukunan, rasa kesatuan, semangat dan optimisme secara komunal khususnya dari masyarakat Kabupaten Pacitan dalam menghadapi pandemi Covid-19.Kata kunci: budaya guyub rukun; SMK N 1 Donorojo Pacitan; kegiatan kemasyarakatan; penanganan pandemi Covid-19 AbstractThis study aims to explore the concept of guyub rukun culture implemented by SMK 1 Donorojo Pacitan in handling, preventing the spread of Covid-19 in Pacitan Regency. Furthermore, this research explores the complexities that are in it, with cultural, vocational and social education perspectives in training students; and the collaboration of the citizens of SMKN 1 Donorojo Pacitan with the community and the government of Pacitan Regency in the mass production of cloth masks to prevent Covid-19 and overcome the scarcity of masks. This research uses a qualitative type, with an interdisciplinary approach that combines field studies, experimental, community service, and culture. The study was conducted in March 2020 to May 2020, with the spatial constraints of Pacitan Regency. The results of the research show that in social-based community activities, guyub rukun through harmony in making masks by SMKN 1 Donorojo Pacitan has complexity. The complexity is often not realized, because basically, the needs of the human cosmos are mutual assistance. Not only in terms of the human cosmos, but activities also carried out by SMKN 1 Donorojo Pacitand can bring a sense of harmony, a sense of unity, enthusiasm, and communal optimism, especially from the people of Pacitan Regency in facing the Covid-19 pandemic.Keyword: guyub rukun; SMK N 1 Donorojo Pacitan; community activities; handling of the Covid-19 pandemic

Terrorists, Anarchists, and Republicans

In 1798, members of the United Irishmen were massacred by the British amid the crumbling walls of a half-built town near Waterford in Ireland. Many of the Irish were republicans inspired by the French Revolution, and the site of their demise was known as Genevan Barracks. The Barracks were the remnants of an experimental community called New Geneva, a settlement of Calvinist republican rebels who fled the continent in 1782. The British believed that the rectitude and industriousness of these imported revolutionaries would have a positive effect on the Irish populace. The experiment was abandoned, however, after the Calvinists demanded greater independence and more state money for their project. This book tells the story of a utopian city inspired by a spirit of liberty and republican values being turned into a place where republicans who had fought for liberty were extinguished by the might of empire. The book brings to life a violent age in which powerful states like Britain and France intervened in the affairs of smaller, weaker countries, justifying their actions on the grounds that they were stopping anarchists and terrorists from destroying society, religion, and government. The Genevans and the Irish rebels, in turn, saw themselves as advocates of republican virtue, willing to sacrifice themselves for liberty, rights, and the public good. The book shows how the massacre at Genevan Barracks marked an end to the old Europe of diverse political forms, and the ascendancy of powerful states seeking empire and markets — in many respects the end of enlightenment itself.

Strengthening adolescents’ connection to their traditional food system improves diet quality in remote Alaska Native communities: results from the Neqa Elicarvigmun Pilot Study

In remote Alaska Native communities, traditional foods are inextricably linked to health and food security. Degradation of the traditional food system over the past several decades has resulted in a shift in dietary patterns that have contributed to increased rates of chronic diseases and food insecurity among Alaska Native People. Interventions are needed to address this. Our objectives were to evaluate the preliminary efficacy of a school-based intervention—Neqa Elicarvigmun or the Fish-to-School Program—on diet quality, fish intake, and attitudes and beliefs around traditional foods (specifically fish) using a pre–post comparison group design with data collection occurring at three time points. Study participants were 76 middle and high school students in two remote Alaska Native communities (population <900) in southwestern Alaska. We used a participatory approach to design the school-based, multilevel intervention that included activities in the cafeteria, classroom, and community. Multilevel analyses showed that students in the experimental community showed significant improvements in diet quality compared to the comparison community (Beta = 4.57; p < .05). Fish intake, measured using the stable nitrogen isotope ratio of hair, a validated biomarker, also increased significantly in the experimental community (Beta = 0.16; p < .05). Leveraging the cultural and physical resources of the traditional food system for the Neqa Elicarvigmun program represents a strength-based approach that improves diet quality, increases adolescents’ connection to their traditional culture, and by promoting the local food system supports food security. Embedding the program into the local culture may result in faster adoption and greater sustainability of the program.