Turning a blind eye: racial oppression and the unintended consequences of white ‘non-racism’*

The paper is based upon ethnographic research undertaken in a large metropolitan Careers Service in England. A consideration of differences between the intent and the outcome of action leads to an exploration of the ways in which white people come to understandings of their superordinate position relative to black people. By emphasising the concept of the materiality of ideology, the analysis attempts to go beyond a functionalist model which would regard a state apparatus as meeting the‘requirements’of capital in an unmediated and direct way. It is argued that racist ideology, as a specific set of linked but contradictory ideas, must inhere unevenly within the structures of everyday life and that struggles against racism have to take into account the discriminatory nature and importance of white‘non-racism’     

Touch attitudes and behaviors,recollections of early childhood touch,and social self-confidence

Subjects filled out three touch attitude scales, a measure of recollections of early childhood touch, and a social competence inventory, and then proceeded to record their touches in a log for one week. The touch questionnaires, although correlated with one another, did not predict day-to-day touching as recorded in logs. However, the results also suggest that questionnaire responses (for the one recall measure and two attitude scales) and log records are each independently predictive of social self-confidence. These findings are interpreted to mean that both positive attitudes/remembrances about touch and active engagement in touch behavior are important elements in social competence. Implications for future research are discussed, including the suggestion that the possible effects of skills training in touch on tactile attitudes, touch communication practices, and social self-esteem should be investigated.Stanley E. Jones is professor of Communication at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Brandi C. Brown is amagna cum laude honors B.A. graduate of the same institution who now resides in Nashville, TN.     

New directions in binational water resource management in the U.S.-Mexico borderlands

The onset of the 21st century sees the U.S.-Mexico border facing numerous challenges in meeting demand for water resources across a diverse set of interests, while also protecting water quality and providing for in-stream uses. This chapter surveys ongoing water resource management efforts in the border region and also examines a broad transboundary water resource management literature to identify existing innovations of note and also to offer ideas for future research. The increasing role of public participation and a democratic decision and policy making process, watershed-based approaches to transboundary water resource management, and the role of water markets are useful areas of investigation uncovered. I suggest that these concepts can form the foundation for future research efforts that may be fruitful in examining the many water resource management challenges that the region will face in the future.     

Foster parent perceptions of placement breakdown

The purpose of the study was to describe the perceived causes of placement breakdown by foster parents. Sixty-three foster parents from fifty families were asked to describe their challenges in response to the following question: “What would make you consider ending a foster placement”? The responses to this question were analyzed using multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis, to yield nine themes. Foster parents indicated that they would consider ending a placement if there was a danger to their family, if the child could not adapt to the home or if they could not handle the child's behavior. Participants reported that the complex health needs of a foster child, problems dealing with the foster agency, and several unsuccessful attempts to make the placement work would cause a placement to breakdown. Foster parents also indicated that they would consider ending a placement if their personal circumstances changed, their own health deteriorated, or there was a lack of appropriate external support in place. The results of the study point to gaps in the research on violence in general foster care, foster parent perceptions of contributions to a foster child's transition back to his or her birth family, and the process of foster parent decision-making in cases of placement breakdown.     

THE QUESTION CUBE: A MODEL FOR DEVELOPING QUESTION REPERTOIRE IN TRAINING COUPLE AND FAMILY THERAPISTS

This paper presents a three-dimensional model for teaching questioning to those wishing to develop skills in couple and family therapy. The model breaks questions into their component parts of format (the style of the question: open, closed, forced choice, rating, or ranking); orientation (the person who is being inquired about: self or other), and subject (the content of the question: behavior, feelings, beliefs, meaning, or relationship). The model is presented in the context of our post-Milan version of couple and family therapy training. The model is useful in that it allows students gradually to increase their repertoire of questions in a way that offers step-wise learning and integrates with their existing skills.     

Mythologies and panics: twentieth century constructions of child prostitution

This paper examines twentieth century social constructions of child prostitutes and child prostitution, the origins of these representations and the extent to which they have been used as metaphors for other perceived social, economic and political problems. It is important to recognise that these children have been sexually abused and that discourses that have portrayed them as either assertive and blameworthy seducers or as abducted and coerced innocents are constructed myths which detracted from recognition of the actual problems these children have faced.     

‘Someone of Your Own to Love’: Experiences of Being Looked After as Influences on Teenage Pregnancy

Previous research has shown that children and young people who are looked after are vulnerable to poor life outcomes, including early pregnancy. This paper examines how experiences of being looked after may contribute to teenage pregnancy. Using in‐depth interviews, data were collected from 63 young people recently looked after who are aged 15–24 and 78 professionals, across four research sites. The young people reported feelings of loneliness, rejection, stigma and not being able to trust others, emotions which seriously influenced their decisions about becoming parents. The findings suggest that such young people may benefit from a greater degree of emotional and practical support throughout their lives in care. Copyright © 2006 Institute of Education, University of London.