The art and craft fair: A new institution in an old art world

This paper focuses on the role of art and craft fairs in the contemporary stained glass profession. Full-time, non-traditional stained glass work could be considered a marginal profession in that it lacks a centralized source of control. The institutionalization of fairs is one solution to problems of decentralization in this profession.Three patterns of participation are noted for stained glass practitioners. First, some artisans participate in art and craft fairs as a stepping stone in their professional development. Second, some practitioners have custom-work studios and continue to participate in the fairs after they have established their studios. Third, for some the art and craft fair is an end, rather than a means. Art and craft fairs serve as a functional equivalent to apprenticeships and other centralized sources of control in the stained glass world. Quantitative and qualitative data are used to support the arguments. The paper concludes by discussing the applicability of these ideas to other contemporary arts/crafts.My thanks to the reviewers and editors for their helpful comments on earlier drafts of this paper. This paper has been completed, in part, with equipment purchased by NSF Grant # CSI-8551728.     

Beyond friendship: the nature and meaning of close personal relationships as perceived by people with learning disabilities

Many people with learning disabilities aspire to having friends and to forming close relationships. Often the latter are discouraged, but for those who enter into such a relationship little is known about the meaning and value it brings to their lives. The aim of this study was to gain an insight into the close relationships of eight couples with learning disabilities using a combination of dyadic and one-to-one interviews. Data collection and analysis was informed and guided by the core principles of grounded theory. Five significant types of benefits were identified from having close personal relationships, namely: comradeship, a sense of contentment, availability of mutual support, coping with the ups and downs of relationships, and a continuing commitment. Service providers could do more to facilitate the formation of close meaningful relationships, and strategies for doing this need to be identified and evaluated.     

Institutions and Policies for Pro‐poor Agricultural Growth

Global experience with pro‐poor growth and empirical work spanning India, Malawi and Zimbabwe demonstrates the importance of agricultural growth for poverty reduction in poor rural areas, while also pointing to the need for complementary non‐farm sector growth. Theoretical arguments, historical evidence and livelihoods modelling in poor medium‐potential rural economies suggest that, contrary to thinking dominating much of current development policy, subsidies to relieve critical seasonal credit and cash restraints and reduce market and input supply uncertainties need to help in ‘kick‐starting’ agricultural markets if increased smallholder productivity in food‐grains is to drive rural non‐farm growth. Establishing the base conditions for these to work, designing and implementing them to be effective, and then phasing them out are major challenges facing policymakers.     

Peer Estimates of School-Aged Boys' and Girls'Aggression to Same- and Cross-Sex Targets

Research comparing boys' and girls' aggression has typically focused on the overall amount of aggression using a within-sex design. Less attention has been given to differences in children's aggression according to the sex of the target. In the research reported here, boys' and girls' amount and style of aggression were compared for same- and cross-sex targets. A peer estimation procedure was used with children in Grades 2, 6, 9, and 11. Physical, verbal, and indirect aggression were studied. Although there were some differences according to Grade level, both the amount and style of aggression for boys and for girls differed as a function of the sex of target, with cross-sex aggression generally falling between the amount and style of boys -to-boys and girls-to-girls aggression. The results draw attention to the possible separate nature of the cross-sex context, and highlight the importance of taking into account the target of aggression when investigating differences in aggression between boys and girls.     

Assessing human movement with accelerometry

The methods for measuring and evaluating human movement have advanced rapidly over the past 2 decades. The use of smaller, lighter, more powerful personal computers, digital video cameras and miniature, portable accelerometers have allowed the health professional, engineer, sports coach and scientist to very precisely record and quantify human movements on the sports field, in the business office, industrial setting and in the home. Most human motion analysis systems have evolved to meet the particular needs of the user. One such system that has developed over the past ten years in the Sport Science Laboratory at Dalhousie University is the Padlog series of accelerometer systems. This paper will discuss the development the Padlog systems at Dalhousie.     

Cultural Citizenship

This paper seeks to give a sense of the diversity of work that falls within the boundaries of 'cultural citizenship'– a term it locates as emerging from the problematisation of traditional citizenship models by issues of identity and mediation. This paper outlines three distinct strands of cultural citizenship theory, which respectively emphasise multiculturalism, the politics of cultural texts, and dialogical communication. Subsequently, this paper conducts a brief analysis and critique of these strands, enabled by an interrogation of the ways in which they each define and deploy the term 'culture'. It is argued that for cultural citizenship to develop a more coherent terminological 'face', a balance must be struck between a commitment to specificity, and the appeal of abstracted re-imaginings of civil society.     

Experiences of Grandparenting Disabled Children in the UK: A Qualitative Study of Intergenerational Relationships

Contemporary patterns of family, work, and welfare make the experience of grandparenting complex and diverse. This UK-based qualitative study aimed to explore grandparenting in the context of childhood disability. Nine grandparents (aged 59–79 years) with disabled and non-disabled grandchildren took part in semi-structured interviews. Grandparents provided extensive instrumental and emotional care and support and sought a balance between involvement versus interfering. Grandparents actively drew on life experiences to engage with services to maximize support. Contemplating the future, grandparents had concerns for adult children as well as grandchildren. Developing policies to support grandparents of disabled grandchildren are urgently required.