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Non-human animal victimology
No full textNon-human criminology is a proposed area of non-speciesist scholarship that focuses on non-human animals as victims of harm. This Entry provides an overview that demonstrates the types of activity that victimologists would undertake to reveal more about these neglected victims. The development of non-human animal victimology is briefly contextualised in the context of existing scholarship on non-speciesist criminology, after which the non-human animal as victim is considered. A brief introduction to victimology is provided, and the status of non-human animals as ‘ideal victims’ is considered. Theories and philosophies relating to non-humans as victims, both legally and conceptually, are outlined and the benefits and challenges of pursuing a non-human animal victimology agenda are discussed
How bringing back Churchill's wartime canteen culture could help tackle food poverty
Full text linkDuring World War II, the public canteens set up by Winston Churchill became an integral part of British life. Now, in our modern age of social disconnection, it could be time to bring them back
The Apocalyptic Mary: The Labour of Creation and the End of the World
Full text linkThis article argues for the philosophical and theological importance of the image of Mary as the ‘woman clothed with the sun’ in Revelation 12. It proposes to approach Mary as an apocalyptic figure: specifically, as an embodied sign, in whom the boundary between earth and heaven is crossed. As such, she troubles the very binary distinctions she is often used to reinforce: between male and female, earth and heaven, active God and passive creation, past and future. In dialogue with important reflections on the apocalyptic in continental philosophy of religion (including Derrida and Taubes), the article argues that Mary as the apocalyptic sign can challenge the pretensions of either secular philosophy or self-certifying theology to comprehend the relationship between God, humanity and creation. In reading Mary as both a liminal and a cosmic figure, her symbolic potential to disrupt dualisms is rooted in her own semiological ambivalence. The article concludes that this reading opens up new possibilities for an ‘intense Mariology’ in ways that challenge our notions of creation, labour and the limits of the world
The wisdom of Narcissus: Martianus Capella, vanity and learning as a glorification of the self
Full text linkThis paper examines the educational thought of Martianus Capella, a fifth-century Carthaginian writer, through his only surviving work The Marriage of Mercury and Philology. The didactic handbook is an ode to learning, adorning a faltering introduction to the liberal arts with baroque mythological ornamentation. The paper highlights Capella's unique approach to the liberal arts, framed within a Neo-Platonic context, that views knowledge as a means of embellishment, self-glorification and ascension. The paper discusses the allegorical elements of Capella's text, interpretations of its significance, and its implications for the modern academic, particularly regarding the interplay between the pursuit of knowledge and vanity
Disabled Victims Experiences’ of Criminal Justice Systems: A Systematic Literature Review
No full textThis systematic literature review has been conducted to collate existing literature on disabled victims of crime and their experiences of accessing criminal justice systems. The research has been funded by the Office of the Victims’ Commissioner following previous research findings that disabled people have disproportionately negative experiences of the criminal justice system compared to other victimised groups (Murray et al., 2024). Thus, this review seeks to better understand some of the barriers experienced by disabled victims as well as highlight any areas of good practice that support better engagement throughout the criminal justice system. In turn, this review will make recommendations for areas of future research and for the development of practice
Children's Film Festivals as Potential Spaces for Radical Content/Consumption
No full textThe children’s film festival is the most important vehicle for the distribution of non-mainstream productions for children and youth, but it has been almost entirely overlooked as an object of study. This chapter aims to redress the balance, exploring its potential as a space for the exhibition and consumption of radical content
Safewashing in the conspicuous commodification of the hazardous aesthetic
Full text linkIn this paper, we introduce the concept of safewashing within the context of the hazardous aesthetic and the attractive view as a new lens through which to research issues relating to widespread, continuing urban property development in unsafe, hazard-prone locations. Recognising that many aesthetically attractive views can be simultaneously hazardous, we suggest that in the process of property development and marketing, unsafe locations may be masked through ‘washing out’ (i.e. overlooking or covering up) actual and/or potential risk in favour of driving urban growth, capital investment and profit. Underpinned by the concept of aesthetic common sense, we explore the commodification of the aesthetically appealing view and the safewashing of the reality of hazard and potential disaster. Questions are raised about how the practice of safewashing within the context of increasing human impacts and the financial costs of disasters may be challenged and addressed
How are parents involved? Investigating interactions and involvement between Church of England schools and churches with parents
Full text linkSchools often seek partnerships with parents to aid children’s academic learning and school engagement, so this paper investigates the nature of parent involvement with church and school to facilitate children’s faith formation using an interpretive phenomenological lens. Epstein’s types of family involvement model provided a theoretical framework to examine the overlapping spheres of influence (school, church and home) and the extent to which they are functional and operational. This pioneering research asks the questions: Do faith schools, churches and parents want to collaborate for the sake of their children’s faith? How do churches and schools engage with parents to support children’s faith formation? And how could collaborations be further developed? In-depth empirical data was collected from case study contexts: nine churches and eight schools, capturing teacher or church worker and parental perspectives in each context. This revealed that whilst there is significant desire for enhanced collaboration across these sectors, there is often a lack of confidence and awareness of possibilities. It is recommended that investment is made into resourcing and training to bring about a change of culture to see expectations and genuine realities of more shared responsibility and authentic collaboration across the sectors to enhance children’s faith formation
Impact of viewing time on aesthetic experience of Christian medieval Nubian wall paintings: an eye-tracking study with Sudanese and Western viewers
Full text linkAesthetic experience may foster positive connections between visitors and heritage sites. However, the way people engage with and esthetically experience archaeological heritage is not yet well understood. To address this gap, in the present on-site study, we explored how viewers’ cultural backgrounds might influence their aesthetic experience of Christian medieval Nubian wall paintings. Specifically, Sudanese and Western subjects were asked to view 17 paintings from the Monastery on Kom H in Old Dongola (Sudan) while their eye movements and fixations were recorded with a mobile eye-tracker. After the viewing session, participants reported which paintings they preferred and would select for a museum exhibition. Our analysis explored whether and how viewing time on the entire wall painting, and on its specific elements (faces of characters depicted in the paintings and areas outside the faces), mediated later aesthetic choices. The results showed that the viewing time partly predicts the aesthetic choices of participants from both groups. Interestingly, although both groups based their aesthetic choices on viewing faces, the Western viewers were more inclined to do so than the Sudanese participants. Overall, the study supports the idea that cultural background can influence how viewers visually engage with heritage, which in turn partly affects their aesthetic choices. In addition, the research outcome demonstrates that recording eye movements and fixations may foster our understanding of ways viewers engage with archaeological heritage
Indirect Sexual Harassment in Conservative Societies: What We Don’t Know
No full textThis study aims to explore the incidence of the sexual harassment of women within conservative Muslim societies. It investigates the factors that contribute to sexual harassment as well as the impact of informal cultural forces on the experiences of sexual harassment faced by women. The study draws on interviews with 22 women in leadership roles in the voluntary and non-profit sector. Three key themes emerged from the data analysis: Indirect sexual acts, causes of sexual harassment, and coercion, each accompanied by its respective subthemes. The implications of the findings for societal change are discussed, together with limitations and ideas for future research