Revolution: Refining Its Defining

Definitions of revolution have strongly influenced theorization about it. We argue here that revolution is a highly variable phenomenon. Rigid definitions of revolution do not allow for theorizing which explains this variability. Revolution can occur to various degrees along various dimensions. These include the political, international, economic, cultural, ethnic, and gender dimensions. Revolutions do not necessarily affect all these dimensions equally. Revolutions that have led to great change along some of these dimensions have also led to little or no change along others. We further argue that an understanding of revolution requires an understanding of what maintains social order.     

自然与文化:悲观哲学经验

人存在于自然之中,但人不是一般意义上的自然之物,因为人拒绝接受肉体腐烂后思想的荒芜,于是,人开始对自身存在的价值进行深度思考,其结果是,人拒绝承认自己和动植物具有相同的属性,因为人既是自然之子,也是文化的产物。只有当人的精神发展从意识自己是种群的组成部分返回到意识自己作为个体存在的价值和意义之时,文化的作用才有可能发生。人类的发展伴随着野蛮的状态,也伴随着对命运一词的不断认识。人的伟大之处在于能够意识到死亡的不可避免,但同时在文化的帮助下去克服死亡的恐惧,最后让死亡成为有意义的文化事件。     

Meeting the Challenge of Change: New Developments in Social Work Practice and Education

This paper explores the concepts of effectiveness and efficiency as the central focus of the historical evolution of services, agencies, and schools of social work. Early professionals developed these concepts and used them to establish agency programs, social justice oriented supervision, training programs, and schools of social work. These leaders perceived a dynamic tension between agencies and schools that warrants rediscovery amid the current agency/school dissension and the renewed concern with deficiencies in social work practice.     

Tracing the influence of Fernand Deligny on autism studies

In recent years, I have had a growing interest in the work of Deleuze and Guattari, the influence of Fernand Deligny’s work on their own, and the similarities and differences between their respective philosophies and those within my own writings as an autistic academic and activist. Recently a translation of Deligny’s writing became available. Deligny’s writing, even when translated, is not easy to decipher, and perhaps reflects his ‘rhizome-esque’ philosophy and practice. Yet according to Burk there were three main principals which characterised the work of Deligny: the network as a mode of being (called the ‘Arachnean’); the art of acting and doing from which his methodology of ‘mapping’ attempted to trace; and, lastly, the ‘primordial communism’ of a shared common site of living. In this article, these themes will be explored and contrasted with the theoretical writings of the autistic author Jim Sinclair and those of my own, as well as indicating how they influenced the concepts later devised by Deleuze and Guattari.     

How is a sense of well-being and belonging constructed in the accounts of autistic adults?

This small-scale exploratory study sought to develop an understanding of the meaning of well-being and social belonging as represented within the narratives of adults on the autism spectrum. Employing an interpretivist approach facilitated the investigation of potential contributory factors to these lived experiences in order to inform further research regarding both this topic, and service provision for adults on the autism spectrum. The project involved a thematic analysis of issues of the magazine Asperger United (AU). Four broad main themes were identified: meeting personal needs, living with the consequences of an ‘othered’ identity, connection and recognition, and relationships and advocacy. Autistic adults reported many barriers to feeling that they belonged in a number of social spaces and the detrimental effect this had on their wellbeing. Fundamental to positive narratives of wellbeing, were feelings of connection and recognition from others and positive accepting relationships, with autistic-led spaces, particularly the Autscape conference, being frequently cited as of central significance in increasing feelings of wellbeing and belonging. This study has demonstrated a need for less focus on remediation and more on limiting the social isolation of autistic people.