Texts,Bodies, and the Memory of Bloody Sunday

We examine here recent arguments that embodied experience is an important site of collective memory, and related challenges to the standard emphasis on discourse and symbols in collective memory research. We argue that although theories of embodied memory offer new insights, they are limited by (1) an overdrawn distinction between embodied memory and textual memory that neglects the complex relations between the two, (2) an overemphasis on ritual performance at the expense of collective conversation, (3) an oversimplified view of performativity, and (4) an underestimation of the ambiguity in embodied performance. Theories of embodied collective memory should be narrowed and specified with focused comparisons examining the influence of embodied experience in the formation of collective identities, in conflicts over collective memories, and in the persistence and malleability of memories across generations. We illustrate our argument throughout with examples drawn from the collective memory of Bloody Sunday in Northern Ireland in 1972.     

Reverse Regression,Fairness, and Employment Discrimination

Possible salary discrimination can be studied by comparing mean salaries of, say, males and females, after statistical adjustment for differences in job qualifications. The adjustment is often made by regression, with salary as dependent variable, and job qualifications and sex as independent variables. One might also regress job qualifications on salary and sex, a procedure called reverse regression. Ideas about fairness as well as technical concepts are relevant to discrimination studies. There are two distinct aspects of fairness, one based on comparisons of salary and the other based on comparisons of qualifications. Both concepts are needed to evaluate fairness.     

Enhancing response rates to a smoking survey for enlisted U.S. Navy women.

This study examined the effectiveness of a stepped approach for increasing response rates to a mailed follow-up smoking survey among newly enlisted women in the navy. The effect of the stepped approach on response rates and on the characteristics of respondents was evaluated. Also, costs were estimated for each of the steps to determine their relative benefits. Results showed that the stepped approach was effective in more than doubling the survey response rate among smokers. Reluctant respondents did not differ from on-time respondents in terms of demographics or baseline smoking, although nonrespondents were less educated and heavier smokers than on-time and reluctant respondents. Strategies documented here could well apply to survey efforts with other hard-to-reach populations.     

Employee experiences with volunteers

Volunteers frequently serve public and nonprofit organizations, among them libraries, parks and recreation departments, social service groups, and religious organizations. Research on volunteers and volunteerism traditionally focuses on antecedents to volunteering and outcomes for volunteers. In this study, we attempt to build on the existing literature by examining the volunteer experience from the paid employee's vantage point. Using a sample of employees who work alongside volunteers in animal care organizations (N = 270), we examine how employees described the volunteers with whom they interact. Although these assessments were generally positive, there was considerable variability. This appears to be explained, in part, by each organization's volunteer resources management practices. Results also indicate that employees who reported less satisfactory experiences with volunteers also reported being more stressed, overworked, and less committed to the organization, and having a greater intention to quit. Importantly, these results held up even after controlling for general job satisfaction. Implications of these findings for theory and practice are discussed.     

The Voice of the Child in Parenting Coordination: Views of Children,Parents, and Parenting Coordinators

This article examines the views of children, parents, and parenting coordinators (PCs) on child inclusion in the parenting coordination process. Participants in a parenting coordination pilot project in Montréal, Quebec—10 children (ranging in age from 8–17 years old), 14 parents, and 2 PCs—were interviewed at the end of the project. The goal was to understand their perceptions of child participation in parenting coordination interventions. Overall, a vast majority of children and parents agreed that children should be given a forum in parenting coordination and their voices heard. Feedback from PCs on their child inclusion experience also provided rare insight into this practice. Results confirm the importance for children of being heard in postseparation interventions, even when parental conflict is high. These findings add to the growing literature on the participation of children in postseparation interventions.