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English Society (english + society)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Humanities and Social Sciences100%

Selected Abstracts

Young Peoples' Representations of ,Atypical' Work in English Society

CHILDREN & SOCIETY, Issue 3 2009
Sarah Crafter
In this paper, we explore young peoples' normative representations of work. In particular, we are interested in the ways young people view work roles which could be considered ,atypical' such as young caring or language brokering. Interviewed were 46 young people (15,18 years) some who did, and some who did not engage in the ,atypical' work roles of language brokering or young caring. Findings indicated that young people have a strong representation of what a ,normal' childhood comprises and that friends, teachers and parents play a mediational role in cementing this contextually. However, respondents presented two alternative representations around engagement in ,atypical' roles, with some individuals holding both views at the same time. On the one hand, they felt that engagement in ,atypical' activities would be experienced as a loss of ,normal' childhood. On the other hand, a more positive representation of ,atypical' childhoods was also drawn on, in which engagement in ,atypical' activities was seen as a source of pride and a contributor of additional skills to a child's development. This opinion was evidenced by both those who had, and those who had not engaged in ,atypical' work. [source]

Population and disease: transforming English society, 1550,1850 , By Peter Razzell

ECONOMIC HISTORY REVIEW, Issue 4 2008
Robert Woods
No abstract is available for this article. [source]

,For refreshment and preservinge health': the definition and function of recreation in early modern England

HISTORICAL RESEARCH, Issue 211 2008
Elaine McKay
Society accepts that people need time for recreation, and that we are naturally inclined towards play and seeking pleasure. Recreation time helps us to recharge our batteries and relieve stress, and makes us more able to function within our respective social and economic roles. By using evidence taken from diaries written between 1500 and 1700 this article seeks to examine the role and function of recreation in English society within the context of the early modern period. This contemporary writing shows how language was employed to describe the functions of recreation and in particular its association with the concept of refreshment and regeneration in terms of mind, body and soul. [source]

The Sultan's organ: presents and self-presentation in Thomas Dallam's Diary

RENAISSANCE STUDIES, Issue 5 2009
Lawrence Danson
Abstract The Diary of the organ-builder Thomas Dallam recounts his part in giving a magnificent ,present' from Queen Elizabeth and a group of English merchants to Sultan Muhammad III in 1599. The language of gift-giving in Mediterranean commerce is a symptomatic anomaly. The ,present' stands in for a wider semantic field that includes bribery, extortion, and the paying of diplomatic tributes; Dallam's present to the Sultan followed other such English offerings, and is part of a widespread system of presentations at all social levels of European,Ottoman dealings. But Dallam's participation in the gift game, on his voyage and during his residence in Constantinople, cuts across the binary of east,west. Dallam is befriended by Muslims and by Englishmen ,turned Turk', and in his writing avoids the commonplaces of religious self-righteousness. The ship that carries him also carries a virtual cross-section of English society, from the English ambassador to his under-butler to the young seaman who dies along the way, and is lorded over by a captain who adds the idea of ,theft' to the range of the word ,present'. Dallam's account of the taking, giving, and avoiding of presents exposes English hypocrisy as well as Turkish opportunism. On the occasion of his organ's debut, and during his residence in Constantinople, he comes as close as any English traveller did to the inner sanctum of the mystified Ottoman empire, literally touching the Sultan and taking as his present a close-up view of his harem. [source]