1,721,035 research outputs found
Introduction
No full textThe concept of genetic stigma, in the sense of being othered on the basis of one’s birth status or ancestry, is seen frequently in various works of literature—and in the mechanisms of law or custom—across a wide range of eras. This book looks to differing genres (folklore, faery tales, classic novels, children’s literature, science fiction) where orphans, foundlings, and adoptees have been othered, discriminated against, or somehow disenfranchised.<br/
Adoption’s ‘golden age’: from orphan rescue to the rights of the child
No full textVarious mythologies have attached to the ‘adoption industrial complex’ which established itself in the late nineteenth century, both within and across national borders, bolstered by the belief that many orphans and foundlings are easily uprooted and happy to be transplanted.<br/
Legal fictions, dystopian truths: [re]writing family life rights
No full textForced adoption and orphanisation have frequently been depicted in various works of dystopian fiction: usually they underscore the corrupt nature of a revolutionary or totalitarian regime. Civil and political rights violations (torture, slavery, deprivation of liberty, or loss of life) are often the key plot points, but the absence of family life rights may lead to the most emotive scenes or resonate deeply with readers.<br/
Customs and ‘laws’ of orphanisation: bastards and foundlings in folklore and fairy tale
No full textAbsence of natal origin has long been framed as a worrying sign of otherness: often steeped in stigma, it can both spark and signify unfairness, inequality, and societal injustice. This chapter offers analysis of the sociolegal and cultural significances that seem to underpin the need for knowable and authentic ancestral identity.<br/
Putting dignity to bed? The taxing question of the UK’s housing rights ‘relapse’
No full textDespite being ‘wrapped up in . . .ideological discourse,’ the UK’s recent statutory cap on Housing Benefit (a form of welfare payment aimed at helping unemployed or low-paid tenants pay their rent) has significantly affected the lives of ‘some of the most vulnerable members’ of society. Recent domestic case law has examined a range of rights-relevant issues, such as the legal definition of justifiable discrimination, equality, the nature of the overlap between fundamental rights, and the fluid scope of judicial deference and the margin of appreciation as these apply to human rights issues, especially those which are underpinned (or, perhaps more accurately, undermined) by socio-economic decision-making. Taken together the decisions provide fairly detailed guidance, if only very limited hope, for anyone seeking to argue that the various impacts of harsh austerity measures might amount to unlawful human rights infringements at national level. There is little sign that a meaningfully juridical right to adequate housing is being embedded in domestic law here, with judicial concern over preserving finite, scarce resources generally serving to ‘trump’ the various arguments put forward by housing rights advocates
Justiciability of Human Rights Law in Domestic Jurisdictions
Get PDFThis collection of 16 essays by 19 contributors calls into question the notion of domestic justiciability across a wide range of human rights issues, such as health, human dignity, criminal justice, property and transitional democracy. The authors offer critical analyses of a number of rights frameworks, focusing in considerable detail upon specific countries (e.g. Libya, Colombia, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland, South Africa, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Kenya, India) and regions (e.g. Europe, Africa) to highlight the various challenges which continue to vex human rights advocates and scholars. In doing so they pinpoint some of the major tensions that still exist within developing and developed jurisdictions, via a myriad range of perspectives. The essays collectively present a diverse assortment of themes unified by a single ‘golden thread’ – that of the domestic interpretations given to human rights protections. They raise questions as to how such rights might be made substantive at the level of domestic implementation, and query the extent to which these rights can, or even should, be enforced by the courts. The potential strains in the relationship between human rights and the rule of law, is further called into question by another central theme: that of human dignity. A fundamental dilemma arises in respect of the extent to which a ‘right’ to dignity can best be promoted, protected or monitored by domestic decision-makers. Similar issues are apparent within the context of the protection of those human rights which increasingly tend to engage social, political or economic considerations and interests. Whilst these arguments are often framed principally in terms of ‘rights,’ the collective message that emerges from this book is that such rights may often be, in fact, essentially non-justiciable. Readers of this text will perhaps feel compelled to reflect carefully and fully upon what it tells us about human rights law generally, and the extent to which such rights may be truly amenable to adjudication by the courts
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Precursors to employability—How first year undergraduate students Plan and strategize to become employable graduates
No full textDebates surrounding the ability of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to produce work-ready graduates have dominated higher education (HE) debate at both academic and policy levels for many decades. Whilst increasing emphasis is paid to university-workplace transitions and evidencing ‘employability’ as a new graduate, Murtagh et al. (J Further High Educ 41:597–610, 2017) remind us that a student’s first year at university is also a critical transition period. Whilst students will have a number of priorities during this time, including adjusting to university life and developing friendships, it is important to also consider their early thoughts and plans concerning their future careers and ‘employability’ as graduates. It is not surprising, for this reason, that Coertjens et al. (High Educ 73:357–369, 2017) highlight research into first year students’ transition into HE has received increasing attention in recent years. Here, we offer an account of how the academic, social/personal and professional capital students bring with them as they begin their university ‘journey’ influences their strategic decisions regarding their future employability. First year students’ stories and experiences from a multi-disciplinary study across four UK universities offer insights into the way they plan for post-graduation employment. Holmes’s graduate identity framework (Holmes in Q High Educ 7:111–119, 2001; Educ Train 57:219–238, 2015) is utilised to explore these case studies into how first year students develop their future graduate identity—what aspirations, expectations and experiences they bring with them and how they believe their degree and broader student experiences contribute to developing who they become as employable graduates. What emerges is that consideration of their career aspirations and how to achieve them is important both prior to and as they begin their university degree
- …
