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The representation of female visual artists in national cultural institutions: A case study of the Ulster Museum Belfast
Get PDFThis paper adopts a qualitative approach to examine factors that influence the programming of women’s visual artwork in national cultural institutions. A single case study was conducted at the Ulster Museum, Belfast. Semistructured interviews with three key members of staff working at different levels of the organisation were thematically analysed. The findings identified three main themes; institutional responsibilities (the public remit of a national institution) the role of trust (curatorial specialism, staff support, policy) and pace of change (collections’ limitations and competing priorities for policy demands in the wider context of the Ulster Museum and NMNI). Museums are institutions embedded in patriarchal customs and systems but in the Ulster Museum gender is an ongoing conversation. The representation of women’s visual art is driven bottom up by a specialised curator and it is dependent on an open framework of communication and power-sharing with senior management. Each participant supports inclusivity from a broader intersectional perspective rather than a purely feminist lens. Overall, the empirical research suggests that there is a strong programming of women’s visual artwork and change is taking place
Girl Power – Why expanding women\u27s rights and opportunities is an essential aspect of each country\u27s development agenda.
No full textProgress has been made to close gender gaps across the world. However, gender inequality is still pervasive, particularly among developing countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. There is a growing consensus among pol- icy makers, economists and politicians that expanding women’s rights can play a crucial role in economic development. The international community has recognised that women’s empowerment and gender equality are devel- opment objectives in their own right and these objectives are laid down in the Millennium Development Goals
Do You Honestly Believe a Statutory Definition of Consent is Enough? : Rape Myths, Gender Stereotypes and Legislative Solutions
Get PDFWhile Ireland’s new statutory definition of consent respects the female voice in its promotion of communicative sexuality, the current subjective formulation of the honest belief defence continues to exclusively support and endorse the perspective of the male accused. By bolstering this male perspective, the law operates to perpetuate a number of damaging rape myths and gender stereotypes. In order to dispel such misconceived societal attitudes, and in light of the Law Reform Commission’s recent Report on Knowledge or Belief Concerning Consent in Rape Law, this paper aims to highlight the need for the Oireachtas to make immediate amendments to this contentious area of the law on sexual offences
Contemporary Pregnancy Rituals in Mainstream Medicine and the Anti-Abortion Agenda in England and the U.S.A since 2000
Get PDFThe anti-abortion agenda worldwide seeks to afford fetuses with personhood status as a means to condemn abortion. This essay looks at normative medical pregnancy practices in England and the US since 2000 and argues them to be performative rituals which reinforce the notion of foetal personhood. Coming from the viewpoint that that which is constructed is inherently performative, informed by the theses’ of Judith Butler and Simone de Beauviour, I will argue that these ‘performances’ function as corroboratory with the anti-abortion campaign. By dissecting common practices of medical ante-natal care and information provision, including routine check-ups, the idea of the fetus as a patient, uses of language, and medical technologies used in pregnancy, I will reason my claim in a scientific context, with specific reference to the social, legal and societal contexts from which this medicine has grown
The North China Famine of 1876-9: An Asymmetric, Gendered Experience
Get PDFInspired by a joint interest in famine studies and gender historiography, this paper looks to analyse the use of gendered imagery and narratives in inspiring local, regional, national, and international aid to the North Chi- na Famine of 1876-9. First, the paper discusses the experiences of Chinese women during the disaster. From this point, it interrogates different actors’ responses to these women’s predicaments, from the local to the international. In the case of international actors, the pa- per takes a note of the Irish perspective on the famine, one cloaked, as with many other western countries in the late 19th century, in Christian doctrine, racism and imperialism. The Irish view of China in this period is under-researched, and this paper hopes to provide a good addition to both work in comparative famine studies between the two countries, and more broadly to Chinese–Irish late imperial relations
Danger & Delight: Women and Consumer Culture in Mid-Century London & Paris
No full textThe mid-nineteenth-century mushrooming of consumer culture sparked a transformation of London and Paris and bestowed newfound mobility upon its female inhabitants. Urban commercial spaces such as the nascent department store were billed as safe havens for the unchaperoned lady. In actuality, the Victorian public sphere symbolised a double-edged sword: it conjured up sites of delight that any class of woman could frequent, offering an overdue escape from the tedium of home, yet it also exposed them to unprecedented sexual danger; spawning incidents (downplayed as ‘street annoyances’ or ‘impertinences’) for which female victims were habitually blamed. Stretching from streetwalkers to the bourgeoisie, this essay explores the complex relationship between mid-nineteenth-century women and consumer culture in London and Paris
Contents and Research Prizes
No full textTable of Contents for Volume VI of the TSSR, culminating in announcement of Prize-Winning Reviews and the inaugural Karmakar Medal for Scientific Ethics
Life Sciences: Editorial Note and Articles
No full textEditors: Naoise Irwin, Cathal Keane, Uju Obilor Anyanwu
Abstracts:
Current and Emerging Treatment Strategies in Multiple MyelomaJoyce Barry, Junior Sophister, Biochemistry
Multiple myeloma (MM) is a haematological malignancy characterised by the neoplastic proliferation of antibody producing clonal plasma cells in the bone marrow. ‘Myeloma’ refers to the malignancy of the bone marrow, and the prefix ‘multiple’ is used because the disease manifestation incorporates many organs. MM could therefore be thought of as “a combination of numerous diseases with a common clinical phenotype”.1 This malignancy is currently treatable, but incurable, and the cause is still unknown. Current prognosis is 4-5 years if treated.
The advent of novel drugs such as proteasome inhibitors, immunomodulatory drugs and monoclonal antibodies has significantly transformed the therapeutic landscape. When combined with autologous stem cell transplantation, these drugs have vastly improved outcomes and response rates for patients. New agents are continuously coming to light, the most recent and notable example being histone deacetylase inhibitors. Experimental therapies such as vaccines are also showing promise, with the potential to decrease incidences of multiple myeloma in the first instance. Ongoing research is aiming to improve the management of multiple myeloma in patients, while also working towards a cure.
Abstract 2:
Metabolomics and its Applications to Personalized MedicineLee Sherlock, Senior Sophister, Biochemistry
The primary concern of this review is the role of metabolomics and clinically useful biomarkers for disease diagnoses. Demonstrating the variations between individuals in therapeutic outcome and disease susceptibility is a common challenge in clinical practice “due to complicated interactions between genetic and environmental factors”. 1
The concept of personalised medicine is of great interest as it is a therapeutic approach involving the use of genetic and epigenetic information to tailor drug therapy and preventative care. This review highlights important aspects of the innovative field of metabolomics. Namely, measurement methods of the metabolome, the contributions that metabolomics has made, and could potentially make regarding personalizing medicine. Furthermore, current advancements in statistical analysis and methodologies that are enhancing the field of metabolomics to personalize medicine
The Introduction of Cost Sharing for Prescription drugs: Evidence from The Irish Longitudinal Study of Ageing (TILDA)
Get PDFAgeing populations and age-related morbidity present major challenges for advanced economies in managing rapidly increasing pharmaceutical expenditures. However, older people, particularly those with low incomes, may be susceptible to negative effects from cost sharing for medicines. The impact of introducing prescription drug co-payments for older publicly-insured patients (medical cardholders) in Ireland using data from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing is explored. Descriptive evidence revealed that medicines use increased despite the imposition of small co-payments for medical cardholders relative to trends for private patients. However, features of the Irish market must be taken into account in interpreting this counterintuitive result
Equalisation Transfers and Local Fiscal Capacity: A New Methodology for Ireland
Get PDFFiscal equalisation is a key element of a country’s fiscal arrangements where functions and funding are decentralised to subnational government. Although Ireland’s horizontal fiscal imbalances are partly reduced by grants from an equalisation fund, the current model of equalisation payments is not fit for purpose. In this paper, we design a new fiscal equalisation system for Ireland’s 31 local authorities based on a Representative Revenue System model and estimates of fiscal capacity. Using the main revenue sources, we estimate fiscal capacity for 2017, and calculate formula-derived equalisation transfers for the financially weaker local councils. Compared to the existing transfers funded from the local property tax, our results provide for a larger equalisation fund financed by the central government, a greater degree of equalisation but with individual council winners and losers. Careful consideration needs to be given to the funding options available to the net losers, including higher taxes locally levied on commercial and/or residential properties, or where deemed necessary, a temporary transition payment from the central government