‘Domestic friends’: women's friendships,motherhood and inclusive intimacy

Based on a qualitative, interview‐based study of friendship, this article examines the specificity of ‘domestic friendships’ between women. Forged from the particular experiences, emotions and challenges of motherhood, they are qualitatively different from most friendships which tend to be based on individualistic connection and self‐expression. Domestic friendships facilitate a specific form of ‘inclusive intimacy’ and shape an expansive experience of domestic life beyond the family or household. They help shape mothers’ sense of self as profoundly relational and interconnected with others, and channel a sense of biographical selfhood whose form and temporality is tied firmly to others’ lives.     

Contesting Dominance and Performing Badness: A Micro‐Sociological Analysis of the Forms,Situational Asymmetry,and Severity of Street Violence

This article proposes two ideal types of street violence: contesting dominance and performing badness. These ideal types were used as heuristic devices in qualitative analyses of 159 violent interactions among Dutch youth, taken from judicial case files. These analyses revealed that over half of the interactions resembled the contesting dominance type. Here, opponents engage in sequences of challenges and provocations to aggressively establish a domineering self; attackers purposively looked for or arranged confrontations that revolved around the issue of who is superior per se. The performing badness type was found in 30% of the cases. This is one‐sided violence in which attackers humiliate and toy with their victims to display their power and meanness. The relationships between these forms of violence, situational asymmetry (weak victims and supportive groups) and severity of the violence were analyzed statistically. Contesting dominance was associated with more severe violence, resulting from the greater amount of confrontational tension. Situational asymmetry was the rule in both forms of violence. The difference between the size of the attackers’ supportive group and that of the victims turned out to be especially important. The larger the difference, the more severe the violence in general, but especially in contesting dominance.     

Prison Experiences and Psychological Distress among Older Inmates

This study investigates relationships between older prisoners’ social experiences and their levels of distress. One hundred and seventy-three older prisoners (aged ≥ 50 years) from 8 Australian prisons were administered the Kessler Psychological Distress (K10) Scale, with additional information collected via individual interviews. Psychological distress scores were significantly associated with measures of self-reported safety (p < .001), prison victimization (p < .05), perceived social support from staff (p < .01) and inmates (p < .001), current employment (p < .05), and level of exercise (p < .001) among older inmates. Findings suggest that strategies for improving sense of safety, social support and level of exercise may ameliorate distress among older prisoners.     

Sexual Abuse in Cameroon: A Four-Year-Old Girl Victim of Rape in Buea Case Study

A young girl was brought to the emergency unit after suffering sexual abuse by an older male. Additional abuses against women and girls include physical beating, forced marriage, female genital mutilation, breast ironing, widow’s rites, psychological abuse, and discrimination in education, finance, employment, and legal access. Cameroon has adopted strategies aimed at eliminating violence against women, including ratification of international policies, penal codes, and support of local and international efforts that promote women; however, many of the laws remain in name only and are rarely enforced, given women’s lack of financial access to quality lawyers and an unsympathetic male-dominated police force. Underreporting and culturally accepted abuses remain a challenge, too, as the country seeks to understand the extent of abuses and how to effectively fight against them. A complete paradigm shift in cultural attitude toward the female gender is required for abuses to cease.     

Sociocultural and epidemiological issues in the assessment of domestic violence

This paper presents alternative models for the integration of multicultural issues in research on domestic violence. Issues are discussed that illustrate ethnic specific strengths, concerns, and weaknesses of ethnic families and communities. These issues need to be incorporated in future research that more thoroughly examines ethnic and cultural issues in violence research. Alternative strategies for future research are also suggested which call for the incorporation of ethnic and cultural issues on an ongoing basis, so that commonalities across studies can emerge and we can begin to understand the cultural context of domestic violence.     

当前闲置存量资产的供求有效性与政策敏感性分析

当前推动闲置存量责产的整合活化具有重大的经济意义和政治意义.当前资产整合活化宜以政府调节为主,市场调节为辅,并把解决当前问题与完善经济运行的市场调节体系有机结合起来.     

学科与学位点建设与发展的思考

通过对学科建设过程中几个关键问题的思考,提出了我校学科建设应以研究生学位点建设为中心的学科建设思路,并建议通过建立明晰的学科建设指标体系和管理机制,促进学科有目的的发展。     

关于云南省旅游发展的几点思考

进入新世纪以来 ,人们生活消费结构已发生了很大变化 ,旅游正在成为新的消费点。市场需求的拉动力使得旅游这一“朝阳产业”步入了一个新的台阶。同时 ,它又是“无烟产业” ,这与人们追求的生态保护、可持续发展的思想不谋而合。云南作为我国的“旅游资源大省”有着广阔的旅游发展空间。实现从旅游资源大省到旅游经济大省的转变 ,是云南旅游经济持续发展的重要保障     

需求能力不足是我国扩大内需的主要障碍

形成有效需求能力不足的主要原因有 :居民收入分配差距拉大 ;农民收入增长速度减缓 ;城市存在大量下岗职工。解决我国有效需求能力不足的对策 :缩小居民收入分配差距 ;提高农民收入 ;解决城市下岗职工的生活问题