In response to Gans: the culture–structure binary

Gans (2012 Gans, H. 2012. Against culture versus structure. Identities: Global Studies in Culture and Power, 19(2): 125–134. [Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; Against culture versus structure. Identities: Global Studies in Culture and Power, 19 (2), 125–134) makes four assertions in his claim that ‘Contemporary sociology is saddled with a culture–structure binary but the fault for its existence lies mostly with cultural sociology … and the culture–structure binary should be abandoned’. I argue that (1) defining culture, while problematic, is insufficient reason for abandoning the concept. (2) Marx, among others, proffered a dialectical view of culture that is not structural only or interpretive only. (3) Gans ignores the social and political impact of cultural studies, specifically the Birmingham Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies. And (4) culturally oriented research has been used extensively to shape and analyse the varying approaches by public policy-makers to critical social issues.     

Community Foundations in China: In Search of Identity?

This paper provides an assessment of the current state of China’s community foundation movement. We use a mixed-methods approach that combines the collection and analysis of secondary data with interview-based comparative case studies. We first present a typology, followed by an estimate of the number of existing community foundations. We then present a comparative analysis of two community foundation types (independent vs. government-affiliated). Our findings, organized around four themes, suggest the presence of dual identities among Chinese community foundations: government-led social reform and civil society-led social innovation. Although vastly outnumbered by their government-affiliated counterparts, independent community foundations are able to achieve greater strategic agility, suggesting a promising future for this new form of institutional philanthropy in China.

     

In Pursuit of Dreams

THE 42nd "Eureka" World Fair for Inventions was held during the winter of 1993 in Brussels. Twenty-five countries and regions exhibited 540 high-tech inventions. The exhibition was fiercely competitive, because only eight gold medal awards, the highest awards, would be given. Yet, at the awards ceremony, Liu Ziping of China heard her name called four times.     

In Search of Self

"I'M not painting for others anymore," says Yuen Chee Ling frankly. "I think the primary purpose of painting is to encourage yourself—to please yourself. Painting brings me to a lot of places, and enables me to have a broader view of life. Although my     

‘In a bind’: Foster mothers' experiences with welfare reform

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 has diminished government support to single mothers and further limits the options for full-time parenting, placing priority on work participation and reduction of welfare caseloads. Based upon interviews with 100 low-income foster mothers who are also Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients, this study examines their experiences with these policies while they balance multiple responsibilities as caregivers for abused and neglected children from the child welfare system. The implications of TANF policies for foster mothers and policy alternatives that support diverse family structures are also discussed.     

Fish In Mutton Equals Delicious

CHINESE characters are pictographs. The character "delicious" consists of "fish" and "sheep." In fact, there are few recipes that uses fish and mutton as main ingredients, Yet, there is one dish called "fisn in mutton" whose taste is good enough to make people understand the connotation of     

In the Forefront of Reform

SHANWEI is a burgeoning city in Guangdong Province. Facing the sea, it leans on a mountain in the rear. It has grown from just a small town in 1988 through the implementation of the     

In Laura’s House

Eaton’s images offer us an eerie dream of blistering empathy using Donna and Laura, the iconic teenage friends of David Lynch’s Twin Peaks, as identificatory paths into a sexualized female psyche divided against itself by the paternal violence at the heart of an “ordinary” family. This graphic vignette is one of simultaneously poignant, radical, and therapeutic solidarity and survival, the monstrously violating figures peopling Laura Palma’s world becoming recognizable, if only for a short, privileged time, to the hitherto unspoiled eyes of her best friend Donna.     

In Memory of Helen Snow

Helen Foster Snow, an outstanding American woman and long-time friend of the Chinese people, passed away on January 11,1997, in the U.S. She lived a full life of 89 years and four months. Her friends in China were deeply grieved by the sad news. Heartfelt condolences were shown with profound respect and intimate recollections.     

Caring for Those In Special Need

"Millions of men and women in the world are living in a miserable abyss. They can hear sounds that others don't, see images that others cannot, and their minds are filled with eccentric ideas. Even as they smile, misery is gnawing at the heart; they may sit quietly, but it feels like hundreds of horses are stampeding inside their brains. They are overwhelmed by worry and fear. In this way, the serious person becomes silly, the energetic goes dull, the cheerful turns gloomy and the honest may cheat you.In other words, they have been plunged into uncontrollable fantasies that take them far away from reality. They are the mentally ill, and they are deeply unfortunate." Professor Xia Zhenyi, a well-known Chinese psychiatrist, offered this sympathetic view of his patients. He reminds us: "Mental patients are human beings too."     

Keeping People ‘In the Tent’: Governance in the New Zealand Outdoor Activity Sector

The purpose of this research was to examine governance in the New Zealand outdoor activity sector. We conducted 35 interviews with key personnel from organisations with responsibility for national co-ordination, education, and membership services. Using Brandsen and Pestoff’s (Public Manag Rev 8(4):493–501, 2006) co-processes framework, we describe and analyse governance of the outdoor sector. In so doing, we provide insight into the challenges facing this complex sector with regard to funding and stakeholder relationships, programme delivery, and personality conflicts. We also contribute by highlighting some of the shortcomings of the co-processes model, and offer constructively critical insights for its development.     

‘Stuck In The Middle With You’: Towards Enabling Social Work with Disabled People

This article explores progress to date in embedding enabling social work understandings and practices with disabled people by reviewing the UK social work curriculum. Based on these observations and the ideas from UK disability studies, it will offer possible solutions or at least better pathways to enabling practice with disabled people. As Meekosha has pointed out in a global context, to date social work has been experienced as an ambivalent practice [Meekosha, H. & Dowse, L. (2007) ‘Integrating critical disability studies into social work education and practice: an Australian perspective’, Practice, vol. 19, no. 3, pp. 59–72], often both enabling and disabling; an intervention that can both lock and unlock resources, and challenge and reaffirm traditional notions of the ‘disability problem’ [Finkelstein, V. (1993) ‘Disability: A Social Challenge or an Administrative Responsibility?’, in Disabiling Barriers ‐ Enabling Environments, eds J. Swain, V. Finkelstein, S. French and M. Oliver, Sage Publications in association with the Open University, London]. Social work also has the potential to both challenge, but also be an (inadvertent) apologist for contemporary social support and welfare systems. Indeed it is clear that social work as a profession and social care as a policy area have been the poor relations of healthcare and health professions [King's Fund (2011) Social Care Funding and the NHS: An Impending Crisis?, King's Fund, London]. Viewed anthropologically, social work remains a largely non-disabled workforce ‘ministering’ to disabled clients (BCODP, 1997). This might reinforce the perception of ‘us and them’ in some social work encounters. As Paul Longmore questioned, can we begin to go ‘beyond affliction’ (2003) in our work with disabled people? Can social work help support the collective struggles of disabled people or is their role inevitably to reinforce that of individual(ised) clients?

The development of the personalisation agenda and self-directed support is clearly welcome in this context [DoH (2006) Our Health, Our Care, Our Say: A New Direction for Community Services, Department of Health, London; DoH (2007) Independence, Choice and Risk: A Guide to Best Practice in Supported Decision-Making, Department of Health, London; DoH (2009) Personalisation of Social Care Services, Department of Health, London]. Such developments reflect the changing service user–professional relationship. The temptation to see these developments as the icing on the social support cake needs, however, to be resisted. Arguably, with the increased rationing of social support, the continued role of social workers in assessment and monitoring of support could be seen to require a yet more reflexive and enabling professional education and training in an age of austerity, one where previously supported disabled people are being told that their needs can no longer be met.     

In a Rehabilitation Center for Drug Addicts

WHEN China opens its doors to the outside world, fresh air comes in. So do flies. While drug addicts were unknown in China for 30 years, there are now reports of drug users and their related crimes. In an effort to abolish drug abuse in China, rehabilitation centers are being set up throughout the country to give medical aid to drug users trying to kick the habit. These photos were taken in a rehabilitation center in a small town in Gansu Province in the northwestern part of China.