Identities in the third space? Solidity,elasticity and resilience amongst young British Pakistani Muslims

Over the last decade the issue of identity has been prevalent in discussions about British Muslims, with the events of 9/11 serving as a touchstone for media debates about religious, national and cultural affiliations. The 7/7 terrorist attacks in the UK led to young British Pakistanis being subjected to intense public and institutional scrutiny and wider political concerns being expressed about the failure of multiculturalism. Young British Pakistanis have thus had to negotiate and maintain their identities in an environment in which they have been defined as a threat to national security whilst simultaneously being pressurized to align with 'core British values'. Within this context, we convey the findings of a qualitative study involving British Pakistanis living in the North-west of England. In presenting the experiences and perspectives of participants, three interconnected processes salient to the maintenance of identity are delineated: solidity, elasticity and resilience. Having unpacked these processes, we draw upon Bhabha's third space thesis to explore the political potentiality of and the limits to hybridic identities.     

Older adults' narratives about a flood disaster: Resilience, coherence, and personal identity

Older adults are a vulnerable group in a disaster and are more at risk of adverse effects as a result. This paper draws on the use of narrative theory in health and gerontology studies to examine how a disruptive disaster was storied. Narrative interviews were conducted with nine older adults aged over 65 years who had recently experienced a flood disaster. The participants' narratives about the disruptive event were integrated with past personal events that spanned more than seven decades. The disaster became a reference point for previous challenging experiences, which created biographical continuity, coherence and order over time. Furthermore, the disaster stories were about biography and identity, and showed how older adults made sense of the flood from a life-course perspective. The use of narrative approaches provides an insight into how the flood disaster was experienced, and reveals how four older adults storied their experiences of a significant life challenge.     

新生代农民工群体特征研究

自2010年中央一号文件首次提出“新生代农民工”说法,新生代农民工开始成为社会各界关注的对象,通过梳理相关文献大致可勾画出新生代农民工所谓“四高”、“一低”、“一薄弱”的社会印象和群体特征。相对其他群体来说,新生代农民工受教育水平并不高,对于农民身份认同相对减弱,城市社区认同较高。对于新生代农民工群体特征的研究应该区分农民工的人口学特征与社会特征,并充分认识到新生代农民工群体的异质性,对其定义和特征把握要注意从与周围群体和代际关系中共同考虑。     

On ethnicity and development imperative: a case study of North-East India

‘North East India’ composed of different ethnicity is plagued with ethnic assertions and regionalism with that of centuries of alienation. Development is one big issue that need to be address in the region. The North East India after decades of independence is still lagging behind in term of socio, economic, education, political, cultural and social development. A deeper study reveals that movement for separate homeland, regionalism, tribalism, ethnic clash, crime, mass poverty, etc in the region are caused by backwardness of the region. The distinct geo-ethnic and socio-historical characters of North-East India constitute the hotbed of ethnic strife and extreme radicalism. The solution lies partly in resolving the conflict between primordial ethnic loyalties or ‘ethno-nationalism’ and the ‘nationalism of the nation state’, and partly a conscious and voluntary effort to resist corruption and unholy alliance between the militants and the politicians in the region. In any case, ethnic reconciliation would result in the reduction of ethnic violence of all kinds and would eventually restore law and order in the region. When the civil governance in the region will be spared from combating militancy or appeasing the militants, the whole energy of the government would be for strengthening the institutions of local self-government, which act as potential agents of development in the conflict-ridden states of the North-East India.     

广州服务全国的战略路径研究

国务院颁布实施的《珠江三角洲地区改革发展规划纲要（2008—2020年）》赋予了广州重大的历史使命,从国家战略层面明确提出要强化广州国家中心城市地位,把广州建设成为服务全国,面向世界的国际大都市。新的发展定位要求广州要肩负起服务全国的使命。在此背景下,本文分析了广州服务全国的基础现状,提出了广州服务全国的发展目标与战略,最后就广州服务全国提出五大战略路径。     

信任缺失:新生代农民工身份建构与政治认同

新生代农民工城市融入的本质是新生代农民工与城市市民、城市社会组织及政治的互动与认同,这种互动与认同以信任为基础。其中人际信任、组织信任与政治信任分别构成新生代农民工身份建构的基础、融入城市的社会资本与政治认同的基础。由于当前社会人际信任缺失、组织信任匮乏与政治信任偏低,导致新生代农民工陷入身份建构与政治认同困境。因此只有通过修复新生代农民工的人际信任、增进其组织信任、重构政治信任方能构建起积极的身份认同。     

中国地方政府债务问题探讨

中国地方政府债务问题形成的主要原因,一是政府过多地、直接地参与经济活动,二是城市化加速导致地方政府举债。对于中国地方政府债务问题,总体判断仍为风险可控。一是地方政府加上中央政府的债务占GDP的比例在40%以内,远低于60%的债务率标准。二是中央政府有非常强的控制能力,在各级政府间平衡债权债务,使得中国加总的净债务率较低。三是中国整体的资产负债表仍然健康,尤其是中央政府保持相当健康的资产负债表。对地方政府债务问题,体制性的解决办法是治本之道。要从根本上解决中国地方政府不规范借债问题,须建立规范化的地方政府举债融资机制。     

主流政治大片的政治审美与国家形象的构建

近年来,以《建国大业》、《建党伟业》等为主导的影片迅速形成了主流政治大片的新类型。但不得不指出,这种类型倚重"数星星"的娱乐议题,割裂了审美认知与情感关系,导致认知功能的丧失,难以有效地阐释政治观念及其价值,反过来也影响到审美情感的丰富性与深刻性,政治叙事缺乏感染力。我们认为,当下电影的高票房与社会议题的设置关系密切。主流政治大片需要从当下政治实践与国际政治的两个维度上,运用包括领袖人物与政治观念等多义与复杂性,设置吸引大众关注、积极参与的政治议题,从而塑造出一个理性的国家形象。     

民族儿童文学:民族精神的独特呈现和体现——2010、2011少数民族儿童文学略论

在全球化语境中,承扬民族文化、张扬民族精神,是民族儿童文学创作面临的大问题。民族儿童文学作家常以一种世所罕有的审美敏感去表现边地的自然万物,或以魔幻性叙事来构筑民族儿童审美的形象体系,或以发展的、理想的视角展示当下民族儿童的现实,都表达出生命的另一种绚丽和辉煌、生活的另一种奇异和深邃、生性的另一种善良和刚强,使民族精神在民族儿童文学中得到独特的呈现和体现。     

新生代农民工城市融入中的社会认同考量

社会认同在新生代农民工的城市融入中至关重要.相比较第一代农民工,新生代农民工在务农经历、教育程度、职业期望、物质和精神要求、市民化意愿等方面有鲜明的群体特征.但目前社会认同困境阻碍着他们的市民化进程,主要表现为制度制约、自身地位制约、社会关系网络制约等.摆脱这一困境,需要政府创造良好环境,城市居民宽容接纳,新生代农民工积极提高自身素质及劳动技能等.只有达到了身份认同、城市认同和自我认同相统一,他们在城市才能感受到“主人翁”归属感,从而加速我国城市化进程.