Views,events, and debates

Welcome to Gender & Development's Views, events, and debates section. We'd like to invite readers to respond to any of the views expressed in this section, to contact us with reports of events, and to suggest debates on issues relevant to the journal's concern: to inspire and strengthen development initiatives which support the goals of gender equality and women's empowerment.

We'd also like to invite you to send us your feedback on Gender & Development, and suggestions for future issues, to: gadeditor@oxfam.org.uk     

Views,events, and debates

Welcome to Gender & Development's Views, events, and debates section. We'd like to invite readers to respond to any of the views expressed in this section, to contact us with reports of events, and to suggest debates on issues relevant to the journal's concern: to inspire and strengthen development initiatives which support the goals of gender equality and women's empowerment.

We'd also like to invite you to send us your feedback on Gender & Development, and suggestions for future issues, to: gadeditor@oxfam.org.uk     

Views,events, and debates

Welcome to Gender & Development's Views, events, and debates section. We’d like to invite readers to respond to any of the views expressed in this section, to contact us with reports of events, and to suggest debates on issues relevant to the journal's concern: to inspire and strengthen development initiatives which support the goals of gender equality and women's empowerment.

We’d also like to invite you to send us your feedback on Gender & Development, and suggestions for future issues, to: gadeditor@oxfam.org.uk     

Views,events, and debates

Welcome to Gender and Development's Views, Events and Debates section. We'd like to invite readers to respond to any of the views expressed in this section, to contact us with reports of events, and to suggest debates on important contemporary issues of relevance to the journal's core concern: to strengthen and support development which supports women's empowerment and gender equality as goals. We'd also like to invite you to send us your feedback on Gender and Development, and suggestions for future issues, to: jporter@oxfam.org.uk     

“Tapping” Women for Post-Crisis Capitalism

Abstract

Girls and women have become the public faces of development today, through the success of “Gender Equality as Smart Economics” policy agendas and similar development narratives that mediate feminist claims through market logic. Women, these narratives assert, are more productive, responsible, and sustainable economic agents for future growth in the context of global financial crisis and therefore their empowerment is economically prudent. In this article, I provide a feminist reading of Foucault's critique of human capital to examine the discursive terrain of the “Smart Economics” agenda and to understand the knowledge it produces about female bodies, subjectivities and agency. Through a discussion of the World Bank's 2012 World Bank. 2012. World Development Report 2012: Gender Equality and Development. Washington, DC: World Bank.[Crossref] , [Google Scholar] World Development Report on gender equality, I argue that the current narratives of women's empowerment are premised on a series of gender essentialisms and their “activation” through biopolitical interventions. The activation narrative of human capital appears, under feminist eyes, to reflect the notion that the supposedly intrinsic responsible and maternal nature of women can be harnessed to produce more profitable and sustainable development outcomes and, by extension, “rescue” global capitalism.     

Far Away So Close: Race,Whiteness, and German Identity

Race and nation have been difficult concepts in Germany since the Holocaust. Although race has seemingly disappeared from public discourse, the concept is very present in the narrative construction of white German national identities. In fact in Germany, race, and more specifically whiteness, disappears into a national naming. On the basis of a qualitative study on women activists, I examine to what extent the research participants struggle with the racialized discourse on German identity and what this struggle looks like. Using John Hartigan's (2000 Hartigan, John Jr. 2000. Object lessons in whiteness: Antiracism and the study of white folks. Identities: Global Studies in Culture and Power, 7(3): 373–406. [Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) approach to analyzing ethnographic accounts of whiteness, I show how a racialization of German identity plays out in complex and complicated ways. On the one hand, the narratives are complicit with a racialized Germanness, yet on the other hand, the idea of a unified, white, cultural community is being challenged. To move toward a postcolonial narrative of Germanness that includes Germany's history of colonialism as well as fascism, we need to move away from race, but we also need to move toward race. A starting point would be provided by focusing on racism, not as a fringe issue of German society but rather as an urgent matter that is located at the centre of German politics and is actively shaping its history.     

Determinants of attitudes held by Irish catholic and protestant women towards gender roles,maternal employment and social perceptions of women in Irish society

This paper is drawn from my doctoral thesis, which analyses similarities and differences in the social and religious attitudes of modern Catholic and Protestant (Church of Ireland) women in the Republic of Ireland.

My work is new in that it studies the attitudes of a female sample that is stratified according to religious tradition (Catholic/Protestant). The sample is also stratified by age (21–46/47–70 years) and location (rural/urban). Irish sociological and feminist scholarship has produced diverse work concerning many facets of Irish women's lives, but little research has specifically focused on the attitudes of Irish Protestant and Catholic women as distinct groups.

Qualitative and quantitative questionnaires were used to study the social and religious attitudes of respondents living in 12 counties throughout the Republic of Ireland. Twelve distinct attitudinal factors emerged from factor analysis. Themes contained in these factors included: 1. ?Perception's of social attitudes to women in Irish society

2. ?Attitudes to Article 41.2.1/2 of the 1937 Constitution1 41.2.1 “In particular, the State recognises that by her life within the home, woman gives to the State a support without which the common good cannot be achieved.” View all notes 41.2.2 “The State shall, therefore, endeavour to ensure that mothers shall not be obliged by economic necessity to engage in labour to the neglect of their duties in the home.” View all notes

3. ?Attitudes to maternal employment

4. ?Perception of the role of the Catholic/Protestant churches in women's lives

5. ?Religiosity

6. ?Attitudes to majority Catholic/minority Protestant status

7. ?Attitudes toward women clergy

8. ?Attitudes to moral issues (divorce and abortion)

9. ?Attitudes to Church influence in moral issues

The emergence of these factors are a significant contribution to sociological and feminist research because they have not previously been specifically researched from the perspective of Catholic and Protestant women.

The effects of religion, age and location on the 12 factors were then examined by means of analysis of variance, which identified those variables having significant main effects and interaction effects on respondent attitudes. Results emerging from percentage distributions and analysis of variance are presented for respondent attitudes to gender roles, maternal employment and perceptions of social attitudes towards women in Irish society.     

Book Reviews

Political and Economic Liberalisation in Zambia 1991–2001. By Lise Rakner Ghana: Long‐term Growth, Atrophy and Stunted Recovery. By J. Clark Leith and Ludvig Söderling Finance, Intermediaries, and Economic Development. Edited by Stanley L. Engerman, Philip T. Hoffman, Jean‐Laurent Rosenthal, and Kenneth L. Sokoloff Selling China: Foreign Direct Investment during the Reform Era. By Yasheng Huang Gender and Education for All: The Leap to Equality – EFA Global Monitoring Report 2003/4 The State of the World's Children 2004: Girls, Education and Development     

Book Reviews

Book reviewed in this article: Gender Planning and Development: Theory, Practice and Training. By Caroline O. N. Moser Reverse Realities: Gender Hierarchies in Development Thought. By Naila Kabeer Women, the Environment and Sustainable Development: Towards a Theoretical Synthesis. By Rosi Braidotti, Ewa Charkiewicz, Sabine Hausler and Saskia Wieringa Feminist Perspectives on Sustainable Development. Edited by Wendy Harcourt Population and Reproductive Rights: Feminist Perspectives from the South. By Sonia Correa (in collaboration with Rebecca Reichmann) Social Science Research for Agricultural Technology Development: Spatial and Temporal Dimensions. Edited by Karen Ann Dvořák Economic Interdependence in the Asia-Pacific Region: Towards a Yen Bloc. By C. H. Kwan Ground Up: Rethinking Industrial Agriculture. By Peter Goering, Helena Norberg-Hodge and John Page Inter-nation Policy Co-ordination and Untying of Aid. By Catrinus J. Jepma Economic Crisis and Third World Agriculture. Edited by Ajit Singh and Hamid Tabatabai The Political Economy of Oil. By Sarah Ahmed Khan The Process of Development of Societies. By K. C. Alexander Market Forces and World Development. Edited by Renée Prendergast and Frances Stewart Gender, Work and Population in Sub-Saharan Africa. Edited by Aderanti Adepoju and Christine Oppong Debt, Development and Equity in Africa. By Karamo N. M. Sonko Population and Development: Old Debates, New Conclusions. By Robert Cassen and contributors Crisis or Transition in Foreign Aid. Edited by Adrian Hewitt The Trap. By James Goldsmith Author's response to Stein Hansen's review of Mortgaging the Earth: The World Bank, Evironmental Impoverishment and the Crisis of Development. By Bruce Rich     

The Professional's Influence within the Client System: Exploring Counter-Transference and Adult Attachment within the Therapeutic Relationships with Children Experiencing Abuse and Their Caregivers

A large amount of research has been completed on the impact of abuse and neglect on children's brain development, attachment and behaviour (Malinosky-Rummell &; Hansen, 1993, ‘Long-term consequences of childhood physical abuse’, Psychological Bulletin, vol. 114, pp. 68–79; Margolin &; Gordis, 2000, ‘The effect of family and community violence on children’, Annual Review of Psychology, vol. 51, pp. 445–479; Perry, 2002, ‘Childhood experiences and the expression of genetic potential: what childhood neglect tells us about nature and nurture’, Brain and Mind, vol. 3, pp. 79–100; van der Kolk, 2005, ‘Developmental trauma disorder’, Psychiatric Annuals, vol. 35, no. 5, pp. 401–408). Research has also begun to address the impact on the professional's and carer's psychological well-being, as a result of working with children who have experienced abuse and neglect (Cunningham, 1999 Cunningham, M. (1999) ‘The impact of sexual abuse treatment on the social work clinician’, Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, vol. 16, no. 4, pp. 277–290. doi: 10.1023/A:1022334911833.[Crossref] , [Google Scholar], ‘The impact of sexual abuse treatment on the social work clinician’, Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, vol. 16, pp. 277–290; Trippany, Kress and Wilcoxon, 2004, ‘Preventing vicarious trauma: what counsellors should know when working with trauma survivors’, Journal of Counselling and Development, vol. 82, pp. 31–37; Conrad &; Kellar-Guenther, 2006, ‘Compassion fatigue, burnout and compassion satisfaction among Colorado child protection workers’, Child Abuse and Neglect, vol. 30, pp. 1071–1080). Psycho-dynamic concepts such as projection and splitting have begun to be explored in how children who have experienced abuse communicate their experience to their carers and the professionals involved with them. Some authors (Dale et al., 1986, Dangerous Families: Assessment and Treatment of Child Abuse, Tavistock Publications, London) have also explored the impact of the psycho-dynamics on the treatment team and the ‘splitting’ that can occur among professionals involved with the child. This paper aims to extend this reflection to also consider the impact of the professional's attachment history, early childhood experiences and current personal relationships on the child and caregiver's systems. Therefore, concepts such as counter-transference and adult attachment styles within the therapeutic relationship are explored and examples provided from my own practice.     

Mothering,equality and the individual: Feminist debates and welfare policies in the USA and Sweden

This paper addresses issues raised by ‘welfare reform’ in the USA by using the example of Sweden's women activists in constructing a ‘woman friendly’ welfare state. In the USA, feminist advocates see a tension between the argument that motherhood should be valued by the provision of care allowances, and the view that work should be reformed to meet the needs of parents. This reflects debates about gender difference/equality, the possibility of commonality, and the individual.

The Swedish ‘woman friendly’ welfare state was built on the recognition, through social policy, of the interrelationship among care, material resources, and public voice. The interrelationship was embodied in what I call the ‘social individual’, and articulated in public child care and other policies and collective services. The adequacy of those universal policies and services was frequently judged by the situation of lone mothers, who ceased being ‘deviant’, and often became a model for understanding the interrelationship. Cross-class solidarity among women was a prerequisite for, and was built on, the social individual. This solidarity is now threatened by neoliberal economic and social policies that fragment care, resources, and voice, and therefore the social individual.

It is possible to challenge the downsizing of welfare states by moving the terms of discussion away from the poor as deviant other, acknowledging that all women have much in common with the targets of current policy making. This involves the creation of concrete social policies that embody the relationship among care, resources, and voice, and recognize the inseparability of community, work and family.     

The National Association of Manufacturers' Community Relations Short Film Your Town: Parable,Propaganda, and Big Individualism

In the aftermath of the Great Depression, the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) faced growing antibusiness sentiment. In 1940, as part of a widespread propaganda campaign to assuage public concerns about industry and rehabilitate big business's reputation, NAM created and distributed the community relations short film, Your Town. The movie, pursuing an integration propaganda strategy, appealed to Americans' individualistic values by portraying industry as a beneficent fellow traveler who was a big individual—a heroic, larger-than-life figure who could make the land profitable and guard the citizenry against evil, antibusiness influences. Applying Vogler's (1997) synthesis of Campbell's (1949 Campbell , J. ( 1949 ). The hero with a thousand faces . Princeton , NJ : University Press . [Google Scholar]) heroic narrative form, this article shows that NAM's portrayal of industry as a hero has continued to resonate with strains of contemporary American thought that (a) sees business as the foundation for societal progress and stability and (b) conceptualizes the corporate entity as a person. Finally, this study finds that, although the language of corporate personhood has been implied in organizational community relations rhetoric for at least six decades, more recent events reveal a public that is more circumspect about the beneficence of the corporate persona.     

Melancholy Femininity and Obsessive—Compulsive Masculinity: Sex Differences in Melancholy Gender

The author offers a revision of melancholy gender (Butler, 1995 Butler, J. 1995. Melancholy gender.. Psychoanal. Dial., 5: 165–180. [Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]) in which sex differences are theorized. Drawing on contemporary psychoanalytic feminist theory that emphasizes the mother's role as primary caretaker and as pre-Oedipal object for both boys and girls, the author suggests that, in heterosexual development and within heterosexual cultures, same-sex object-desire is likely to be unavowedly lost for girls but preemptively foreclosed for boys. While the theory of melancholy gender does not differentiate between loss and foreclosure, the author argues that this is an important distinction such that Freud's two preconditions of melancholy—unavowed loss and ambivalent identification—are more likely to be part of female development than of male development, leading to melancholy femininity in girls and obsessive-compulsive masculinity in boys. This argument allows the theory of melancholy gender to speak to the empirical and clinical finding that femininity and depression tend to be associated whereas masculinity and depression do not.     

Perceived Stress,Energy Drink Consumption,and Academic Performance Among College Students

Abstract

Objective: This study explored relationships regarding perceived stress, energy drink consumption, and academic performance among college students. Participants: Participants included 136 undergraduates attending a large southern plains university. Methods: Participants completed surveys including items from the Perceived Stress Scale ¹ Cohen, S, Kamarck, T and Mermelstein, R. 1983. A global measure of perceived stress. J Health Soc Behav, 24: 385–396. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar] and items to describe energy drink consumption, academic performance, and demographics. Results: Positive correlations existed between participants’ perceived stress and energy drink consumption. Participants’ energy drink consumption and academic performance were negatively correlated. Freshmen (M = 0.330) and sophomores (M = 0.408) consumed a lower number of energy drinks yesterday than juniors (M = 1.000). Males reported higher means than females for selected energy drink consumption items. Statistically significant interactions existed between gender and year in school for selected energy drink consumption items. Conclusions: Results confirm gender differences in energy drink consumption and illuminate a need for education regarding use of energy drinks in response to perceived stress.     

To Encounter a Child: Maternal Subjectivity and the Aesthetics of Reading

This article offers an outline and preliminary analyses of key aspects of Lisa Baraitser's (2009 Baraitser , L. ( 2009 ). Maternal Encounters: The Ethics of Interruption . London, UK, and New York , NY : Routledge . [Google Scholar]) Maternal Encounters as a situating opening piece in a special feature arising from an intensive seminar on Baraitser's work held in Dublin in September 2010. The first section opens out some of the psychoanalytic implications of Baraitser's theory of maternal subjectivity. The second section considers the importance of temporality and the interruption of the “seamless” thinking subject for the emergence of a maternal subject and considers Baraitser's maternal subject in relation to some key queer and feminist positionings of maternity. The final section assesses the text's contribution to philosophical debates. First, it discusses how Baraitser attends to the everyday in developing an aesthetics of ordinariness. Second, it looks at deconstruction and inhabitation. Finally, it considers cultural phenomenology, objects, and the magic Baraitser locates in things.     

Comment on Cross,Fine, Jones,and Walsh (2012): Good Therapeutic Services— Therapeutic Advocacy and Forensic Neutrality

Cross, Fine, Jones, and Walsh (2012 Cross, T. P., Fine, J. E., Jones, L. M. and Walsh, W. A. 2012. Mental health professionals in children's advocacy centers: Is there role conflict?. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 21(1): 91–108. [Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]) provided a thoughtful review and critique of a book chapter describing the interview process at Child Advocacy Centers. They observed some of the ways that concerns raised in that chapter are being addressed and described revised guidelines that further clarify issues. Ongoing research and examination of the important processes carried on by child advocacy centers and the role fulfilled by mental health professionals in the investigation of child sexual abuse contributes positively to service delivery.     

Book reviews

Franco Ferrarotti The Myth of Inevitable Progress, Greenwood Press, 1985, pp.VIII,208.

Peter Grootings, Bjorn Gustavsen, and Lajos Héthy (eds.) New Forms of Work Organization and Their Social and Economic Development, Budapest, Statistical Publishing House, 1986, pp. VIII, 297.

Janusz Lewandowski and Jan Szomberg Samorzad w dobie “Solidarnosci”. Wspolpraca samorzadow pracowniczych Pomorza Gdanskiego na tle sytuacji w kraju w latach 1980/81 (Self‐government in the time of Solidarity. Cooperation of the self‐governmental bodies in the Baltic region and its general background during the period 1980/81), London, Odnowa, 1985, pp. 109.     

Dialogue under Occupation

This article critically examines the World Bank's report entitled The Other Half of Gender: Men's Issues in Development published in 2006. The Bank publication covers a range of topics on men and masculinities, and ultimately argues for ‘men-streaming’ development. Using an intersectional analysis, this article expands upon recent feminist scholarship in the field of Men and Development in order to take a closer look at race, culture and representation. In this article, I demonstrate how the World Bank's focus on the social construction of masculinities in the ‘men-streaming’ report places Third World men into a specific realm of visibility that renders them culpable for a wide range of development issues. In representing African men as homogenous, culturally inferior and individually culpable for the HIV/AIDS pandemic, in particular, the Bank's promotes ‘gender-adjustments’, which obscures the Bank's complicity in a variety of development disasters.     

Book Reviews

Community psychology and social change: Australian and New Zealand perspectives (second edition) D. Thomas & V. Veno (Eds) Palmerston, New Zealand: Dunmore Press, 1996

Children's reflections on family life Michele Moore, Judith Sixsmith & Kath Knowles London: Falmer Press, 1996 ISBN 0 7507 0573 6/0 7507 0574 4     

Five Debates on International Development: The US Perspective

Andrew S. Natsios was Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development until January 2006. The US has the largest aid programme in the world but labours under certain constraints, notably a proliferation of Congressionally‐imposed budget earmarks. Mr Natsios has been an articulate advocate as well as an outspoken reformer of the US approach to aid. It was appropriate, then, for the All‐Party Parliamentary Group on Overseas Development of the Westminster parliament, together with ODI, to invite him to speak in Parliament on 12 October 2005. ¹ 1 The audio of Andrew Natsios' speech, and the subsequent discussion, are available on the ODI website at http://www.odi.org.uk/speeches/apgood_oct05/apgood_oct12/index.html .
The present article, a version of that APGOOD speech revised by Mr Natsios since his November resignation, has been judged by DPR Editors to be an important development policy statement worthy of publication. Adrian Hewitt