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Kurdish women in the UK diaspora: adversities & challenges
No full textWhat does it mean to be in a “diaspora”? The term refers to a people who are dispersed, but often they are merely re-conglomerated, forming an insular “placenta” that incubates their new lives abroad, while still retaining aspects of the homeland they left. Diasporic homes can thus become a battleground, particularly for women, where house walls can be akin to a reconstituted national border; not in a new country, but in a tiny version of their old one. As a diasporic scholar with a deep interest in women’s equality, I have been particularly intrigued by the intersections between equality and the effects of cultural identity on our diasporic experiences. [...
Book review: Angela Potochnik, Science and the Public
No full textReview based on: Angela Potochnik, Science and the Public. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2024, 78 pp. €20 paperback; €58 hardback. ISBN 978100904882
Taste of Memory
No full textThe “Taste of Memory” exhibition highlights the transformative influence of regional food on today’s British culinary landscape. The exhibition begins with London’s first Chinatown emerged around Limehouse. From there, visitors will take on an emotional journey to uncover the often-underrepresented voices of British-Chinese community since 1880s. Whether walking in or sitting in a dining room, visitors will navigate 19 chefs’ transgenerational memories of living, struggling, coping and integrating into British society
Educators as agents of breadth-biased learning: using social reconstructionism as rationale for embracing media multitasking and enhancing teaching practices in higher education
Get PDFThis perspective article contends that media multitasking has significant implications on cognitive control processes, particularly in how information is processed and utilized. Contrary to viewing media multitasking as inherently negative, the article argues that it contributes to the evolving nature of cognitive processing, without necessarily improving or degrading it. The discussion draws on theoretical frameworks from contemporary cognitive neuroscience to contextualize these arguments. The article provides a nuanced perspective on media multitasking, acknowledging its enduring presence and exploring its influence on cognitive processes, while also proposing strategies for educators to navigate its implications in educational settings
AI, new forms of reading and agential children's literature
No full textThis chapter explores the role of children’s literature on Primary age school children with a particular focus on the idea of co-constructed ‘agential reading’; from picturebooks, fiction, non-fiction and literature in the form of new technologies. Over two decades into the twenty-first century, we are well into an era demanding transliteracies, where the ability to read, write and interact across a range of platforms, tools and media from signing and orality through handwriting, print, TV, radio and film, to digital social networks is transforming reading. Beginning with a short contextualising history, this piece will explore questions of how and whether children’s literature and reading is already ‘coded’, what the challenges – such as AI – are, and how these are linked to literary and cultural metaphors of real/not real. The piece concludes with how feminist new materialist readings can view reading in modernity as groups of ‘reader gatherers’ rather than hunter-gatherers, allowing for children’s critical thinking, judgement and emotional intelligence to be developed through narratives as quests for agency through new interfaces, new forms of reading and new forms of children’s literature
O paradoxical pioneer! Repurposing Steiner education in collage and scribble
Get PDFSteiner might be considered the prototypic pioneer from a previous century, whose alternative education vision continues to have huge international appeal and status. Yet Steiner’s “pioneering” views of education are open to interpretation, given each Steiner school is independent and encouraged to be responsive to its own context. Via the creation of an ironic visual collage work, ‘pioneer' is examined as a paradox in itself, like a seemingly contradictory or absurd statement that is found, on investigation, to be true. A paradoxical person therefore combines contradictory elements, like the main characters of Cather’s novel O Pioneers! (1928) detailing both immigrant women’s entrapment and their pioneering emancipation from patriarchy. Exploring examples of Steiner’s global reach, such as storytelling in Steiner schools in New Zealand and the embedding of indigenous narrative knowledge in education (Burnett ,2015), the danger of superficially rendering ancient cultural forms of knowledge to fit with western ‘scientific’ understanding is critiqued. Terms used universally and with apparent innocence in early years education- such as ‘holistic’- are a case in point. Disrupting both what is meant by pioneer-led, ‘literate’ forms of communication such as educational tracts and curricula, this piece resists with the artistically pioneering and disruptive practices of scribble
Owning the just transition: comparing citizen participation in South African and German wind farms
Get PDFThe global effort to reduce carbon emissions, driven by industrialised countries in the north is increasingly perceived as an unfair imposition by countries in the south. Wind turbine technology importantly contributes to the energy transition and its introduction has produced new players in energy systems, for instance through financial citizen participation in wind farms. The shape and degree of citizen participation is geographically variegated even within countries. Taking a multi-scalar perspective inspired by institutional theory, we explore the micro, meso and macro institutional and regulatory frameworks perceived as supportive or restrictive in the development of citizen participation in Germany and South Africa. Our findings highlight the importance of citizens’ ability and will to create legal structures for inclusive collective action and their ability to access affordable investment capital through local banks and other financing arrangements. Under the right institutional conditions decentralised energy systems, such as small-scale wind farms, provide an opportunity for fostering emotive and economic ownership by citizens in the global north and south alike
'They made bets that I'd die': impacts of COVID-19 on Polish essential workers in the UK
Get PDFThe Covid-19 pandemic exposed the UK’s socio-economic dependence on a chronically insecure migrant essential workforce. While risking their lives to offset the devastating effects of the pandemic, many migrant workers found themselves in precarious professional and personal circumstances (e.g. temporary zero-hours contracts, work exploitation, limited access to health and social services). This article explores the health, social, economic, and cultural impacts of the pandemic on migrant essential workers in the UK. It focuses on one of the largest non-British nationalities, the Polish community, who – while employed across a range of roles and sectors – are overrepresented in lower-paid essential jobs. The article discusses variegated and interconnected impacts of the pandemic on these workers. It illustrates how Covid-19 affects them in very uneven and sometimes contrasting ways depending on their individual positionalities. Methodologically, the article draws upon 1105 responses to an online survey, 40 interviews with Polish essential workers in the UK and 10 expert interviews with key stakeholders providing support to migrant workers in the country. It is based on the first major research project investigating lived experiences of migrant essential workers in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council
From the West to the Kurdistan region: exploring the complexities of gendered Kurdish return mobilities
Get PDFThis paper examines the phenomenon of gendered return mobilities among Kurdish diaspora returnees from Western countries, analysing their motivations, experiences, and challenges encountered by individuals returning to Kurdistan, Iraq. Drawing on related theoretical frameworks on return mobilities and empirical data collected in Kurdistan, the study offers an in-depth analysis of the multifaceted nature of return migration. Beginning with an examination of return mobilities within the broader context of migration studies, the paper underscores their importance in comprehending migration dynamics and patterns. Furthermore, the paper provides historical context regarding Kurdish displacement and forced migration, offering insights into the historical backdrop that informs contemporary return mobilities patterns. It outlines the research methodology, detailing the procedures involved in data collection and analysis conducted in Kurdistan during 2021 and 2022. Focusing on economic, social, and cultural factors, the paper analyses empirical data from Kurdistan to elucidate the drivers of return mobilities and explore the challenges faced by returnees during their reintegration processes. Finally, the paper concludes by presenting policy implications, offering recommendations for stakeholders, and outlining avenues for future research
Die Implementierung von Corporate Digital Responsibility durch den Einsatz von Operational Excellence – Eine qualitativ empirische Untersuchung möglicher digital-ethischer Effekte von Operational Excellence in der deutschen produzierenden Industrie
No full textThe increased use of digital technologies and innovations influences the business activities of German companies and defines new technological, social and economic requirements and expectations. Today, more than ever, companies must demonstrate their ability to disrupt and adapt without neglecting their corporate obligation to take responsibility for their social and digital actions.
Against this background, Corporate Digital Responsibility (CDR) is investigated and evaluated as a normative concept of voluntary commitment to corporate responsibility for digital action. Although there are already some CDR-guidelines, few initiatives deal with the implementation in the company.
This dissertation investigates whether established Operational Excellence (OpEX) methods, such as Lean Management, Agile Management, Scrum and SixSigma, can support companies in integrating digital-ethical initiatives like CDR into companies and promoting ethical-moral decision-making behaviour in dealing with digital technologies, as well as developing better corporate resilience to cope with the demands of the VUCA world.
This scientific work is located in the field of applied business ethics and combines the topics of corporate responsibility and process management. The topics of CDR, OpEX and digital transformation, which have so far been studied independently of each other, are to be brought together in a holistic context.
The aim of this work is to find out which interfaces and commonalities exist between OpEX and CDR and whether the beliefs and philosophies of OpEX can favour the digital-ethical development of companies.
An empirical study in the form of qualitative interviews with representatives from the German manufacturing industry will be conducted and evaluated using the Grounded Theory method. The dissertation follows an inductive pragmatic and interpretivist research approach in order to shed light on different reports of experience, but also to create a solution-oriented conclusion.
Based on the findings from the qualitative expert interviews, it becomes apparent that OpEX is considered a catalyst for both digital-ethical and sustainable issues. In particular, the methods of Lean Management and Agile Management are emphasised here.
Accordingly, it can be concluded that OpEX-concepts are a good basis for integrating digital-ethical action and pursuing digital-sustainable development. OpEX supports companies in dealing resiliently with possible challenges of the digital transformation