The un/state of lesbian studies: an introduction to lesbian communities and contemporary legislation in Japan

Although it would be safe to say that Lesbian Studies has never seriously been placed on the Japanese academic agenda, women-loving-women in Japan continue to individually and collectively desist from and resist heteronormative gender discourses. This paper first gives a brief overview of 'rezubian' communities since the 1970s and then outlines the Basic Law for a Gender Equal Society and the Law Concerning Special Rules Regarding Sex Status of a Person with Gender Identity Disorder; two recent laws that demonstrate contemporary regulatory gender discourses. In closing, I stress that the paradox of contemporary Japanese 'lesbian studies,' being almost nonexistent in the academe and continuously in development in the community, is clear only if we look at academic discourses alongside writings in both commercial and community publications.     

Sister outsider: an enduring vision embracing myself, my sister and the 'other'

This piece reflects on and reacts to Audre Lorde's critique of racism within Lesbian communities. One purpose of the article is to honor and rescue Lorde's wonderful insight into the power of words when uttered and shared by women, as well as her ideas about differences and connections that exist between Black and white feminisms. Lorde's insistence on a 'sisterhood,' which embraces the 'other' and ourselves at the same time, is a recurrent thought throughout this paper. The article is also firmly grounded in the author's own experience of alienation and racism in the European context of Women's Studies. The second purpose of this position piece is to offer practical suggestions for how to keep Lesbian Studies alive.     

Rescuing lesbian camp

This paper explores the limits of lesbian camp as it is currently conceived within Lesbian Studies. I argue, in what I hope is a rather circuitous way, that a reliance on repudiative models of identity formation fixes gender as complementary and sexuality as oppositional, irrespective of intention. In this context, I imagine instead what it would take to theorize femininity itself as camp, and femme subjects as ideal for working this through at the level of praxis.     

Comparison style, physical self-perceptions, and fitness among older women

This study examined the relationships between older women's comparison styles, physical self-perceptions, and functional fitness. Participants were community-dwelling women (N = 102, age 65-99) living in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Individuals were categorized as relying primarily on social comparisons, temporal comparisons, or a combination of both styles. Also of interest was whether individuals evaluated themselves positively or negatively when making comparisons. Participants who evaluated themselves positively as compared with others were found to have higher levels of physical self-perception. Analyses revealed that women who relied primarily on temporal comparisons had higher self-perceptions of their functional ability than those who relied on a combination of comparison styles. An avoidance of both temporal and social comparisons was also related to higher levels of physical self-perception.     

Exercise-related menstrual dysfunction: implications for menopausal health

Physical activity is a well recognized approach to the enhancement of general health and wellbeing in both healthy and diseased populations. However, excessive activity can result in exercise-related menstrual dysfunction (ERMD), which can adversely affect bone health and increase the risk of infertility and cardiovascular events in later life. Physicians should maintain a high awareness of EMRD in assessing health risks in the menopausal woman.     

Spirit of aging rising: cross-cutting thematic modules to enrich foundation graduate social work courses

To enrich an urban generalist MSW program serving a diverse aging community, an innovative approach was initiated. A team of students, faculty and a field instructor collaborated in creating and evaluating 3 sets of cross-cutting thematic modules. An overview of the thematic modules (addressing elder abuse, family caregiving, and mental health), integrated across multiple curriculum areas (Human Behavior and the Social Environment, Macro/Policy, Practice and Research), is presented along with results of a faculty focus group evaluating the process of coordinating module content for one full week of class per foundation area (one topic per quarter).     

人类的自救

在这个过于巨大和复杂的世界中,对数量庞大、形色各异的人群进行有效和严格的控制是行不通的.尽管我们有着最好的专家学者和最精密的电脑辅助,自然灾害仍超出了人类的理解范围.     

回溯与展望:高原低氧环境影响人身心健康研究

梳理近年来关于高原低氧环境对人的健康影响研究文献发现,高原低氧环境与健康研究起步早,但是研究涉猎的主题较分散,研究对象较单一;经过长期的自然选择,藏族世代对高原低氧环境已经产生了适应性代偿,认为藏族是适应高原低氧环境的最优人群;高原低氧环境已经引起了运动训练与竞赛、身心健康等领域的深入关注与应用。为全面深入挖掘高原低氧对全年龄段人群的健康价值,推动健康中国充分发挥高原低氧的潜在力量,建议后续研究与实践中借助现代科技手段,借鉴高水平运动员研究经验,满足高原世居人群身心健康;结合高原特点和民族特色,寻求高原世居人群健康促进的适宜项目;挖掘高原低氧健身功效,注重推广学校体育带动全民参与。     

亚洲的HIV/AIDS水平将达到撒哈拉以南非洲的水平吗?

尽管对于任何一种致数百万人死亡的疾病都应竭尽所能地予以斗争,对本文标题所提出问题的简短回答却是:"不".我10年以前在<社会科学与医学>(Social Science and Medicine)杂志的社论中第一次阐述了这个问题,至今这一观点没有发生变化,它所依据的是近期的一些相关报告.