NUI Maynooth Eprint Archive
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Participatory action research in social movements
No full textThis chapter outlines why participatory action research (PAR) can be useful to social movements, and how to make it so. PAR involves movement activists carrying out research geared to their own needs, in a democratic process that transforms movement relationships and practice. The chapter is grounded in a 25-year experience of supporting activists carrying out PAR, and shows the wide range of different shapes it can take as activists reflect together on their own practice. It argues that this is far less risky than trial and error; focusses on the thing activists have most control over (their own actions); that its participatory and collective educational dimensions benefit movements politically; and that PAR supports movements becoming learning actors. Despite the diversity of actually-existing PAR, the chapter highlights some core principles that can be distilled from the experiences discussed to make PAR genuinely useful to movements
Social movements and hegemonic struggle
No full textAntonio Gramsci’s Southern Question and Lyons Theses, written just before his imprisonment by Mussolini, are fundamental resources for social movements seeking to resist the rise of the far right and to construct a different social order. Here, hegemony appears primarily in terms of broad social alliances, defining a particular form of capitalism under the leadership of a given ‘historical bloc’. The task for activists in this context is to find ways of disrupting these alliances and to construct new ones on a different basis, ‘from below and to the left’. The chapter draws on examples from Gramsci’s own race-and-class organizing practice and is illustrated with tools from activist training workshops
Visualising Bivariate Patterns using Association Measures
No full textCorrelation matrix displays are valuable tools for investigating bivariate associations,
typically showcasing Pearson’s correlation—a linear association measure—for
pairs of numerical variables. However, these displays have limitations in capturing
complex non-linear associations and associations involving categorical variables.
This thesis addresses these limitations by introducing alternative association measures
that accommodate pairs of numerical, ordinal, and categorical variables, as
well as mixed pairs where one variable is categorical and the other is numerical. For
numerical variables, we incorporate modern non-linear association measures like
distance correlation and the maximal information coefficient (MIC). Notably, our
displays present multiple association measures for each variable pair, revealing patterns
beyond linear associations or associations dependent on levels of a grouping
variable. To address space issues with high-dimensional datasets, we also offer a linear
layout display, showing one or more association measures for each variable pair.
Furthermore, we employ seriation for matrix displays and importance sorting for
linear displays to emphasize highly-associated variables or pairs with significant differences,
making them easier to discern and interpret. These improvements enhance
the effectiveness and efficiency of data analysis, allowing for a more comprehensive
understanding of associations in various datasets
War veterans, minorities and crisis points in Yugoslav welfare
No full textThis article provides an analytical overview of welfare policymaking and provision in the twentieth century in Yugoslavia at three deci-sive historical junctures. Those are: the Kingdom of Yugoslavia after the First World War; the socialist state after 1945; and the rump ‘Yugoslavia’ after the break-up of the state in 1991. In each of these periods welfare policies were crisis-driven, a response to massive social and economic upheaval caused by war, but they were also a reflection, of course, of the political ideals and the values of the state in which they were formed. The authors argue that the Yugoslav welfare state in its various incarnations was in part a response to socio-economic crisis caused by war, in part a mediation and an adaptation of the welfare regime it replaced (rather than a complete tabula rasa), and in part an articulation of the aspirations for national politics and citizenship held by the incoming leadership of the state. This comparative study of three important moments in Yugoslavia’s welfare history, then, offers an opportunity to look anew at the social history of the state itself. Study of the Yugoslav welfare model, or rather models, helps us understand the larger political transformations that were bound up in the lifespan of the South Slav state, how the state thought about and created minorities through welfare regimes, and how welfare policies withstood (or not) socio-economic crisis
The College Connect: How-to-guide to Group Mentoring
No full textSéamus Heaney once wrote that poetry is the art of giving tongue to
other people’s silence. Used wisely, this Guide will help people give voice
to their strengths and sustenance to their spirits.
Early in the guide the word osmosis appears. This reminds me that
oftentimes change can and does happen in quiet and hidden ways.
The cumulative effect of reflection on experience, honest conversations,
attentive listening, trial and error, building relationships, testing world
views are all elements in this osmosis. Something is quietly working away
under the surface and suddenly we discover that we are changed and
the way we look at ourselves and others has changed. We look at the
world differently and see all sorts of possibilities for change.
The Guide encourages the creation of a learning community where all
contribute and all receive. Everyone matters. The processes outlined
suggest that no one knows it all and no one knows nothing. Everyone’s
experience is valued and respected and knowledge from beyond the
group is used to validate and challenge existing perspectives.
The pioneering social psychologist Kurt Lewin is credited with coining
the term Group Dynamics. He did not coin the phrase Group Mechanics.
The Guide honours that insight by providing sufficient structure and
direction as well as encouraging spontaneity, emergence, the creation
of new knowledge and multiple possibilities.
The Guide does not pretend that democratic, collaborative learning is a
predictable, linear process with predetermined outcomes. This kind of
learning can be challenging, exciting, surprising and unpredictable
Library Services for Housing and Planning Publications in Ireland
No full textThis working paper report considers the archiving of housing and planning literature - reports, policy documents, departmental circulars, legislation, academic papers, books - related to Ireland. At present, published material is scattered across many sites, can be difficult to locate and source, and many documents are vulnerable to being lost as they lack permanent links. The report details existing library resources and their scope and remit, examines the need for a centralised housing and planning publications hub that will collate, catalogue and provide public access to archived material, and considers how such a hub might be produced and maintained
Correlation of Line-of-Sight Probabilities in Aerial-Terrestrial Communications: Modeling, Analysis, and Application
No full text—The line-of-sight (LoS) condition is important to the
quality of wireless communications, especially for millimeter-wave
(mmWave) communications which are more sensitive to blockages
than typical radio frequency (RF) communications. Considering
that one blockage would obstruct several channels simultaneously,
recently, researchers have studied the correlation of LoS probabilities among multiple channels in the horizontal plane and
shown its importance in system performance analysis. The main
missing aspect of existing literature in this direction is that the
heights of transceivers and blockages have not been considered
in the analysis of the LoS correlation. However, the emerging
hybrid cellular networks with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)
and reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) deployed at various
altitudes necessitate the LoS analysis accounting for the vertical
dimension. In this paper, using stochastic geometry, we formulate
a novel joint-LoS-probability framework of two channels among
three aerial/terrestrial devices to analyze the LoS correlation both
in the horizontal and vertical dimensions. We derive the expression
of the conditional and joint LoS probabilities. The proposed framework combines (i) accuracy (verified in simulation), (ii) generality
(from adjustable parameters of the channels and environments),
and (iii) fitting ability (from a cylindrical blockage model to a
non-cylindrical blockage model). The numerical results show that
the correlation is quite strong when the angle between the two
communication channels is small, while it becomes weaker as this
angle increases. Moreover, we introduce a potential application of
the joint LoS probability in the optimal deployment of an aerial
device. Compared to optimization based on the independence assumption of the LoS probabilities, the improvement in the coverage probability intuitively clarifies the advantage of the proposed
joint-LoS-pprobability framework on the aerial-terrestrial network
design
Transboundary Climate Risks for the Island of Ireland (TCRII)
No full textTransboundary climate risks (TCRs) cross national borders. They are associated with climate change impacts
that propagate through different pathways to affect other countries and regions and result from climate change
adaptations made in one or more countries having repercussions for others. These emerging climate risks are
poorly studied, even though they could have significant impacts on a national scale. The Transboundary Climate
Risks for the Island of Ireland (TCRII) project undertook a literature review and worked with stakeholders to identify
approaches for the assessment of TCRs and synergies that can be leveraged on an all-island basis. The findings
informed recommendations for better accounting for these emerging risks, to realise the national climate objective
of achieving a climate-resilient economy and society by 2050
An Evaluation of Teachers’ Perceptions of the Influence of Neoliberalism on Teaching Skills in the Senior Cycle
No full textSkill development, in various forms, has always been a key part of education. However, over time, the
composition, emphasis and implementation of these skills within second-level education settings in
Ireland have changed. The move from vocational skills to softer skills is evident. This has been as a
result of the societal, economic, political and cultural changes (Hoskins and Crick, 2010). The skills
agenda is not going away, it is still central to educational developments in Ireland. The proposed new
Key competencies in senior cycle (draft) (NCCA, 2023) that matches skill development to seven key
competencies to be targeted throughout upper second-level education as part of current developments
is a testament to this policy agenda. However, while skills have been a part of upper second-level
education since 2005 (NCCA, 2006), teachers interpret and action the teaching of skills within their
own classroom, which can mean that this is not always enacted as set out in the curriculum. This
could mean that alternative skills are being taught or skills on the written framework are being taught
for different reasons. This study therefore explores the impact of neoliberal values and influences on
the teaching of skills in Senior Cycle (SC) education and explores how neoliberalism may be
operating in how teachers formulate a perspective around the teaching of skills. The research
investigated firstly what were the participants views on the teaching of “skills” in SC education, as
well as whether there were specific “skills” more valued by the participants at SC level.
This research gathered data using nonprobability convenience sampling where existing participants
recruited other participants using the chain referral method for focus group discussion. There were
four focus groups which were made up of four participants. These met once to discuss the research
topic. The data gathered were analysed using the lens of Bernstein’s Pedagogical Device (PD).
Bernstein proposes that knowledge is ordered and disordered through the act of communication by
three inter-related rules: distributive, recontextualising and evaluative (Bernstein, 1990). These rules
firstly distribute and regulate power and meaning through the distribution of knowledge and identity,
which is then recontextualised and changed through specific pedagogic discourse. This is then
changed by the evaluative rules to construct the criteria of knowledge to be transmitted and acquired
(Singh, 2002). These rules were used to explore how teachers’ views and practices in teaching skills
have been influenced by ideology and power, which operate at all levels of society (Wright and
Froehlich, 2012). The analysis provided snapshots as to how these influences make an impact in
theorising how practices can be altered in relation to teachers formulating and teaching skills within
the SC.
Based on the data gathered and analysed from the focus groups, this study suggests that (1) teachers’
values have a significant influence on what skills are taught and why they are viewed as important. In
the main participants delineated these values as being focused on performativity and measurability in
helping students to prepare and achieve in examinations, (2) the students ability to retain and
reproduce the set curriculum was viewed as more important than teaching skills, (3) helping students
gain entry to third-level education as well as preparing students for their future careers took
precedence over teaching skills in this educational period (4) neoliberal elements have affected the
perceptions of teachers on teaching skills in SC education through various influences such as policy
reform, business partnerships and the focus on third-level education. Teachers illustrated how their
professional identity was impacted by neoliberal influences to the extent that they described their
work in technicist terms. The findings have implications for the current and future practices of
teachers teaching SC as well as those implementing policies in this area
Fossil fuel interests in Puerto Rico: Perceptions of incumbent power and discourses of delay
No full textThis study explores perceptions of fossil fuel interests and the role narratives of fossil fuel obstruction play in
slowing down the renewable energy transition in Puerto Rico. We analyzed interviews conducted with 56
“energy actors” engaged in Puerto Rico’s energy system about their visions of the system’s future and perceptions
of the influence of different actors in promoting change or reinforcing the status-quo. The analysis also examined
the use of discourses of delay in participant interviews using a framework proposed by Lamb et al. (2020). Our
interviews revealed that a wide range of energy actors perceived obstruction by fossil fuel interests as shaping
Puerto Rico’s energy transition, and used discourses of delay to describe Puerto Rico’s energy transition, but also
employed narratives that countered this obstruction and resisted fossil fuel interests. The results depict the
conflicted nature of Puerto Rico’s energy transition: on the one hand there was widespread agreement across a
wide range of actors that the future of Puerto Rico’s energy system would eventually be renewable based, and at
the same time, there were significant doubts that a renewable transition could or would occur. The complex
interplay among perceptions of the influence of fossil fuel interests, discourses of delay, and narratives of
resistance and community power offers insights into why renewable energy deployment has been slow in Puerto
Rico, despite the possibility of a rapid transition after Hurricane Maria devastated the energy system in 2017 and
ambitious energy policies were passed