17 research outputs found
Don’t Tell the Parents! The Illicitness of Intergenerational Play
No full textThis chapter explores the way children’s literature and popular culture sometimes represents play-based relationships between the old and the young as something to be hidden from others. Using an approach to literary criticism based on Personal Construct Psychology, the author investigates the ways that depictions of relationships formed through play can lead to close bonds and shared secrets to be kept from parents, friends and teachers. Drawing upon the author’s doctoral study, the chapter includes close analyses of David Walliams’ Gangsta Granny and Richard Curtis and Rebecca Cobb’s Snow Day in order to delve into the way play is used as a literary device to develop a connection between the generations, sometimes to the exclusion of the middle (parent) group. Sociocultural questions of appropriateness and the sometimes unintentionally sinister implications of the relationships depicted are discussed, alongside the way constructions of childhood and old-age, which often lack authority within the wider narrative, are validated through shared recreation
Appearances and Realities of Post-War Reconstruction in Mozambique
No full textAbstract: Mozambique is widely promoted on the world stage as a success story. The international community celebrates Mozambique’s success in achieving lasting peace after decades of war; in implementing economic and political reforms; attaining impressive and steady economic growth; and promoting peace, democracy and reform in the region of southern Africa. But what is the reality underlying this shining image of success and post-war reconstruction? This article seeks to expose the stark contrast between the discursive portrayal and celebration of Mozambique’s post-war path towards democracy, growth and development, and the concrete reality of ever-increasing inequality and the rise of systematic corruption and organized crime. The article first presents the dominant portrayal of Mozambique, giving examples from various discursive sites (official reports of international organizations, governmental documents, the media, etc.). The article then turns to explore the reality of Mozambique in the current period, focusing on two definitive aspects of Mozambique’s post-war condition. First, it describes the growing inequality that characterizes Mozambican society today, the ever-growing wealth alongside widespread poverty and social exclusion in both urban and rural areas. It then considers the entrenched culture of corruption and violence that has arisen in the context of neo-liberal reform, exemplified most tragically in the assassination of journalist Carlos Cardoso in 2000. The analysis draws on various sources, including interviews conducted by the author in 1999, official reports and documents, and the media
The Perceived Influence of Children’s Literature on Sociocultural Understanding in UK Education
No full textThis article recognises the interplay between learners’ understanding of the world and the literature selected for, and read by, children as a result of current curriculum design within the UK. As part of the author’s doctoral study, an extensive review was conducted into the place of children’s literature in the development of socio-cultural constructs; this included an appraisal of the function of published narratives within the development of a national curriculum for English in the UK. The findings of the review detailed here identified that an ideological linkage between the study of literature and the development of sociocultural values resulted from an increased politicisation of the English curriculum, particularly post-2010. Within the social and historical debates, reading was identified as a specific mechanism for transmitting adult-centric ideas around spiritual, moral, social and cultural beliefs. Issues of power and control became emphasised within the review through the exploration of the actions of gatekeepers, including publishers, librarians, teachers and even politicians, as they attempted to define a preferred canon of literature for study. Throughout the wider literature, contemporary political discourse seemingly argued for dominance over and marginalisation of different factions of society without acknowledging the implicit and explicit bias found within. The review concluded that educators have a responsibility to teach critical literacy skills to enable young readers to negotiate the ideologies being presented to them, but, in the view of this author, this is only possible if teachers enable learners to interrogate for themselves the literature chosen as resources for the classroom.
Key words: Children’s Literature, Curriculum, Ideology, Power, Reading
Resumen
El siguiente artículo trata de la interacción entre la comprensión del mundo por parte de los aprendices y la literatura seleccionada para y leída por el alumnado como resultado del actual diseño curricular en Reino Unido. Como parte de la tesis doctoral de la autora, se llevó a cabo una revisión extensiva sobre el lugar de la literatura infantil en el desarrollo de los constructos socioculturales. Esto incluye una valoración de la función de las narrativas publicadas sobre el desarrollo de un currículum nacional para el inglés en Reino Unido. Los hallazgos de la revisión que se incluyen aquí, muestran que hay un vínculo entre el estudio de la literatra y el desarrollo de los valores socioculturales resultado de una politización creciente del currículum inglés, particularmente a partir de 2010. Entre los debates sociales e históricos, la lectura ha sido identificada como un mecanismo para transmitir ideas adultocéntricas sobre creencias espirituales, morales, sociales y culturales. Los problemas del poder y el control se enfatizan en la investigación a través de la exploración de las acciones de las agencias, incluyendo editoriales, personal de bibliotecas, docentes e, incluso, políticos, ya que intentan definir un canon literario preferido para su estudio. A través de una amplia literatura, el discurso político contemporáneo, aparentemente, ha defendido la dominación y la marginación de diferentes facciones de la sociedad sin tener presente el sesgo implícito y explícito que conlleva. La revisión concluye que los educadores y educadoras tienen una responsabilidad a la hora de enseñar destrezas de lectura crítica para permitir a los y las jóvenes lectores y lectoras negociar las ideologías que se les presentan. Pero desde el punto de vista de la autora, esto es solo posible si los docentes permiten al alumnado interrogar por ellos mismos la literatura que se escoge como recurso en el aula.
Palabras clave: Literatura infantil, Currículo, Ideología, Poder, Lectura
Resum
Aquest article tracta la interacció entre la comprensió del món per part dels aprenents i la literatura seleccionada per i llegida per infants, com a resultat de l’actual disseny del currículum a Regne Unit. Com a part de la tesi doctoral de l’autora, es va dur a terme una revisió extensiva al voltant del lloc de la literatura infantil en el desenvolupament dels constructes socioculturals. Açò inclou una valoració de la funció de les narratives publicades entorn del desenvolupament d’un currículum nacional per a l’anglés a Regne Unit. Les troballes en la revisió detallades ací, identifiquen que hi ha un vincle entre l’estudi de la literatura i el desenvolupament dels valors socioculturals resultat d’una politització creixent del currículum anglés, particularment després de 2010. Entre els debats socials i històrics, la lectura ha sigut identificada com a un mecanisme per transmetre idees adultocèntriques sobre creences espirituals, morals, socials i culturals. Els problemes del poder i el control s’emfatitzen en la investigació a través de l’exploració de les accions de les agències, incloent editorials, personal de biblioteques, docents i fins i tot polítics, en tant que intenten de definir un cànon literari preferit per al seu estudi. A través d’una àmplia literatura, el discurs polític contemporani, aparentment, ha defensat la dominació i la marginalització de diferents faccions de la societat sense tindre present el biaix implícit i explícit que s’hi troba. La revisió conclou que els i les educadors i educadores tenen una responsabilitat per a ensenyar destreses de lectura crítica per tal de permetre als i les joves lectors i lectores negociar les ideologies que se’ls hi presenten; açò però, des del punt de vista de l’autora, és només possible si els docents permeten a l’alumnat contestar per ells mateixos la literatura que es tria com a recurs a l’aula.
Paraules clau: Literatura infantil, Currículum, Ideologia, Poder, Lectura
The Daughters of Modron: Evangeline Walton's feminist re-visioning of the 'Mabinogi'
No full textThe Mabinogi Tetralogy by Evangeline Walton consists of four novels: Prince of Annwn (1974), The Children of Llyr (1971), The Song of Rhiannon (1972) and The Island of the Mighty (1970, first published under the title The Virgin and the Swine, 1936). This thesis locates the Tetralogy as a founding text of modern feminist fantasy fiction by analysing its rewriting of the Four Branches of the Mabinogi. The analysis demonstrates how feminist debate, Welsh medieval literature and Celtic history combine to produce an important, if hitherto largely ignored, contribution to both fantasy fiction and women’s writing.
Walton re-visions the Mabinogi as a tale of a fictional Celtic Wales’s transition from a mother-worshipping tribal society to the patriarchal, monotheistic power structure that governed the construction of the medieval text. The fantasy genre which Walton helped form enables the author to use magic as a symbol of female agency. The female characters in The Mabinogion Tetralogy with the strongest connection with the fictional deity referred to as the Mother – Rhiannon and Arianrhod – also have the highest degree of magical capabilities. Conversely, those who lose their connection with the Mother – Branwen, Penardim and Blodeuwedd – become subject to the control of their male counterparts. A feminist reading of the Tetralogy, which draws upon the work of Luce Irigaray, reveals Walton’s series as a story about the cultural demise of Mother-worship and the institutionalisation of a patriarchal society that permanently re-defined gender roles.
An examination of Walton’s source material elucidates how the author uses historical research to provide a realistic framework for the Tetralogy. By examining how Walton merges history with fantasy, and a medieval text with modern feminist thought, this thesis argues for a re-evaluation of Evangeline Walton as one of the most important developers of feminist fantasy fiction
The "unlikely female" characters of the Mabinogi
No full textThe female characters of the Mabinogi represent divergent views on medieval
gender roles. Some characters are depicted in stereotypical ways — defined in
dichotomy, as either Mary or Eve. Other female characters are different, for they
portray women who act outside of social norms. These are the ‘unlikely female’
characters. The aim of this dissertation is to define, identify, and analyse the
‘unlikely female’ characters of the Mabinogi. The first chapter provides a
literature review (of church doctrines, courtesy books and bardic grammar) to
identify medieval gender assumptions. The ‘unlikely female’ characters do not
meet any established gender norms. They are defined as either independent or
forthright. Chapter two identifies the ‘unlikely female’ characters as Rhiannon,
Branwen, Aranrhod and Gowein. Their actions and behaviours set them apart
from societal expectations. The ‘unlikely female’ characters are then analysed
within a background of law, history and medieval Welsh culture. The third
chapter describes their creation and derivation. The continuing role of the author
and scribal author is essential to understanding texts which were transcribed for
over a hundred years. Scribal authors had agency and often modified or
expanded texts. They were also influenced by the Church and their culture.
References to mythology, folktales, hagiography and historical biography are
discussed. Biographical depictions of medieval Welsh noblewomen indicate their
similarity to these ‘unlikely female’ characters. In conclusion, the Mabinogi
contains many references to medieval society and culture depicting gender
norms. Yet as these characters developed, their mythic past may have been
replaced by historic Welsh noblewomen; whose biographies show them to be
both independent and forthright. By placing the ‘unlikely female’ characters of
the Mabinogi in the context of medieval Welsh society, any perceived gender
variations become less ‘unlikely’ and more expecte
Seawater carbonate chemistry and shell growth and coloration of important Northwest Atlantic bivalve species
No full textTo investigate the response of four commercially relevant bivalve species to OA and differing temperatures, juvenile Mercenaria mercenaria (hard shell clams), juvenile Mya arenaria (soft shell clams), adult and juvenile Arctica islandica (ocean quahog), and juvenile Placopecten magellanicus (Atlantic sea scallops) were grown in varying pH and temperature conditions. Species were exposed to four controlled pH conditions (7.4, 7.6, 7.8, and ambient/8.0) and three controlled temperature conditions (6, 9, and 12˚C) for 20.5 weeks and then shell growth and coloration were analyzed. This research marks the first direct comparison of these species' biological responses to both temperature and OA conditions within the same experiment.
This dataset is included in the OA-ICC data compilation maintained in the framework of the IAEA Ocean Acidification International Coordination Centre (see https://oa-icc.ipsl.fr). Original data were provided by the author of the related paper (see Related to) to the OA-ICC data curator. In order to allow full comparability with other ocean acidification data sets, the R package seacarb (Gattuso et al, 2024) was used to compute a complete and consistent set of carbonate system variables, as described by Nisumaa et al. (2010). In this dataset the original values were archived in addition with the recalculated parameters (see related PI). The date of carbonate chemistry calculation by seacarb is 2025-02-21
Refining trace metal temperature proxies in cold-water scleractinian and stylasterid corals
No full text© 2020 The Author(s) The Li/Mg, Sr/Ca and oxygen isotopic (δ18O) compositions of many marine biogenic carbonates are sensitive to seawater temperature. Corals, as cosmopolitan marine taxa with carbonate skeletons that can be precisely dated, represent ideal hosts for these geochemical proxies. However, efforts to calibrate and refine temperature proxies in cold-water corals
Aspects of ceremonial burial in the Bronze Age of south-west Britain.
No full textThe aim of this study is to investigate the ways in which actions involving the construction of funerary mounds facilitated the continuity of Beaker and Bronze Age society in South-West Britain by creating and renewing meaningful traditions of knowledge. Following a brief introduction (Chapter 1) which reviews the character and contents of the study, the second chapter considers some theoretical issues arising from the practice of interpretative archaeology, and concludes with a discussion of death rituals and their archaeological appropriation. Chapter 3 is a critical review of the modem tradition of barrow study, and proposes an alternative perspective pursued in later chapters. Chapter 4 involves an examination of the environmental and social context surrounding later third and second millennium burial practices in the South-West in terms of its implications for community regionalization, social structure, and funerary function. Chapter 5 contains an overview of the funerary sites, a discussion of the analysis employed in their examination, and a contextual history of Bronze Age funerary practices, integrating the results into a general view of social and ritual development. Chapter 6 elaborates upon Beaker/Bronze Age traditions of knowledge by detailing the form and content of the meaningful taxonomies which structured perception, and how such taxonomies were forwarded and reproduced through tomb construction and related ritual actions. The chapter concludes by considering the results of the analysis against the current approaches to the subject. The picture of Bronze Age ceremonial burial which emerges differs from that produced by traditional and current perspectives, in that local contingent circumstances and cosmological constructs are shown to have been of equal importance to both power relations and large scale economic structures in influencing site location, monument appearance, material culture use, and funerary action. Appendices and tables summarise individual site histories and supporting data
Transcending jurisprudence : a critique of the architectonics of international law
No full textei tietoa saavutettavuudest
Sex dependence of postoperative pulmonary complications – A post hoc unmatched and matched analysis of LAS VEGAS
No full textStudy objective: Male sex has inconsistently been associated with the development of postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs). These studies were different in size, design, population and preoperative risk. We reanalysed the database of 'Local ASsessment of Ventilatory management during General Anaesthesia for Surgery study' (LAS VEGAS) to evaluate differences between females and males with respect to PPCs. Design, setting and patients: Post hoc unmatched and matched analysis of LAS VEGAS, an international observational study in patients undergoing intraoperative ventilation under general anaesthesia for surgery in 146 hospitals across 29 countries. The primary endpoint was a composite of PPCs in the first 5 postoperative days. Individual PPCs, hospital length of stay and mortality were secondary endpoints. Propensity score matching was used to create a similar cohort regarding type of surgery and epidemiological factors with a known association with development of PPCs. Main results: The unmatched cohort consisted of 9697 patients; 5342 (55.1%) females and 4355 (44.9%) males. The matched cohort consisted of 6154 patients; 3077 (50.0%) females and 3077 (50.0%) males. The incidence in PPCs was neither significant between females and males in the unmatched cohort (10.0 vs 10.7%; odds ratio (OR) 0.93 [0.81-1.06]; P = 0.255), nor in the matched cohort (10.5 vs 10.0%; OR 1.05 [0.89-1.25]; P = 0.556). New invasive ventilation occurred less often in females in the unmatched cohort. Hospital length of stay and mortality were similar between females and males in both cohorts. Conclusions: In this conveniently-sized worldwide cohort of patients receiving intraoperative ventilation under general anaesthesia for surgery, the PPC incidence was not significantly different between sexes. Registration: LAS VEGAS was registered at clinicaltrial.gov (study identifier NCT01601223)
