The Royal Commission,ATSIC and Self-Determination: A Review of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody

The National Report of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, in recommending fundamental reforms of government policy, proposed a primarily political and administrative notion of Aboriginal empowerment or ‘self-determination’. That is, the Commissioner argued the fundamental importance of publicly-funded Aboriginal organisations and urged governments to relax financial accountability requirements imposed on them. The paper quotes extensively from the National Report to argue that this, rather than ‘land rights’ or ‘economic independence’ is what the Commissioner meant by ‘self-determination’. But what is the place of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) in such a view of Aboriginal and Islander political development? The paper demonstrates the Commissioner's ambivalence about ATSIC, and his failure consistently to project ATSIC's role when making his recommendations about health, alcohol and housing policies. It concludes by citing Commonwealth responses which indicate that ATSIC is likely to emerge as an obstacle in the Commissioner's scenario of Aboriginal and Islander political development.     

Black, with a White Parent, a Positive and Achievable Identity

Correspondence to Beverley Prevatt Goldstein, Centre for Applied Social Studies. University of Durham, 15 Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HL, UK. Summary This paper focuses on black children with a white parent inBritain. It is based on historical, research and theoreticalmaterial deriving largely from anti-racist and psychologicalframeworks and synthesizes and critically reappraises the existingresearch on black children with a white parent, living withtheir original families, in Britain. The objective is to ‘normalize’black children with a white parent by identifying and rejectingthe forces that pathologize them. The paper therefore highlightsthe racism, marginalization and alienation which are likelyto impact on their world so that action may be taken to combatthese. A lack of clarity as to the personal and political complexityof identity has hampered professional perspectives and intervention.The paper consequently explores, from a postmodernist blackperspective, the ‘racial’ self-concepts that areavailable to this group, identifying their underlying agendasand their consequences. It concludes that the availability ofthe self-concept ‘black, with a white parent’, offeredin the framework of change, multiplicity and individuality,is beneficial. However any consideration of ‘racial’self-concept or identity is deemed productive only when combinedwith efforts to reduce racism, marginalization and alienation.     

Man's Qualities and Current Development in China

Thequestionofman'squalitiesisbothacomplextheoreticaltopicinthefieldofthestudyofman,andanextremelyimp0rtantissueinsocialreality.Firstly,man'squalitiesasbasicqualificationsforhisparticipationinsocialactivitiesareformedanddeveloped0nthebasis0fhispractice.Theyarethebasisofman'sabilities,whatMarxcalledthebasicforceofman,thatis,theskillorstrengthneededforthecompletionofcertainactivities.Theyalsoinfluencethesubjectivityofhumanactivities.Subjectivitymeanstheinitiative,creativityandautonomyofmanasth…     

Parenting Black children in White spaces: Skilled African migrants reflect on their parenting experiences in Australia

This paper employs a critical race theory (CRT) perspective to probe the experiences of skilled African migrants parenting Black children in Australia, a predominantly White country. Two key themes emerged from this study: (1) the need to explicitly teach children about race and racism and to foster positive racial identities and (2) the complexities of navigating tensions between ‘African’ and ‘Western’ cultural values. Participants demonstrated high levels of awareness of intercultural parenting approaches and a desire to blend the best aspects of African and Australian cultural values in their own parenting practice. A significant paradox was also apparent in the tension between parental desires to inculcate pride in African ancestry and culture, while simultaneously encouraging children to ‘curate’ their blackness to minimize experiences of racialization. Social workers in Australia often play a critical role in the lives of migrant families as they support them to negotiate transitions in parenting contexts. Although this paper only offers a perspective on the parenting experiences of skilled African migrants and how they creatively manage the tensions and change emerging from this process, we suggest that this understanding helps to expand knowledge on the complexity of parenting in multicultural, transcultural and intercultural contexts.     

A Comparison of Attitudes About Cremation Among Black and White Middle-Aged and Older Adults

Social workers must be instrumental in educating elders and their families to make informed decisions about death and dying. As part of a larger qualitative study, we explored attitudes about cremation of 25 older and 25 middle-aged adults, evenly split between Black and White respondents. Major themes emerged about disposition of the body after death. Costs and land conservation influenced support for cremation; reasons against cremation include religious beliefs, lack of closure, and sense of place. Additionally, some respondents were against cremation primarily because of lack of exposure, as it was not their family tradition, suggesting a role for education.     

A comparison of attitudes about cremation among Black and White middle-aged and older adults

Social workers must be instrumental in educating elders and their families to make informed decisions about death and dying. As part of a larger qualitative study, we explored attitudes about cremation of 25 older and 25 middle-aged adults, evenly split between Black and White respondents. Major themes emerged about disposition of the body after death. Costs and land conservation influenced support for cremation; reasons against cremation include religious beliefs, lack of closure, and sense of place. Additionally, some respondents were against cremation primarily because of lack of exposure, as it was not their family tradition, suggesting a role for education.     

Father Custody and Social Development in Boys and Girls

The effects of father custody on children's social development are being studied by comparing children whose fathers have been awarded custody, children whose mothers have been awarded custody, and children from intact families. Half of the subjects are boys, and half are girls aged 6–11 years. Families are matched on SES, family size, and sibling status. The data presented here were based primarily on videotaped observations of parent-child interaction in 60 families. The most intriguing findings to date suggest that children living with the opposite sex parent (father custody girls and mother custody boys) are less well adjusted than children living with the same sex parent. However, in both father custody and mother custody families, authoritative parenting by the custodial parent was positively linked with the child's competent social behavior. Also, in both sets of divorced families, contact with additional adult caretakers was associated with positive social behaviors shown by the child.     

Family Life and School Experience: Factors in the Racial Identity Development of Black Youth in White Communities

Eighteen middle-class Black college students were interviewed in-depth about their experiences growing up in predominantly White communities. Using Cross's model of racial identity development as a theoretical framework for analysis, case studies of three women and two men are presented to highlight the impact of varied parental socialization practices and school experiences on racial identity development. For all, positive same-race peer relationships, information about African-American achievements, the availability of role models, and the encouragement of significant adults were important for academic success and the beginning resolution of identity conflicts. The implications of these findings for understanding aspects of school integration and for developing relevant school-based interventions are considered.     

Self-Esteem and Locus of Control Among American Indian,Black, and White AFDC Recipients

This study compares the self-esteem and locus of control reported by a random sample of 322 American Indian, Black, and White AFDC recipients. Personal interviews were conducted with all respondents. No differences were found among the races on self-esteem and locus of control. Work status and education level were found to be the two demographic characteristics that were significantly correlated with the dependent measure. As such, it was expected that work and higher educational achievement would result in greater self-esteem and internal control. This was found to be true for Blacks and Whites, but not for American Indians. We therefore speculate that this may indicate the greater assimilation and enculturation of Blacks into the predominant White value structure and mainstream society, compared to American Indians.     

Differential Use of Informal and Formal Helping Networks Among Rural Elderly Black and White Floridians

Until recently, relatively little data has been available concerning either the minority elderly or the rural elderly. This paper presents data which examines differences between black and white rural elderly respondents with regard to their social situation as well as their use of both informal and formal support systems. The findings based on 112 interviews, suggest that there are important differences between the two groups, with implications for service delivery.     

The Positive Effect of Black Density on White Crossover Voting: Reconsidering Social Interaction Theory

Objective . Social interaction theory has received considerable attention. One limitation of previous studies has been that they did not examine how the positive effect of racial interaction on white racial tolerance may be enhanced or reduced by other factors. This article tests five hypotheses derived from the basic assumption of social interaction theory. Methods . Employing EI procedure, a newly developed ecological inference method, this study uses the precinct-level data from New Orleans' 29 biracial elections to estimate white crossover voting at the neighborhood level. The hypotheses are tested by both ordinary least squares and weighted least squares models. Results . White crossover voting is positively related to black density. The positive effect of black density, however, is relatively weak. Other factors such as the racial composition of candidate field and election type are more important. Conclusions . Caution needs to be exercised in accepting social interaction theory. The level of racial competition in biracial elections may reverse white support for black candidates.     

德性：人的全面发展的个体指向

如果仅仅在德、智、体等一般意义上来理解人的全面发展的德性论意蕴是远远不够的,而必须深入考察德性的特征和意义,尤其是在存在论的意义上来理解德性.道德哲学中的德性表征着人的整体性存在,德性完善的目标就是成就理想人格,而理想人格的实现也就意味着人的全面发展的理想状态.德性完善是通过道德修养进行的,道德修养的过程是道德主体的自觉提升过程,道德修养是实现人的全面发展的一种具有根本意义的方式和途径.     

Counsellors,Lawyers and Custody Disputes in the Family Courts

The Family Law Act makes provision for the direct involvement of behavioural scientists in family breakdown situations, particularly in the area of custody disputes. This article describes the legislative scheme which is designed to facilitate that objective and, in addition, to evaluate the approach taken by the courts to the problems of interpretation which it has created. The article concludes with an analysis of that section of the act which enables a child, in appropriate circumstances, to be separately represented in custody matters.