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Recent Calls (recent + call)
Selected AbstractsEconomy of Dreams: Hope in Global Capitalism and Its CritiquesCULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 2 2006Hirokazu Miyazaki In this article, I respond to Vincent Crapanzano's recent call for attention to the category of hope as a term of social analysis by bringing it into view as a new terrain of commonality and difference across different forms of knowledge. I consider the efforts of participants active in the capitalist market to reorient their knowledge in response to neoliberal reforms side by side with the efforts of academic critics of capitalism to reorient their critique. These efforts to reorient knowledge as a shared method of hope bring to light contrasting views on where such a reorientation might lead. [source] 4. THE MATERIAL PRESENCE OF THE PASTHISTORY AND THEORY, Issue 3 2006EWA DOMANSKA ABSTRACT This article deals with the material presence of the past and the recent call in the human sciences for a "return to things." This renewed interest in things signals a rejection of constructivism and textualism and the longing for what is "real," where "regaining" the object is conceived as a means for re-establishing contact with reality. In the context of this turn, we might wish to reconsider the (ontological) status of relics of the past and their function in mediating relations between the organic and the inorganic, between people and things, and among various kinds of things themselves for reconceptualizing the study of the past. I argue that the future will depend on whether and how various scholars interested in the past manage to modify their understanding of the material remnants of the past, that is, things as well as human, animal, and plant remains. In discussing this problem I will refer to Martin heidegger's distinction between an object and a thing, to bruno latour's idea of the agency of things and object-oriented democracy, and to Don Ihde's material hermeneutics. To illustrate my argument I will focus on some examples of the ambivalent status of the disappeared person (dead or alive) in argentina, which resists the oppositional structure of present versus absent. In this context, the disappeared body is a paradigm of the past itself, which is both continuous with the present and discontinuous from it, which simultaneously is and is not. Since there are no adequate terms to analyze the "contradictory" or anomalous status of the present-absent dichotomy, I look for them outside the binary oppositions conventionally used to conceptualize the present-absent relationship in our thinking about the past. for this purpose I employ Algirdas Julien Greimas's semiotic square. [source] Ethnic skin types: are there differences in skin structure and function?,INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COSMETIC SCIENCE, Issue 2 2006A. V. Rawlings Synopsis People of skin of colour comprise the majority of the world's population and Asian subjects comprise more than half of the total population of the earth. Even so, the literature on the characteristics of the subjects with skin of colour is limited. Several groups over the past decades have attempted to decipher the underlying differences in skin structure and function in different ethnic skin types. However, most of these studies have been of small scale and in some studies interindividual differences in skin quality overwhelm any racial differences. There has been a recent call for more studies to address genetic together with phenotypic differences among different racial groups and in this respect several large-scale studies have been conducted recently. The most obvious ethnic skin difference relates to skin colour which is dominated by the presence of melanin. The photoprotection derived from this polymer influences the rate of the skin aging changes between the different racial groups. However, all racial groups are eventually subjected to the photoaging process. Generally Caucasians have an earlier onset and greater skin wrinkling and sagging signs than other skin types and in general increased pigmentary problems are seen in skin of colour although one large study reported that East Asians living in the U.S.A. had the least pigment spots. Induction of a hyperpigmentary response is thought to be through signaling by the protease-activated receptor-2 which together with its activating protease is increased in the epidermis of subjects with skin of colour. Changes in skin biophysical properties with age demonstrate that the more darkly pigmented subjects retaining younger skin properties compared with the more lightly pigmented groups. However, despite having a more compact stratum corneum (SC) there are conflicting reports on barrier function in these subjects. Nevertheless, upon a chemical or mechanical challenge the SC barrier function is reported to be stronger in subjects with darker skin despite having the reported lowest ceramide levels. One has to remember that barrier function relates to the total architecture of the SC and not just its lipid levels. Asian skin is reported to possess a similar basal transepidermal water loss (TEWL) to Caucasian skin and similar ceramide levels but upon mechanical challenge it has the weakest barrier function. Differences in intercellular cohesion are obviously apparent. In contrast reduced SC natural moisturizing factor levels have been reported compared with Caucasian and African American skin. These differences will contribute to differences in desquamation but few data are available. One recent study has shown reduced epidermal Cathepsin L2 levels in darker skin types which if also occurs in the SC could contribute to the known skin ashing problems these subjects experience. In very general terms as the desquamatory enzymes are extruded with the lamellar granules subjects with lowered SC lipid levels are expected to have lowered desquamatory enzyme levels. Increased pores size, sebum secretion and skin surface microflora occur in Negroid subjects. Equally increased mast cell granule size occurs in these subjects. The frequency of skin sensitivity is quite similar across different racial groups but the stimuli for its induction shows subtle differences. Nevertheless, several studies indicate that Asian skin maybe more sensitive to exogenous chemicals probably due to a thinner SC and higher eccrine gland density. In conclusion, we know more of the biophysical and somatosensory characteristics of ethnic skin types but clearly, there is still more to learn and especially about the inherent underlying biological differences in ethnic skin types. Résumé, Les gens qui ont une peau de couleur représentent la majorité de la population mondiale et les sujets asiatiques en représentent plus de la moitié. Pourtant la littérature consacrée aux caractéristiques de ces sujets est limitée. Plusieurs groupes de travail ont essayé au cours des dernières années de comprendre les différences sous-jacentes de la structure et de la fonction de la peau de différentes ethnies. Maisla plupart de ces études ont été réalisées à petite échelle et dans certains cas les différences observées entre les individus au niveau de la qualité de la peau ne font pas ressortir de différence entre races. Récemment, un besoin d'études reliant les diffèrences génétiques et phénotypiques entre différents groupes raciaux s'est fait sentir et de ce fait beaucoup d'études à grande èchelle ont été entreprises. La différence la plus évidente, entre les peaux ethniques, est leur couleur liée à la présence de la mélanine. La photoprotection induite par ce polymère influence le taux de vieillissement de la peau entre les différents groupes raciaux qui finalement sont tous sujets au processus de photovieillissement. Généralement, les caucasiens ont des signes plus précoces et plus importants de formation de rides et de relâchement de la peau; en général, les problèmes d'augmentation de la pigmentation sont observés sur les peaux de couleur, bien qu'une grande étude ait rapporté que des sujets originaires de l'Asie de l'Est vivant aux U.S.A. avaient le moins de taches pigmentaires. On pense que la réponse d'une induction hyperpigmentaire est due à un signal envoyé par le récepteur 2 activé par une protéase. Le récepteur 2 augmente en même temps que la protéase activatrice dans l'épiderme des sujets ayant une peau de couleur. Les changements dans les propriètés biophysiques de la peau en fonction de l'âge montrent que les sujets qui ont la pigmentation la plus sombre gardent une peau plus jeune par comparaison aux groupes qui possèdent une pigmentation moins forte. Toutefois, bien qu'ayant un stratum corneum plus compact, il existe des rapports divergents sur la fonction barrière de ces sujets. Dans le cas d'agression chimique ou mécanique, la fonction barrière du stratum corneum est considérée plus forte chez les sujets à peau plus foncée, malgré leurs taux plus faibles encéramide. On doit garder à l'esprit que la fonction barrière du stratum corneum dépend de toute son architecture et pas seulement de sa teneur en lipides. On considère que la peau asiatique à unePIE (TEWL) basale similaire à la peau caucasienne, ainsi que des taux en céramides comparables, mais on constate que dans le cas d'agression mécanique, elle possède un effet barrière le plus faible. Des différences dans la cohésion intercellulaire sont évidentes. A contrario, on a mis en évidence des taux d'hydratation (NMF) plus faibles dans son stratum corneum, comparativement à la peau caucasienne et afro-américaine. Ces différences expliquent les variations au niveau de la desquamation, mais on a très peu de données sur ce sujet. Une étude récente a mis en évidence des taux réduits de Cathepsin L2 dans l'épiderme des types de peau plus sombre, ce qui, si cela se produisait dans le stratum corneum, expliquerait les problèmes biens connus de cendrage de la peau que ces sujets connaissent. En terme très gènéral, étant donné que les enzymes liées à la desquamation sont libérées avec les granules lamellaires, on s'attend à ce que les sujets ayant des taux de lipides faibles dans le stratum corneum aient des taux d'enzymes liés à la desquamation faibles. On constate chez les sujets noirs une augmentation de la taille des pores, de la sécrétion du sébum et de la microflore cutanée. On observe également chez ces sujets une augmentation de la taille des granules mastocellulaires. Le phénomène de peau sensible se retrouve à une fréquence similaire dans les différents groupes raciaux, mais il existe des différences subtiles dans lesstimuli nécessaires pour l'induire. En tout cas, plusieurs études montrent que la peau asiatique est peut-être plus sensible aux produits chimiques exogènes, ce qui probablement est dûà un stratum corneum plus mince et à une densité de glandes eccrines plus élevées. En conclusion, c'est sur les caractéristiques biophysiques et somato-sensorielles des différents types de peaux ethniques que nous en savons plus, mais il est clair qu'il nous reste à comprendre encore beaucoup de choses principalement sur leurs différences biologiques. [source] The nature of law as an interpretive practice and its associated modes of inquiryLEGAL STUDIES, Issue 4 2009Nathan Gibbs The paper provides a critical survey of certain methodological debates in the field of legal philosophy in order to assess their implications for legal research in general. Underpinning this survey is a concern to establish the independence and integrity of both legal practice and legal research in the light of the risks posed by preponderant forms of instrumental rationality. Thus, Brian Leiter's recent call for a ,naturalised' jurisprudence is criticised for the instrumentalist basis upon which he claims to privilege forms of legal research apparently ,continuous with' the natural and empirical social sciences. As against Leiter, it is argued that there are in fact a range of distinct but interrelated modes of legal research. In this respect, the work of HLA Hart is interpreted as an example of a distinctively theoretical mode of inquiry into law. In addition, an account of the nature of a distinctively practical mode of legal inquiry is developed from a critique of Ronald Dworkin's excessively ,theoretical' reading of the interpretive character of legal practice. A constitutive practical feature of both modes of inquiry is their capacity to take up a certain distance from any exclusive concern with instrumental or pragmatic action. [source] Patterns and Prescriptions in Mexican HistoriographyBULLETIN OF LATIN AMERICAN RESEARCH, Issue 3 2006Alan Knight This article offers a short resumé of recent Mexican historiography in the national (post-1810) period, noting three clusters of innovative research: post-independence politics; Porfirian economic history; and regional studies of the Mexican Revolution. It then addresses the recent call for historians of Mexico and Latin America to ,reclaim the political', analysing the implications of this kind of bold prescription which, it argues, is misguided in both historiographical and political terms. [source] Urban Ethnography's "Saloon Problem" and Its Challenge to Public SociologyCITY & COMMUNITY, Issue 2 2007Greggor Mattson This essay assesses the legacy of urban ethnography's (UE) early engagement with the "saloon problem." Early sociologists (1880,1915) intervened in the national debate on alcohol on the basis of their long-term, in-depth understanding of the urban poor. Ethnographers highlighted the role of the saloon as a haven for maintaining social ties while socializing immigrants to American norms. Instead of prohibition or temperance, sociologists advocated replacing the saloon's positive functions with more democratic institutions, especially an egalitarian domestic sphere. This position was shared by both academic and settlement house sociologists whose saloon investigations offer a coherent sociological research paradigm that antedates the Chicago School. The activism of early sociologists exemplifies the characteristics of Michael Burawoy's recent call for public sociology. Yet the early sociologists failed to redeem the saloon amongst Progressives, who increasingly rallied around the National Anti-Saloon League and constitutional Prohibition. By only investigating alcohol in its public manifestations, sociologists failed to challenge the way the social problem was framed and may even have contributed to the stigmatization of the saloon. This voyeuristic opportunism has plagued the American tradition of urban ethnography, the ineffective legacy of which poses a challenge to a contemporary revival of public sociology. [source] The Impact of AIDS on Rural Households in Africa: A Shock Like Any Other?DEVELOPMENT AND CHANGE, Issue 4 2002Carolyn Baylies In areas where HIV prevalence is high, household production can be significantly affected and the integrity of households compromised. Yet policy responses to the impact of HIV/AIDS have been muted in comparison to outcomes of other shocks, such as drought or complex political emergencies. This article looks at the reasons for the apparent under,reaction to AIDS, using data from Zambia, and examines recent calls to mitigate the effects of AIDS at household level. Critical consideration is directed at proposals relating to community safety nets, micro,finance and the mainstreaming of AIDS within larger poverty alleviation programmes. It is argued that effective initiatives must attend to the specific features of AIDS, incorporating both an assault on those inequalities which drive the epidemic and sensitivity to the staging of AIDS both across and within households. A multi,pronged approach is advocated which is addressed not just at mitigation or prevention, but also at emergency relief, rehabilitation and development. [source] Wanted: A Mid-Range Theory of International Peacekeeping,INTERNATIONAL STUDIES REVIEW, Issue 3 2007Oldrich Bures This essay provides a critical review of the existing scholarly attempts to conceptualize and theorize about peacekeeping operations. It reveals that even though studies of such operations are increasing, most of the available literature is idiosyncratic and atheoretical. Moreover, although a number of authors have recently begun to utilize conflict resolution and international relations concepts in their analyses, these theories are not yet fully integrated into the study of peacekeeping. After inspecting the future research agendas outlined by the leading experts in the field, the author critiques the recent calls for a "macrotheory" of international peacekeeping and concludes by making the case for the development of a "mid-range" theory that can more firmly place international relations, conflict resolution, and peace studies scholarship into the study of peacekeeping. [source] Marine biogeographical structure in two highly dispersive gastropods: implications for trans-Tasman dispersalJOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY, Issue 4 2007Jonathan M. Waters Abstract Aim, Recent genetic and ecological studies of marine invertebrate species with planktotrophic larvae have inferred high rates of gene flow across wide oceanic barriers. We therefore aim to test for the genetic signature of long-distance dispersal in two widespread and abundant marine gastropod taxa. Location, The intertidal and shallow subtidal zones of southern Australia and New Zealand (NZ), which house similar marine invertebrate assemblages despite being separated by the 2000-km-wide Tasman Sea. Methods, We used mtDNA cytochrome oxidase I gene sequence analysis of two gastropod genera exhibiting trans-Tasman distributions, namely Austrolittorina (Littorinidae) (139 specimens; 28 localities) and Scutus (Fissurellidae) (154 specimens; 32 localities). The cool-temperate Australian (A. unifasciata; S. antipodes) and NZ (A. antipodum; S. breviculus) taxa within each genus are morphologically similar but of uncertain taxonomic status. Results, The mtDNA analyses indicate major trans-Tasman genetic discontinuities for both gastropod genera, with no evidence of recent or ongoing intercontinental gene flow. Although both Scutus and Austrolittorina show significant east,west structure within southern Australia , consistent with recent studies of regional marine phylogeography , neither taxon exhibits significant differentiation within NZ. Main conclusions, Morphologically conserved but biogeographically disjunct gastropod populations may exhibit striking phylogeographic discontinuities, even when dispersal abilities appear to be high. On the basis of these data we reject recent calls for the synonymy of NZ and Australian lineages. [source] Elder Mistreatment: Implications for Public Health DentistryJOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH DENTISTRY, Issue 3 2001Howard J. Cowen DDS Abstract Elder mistreatment has increasingly been recognized as a serious and complex health issue affecting large numbers of elders each year. Health professionals have been found to lack knowledge regarding assessment, diagnosis, intervention, and reporting criteria of this problem. In dentistry, there have been recent calls for more research and publications as well as requests for professional policy statements and guidelines. Public health dentistry, with its emphasis on prevention, can lend guidance and leadership at the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels. This article reviews the types and prevalence of elder mistreatment, discusses predisposing variables, and offers an ecological model that serves as a guide to interventions directed at all levels of elder mistreatment prevention. [source] Prisoners' Adjustment, Correctional Officers, and Context: The Foreground and Background of Punishment in Late ModernityLAW & SOCIETY REVIEW, Issue 2 2008Mike Vuolo Past research indicates that front-line criminal justice workers are the critical players in determining whether innovations in penal policy are realized. Recent attempts to understand the diversity in the application of the penal harm movement have, however, sidestepped the primary audience of these policies, the population of convicted offenders. This article uses data from two prisons to examine the effects of correctional officers on women prisoners' adjustment to prison life. Using regression models and interview data, we find that correctional officer behavior has a profound impact on women's ability to adjust to prison, and this effect is largely independent of the prisoners' characteristics and the institutions in which they are housed. On a theoretical level, the findings speak to recent calls to examine the background and foreground of penal culture. On a practical level, they highlight the need to understand the environments from which women are emerging, not just the communities into which they are released. [source] CONTOURS OF AN ANTHROPOLOGY OF THE CHINESE STATE: POLITICAL STRUCTURE, AGENCY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN RURAL CHINATHE JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL ANTHROPOLOGICAL INSTITUTE, Issue 3 2004Frank N. Pieke Anthropologists have long been inclined to view China from the perspective of a state-society dichotomy. In this model, the inevitable consequence of economic reform is that , especially at the local level , the state must yield more and more of its power to entrepreneurs, foreign investors, non-state organizations, and local communities. Not only does this approach distort the role of the state in society, but by placing the state above and outside society it also excludes it from the anthropological gaze. This article proposes an anthropology of the Chinese state which does not merely view the state in society, but also investigates the state itself as society. Drawing on fieldwork in northeastern Yunnan province, I illustrate this general point by investigating the changing role of the local state in economic development. This agenda for an anthropology of the Chinese state resonates both with the recent ,reinvention' of the subfield of political anthropology with its focus on governmentality, policy, and rights, and with recent calls by political scientists for the development of an interdisciplinary anthropology of the developmental state. [source] Employee Financial Participation and Productivity: An Empirical ReappraisalBRITISH JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS, Issue 1 2006Andrew M. Robinson Avner Ben-Ner and Derek Jones cast doubt on the notion of a simple causal link between financial participation (FP) and productivity, and consequently on the validity of much of the empirical literature that has sought to quantify this relationship. This paper is an attempt to investigate this proposition. Our empirical reappraisal revealed that the route through which employee share ownership and profit-sharing schemes achieve these gains is quite separate and more involved than either the theory or prior empirical research suggests. This is particularly evident by extending the complementarities thesis beyond purely participatory bundles to embrace firm-specific and organizational variables. Our analysis also addressed recent calls to aid the interpretation of the observed effects of FP by creating a link between the use and operation of FP and its impact on productivity. [source] | ||||||||||||||||