Volcanoes -Recovery from Rage

Abstract

The transition town movement started in the United Kingdom in 2005, with the aim of addressing peak oil and climate change through self-organising community groups. A “transition model” was proposed to guide individual transition town initiatives in their governance processes. More than 40 community groups in Australia have since become recognised as official transition town initiatives by the Transition Network in the United Kingdom. This study explored the adoption of the transition model by community members in one small rural Australian town. The qualitative study used semistructured interviews with 10 active members of this transition town initiative to gather information on its governance processes, aims, gender relations, and carbon reduction strategies. Preliminary findings have indicated that the transition town model offers guidance to facilitate the self-organising required to enable community groups with skilled communicators to promote changes in lifestyle practices of local people in ways that may reduce carbon emissions.     

Fempress: a communication strategy for women

In 1981, two Chilean women living in exile in Mexico started Fempress, the Latin American Media Network which puts out a monthly magazine, operates a press service on women's issues, and provides a Radio Press Service which covers Latin America. The monthly magazine, Mujer-Fempress, started out as 200 copies of a xeroxed bulletin and now runs 5000 copies per issue. This magazine has played an important role in achieving communication within the far-flung women's movement in Latin American. Early in its existence, Fempress began to concentrate on creating alternative media channels as a means of empowering women through raising awareness and stimulating change. Since the market will not support such alternative work, Fempress is dependent upon international cooperation for funding.     

‘Systemic thinking’, ‘regenerative culture’, and new forms of prefigurative politics: challenges for the global left

ABSTRACT

One of the aspects of the current crisis of the Left is an ‘epistemological blindness’ that prevents it from identifying opportunities for its own renewal. That includes the dismissal of the contribution of prefigurative forms of collective action which do not fit its institutionalized orthodoxies. Their most significant expression is a range of grassroots initiatives based on ‘systemic thinking’ and aimed at promoting a ‘regenerative culture’. It includes non-capitalist economic initiatives, such as those of the transition movement, social and solidarity economy and the Global Ecovillage Network, as well as of the temporary communities created by Occupy Wall Street movement and the Dakota Access Pipeline protests. They regard social polarization, patriarchy, and the crisis of democracy as interconnected dimensions of a civilizational dysfunction that asks for whole-systems solutions. Such approach, if adopted by the Left, may contribute to its renewal and political strengthening.     

Mobilizing on Campus: Conservative Movements and Today’s College Students1

Social movement scholars have known for some time that students, and particularly college students, play an important role in modern social movements. Yet the full extent of conservative mobilizing, both today and in the past, is frequently overlooked. This article highlights the critical role college campuses have played in the rise of conservative movements in the United States over the last 40 years. In doing so, it develops a concept of transition points to help explain the mechanisms responsible for the longstanding finding that college students form an important core of many social movements. Transition points are marked by both changes in routines and changes in social network configuration. The utility of the transition point concept is explored through ethnographic and interview data from the American pro‐life movement.     

Shelter Network: serving homeless families and individuals (1987-2007)

Shelter Network is a nonprofit organization that delivers a range of services that meet the needs of homeless families and individuals in order to help them achieve stable housing and self-sufficiency. The agency began as a grassroots community effort to respond to the growing problem of homelessness and its relationship with its external community continues to play an important role in its financing, growth, and development. Over its 20-year history, Shelter Network has overcome multiple challenges related to leadership, finance, and community support and has grown from a grassroots agency into an organization with a budget of $7 million.     

话语权的回归:论网络语境下的青年影像

在传统媒介环境下,青年影像主要从内容和接受者两个角度界定。年轻人是被叙述者,而不是叙述者。传统媒介环境下的青年影像是一种"伪青年"文化。网络激发了人们特别是年轻人的参与热情。年轻人作为自为者,而不是他为者或为他者而存在。网络青年影像是一种真正的青年文化,可以粗略地分为校园和后校园影像。网络青年影像的意义在于它的不确定性,由此呈现出向未来开放的文化特性。     

英国的“低碳转型计划”及其政策启示

作为低碳经济的先行者，近来英国正式颁布了低碳转型计划。该计划对电力部门、家庭与社区、工作场所和就业、交通系统、农业等领域的碳排放都给出了详细的应对措施，将减排目标具体量化，并在此基础上提出了明确的时间表。与此同时，计划还突出强调政府在低碳转型中的定位和作用。该计划对我国发展低碳经济具有重要启示。     

Which transition concept is useful for describing the process of young people leaving state care? A reflection on research and language

The transition of adolescents from state care to independent living is receiving increased research attention in many countries. Despite this interest, the concept of ‘transition’, though central, still remains relatively undeveloped. One main issue in comparative work is how we use language to define concepts as well as use them to analyse our findings and shape practice. ‘Transition’ over the last decade has become a key concept in the research and practice field of social work with adolescents, therefore we need to reflect on its use, its possibilities and its limitations. This paper examines selected research literature on the transition from state care to adulthood. The paper suggests that more theorisation needs to be done within the field.     

A Critical New Pathway Towards Change in Abusive Relationships: The Theory of Transition Framework

This article explores the use of “Transition Framework” as a conceptual framework for individual and social change. William Bridges introduced Transition Framework in the 1970s as a three-pronged model explaining how people respond to change in their lives. This article argues that such an approach has the potential to help clients recognize and grieve the loss of their old identities, become comfortable with new ways of communicating, understand their cycles of relapse and make positive changes. The relevance of this model to transformative change in domestic violence treatment is explored.     

Employing People With Disabilities: A Preliminary Assessment of a Start-Up Initiative

A major city in Pennsylvania initiated the Career Transition Liaison Project, the first of its kind in the region. Based on a mixed method evaluation design, the pilot study findings show that employing youth with disabilities requires certain accommodations and an initial investment in training, but these investments pay off for the employer.     

Social Movement Endurance: Collective Identity and the Rastafari

In this paper we argue that a movement's longevity depends on its ability to develop and sustain a strong sense of collective identity. We investigate social movement endurance by examining the Rastafari, whose membership is comprised primarily of disadvantaged Jamaicans of African descent. While many social movements fade after a short-lived peak, the Rastafari not only has persisted, but it also has become globally important. Despite its radical posture and its perceived threat to the Jamaican established order, the movement has prevailed for more than six decades. On the basis of a number of concepts derived from different theoretical traditions in social movement theory, we examine the dynamic processes involved in the construction of collective identity among the Rastafari. We are particularly interested in the concepts of "cognitive liberation,""movement culture/boundary structure," and "the politics of signification." These concepts allow us to describe and analyze the key dimensions of the Rastafarian collective identity. This framework, we argue, enhances our understanding of collective identity as well as the processes contributing to social movement longevity.     

From hostile skepticism to strategic utilization: how the Brazilian landless movement learned from repression to use legislation

This paper explores the evolution of the Landless Movement’s practices with respect to legislation and public policy from the 1980s to the Temer government, which took power after Dilma Rousseff was removed from the Presidency in 2016. The main argument is that the movement has learned over time, from viewing government with hostile skepticism, to understanding its relationship with different administrations in terms of strategic utilization. Central to this argument is that instead of the government’s use of repression contributing to demobilization, a variety of acts initially intended to suppress the movement subsequently provided the Landless Movement with knowledge on institutions, policies, and laws. Such lessons contributed to the movement’s ability to address a variety of its internal weaknesses. How lessons have been acquired, as well as how the movement has altered its approach with respect to the state, becomes apparent in subnational comparisons and in charting developments in the movement’s approach to federal legislation over time. Actual changes in the movement, most notably in terms of leadership, organization, and tactics, have taken place, making it well-prepared to confront the Temer administration’s efforts to suppress mobilization.     

Debating US Contemporary Feminism

The US women's movement has challenged societal norms, policies, laws, and culture since its inception. However, at the same time, it has inspired debates about its goals, ideology, tactics, and outcomes. These debates emerge from two main sources: the mainstream media as it reflects dominant culture and among feminist activists and/or scholars. I elaborate on three of the most contentious aspects of contemporary feminism through a series of questions: Is the movement still in existence? What is the relationship between generations of feminists? And finally, how have feminists addressed diversity, privilege, and inclusion in the movement, particularly around issues of race‐ethnicity? I conclude that while the movement still exists, feminists continue to struggle with generational relations, and contemporary activists have not created an inclusive and diverse movement. However, I argue that these debates and struggles are evidence of a vibrant movement that continues into the 21st century.     

Conflict Resolution Network Schools Development Australia

This paper outlines how a school climate and culture can be changed through the implementation of a Whole School Approach to Conflict Resolution and Peer Mediation Skilling. The role of external consultancy (Conflict Resolution Network Schools Development), consisting of specialist consultants with an education background, is part of a general “grassroots” movement, led by the Conflict Resolution Network and affecting institutions, business and groups in our society. The paper firstly emphasises conflict resolution skill training (12 Skills Toolkit) to educators by the consultant. Secondly, a 10 step implementation process is presented to educators who generally hold administrative positions. Two case studies are included to provide examples of different approaches based on the initial conflict resolution skilling of teachers. Don White from James Busby High School gives a brief history of the stages of implementation of conflict resolution skills in his school. Dilcie Singh outlines the linking of a Peer Mediation program to part of the school visison “Valuing People”.     

“Fathers’ Rights” Activism,Discourse, Groups and Impacts: Findings from a Scoping Review of the Literature

The fathers’ rights movement emerged in its current form in the 1980s as a decentralized, transnational, grassroots network of activists, support groups, and public polemics concerning child custody and child support laws and policies in the context of separation and divorce. This scoping review reports on existing research on the fathers’ rights movement to provide a comprehensive roadmap of how the fathers’ rights movement has so far been understood and interpreted in terms of its characteristics and its impacts. Implications include specifying suggestions for future research as well as the implications for practitioners working with separated fathers and their families.     

对学校网络危机管理的思考

在信息化时代里,网络危机管理成了广大中小学校必须面临的新挑战。因此,如何认识网络危机、如何有效防范和管理网络危机至关重要。以我国新近发生的"绿领巾"事件为案例,借助危机情景四要素理论,重新探讨了学校网络危机的内涵及其表征,构建了学校网络危机管理模型,并提出了相应的行动路径。     

Stojanov,D., Culahovic,B.: From Transition to Development: Globalization and Political Economy of Development in Transition Economies; Proceedings of the Second International Conference of the Faculty of Economics Sarajevo.

Review of Journals and Books

Stojanov, D., Culahovic, B.: From Transition to Development: Globalization and Political Economy of Development in Transition Economies; Proceedings of the Second International Conference of the Faculty of Economics Sarajevo.     

A Movement’s Legacy: Southern Echo and the Continued Struggle for Racial Justice in the Delta

Recent research has complicated popular understandings of the civil rights movement, calling into question its timeline, key players, and biggest victories. Scholars have highlighted the role of community organizing, arguing that capacity-building and leadership development were the movement’s real wins. Yet little research has examined how contemporary organizers view and use this history in their current work. Drawing upon interview and observational data from a qualitative case study, this article explores how one Delta organization, Southern Echo, responds to the movement of the 1950s and 1960s in its organizing today. We argue that Echo organizers and leaders see the civil rights movement as an ongoing struggle, and we show that Echo adopts a critical stance in analyzing past civil rights work; Echo’s structure and strategies are a direct response to this history. Our analysis offers a new, critical perspective to understandings of the civil rights movement.     

Changing organizational structures of jihadist networks in the Netherlands

This paper uses Social Network Analysis to study and compare the organizational structures and division of roles of three jihadist networks in the Netherlands. It uses unique longitudinal Dutch police data covering the 2000–2013 period. This study demonstrates how the organizational structures transform from a hierarchical cell-structure with a clear division of labor to horizontal and dense networks with less clear orientation on tasks. The core member types in the jihadist movement transform from international jihad veterans with clear leadership skills to homegrown radicals with less status and often a lack of expertise.     

Achievements of and challenges facing the Korean Disabled People’s Movement

Abstract

This paper provides a critical review of the development of the disabled people’s movement in South Korea since 1945, reflecting both its achievements and the obstacles it has faced. In particular, political positions and responses to the movement’s agitation against socio-cultural discrimination and inequality are discussed. Further, three key theoretical foundations of the movement are examined in order to describe the diversity inherent therein. This paper concludes that the disabled people’s movement has heavily influenced the values, norms, and systems of Korean society, but it has predominantly focused on integrating disability issues into policy and legislation, not on changing society and culture. Hence, the Korean Disabled People’s Movement is currently facing many challenges that are major threats towards its future development.