Cultural studies and sociology at,and after,the closure of the Birmingham school1

This article analyses and comments on the sudden closure of the Department of Cultural Studies and Sociology (CSS) at the University of Birmingham in July 2002. The origins of cultural studies are delineated and its reception within and outside Birmingham University is tracked. The relation to sociology and its own ‘cultural turn’ is observed. Explanations for the closure of CSS — amidst the enormous popularity and influence of cultural studies – are sought in the ongoing stresses and strains influencing universities in the current era.     

The Contradiction of Helping: Inuit Oppression(s) and Social Work in Nunavut

Significant differences in privilege, material resources, and decision-making power exist between Inuit and Qallunaat (or non-Inuit) in Canada’s Nunavut Territory. Holding serious implications, the disproportionate advantages afforded Qallunaat require an examination of the relationship between social work and the State (as employer). The role of credentialism and professionalism in the maintenance of neocolonial relations reveals a professional paradox and a barrier to pursing the objective of social justice within the profession. The transition experienced by Inuit—from a predominantly hunting culture to the logic of industrial capitalism—necessitates an examination of the role Qallunaat social workers have played and continue to practice within this transition and in the institutional structures that protect their interests.     

A Joint University—Field Agency: Toward the Integration of Classroom and Practicum

Abstract

The authors describe an innovative program designed to create a joint university and local municipality agency in Israel. The agency was structured to be a teaching laboratory that would offer innovative services for social work clients and a unique field placement for students. Four major goals involved joint outcomes for both university and municipality. These included (a) demonstrating evaluation research as a means of accountability and as a tool for practice; (b) using generic social work methods for work with families; (c) reaching out to difficult and high-risk clients with innovative programs; and (d) using the laboratory as a training center for welfare workers, agency supervisors, and students from all levels of the social work programs. The authors describe and evaluate each of the goals, discussing the implications for teaching and for social work practice.     

Investing in Children: Changes in Parental Spending on Children, 1972–2007

Parental spending on children is often presumed to be one of the main ways that parents invest in children and a main reason why children from wealthier households are advantaged. Yet, although research has tracked changes in the other main form of parental investment—namely, time—there is little research on spending. We use data from the Consumer Expenditure Survey to examine how spending changed from the early 1970s to the late 2000s, focusing particularly on inequality in parental investment in children. Parental spending increased, as did inequality of investment. We also investigate shifts in the composition of spending and linkages to children’s characteristics. Investment in male and female children changed substantially: households with only female children spent significantly less than parents in households with only male children in the early 1970s; but by the 1990s, spending had equalized; and by the late 2000s, girls appeared to enjoy an advantage. Finally, the shape of parental investment over the course of children’s lives changed. Prior to the 1990s, parents spent most on children in their teen years. After the 1990s, however, spending was greatest when children were under the age of 6 and in their mid-20s.     

The United States Court of Claims

Teaching with film is viewed as a pedagogical best practice, especially when teaching historical or social studies content. Many of the most popular films used to teach history topics leave women's voices out of the narrative. Women's history is generally left out of traditionally male-dominated history curriculum; when it is included, it is usually in the margins or in sidebars. This article promotes the use of historical films that have a female presence. How women are portrayed in film and how to choose films that meet the criteria of the Bechdel Test for women in film are also examined.     

Commitment and Sacrifice in Emerging Adult Romantic Relationships

The development of commitment and satisfaction with sacrifice has been associated with relationship health and stability. Given the importance of early romantic relationships, the purpose of the present study was to explore how these constructs relate and develop in an emerging adult population (n = 246). Through an initial confirmatory factor analysis, we found the two constructs can be distinct. Then, using interdependence theory and a cross-lagged model over three time points, we found support for a bidirectional relationship between commitment and satisfaction with sacrifice. In addition, we found a main effect for relationship length and instability (i.e., cycling) on Time 1 and Time 3 dedication respectively.     

Children placed in long-term family foster care: A longitudinal study into the development of problem behavior and associated factors

Due to prior experiences of trauma and abuse, many foster children have behavioral problems. The placement of the child in a family foster home is expected to reduce the behavioral problems. However, this expectation is seldom met and mostly behavioral problems increase or remain stable during placement. Research on the development of behavioral problems in foster children is scarce. Moreover, most of the research results are situated on a group level, which obscures the development of problem behavior on a case level. This study investigated the development of problem behavior of 49 foster children on a case level and the association of global, contextual, familial and child factors with the increase or decrease of problem behavior. Over a two year period 18 foster children had more, 23 just as much and 8 less problem behavior. An increase was associated with the use of more negative parenting strategies by the foster mothers. A decrease was related to the use of supportive parenting. Support of foster parents aiming at reducing the use of negative discipline practices and promoting the use of supportive parenting may have a positive effect on the development of foster children.     

Keepers of the land: Ideology and identities in the Scottish rural elite

This article examines how members of the rural elite in Scotland defend their ownership of large tracts of land in the face of powerful class and nationalist critiques. Referring to unique interview material throughout, we outline the key elements of how owners attempt to legitimate their landed interests. Their response to these two critiques relates to estate economics and more generally the ideology and rhetoric of “responsible” stewardship. The latter allows owners to create a distinct status group identity for themselves as “keepers of land,” one that is cohesive and subordinates any expected differences between them in terms of their residence characteristics, how they acquired their land, and their national identity. This is explained with reference to a diminishing system of private estates in Scotland and the need for landowners to maintain a united ideological front as they defend themselves in the face of mounting political pressure and land reform.     

Reviews

‘Mirror Opposites’. Steven E. Aschheim, Brothers and Strangers: The East European Jew in German and German Jewish Consciousness, 1800–1923. The University of Wisconsin Press, 1999. xxxi + 331pp. Bibliography. Illustrations. Notes. Index. ISBN: 0–299–09110–4

Hoping to Live in Harmony. Henry Abramson, A Prayer for the Government: Ukrainians and Jews in Revolutionary Times, 1917–1920. Cambridge: Harvard University Press for the Ukrainian Research Institute and Center for Jewish Studies, Harvard University, 1999, xxi + 255pp. Bibl. Index. Illus. $34.95 (cloth); $18.95 (paper)

A Jewish‐Russian Hybrid. Dovid Knut, Sobranniye sochineniia (Collected Works) (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem), Vol. 1. 1997, 417pp.; Vol. 2, 1998, 719pp. Compiled by Vladimir Khazan. Appendices. Index

Russian Jewish Intellectuals in America. Steven Cassedy, To the Other Shore: The Russian Jewish Intellectuals Who Came to America. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1997. xxiii + 197 pp. Illus. Index. ISBN: 0691–02975‐X.