Unravelling Memories of Family Separation Among Sri Lankan Tamils Resettled in Australia, 1983–2000

Abstract

Using life story interviews with 10 Sri Lankan Tamil refugees resettled in Australia, this article shows how family separation in experiences of civil war and resettlement produce long-lasting and emotional memories of fear and determination. The findings explore how young Tamil people gave meaning to family when they interacted with key individuals and negotiated cultural practices in different spaces. Moreover, intergenerational family narratives emerged as a key practice through which Tamils preserved the family identity. The analysis demonstrates how and when family separation can manifest in personal memories to reveal stories of agency and resilience. A critical engagement of the past can help to better understand concepts of childhood in relation to family and family separation in war affected diaspora communities.     

The disenchantment of Bitcoin: unveiling the myth of a digital currency

Bitcoin and its peculiar, decentralized transaction system, have already ignited interest by professional and retail traders in search for profits and by economists and legal experts, looking for possible regulation to contain illegal uses. We instead examine the unexpected and ongoing success of Bitcoin from a sociological perspective, first questioning its unusual legitimation system, backed by the so called ‘blockchain technology’, instead of by governmental authorities. Then we collect data and elements to reconstruct Bitcoin’s history as a cryptocurrency, starting from the mysterious story surrounding its birth. We then follow its spread and development through social networks and words of mouth, together with its sudden booms and bursts, finally to suggest that both users and institutional regulators should be aware of the risks of Bitcoin and of its alleged power to challenge our very notion of money.     

Professional quality of life of adult protective service workers

Adult Protective Services (APS) workers are exposed to substantial occupational hazards and job stress, but these stressors are underdocumented. Therefore, we sought to describe APS workers’ work environments and responses to occupational hazards and stressors, including compassion fatigue, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress. Survey data were gathered with closed-ended questionnaires administered to APS workers in an urban setting. Virtually all workers (97%) reported exposure to one or more environmental hazards in their work, and 80% reported hazard exposure in the past month. Workers also reported mixed responses to their work environment and to experiences with supervision. A sizable minority (22.7%) was at high risk for burnout, 24.6% were at risk for secondary traumatic stress, and 19.9% reported low compassion satisfaction. The results document multiple stressors in APS work. The APS partner is committed to ongoing efforts to better support its staff, and these findings can inform future efforts to enhance supervisor support and worker self-care, to minimize burnout and secondary traumatic stress.     

Parental age and offspring mortality: Negative effects of reproductive ageing may be counterbalanced by secular increases in longevity

As parental ages at birth continue to rise, concerns about the effects of fertility postponement on offspring are increasing. Due to reproductive ageing, advanced parental ages have been associated with negative health outcomes for offspring, including decreased longevity. The literature, however, has neglected to examine the potential benefits of being born at a later date. Secular declines in mortality mean that later birth cohorts are living longer. We analyse mortality over ages 30–74 among 1.9 million Swedish men and women born 1938–60, and use a sibling comparison design that accounts for all time-invariant factors shared by the siblings. When incorporating cohort improvements in mortality, we find that those born to older mothers do not suffer any significant mortality disadvantage, and that those born to older fathers have lower mortality. These findings are likely to be explained by secular declines in mortality counterbalancing the negative effects of reproductive ageing.     

基于“健康中国2020”目标的二维人口健康不公平指数研究

目的：本研究基于“健康中国2020战略”,旨在开发一种可综合评价人口健康公平性的二维指数。这里将公平性定位于“人口健康产出的平等”。方法：应用生态学研究、因子分析等方法对中国31个省、自治区和直辖市的人口健康不公平指数进行测算。之后。对健康不公平指数的信度和效度进行检验。资料主要来源于2003年国家卫生服务调查数据。结果：由8个变量合成的中国人口健康不公平指数（IHI）的中住数为0．27838π（范围：0π～0．39002π）。该指数具有较高的内部一致性（Cronbach α系数＝0．8304）和信度（Spearman相关系数〉0．8．P〈0．05）。IHI与社会剥夺指数（Spearman相关系数＝0．731,P〈0．05）、期望寿命（Spearman相关系数＝-0．569,P〈0．05）和基尼系数（Spearman相关系数=0．805。P〈0．05）间具有较好的相关性。结论：IHI是一种二维、具有较好信度和效度的监测“健康中国2020”战略的指数．它与基尼系数相比在对人口健康公平性的综合评估方面更具优势。该指数还可应用于政策干预效果评价、弱势群体的确定及卫生资源分配等领域。     

农村中小学教师对留守儿童的认知

留守儿童能否得到优质的学校教育,与教师的认知与态度是分不开的。本次调查发现,绝大多数农村中小学教师认为留守儿童与非留守儿童之间存在较大的差异,父母外出后,给孩子成长带了较大的负面影响。因绝大多数农村中小学教师主要是根据他们日常生活中与留守儿童的接触,从而形成对其的总体印象,因此,我们可以认为,农村中小学教师对留守儿童的总体评价与判断是比较可靠的。同时,调查也发现农村基层教育系统尤其是处在农村教育第一线的教师对留守儿童教育问题比较重视,但要警惕将留守儿童＂标签化＂的危险。     

元代葛逻禄诗人廼贤生平考述

廼贤是中国诗史上仅有的葛逻禄人,在当时诗、文声名极大,但其生平未见碑传,需要我们钩沉整理.本文对其族籍、家世进行了考辫,梳理了其生平事迹:自幼生长在江南鄞县,力学诗书;既壮,肆志远游,求仕不得;晚年官编修,客死军中.     

甘肃南部林区族群生存文化的生态人类学研究——以舟曲县3个藏汉村寨为例

甘肃省南部林区属于国家长江上游水土保持重点防治区域,具有非常重要的战略地位。世代居住在这块地方上的藏、汉族群积累了大量与所处环境相适应的生存技能和经验。构筑起与这种生态环境相适应的生存文化,形成了以森林为核心的生态系统与以苯教为核心的生存文化之间的共生关系。在保护当地生态环境、改善类似地区的生态环境、改变同一地区不同族群的生态观念等方面都能发挥作用,具有很强的实用价值,应该进行深入发掘和总结。     

成都将军的设置及其在治理川西藏区中的作用

清乾隆年间对大小金川土司的用兵结束后,为了加强对康藏及川西藏族的统治,乾隆帝特设成都将军,统辖八旗和绿营,治理川边。成都将军在维护川西藏族地区的稳定、保持川藏大道的畅通、巩固西南边疆的安全等方面均起到了积极的作用。     

少数民族高考加分政策的公正性探究

少数民族高考加分政策实施多年,其公正性屡遭质疑,根本原因在于对该政策的根据缺乏深入而系统的认识。事实上,理性约定和平等原则构成其法律基础,循环累积因果论和帕累托最优为其提供经济学上的理论依据,唯有从这两方面厘清该政策的正当性根据,方可消除种种分歧以及在执行和实施过程中的异化和不合理现象。