tag:theconversation.com,2011:/ca/topics/social-exclusion-718/articles
Social exclusion – The Conversation
2023-12-05T22:16:16Z
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/217742
2023-12-05T22:16:16Z
2023-12-05T22:16:16Z
Microsoft’s ban on third-party controllers on the Xbox excludes some disabled gamers from using the device
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563483/original/file-20231204-15-zq5wh4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C18%2C4031%2C2999&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The Xbox Adaptive Controller was designed to make gaming more accessible.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/microsofts-ban-on-third-party-controllers-on-the-xbox-excludes-some-disabled-gamers-from-using-the-device" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>When it comes to accessibility in gaming, Microsoft takes two steps forward with the Xbox Adaptive Controller, but a giant leap back with its ban on third-party devices.</p>
<p>On Oct. 31, some Xbox players began receiving a <a href="https://tech.hindustantimes.com/gaming/news/banned-microsoft-takes-firm-stance-on-third-party-xbox-controllers-and-accessories-71698733625081.html">new error code</a> on their Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S consoles. The error code meant that players were using an unauthorized third-party controller — one not made by Microsoft or an official <a href="https://www.xbox.com/en-US/designed-for-xbox">hardware partner</a>. Players were given two weeks’ notice until the unauthorized controller would no longer work with their consoles. </p>
<p>Essentially, Microsoft had quietly banned the use of controllers not made or approved by the company. In the following weeks, Microsoft officially stated the ban was meant to protect players’ gaming experiences, and <a href="https://support.xbox.com/en-US/help/errors/error-code-0x82d60002">ensure the quality and safety of players’ controllers</a>. </p>
<p>The ban, however, presents barriers to many disabled gamers who may use third-party controllers for accessibility reasons. </p>
<h2>Social exclusion and accessibility</h2>
<p>When we talk about accessibility and the social exclusion of disabled people, we often do not consider accessible forms of leisure <a href="https://nyupress.org/9781479853434/restricted-access/">to be important</a>. </p>
<p>Legal policies such as the <a href="https://www.ada.gov/">Americans with Disabilities Act</a> and the <a href="https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/05a11">Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act</a> that legislate access to public spaces and provide protection from employment discrimination are often viewed as more important.</p>
<p>But video games are a massive source of entertainment for both children and adults. The gaming industry is currently the <a href="https://gamerhub.co.uk/gaming-industry-dominates-as-the-highest-grossing-entertainment-industry/">highest-grossing entertainment industry worldwide</a>. With an estimated 6.2 million disabled people in <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/89-654-x/89-654-x2018002-eng.htm">Canada</a>, 61 million disabled people in the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandhealth/disability-inclusion.html">United States</a> and 1.3 billion disabled people <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/disability-and-health">worldwide</a>, there is undoubtedly a large group of disabled video game players. </p>
<p>In order to have a truly inclusive and accessible society, disabled people’s rights to meaningfully take part in accessible forms of entertainment, leisure and play <a href="http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/1486508.1486516">must be supported</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563672/original/file-20231205-23-tvp6st.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="a man in a wheelchair with a game controller" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563672/original/file-20231205-23-tvp6st.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563672/original/file-20231205-23-tvp6st.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563672/original/file-20231205-23-tvp6st.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563672/original/file-20231205-23-tvp6st.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563672/original/file-20231205-23-tvp6st.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563672/original/file-20231205-23-tvp6st.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563672/original/file-20231205-23-tvp6st.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Video games are the highest-grossing entertainment activity, and ignoring the needs of disabled gamers affects their ability to meaningfully participate.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Video game accessibility</h2>
<p>In recent years, Microsoft has been a leader in video game accessibility. In 2018, they were the first major gaming company to release an adaptive controller.</p>
<p>The Xbox Adaptive Controller is a customizable controller that allows players to connect external devices (foot pedals, joysticks, buttons, switches) to ports on the back of the controller. This controller design allows players to <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2018/05/xbox-adaptive-controller-a-bold-answer-to-the-tricky-world-of-accessible-gaming/">construct their own unique gaming setup</a>. Someone previously unable to hold a controller would now be able to play a game mainly with their feet, for example. </p>
<p>Because controllers require a high amount of dexterity to use, many disabled people (particularly those with mobility impairments) are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10209-010-0189-5">not able to play video games</a>. <a href="https://www.atia.org/home/at-resources/what-is-at/">Assistive technologies</a> like the Xbox Adaptive Controller help <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/267403944_Game_Not_Over_Accessibility_Issues_in_Video_Games">make video games more accessible</a>. </p>
<p>Disabled players have <a href="https://doi.org/10.5334/csci.128">made their own accessibility solutions</a> for years. The Xbox Adaptive Controller was a massive step forward for video game accessibility because it showed official support for accessibility in gaming from a major video game company.</p>
<h2>Banned third-party controllers</h2>
<p>Microsoft has taken a step back in their efforts to champion video game accessibility with their recent announcement. While they have clarified that devices compatible with the Xbox Adaptive Controller will <a href="https://twitter.com/KaitlynJones_/status/1719668307379278135">not be affected</a>, this does not eliminate all accessibility concerns.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1719668307379278135"}"></div></p>
<p>Disability is individual and varies from person to person. While the Xbox Adaptive Controller may work for many disabled gamers, that does not make it a universal solution that works for all disabled gamers. </p>
<p>The Xbox Adaptive Controller is only one accessibility option among many available to disabled gamers. The ban on third-party controllers means that other accessibility options and <a href="https://www.consoletuner.com/products/titan-two/">devices are now unusable</a> for Xbox players.</p>
<h2>Downsides of the Xbox Adaptive Controller</h2>
<p>The Xbox Adaptive Controller is a great accessibility option — however, it has downsides that other third-party devices may address. One of these downsides is that the Xbox Adaptive Controller is not compatible with all external devices. For example, computer mice are <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/disabledgamers/comments/11rkazg/xbox_adaptive_controller_mouse/">not compatible</a> with the Adaptive Controller but are with other now-unauthorized <a href="https://www.cronusmax.com/">devices</a>. </p>
<p>Another downside of the Xbox Adaptive Controller is <a href="https://caniplaythat.com/2020/09/24/xbox-adaptive-controller-review-xbox-pc/">the cost</a>. The controller itself <a href="https://www.xbox.com/en-CA/accessories/controllers/xbox-adaptive-controller">costs $130</a>. External buttons and joysticks can also run a high price, with some popular buttons <a href="https://www.ablenetinc.com/big-red/">retailing for $75</a>. This is on top of the initial cost of buying an Xbox, which can range from <a href="https://www.xbox.com/en-CA/consoles/xbox-series-s">$380</a> to <a href="https://www.xbox.com/en-CA/consoles/xbox-series-x">$650</a>.</p>
<p>According to the 2017 <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/89-654-x/89-654-x2018002-eng.htm">Canadian Survey on Disability</a>, disabled individuals are more than twice as likely as non-disabled people to live in poverty. Disabled people also earn 12 to 51 per cent less annually.</p>
<p>While we may not think about the price of assistive technologies like the Xbox Adaptive Controller as an accessibility barrier, it can play a role in limiting the available options for many disabled people.</p>
<h2>Historically overlooked</h2>
<p>The availability of the Xbox Adaptive Controller may make it seem like Microsoft’s ban of third-party controllers will have little effect on disabled players. But the <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/why-xboxs-third-party-accessories-ban-is-sparking-a-backlash-in-the-disabled-community">backlash from disabled gamers</a> shows this is not true. Disabled players are concerned about the ban’s possible effects on accessibility.</p>
<p>The video game industry has historically <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03392326">overlooked disabled gamers</a> as a legitimate and sizeable consumer base. The banning of other assistive technology options for disabled gamers is an unfortunate step back in an already long and hard-fought battle for inclusive and accessible gaming.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/217742/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Juan Escobar-Lamanna does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
The Xbox Adaptive Controller is designed to make gaming more inclusive, but Microsoft’s ban on third-party devices means some disabled gamers are still excluded.
Juan Escobar-Lamanna, PhD Candidate, Faculty of Information and Media Studies, Western University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/208876
2023-06-30T14:32:23Z
2023-06-30T14:32:23Z
France riots: when police shot a teenager dead, a rumbling pressure cooker exploded
<p>Riots broke out in Nanterre, a suburb of Paris, following the lethal police shooting of a 17-year-old boy <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-66052104">named as Nahel M</a>. An investigation into his death is ongoing but the situation has already triggered protest and anger. Whatever the investigation concludes, the incident forms part of a complex, deep-rooted problem in France. </p>
<p>It raises the memory of the violence that spread across the city’s suburbs in 2005, lasting more than three weeks and forcing the country into a state of emergency. Many of the issues behind the unrest back then remain unresolved to this day and have potentially been aggravated by ever worsening relations between the police and the public. </p>
<p>During my extensive fieldwork in the suburban estates of <a href="https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-16103-3">Paris, Lyon and Marseille</a> I have seen and heard first-hand the grievances that are now being cried out on the streets of Nanterre. </p>
<h2>The suburbs and poverty</h2>
<p>Certain suburbs of large French cities have, for decades, suffered from what has been labelled the worst <a href="https://www.google.com.co/books/edition/_/APjN-RQuW-sC?hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjg-Kr50-n_AhUFTTABHUkpCmkQre8FegQIDhAG">“hypermarginalisation”</a> in Europe. Poor-quality housing and schooling combine with geographical isolation and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Multi-Ethnic-France-Immigration-Politics-Culture-ebook/dp/B000SEGHXM/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2GOZNEHZ7C1J7&keywords=multiethnic+france&qid=1688082329&s=books&sprefix=multiethnic+fran%2Cstripbooks-intl-ship%2C148&sr=1-1">racism</a> to make it virtually impossible for people to stand a chance at improving their circumstances. </p>
<p>Evidence has long shown that people living in poor suburbs can expect to face discrimination based on the very fact of living in those suburbs when they <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/270757362_Discrimination_based_on_place_of_residence_and_access_to_employment">apply for a job</a>. Even just having a certain name on your CV can rule you out of employment thanks to <a href="https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_protect/---protrav/---migrant/documents/publication/wcms_201429.pdf">widespread racial discrimination</a>.</p>
<p>Discontent among young people in these places has been brewing for decades as a result. The first riots of the kind currently happening in Paris took place in <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/book/10.1002/9780470712788">Lyon</a> as far back as the 1990s. </p>
<p>And yet, outside moments of crisis, there appears to be practically no discussion by French leadership about how to tackle the problems that drive so much anger in the suburbs. </p>
<p>President Emmanuel Macron presents himself as committed to <a href="https://www.lemonde.fr/en/france/article/2023/06/13/macron-s-shift-from-start-up-nation-to-reindustrialization_6031051_7.html">re-industrialising</a> France and revitalising the economy. But his vision does not include any plan for using economic growth to bring opportunity to the suburbs or, viewed the other way round, to harness the potential of the suburbs to drive economic growth. </p>
<p>In two presidential terms, he has failed to produce a coherent policy for solving some of the <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/can-emmanuel-macrons-banlieues-plan-reach-the-poor/a-43841633">key problems of the suburbs</a>.</p>
<h2>Police brutality</h2>
<p>Police brutality is a topic of great concern in France at the moment, beyond the Nanterre incident. Earlier this year, international human rights organisation the Council of Europe took the extraordinary step of directly lambasting the French police for <a href="https://www.coe.int/en/web/commissioner/-/manifestations-en-france-les-libert%C3%A9s-d-expression-et-de-r%C3%A9union-doivent-%C3%AAtre-prot%C3%A9g%C3%A9es-contre-toute-forme-de-violence">“excessive use of force”</a> during protests against Macron’s pension reforms. </p>
<p>Policing appears stuck in an all-or-nothing approach. In a recent interview I helped conduct for a documentary in the suburbs of Marseille, residents pointed to successive cuts to community based police officers, based in the estates, as key reasons for increases in tension between the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpLq5YbNmvE">population and the police</a>. Protests, meanwhile, are met with <a href="https://www.euronews.com/video/2023/06/29/watch-tear-gas-fired-at-people-protesting-over-the-police-shooting-of-a-teenager-in-france">tear gas</a> and <a href="https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/04/25/france-pension-protests-police-violence-macron-europe/">batons</a>. </p>
<p>Successive governments have used policing to control the population to <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=Police+Reforms+in+France%3A+40+Years+of+Searching+for+a+Model&oq=Police+Reforms+in+France%3A+40+Years+of+Searching+for+a+Model&aqs=chrome..69i57.264j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8">prevent political turmoil</a>, eroding the legitimacy of law enforcement along the way.</p>
<p>And yet, the police are extremely <a href="https://time.com/5852764/french-police-protest/">hostile to reform</a>, a stance that is aided and abetted by their <a href="https://jacobin.com/2022/06/french-police-unions-lefebvre-darmanin-crime-nupes-election">powerful unions</a> and Macron himself, who needs the police to <a href="https://theconversation.com/macrons-mercenaries-police-violence-and-neoliberal-reform-in-france-77979">crush opposition to his reforms</a>. </p>
<h2>Macron vs Sarkozy</h2>
<p>Former president Nicolas Sarkozy is infamous for inflaming tensions during the 2005 riots by referring to the people involved as <a href="https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5010930">“scum”</a> who needed to be pressure washed from the suburbs. Macron, too, has been repeatedly criticised for striking an arrogant, tone <a href="https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20220410-macron-centrist-reformer-dogged-by-accusations-of-arrogance">during his political career</a>, making numerous gaffs including suggesting an unemployed worker only needed to <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/emmanuel-macron-9-greatest-gaffes-blunders-french-president/">“cross the street” to find work</a>. </p>
<p>However, his consiliatory response to the death of Nahel could not be further removed from Sarkozy’s stance. He has called the killing <a href="https://www.euronews.com/2023/06/29/french-police-protesters-clash-after-macron-calls-police-fatal-shooting-of-teen-inexcusabl">“inexcusable”</a> and held a crisis meeting to seek a <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12246303/Emmanuel-Macron-holds-crisis-meeting-riots-sparked-cop-execution-17-year-old.html">solution to the crisis</a>. </p>
<p>A trip to <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/macron-seen-dancing-at-elton-john-gig-as-riots-raged-across-france-12912193">see Elton John perform</a> while the riots occurred was perhaps not advisable and comments about young people being “intoxicated” by video games were somewhat misguided, but Macron has at least tried to calm tensions and not inflame them. </p>
<p>A key problem for him, however, is the diffuse, de-centralised nature of the protestors. There is no leadership to meet and negotiate with, and there are no specific demands that need to be met to defuse the tension. As in 2005, the riots are occurring spontaneously, sometimes estate by estate. </p>
<p>That makes escalation very difficult for the government to stop. And it underscores the need for a far more wide-reaching, thoughtful response to tackle the entrenched, decades-old problems of poor social prospects and police brutality in the suburbs of French cities.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/208876/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Joseph Downing does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
I’ve interviewed disaffected people across French suburbs. Their anger has been mounting for years.
Joseph Downing, Senior Lecturer in International Relations and Politics, Aston University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/199984
2023-02-23T03:01:20Z
2023-02-23T03:01:20Z
Why do small rural communities often shun newcomers, even when they need them?
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/511551/original/file-20230221-20-7q3yiq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=585%2C6%2C3416%2C2257&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Image: Saleena Ham</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Do you remember the time you and your friends started a secret club and didn’t let anyone else join? Well, it’s kind of like that in some small rural communities. Even though these communities really need to attract and keep newcomers, some longstanding residents belong to a special “locals” club. Many newcomers who moved from the cities in recent years would know this all too well.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10371656.2022.2061723">My research</a> to understand the experience of newcomers in small towns found a few common themes in what happened to them. It found social identity was a factor that can often inhibit progress, resilience and acceptance of change in rural social groups. </p>
<p>Locals are regarded as the legitimate residents and often have greater local power and privileged status. They can be used to calling the shots for the community. They may hold back change by undermining or failing to accept or support new people, their ideas or businesses.</p>
<p>Newcomers can be intrinsically disruptive to the old and comfortable social norms of small towns. While newcomers want to show their value as residents by offering their new ideas or experience, these are not welcomed by locals because they disrupt the status quo and make them uncomfortable. </p>
<p>I interviewed <a href="https://www.publish.csiro.au/rj/RJ22023">89 residents and recent residents</a> in two rural Queensland communities with populations under 2,000. The locals often say newcomers or outsiders don’t have a right to have a say about the town and certainly not to make changes. They question their social legitimacy and tell stories of their inferiority as residents. </p>
<p>Even when newcomers manage to make a difference, the locals can ignore, criticise or undermine their achievements.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Two horses stand in a paddock in front of homes in a small town" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/511546/original/file-20230221-14-wkgv06.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=464%2C0%2C3398%2C2268&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/511546/original/file-20230221-14-wkgv06.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/511546/original/file-20230221-14-wkgv06.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/511546/original/file-20230221-14-wkgv06.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/511546/original/file-20230221-14-wkgv06.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/511546/original/file-20230221-14-wkgv06.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/511546/original/file-20230221-14-wkgv06.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">People who move to a small town hoping for a quiet life as part of a close-knit community might be in for a shock.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Image: Saleena Ham</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/lets-just-do-it-how-do-e-changers-feel-about-having-left-the-city-now-lockdowns-are-over-188009">'Let's just do it': how do e-changers feel about having left the city now lockdowns are over?</a>
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<h2>How are newcomers undermined?</h2>
<p>In one town, a newcomer became the leader of a business group. He had experience, was energetic, accessed grants and consulted to develop a plan. But then problem after problem was found with it. It was suggested the whole process begin again. He could not move the business community forward to adopt the plan.</p>
<p>They wore him down. He was burned out by their active and passive resistance. After a couple of years, he ended his community involvement, exactly as the locals expected, because he “was not local”.</p>
<p>In another community, a new catering business opened. The locals thought it was too much like the city, certainly too flash for this little place. They made bookings without turning up, complained to the local council that bylaws were broken, suggested one partner was having an affair, and shared rumours of poor hygiene practice. </p>
<p>The business made social connections with other new businesses and created local events, attracting outsiders. The owners experimented, marketed, found clientele beyond the town and survived, but it was very tough when it did not need to be. </p>
<p>The locals undermine, censure and attack, in overt or subtle ways, newcomers who are seeking to belong and contribute until they become disillusioned or just withdraw. Businesses fail and people leave. The small community stays the same, familiar and declining, and the locals are happy because they were proved right about the newcomers.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Main street of a small country town" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/511327/original/file-20230221-24-2rbujj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/511327/original/file-20230221-24-2rbujj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/511327/original/file-20230221-24-2rbujj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/511327/original/file-20230221-24-2rbujj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/511327/original/file-20230221-24-2rbujj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/511327/original/file-20230221-24-2rbujj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/511327/original/file-20230221-24-2rbujj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Newcomers can revitalise a small town, but that doesn’t ensure they’ll be made to feel welcome.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-young-women-say-no-to-rural-australia-100760">Why young women say no to rural Australia</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Why do residents behave like this?</h2>
<p>One reason this happens is because people who live in small communities feel so attached to their community. It is as if it’s an extension of themselves. </p>
<p>So, when someone new comes in and wants to change things, it feels personal. The people who have lived there for a long time read it as a personal attack that threatens their values, stories, history, status and privileges. They feel like they have to defend their story of their special community from the outsiders and anything they might want to introduce. They resist and repel in order to unconsciously protect and defend their place in the secret insiders’ club.</p>
<p>Change can make people feel socially uncertain. Uncertainty about identity can make people feel like they have to act to protect what they know and love: it’s who they are. </p>
<p>It can seem like they’re being senselessly mean and self-sabotaging, but they see it as necessary and justified to protect the familiar qualities and social order of their community or social group. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/511547/original/file-20230221-18-2j01er.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/511547/original/file-20230221-18-2j01er.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/511547/original/file-20230221-18-2j01er.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/511547/original/file-20230221-18-2j01er.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/511547/original/file-20230221-18-2j01er.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/511547/original/file-20230221-18-2j01er.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/511547/original/file-20230221-18-2j01er.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Many small towns need to attract new residents to prosper, but some existing residents resent changes to their social order.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Image: Saleena Ham</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/it-seemed-like-a-good-idea-in-lockdown-but-is-moving-to-the-country-right-for-you-148807">It seemed like a good idea in lockdown, but is moving to the country right for you?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Why should communities welcome newcomers?</h2>
<p>Newcomers also want to belong. They want friendship, to be themselves, acknowledged and accepted. They want to build community, contribute ideas, initiatives and effort. These things are vital for small communities to survive and stay vibrant.</p>
<p>Fear of social censure for breaking the local social norms <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-10-02/facebook-regional-admins-say-misinformation-hurting-communities/100460662">flows into many other small town subjects</a>: rejection of new agricultural practices, exclusion of the socially different, opposition to new business, rejection of developing precincts or modernising services. </p>
<p>Rural locals describe themselves as traditionalists, old school, practical. They expect to embrace hardship, inconvenience and loss as their unique identity. They see their group as morally superior to others. </p>
<p>This also makes it hard for people inside the secret club to get help when they struggle with mental health, financial failure, domestic abuse or grief. If they break the identity norms, will they be shamed or mocked? </p>
<p>Stoicism and resilience is integral to the secret club’s membership. Who are you if you can’t hack hardship? Can you still belong?</p>
<p>So, next time you hear about an unfriendly small rural community that undermines change, remember that it might be a social identity issue. They may be acting to protect their special insiders’ status and familiar way of life. </p>
<p>And small community members could remember that welcoming and reaching out to a newcomer or outsider may make all the difference to both that individual’s social success and the future of the community.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/has-covid-really-caused-an-exodus-from-our-cities-in-fact-moving-to-the-regions-is-nothing-new-154724">Has COVID really caused an exodus from our cities? In fact, moving to the regions is nothing new</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/199984/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dr Saleena Ham does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Many small towns badly need to attract new blood to prosper. Yet some residents are so bound up in their community – it’s part of their identity – that they struggle with the changes newcomers bring.
Dr Saleena Ham, Adjunct Research Fellow, Rural Sociology, University of Southern Queensland
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/181696
2022-07-04T15:19:50Z
2022-07-04T15:19:50Z
Sports can help prevent violent extremism in youth
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/470370/original/file-20220622-34601-b1wwi2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=63%2C0%2C4168%2C2715&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Sports may offer a strategy to re-integrate young people involved in violent activities back in to society.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Instances of violent extremism such as the recent attacks on <a href="https://www.voanews.com/a/attack-on-chinese-workers-in-pakistan-challenges-new-government/6547926.html">Chinese workers in Pakistan</a> have been on a rise globally. These incidents have forced <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/canadian-report-warns-extremist-infiltration-military-84301400">nations across the world to take serious measures</a> — including <a href="https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220412-tunisia-france-unite-to-protect-youth-against-violent-extremism">declaring zero-tolerance policies</a> — to curb the violence. </p>
<p>Violent extremism <a href="https://www.unodc.org/e4j/en/terrorism/module-2/key-issues/radicalization-violent-extremism.html">condones violent actions that are based on political or religious ideologies</a>, and youth are particularly vulnerable to it. In some countries they are at even greater risk: Pakistan, which is home to almost 120 million young people, <a href="https://www.ipripak.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/3-art-s-15.pdf">sees recurring targeting, manipulation and recruitment of vulnerable youth by extremist groups</a>.</p>
<p>Young people may be vulnerable to violent extremism due to several reasons including <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/1057610X.2018.1543144">social exclusion, discrimination, hate, trauma, racism and forced displacement</a>. These reasons often accumulate over time, leading to increased frustrations among youth and making them <a href="https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000260547">vulnerable to exploitation by extremist groups</a> who promise them a better life and sense of community. </p>
<p>Our <a href="https://s-space.snu.ac.kr/handle/10371/144131">recent research</a> explored the reasons behind youth involvement in violent extremism in the South Punjab region of Pakistan and found that sports could help prevent it through resilience building. Sports is a powerful tool that can help change lives if used in an organized way.</p>
<h2>Promotion of positive values through sport</h2>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="Hands holding other hands." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/469222/original/file-20220616-16-vzcb7e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/469222/original/file-20220616-16-vzcb7e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469222/original/file-20220616-16-vzcb7e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469222/original/file-20220616-16-vzcb7e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469222/original/file-20220616-16-vzcb7e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469222/original/file-20220616-16-vzcb7e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469222/original/file-20220616-16-vzcb7e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Sports can help youth believe in equality through mutual acceptance.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>When young people experience positive interactions, it increases their sense of <a href="https://kids.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frym.2020.00099">belonging</a>, improves <a href="https://mymind.org/why-is-acceptance-important-for-our-mental-health">mental health</a> and strengthens community ties. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, discrimination, harsh words, gestures or behaviour <a href="https://newsroom.ucla.edu/stories/discrimination-can-be-harmful-to-your-mental-health">negatively impact their mental health</a> and cause feelings of isolation. </p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17430437.2015.1050264">Studies have found</a> that sports can provide a safe environment to teach young people positive values through organized activities that lead to better resilience. It can also help youth believe in equality through mutual acceptance. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-sport-for-development-and-peace-can-transform-the-lives-of-youth-126151">How sport for development and peace can transform the lives of youth</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Experiencing fairness and integrity during sports — <a href="http://www.sportparent.eu/en/helping-develop-integrity-in-sport">through the repetition of sporting values and principles including respect for others, co-operation and team-work, problem solving, conflict resolution, fair play and resilience</a> — makes them better human beings. It may also influence honesty, responsibility, respect and trust in their lives outside these activities as well. The resilience gained through sports strengthens young people and they become difficult targets for extremist groups. </p>
<h2>Violent extremism prevention through sports</h2>
<p><a href="https://s-space.snu.ac.kr/handle/10371/144131">We explored</a> two non-profit organizations’ implementation of <a href="https://www.soschildrensvillages.ca/sports-development-and-peace">sports for development and peace programs</a> in Pakistan. We found that youth vulnerability could be changed by building life skills and developing social and moral values through sport. </p>
<p>These <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-sport-for-development-and-peace-can-transform-the-lives-of-youth-126151">programs aim to use various sports or physical activities</a> to promote peace, health and social cohesion, including everyone to help foster community ties. As <a href="https://en.unesco.org/themes/fostering-rights-inclusion">inclusion prevents discrimination</a>, these programs promote a safe and stress-free environment for youth to let loose. </p>
<p>For example, Swat Youth Front uses soccer, volleyball and cricket to promote <a href="https://www.peaceinsight.org/en/organisations/syf/">peace values among war survivors</a>. Similarly, <a href="https://impactinfocus.com/idsdp-kafka-welfare-organization/">Kafka Welfare Organization</a> uses team-based sports to promote peace among young people in Pakistan.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A group of young people stand in a circle holding hands." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/469520/original/file-20220617-16-e948sk.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/469520/original/file-20220617-16-e948sk.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469520/original/file-20220617-16-e948sk.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469520/original/file-20220617-16-e948sk.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469520/original/file-20220617-16-e948sk.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469520/original/file-20220617-16-e948sk.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469520/original/file-20220617-16-e948sk.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A sports for development and peace activities event organized at the children literature festival held at Lahore, Pakistan, in January 2018, teaches peace values and promotes citizenship among young people.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Kafka Welfare Organization)</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Sports not only helped prevent the involvement of vulnerable youth in violent extremism but was used to integrate radicalized, excluded or <a href="https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2022-008717">forcefully displaced</a> people back into the communities. The programs also helped reduce the mental health consequences of trauma exposure. </p>
<p>Sports did this because: </p>
<ol>
<li><p>Physical activity can <a href="https://www.harvardpilgrim.org/hapiguide/exercise-has-benefits-for-mind-body-and-spirit/">protect and promote positive mental, physical and spiritual health</a>.</p></li>
<li><p>Fun activities, like sports, <a href="https://www.verywellmind.com/top-fun-stress-relievers-3145208">help reduce stress and anxiety</a>. </p></li>
<li><p>Team sports help youth make friends and develop social ties. The youth we engaged with said sports helped them create support systems as they bonded with their teammates.</p></li>
</ol>
<h2>Building resilience against violent extremism</h2>
<p>Our research also explored two sports-based social programs — Parvaz e Aman
Program (PeA) and Youth Adolescent Development — working in South Punjab, Pakistan. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="Two boys play cricket in a rural setting" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/469215/original/file-20220616-12-88qjk5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/469215/original/file-20220616-12-88qjk5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469215/original/file-20220616-12-88qjk5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469215/original/file-20220616-12-88qjk5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469215/original/file-20220616-12-88qjk5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469215/original/file-20220616-12-88qjk5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469215/original/file-20220616-12-88qjk5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">When young people play together as a team and create stronger ties with the community, it helps them build trust.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2017.11.009">South Punjab is a marginalized area</a> where young people are considered more vulnerable because of the lacking economic and education opportunities. This area has been used by the Taliban to recruit <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/344298071_Radicalization_of_Youth_in_Southern_Punjab">people into violent extremist activities</a>. The sports-based social programs use sports to build resilience among young people and help them stay away from such violent extremism recruitment. </p>
<p>The youth we interacted with — as part of our research — mentioned that they often “felt alone and neglected, but now feel important and have a purpose in life.” Many were thrilled to feel respected by their teammates it helped them feel equal. </p>
<h2>A global threat needs a broader solution</h2>
<p>The United Nations has been promoting the role of sports to prevent violent extremism among communities for years.</p>
<p>Often it is endorsed as an effective tool to promote peace among communities. The UN Office of Counter-Terrorism declared that sports: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“<a href="https://www.sportsforsocialimpact.com/post/preventing-violent-extremism-in-youth">Help build the resilience of at-risk youth</a>, strengthening their life skills to minimize risk factors and maximize protective factors.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Violent extremism is a global threat that needs to be tackled seriously.</p>
<p>Investing in sports programs could be part of a broader solution. Sports may offer a strategy to reintegrate youth who were involved in violent activities into society. It may also help prevent recruitment of new targets. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK44293/">Sports has the power</a> to promote pro social behaviour among young people. Neglecting its role in social development can increase a chance of youth involvement in violent activities. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.rcog.org.uk/careers-and-training/training/courses-and-events/rcog-world-congress/rcog-congress-2022/registration/low-resource-countries/">Governments of developing countries</a>, such as Pakistan, need to adopt these practices and integrate them in their policies, because violent extremism cannot be stopped through military actions alone in the long term. We need to also support young and vulnerable people, and that is possible through sports.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/181696/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Umair Asif is a member of the UNESCO Chair in Curriculum Development and he receives funding from UQAM Sciences Faculty for this project. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Simon Rosenbaum received funding from NHMRC. He is affiliated with The Olympic Refuge Foundation Think Tank. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tegwen Gadais is member of the UNESCO Chair in Curricular Development and he receives funds from UQAM sciences faculty and RISUQ for this project.</span></em></p>
Sports can help prevent the involvement of youth in violent extremism.
Umair Asif, PhD Student, Health and Society, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)
Simon Rosenbaum, Associate professor & Scientia Fellow, Discipline of Psychiatry and Mental Health, UNSW Sydney
Tegwen Gadais, Professor, Département des sciences de l'activité physique, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/180784
2022-04-12T23:22:03Z
2022-04-12T23:22:03Z
‘I always have trouble with forms’: homeless people on how poor literacy affects them – and what would help
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/456522/original/file-20220406-22-bd5h6l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=94%2C220%2C6904%2C4214&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Homelessness remains a <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/australias-welfare/homelessness-and-homelessness-services">huge problem</a> in Australia and an important contributing factor is <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=gfKLBQAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT8&dq=Homelessness+in+Australia&ots=k0R_QGa_zg&sig=xA7LrKJuHsfpVSixXVHddWIxrhM#v=onepage&q=literacy&f=false">low literacy levels</a>. </p>
<p>We interviewed 23 people who were homeless or had experienced homelessness to find out how they viewed literacy and participation in literacy classes. We wanted to know what would help or hinder them in attending literacy classes. </p>
<p>Our <a href="https://www.uts.edu.au/sites/default/files/2017-09/Homelessness%20and%20Literacy%20Report.pdf">report</a> found low literacy levels affected homeless people’s lives in many ways. Our interviewees repeatedly emphasised the importance of having a literacy program suited to their needs.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/hilda-survey-reveals-striking-gender-and-age-divide-in-financial-literacy-test-yourself-with-this-quiz-100451">HILDA Survey reveals striking gender and age divide in financial literacy. Test yourself with this quiz</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Sheaf of papers and pens on a desk in a dark room." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/456526/original/file-20220406-19-zz4ztb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/456526/original/file-20220406-19-zz4ztb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456526/original/file-20220406-19-zz4ztb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456526/original/file-20220406-19-zz4ztb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456526/original/file-20220406-19-zz4ztb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456526/original/file-20220406-19-zz4ztb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456526/original/file-20220406-19-zz4ztb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Homelessness can directly impact rates of literacy and available opportunities for individuals.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Common factors driving poor literacy</h2>
<p>Housing instability or adolescent homelessness was a common factor contributing to poor literacy. Dropping out of school at an early stage was typical.</p>
<p>Holly* said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I dropped out of school in Year 7 so I haven’t had much schooling […] And then going to being on the streets and going from house to house you don’t learn very much. Just what sort of you learn from other people.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Lisa told us: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>I tried to get my Year 10 but I didn’t end up getting it [Year 10 certificate] cos’ I had a baby. And I ended up taking my baby back to school but I’d probably say Year 9.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Sam had a similar history: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>I left halfway through Year 10. I didn’t even finish my Year 10 exams. I did the half-yearly but didn’t complete my certificate so I found it really hard to get into work.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Daniel said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I didn’t really start reading until I was an adult. I read the pictures in MAD magazines and stuff like that.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>They also spoke about factors such as learning dis/abilities such as dyslexia, as well as systemic factors such as racism.</p>
<p>Rick, an older Indigenous man, experienced institutional racism throughout his youth:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I didn’t have much schooling because of discrimination back in the 60s, 70s and that, and didn’t get much to school.</p>
</blockquote>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/456527/original/file-20220406-22-9f85up.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Homeless man sitting on a public bench, hunched over." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/456527/original/file-20220406-22-9f85up.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/456527/original/file-20220406-22-9f85up.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456527/original/file-20220406-22-9f85up.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456527/original/file-20220406-22-9f85up.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456527/original/file-20220406-22-9f85up.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456527/original/file-20220406-22-9f85up.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456527/original/file-20220406-22-9f85up.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Dropping out of school at an early stage was typical among our interviewees.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>A humiliating experience</h2>
<p>The experience of not being able to read was humiliating for some. Gregory said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I can’t even read the newspaper. I pretend to people […] I can read […] but I just look at the pictures.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Interviewees said that besides not being able to read the newspaper, they struggled with key activities such as <a href="https://www.ncoss.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Helping-Clients-Fill-in-Forms-Research-2020-Report-of-Findings.pdf">filling in forms</a>, shopping, reading and sending emails or text messages, and writing letters. </p>
<p>Luke told us he wanted:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>[…] help with reading newspapers, stuff like that […] Filling out forms would probably come in handy ‘cos I always have trouble with forms […] You name it. Everything you’ve got to do nowadays is filling out forms.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Andrew said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Just dealing with the paperwork and that with all the different agencies you have to go through, while you’re homeless is just absolutely insane.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Aaron told us: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>I’ve got pretty basic literacy. Like, since you left school, you forget a lot of words which you don’t use most of them. And then you get on the phone and you’re trying to send a message and […] you go, “How do you spell that bloody word?” You can’t put the […] letters to the word.</p>
</blockquote>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/457585/original/file-20220412-37887-j0dqcd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Close up of a man filling out a paper form." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/457585/original/file-20220412-37887-j0dqcd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/457585/original/file-20220412-37887-j0dqcd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457585/original/file-20220412-37887-j0dqcd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457585/original/file-20220412-37887-j0dqcd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457585/original/file-20220412-37887-j0dqcd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457585/original/file-20220412-37887-j0dqcd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457585/original/file-20220412-37887-j0dqcd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Respondents noted that their literacy levels meant filling out forms and paperwork was a difficult task.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>A stepping stone</h2>
<p>All interviewees felt a literacy program for homeless people would improve the quality of their lives. As Daniel said, </p>
<blockquote>
<p>Literacy obviously is a key factor for a successful life, isn’t it?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>They recognised the strong link between finding employment and improved literacy. They felt classes were a good idea if they would, as Drew suggested, “better my job prospects”.</p>
<p>Leanne saw value in having some formalised recognition, saying:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>If it puts me back into the workforce, that’d be great – even if it was just, like, a certificate of attainment or whatever. That’d be even better.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Some interviewees saw literacy classes as a stepping stone to engage with educational institutions, and finish high school certificates. </p>
<p>Holly said a literacy program would help her do “year 10 and my HSC, no matter how much it takes”.</p>
<p>Some also wanted to enhance their skills to read and write for pleasure. Daniel commented, </p>
<blockquote>
<p>I’d expect a tutor to say, ‘Pick up a book. I’ve got one here that I suggest if you’re struggling’.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The benefits of books were also noted for well-being. As Sandra said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Books have helped me through my mental health issues […] books are very useful in times of need.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>What would help create a successful literacy program?</h2>
<p>Interviewees told us a successful literacy program for homeless people would need to provide refreshments, have empathetic tutors, be comfortable, be accessible and be in familiar territory.</p>
<p>Anna said a literacy class would be best at</p>
<blockquote>
<p>a community centre or like a town hall something like that. Something relaxing […] 'cos you don’t want people coming in and just being, you know, [in] unknown territory. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Andrew said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>People would probably be more comfortable coming to a place like this [a community centre] as opposed to a university 'cos you’ve got some pretty funky young people nowadays.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Chloe told us:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>A venue that would be central but also not so public as well [so] that they could easily get to [it] and not feel judged when they’re walking through.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Interviewees told us an effective tutor would be respectful and understanding. Andrea said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Just be really open and understanding […] Obviously not judgemental or that sort of stuff. I guess just to maybe try and understand that people are at different levels as well and people want different things out of the course.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>What happens next</h2>
<p>A growing body of research has drawn a link between <a href="https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/adults-with-low-proficiency-in-literacy-or-numeracy_5jm0v44bnmnx-en">poor literacy and social outcomes</a>.</p>
<p>Our study, funded by <a href="https://www.footpathlibrary.org/">The Footpath Library</a>, highlighted how structural issues in a person’s formative years affect their literacy and life outcomes. </p>
<p>A <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/House/Employment_Education_and_Training/Adultliteracy/Report">parliamentary inquiry</a> into adult literacy recently identified the need for local community-based “<a href="https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1082527.pdf">literacy mediators</a>”. These are professional educators or peers who have the literacy competency and necessary skills to enhance the literacy of people experiencing homelessness. Literacy mediators would support them with their literacy needs in a safe and inclusive way.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/95-of-homeless-in-sydney-and-melbourne-own-a-mobile-phone-30220">95% of homeless in Sydney and Melbourne own a mobile phone</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p><em>* All names have been changed to protect identities.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/180784/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>This project received funding from The Footpath Library. This story is part of The Conversation's Breaking the Cycle series, which is about escaping cycles of disadvantage. It is supported by a philanthropic grant from the Paul Ramsay Foundation.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alan Morris received funding from the Footpath Library and receives funding from the Australian Research Council </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Keiko Yasukawa contributed to this project that was funded by the Footpath Library. Funding sources for her past research projects have included the ARC, Commonwealth government, NCVER and the Telstra Foundation. She is affiliated with the NSW Adult Literacy and Numeracy Council, a membership based professional association for adult literacy and numeracy professionals in NSW.</span></em></p>
Low literacy levels are a common contributing factor in Australia’s homeless population. We asked people who have experienced homelessness how poor literacy affected their lives – and what would help.
Benjamin Hanckel, Senior research fellow, Western Sydney University
Alan Morris, Professor, Institute of Public Policy and Governance, University of Technology Sydney
Keiko Yasukawa, Researcher and teacher educator in adult literacy and numeracy and TESOL, University of Technology Sydney
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/131235
2020-02-09T07:41:30Z
2020-02-09T07:41:30Z
Nigeria’s tradition of matching outfits at events has a downside
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/314009/original/file-20200206-43108-10z4xtq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A funeral party wearing matching attire, or aso ebi. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Supreme Lace/Wikimedia Commons</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Matching outfits made from identical fabric. They’re a regular feature at parties, weddings and funerals in Nigeria, spotted across social media and fashion pages. They’re called aso ebi, a <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Yoruba">Yoruba</a> phrase meaning ‘family cloth’.</p>
<p>This communal cultural tradition serves to publicly display one’s social relations. Sociability among the Yoruba can be said to be centred around family ties. </p>
<p>But in time, <a href="https://shop.vlisco.com/en/aso-ebi-styles-dresses">aso ebi</a> has come to include distant relatives and friends, birthing new and unintended forms of social anxiety. Although <a href="https://www.academia.edu/25700834/Commodifying_the_fabric_of_solidarity_Aso-_ebi_and_dynamics_of_social_relations_in_Ibadan">my study</a> on aso ebi was published in 2014, the findings remain relevant. If anything, the practice is growing among Nigerians.</p>
<p>While the intended functions of aso ebi remain a show of love, identification, solidarity and social bonding, its commodification is also leading to conflict and the unequal treatment of party attendees. </p>
<p>This is because those lacking the financial power to buy the clothes are left out in the distribution of souvenirs and even food. They experience social exclusion, embarrassment and withdrawal from group participation. The commodification of aso ebi frustrates its intended social bonding.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/313720/original/file-20200205-149796-1wzboew.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/313720/original/file-20200205-149796-1wzboew.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/313720/original/file-20200205-149796-1wzboew.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313720/original/file-20200205-149796-1wzboew.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313720/original/file-20200205-149796-1wzboew.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313720/original/file-20200205-149796-1wzboew.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313720/original/file-20200205-149796-1wzboew.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313720/original/file-20200205-149796-1wzboew.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A Nigerian bride is surrounded by her bridesmaids and friends, who are dressed in aso ebi.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Paschal Okwara/Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>A family affair</h2>
<p>The origin of the aso ebi tradition is unknown, but our participants over the age of 60 believed it came about mainly to identify immediate family at funerals. A culture expert participating in our study said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The purpose of aso ebi is to easily identify the children of the deceased during funerals, and not relatives nor friends and not for other occasions.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>However, younger participants believed that aso ebi was any cloth chosen for any occasion.</p>
<p>The inherent purpose of buying uniform dress is closely tied to the idea of solidarity. When many people are communally clad, it suggests that the party host is popular and well networked. Party conveners are sometimes evaluated on the turnout of people at their event. A large crowd of attendees confers honour on the organiser among their family and friends.</p>
<h2>From funerals to fashion</h2>
<p>But for certain traditional practices to remain suitable, they must reflect modification in terms of content and purpose. In contemporary times, aso ebi has undergone transformations. Its use has been extended from family members (ebi) to co-workers (alabasisepo), friends (ore), alajogbe (co-residents), neighbours (aladugbo) and other well-wishers.</p>
<p>People unrelated by blood but connected socially form a new order of social relations. Party-goers support the celebrant in cash, gifts and in kind by becoming involved in planning the event. Although people welcome cash support, attendance boosts the morale and social value of the event. It also adds aesthetics in the form of fashion. A female civil servant in our study said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The main reason that we buy and sell aso ebi is to make the event colourful, unique and beautiful.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The unique colours and styles of the aso ebi wearers adds value to an event.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/313721/original/file-20200205-149747-6ly0dy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/313721/original/file-20200205-149747-6ly0dy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/313721/original/file-20200205-149747-6ly0dy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313721/original/file-20200205-149747-6ly0dy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313721/original/file-20200205-149747-6ly0dy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313721/original/file-20200205-149747-6ly0dy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313721/original/file-20200205-149747-6ly0dy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313721/original/file-20200205-149747-6ly0dy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Nigeria’s vice president attends a public funeral with an entourage dressed in black aso ebi.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Emmy Ibu/AFP/Getty Images</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Attending the social event is as important as agreeing to buy the cloth for it. People are invited through invitation cards and reminded through text messages on their phones. A poorly attended event can be a shameful affair and so a broader group of social connections is now invited to the event. A participant in our study asserted:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I have attended weddings that I did not know the couple at all or the families of the couple but I wore the same aso ebi that everybody wore at the occasion. This is not the way it is supposed to be.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>The downside</h2>
<p>Solidarity is reciprocated consciously or unconsciously in the culture of aso ebi. This is in line with the Yoruba maxim, “Gbami nigba ojo, kingba e nigba erun”, “One good turn deserves another.” </p>
<p>A person who does not rally round a celebrant may not be given support from the organiser of the event. Embedded in this is the purchase and wearing of aso ebi, which may be the basis of social differentiation at the event. The seating arrangement, serving of food and distribution of gifts are at stake. </p>
<p>A participant in our study told us that she attended the wedding ceremony of a junior colleague and could not spare the money to buy the aso ebi, which was sequins and satin lace. The price was put at N11,500 (US$76). She decided to use what she had to buy a gift for her colleague, but paid the social price for that decision when she arrived at the wedding:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>We were not allowed to enter the venue because they said they wanted people of a high class to have a seat. Seats had name tags but my colleagues defiantly occupied a table, at least four of whom had bought the aso ebi. But trays of food were passing over our heads without any being placed on our table. It took about one hour before there was anything to eat. At that point I stood up and left because I felt so bad.</p>
</blockquote>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/313723/original/file-20200205-149757-mscib5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/313723/original/file-20200205-149757-mscib5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/313723/original/file-20200205-149757-mscib5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313723/original/file-20200205-149757-mscib5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313723/original/file-20200205-149757-mscib5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313723/original/file-20200205-149757-mscib5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313723/original/file-20200205-149757-mscib5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313723/original/file-20200205-149757-mscib5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Party-goers dressed in aso ebi heading to the venue.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Jeremy Weate/Flickr</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Entrenching inequality</h2>
<p>Those who cannot buy aso ebi and stay away from events may be avoiding being hurt or embarrassed, but they stand to lose the opportunities that lie in group convergence and networking. </p>
<p>This form of exclusion reduces social cohesion and pits people against one another. Ultimately, wealth affects relationships, participation, social integration and power. Inequality becomes entrenched by beautiful clothing.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/131235/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Oludayo Tade does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
As the Nigerian tradition of dressing in matching outfits for special events continues to grow in popularity, it brings with it a threat of social exclusion.
Oludayo Tade, Researcher in criminology, victimology, electronic frauds and cybercrime, University of Ibadan
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/122225
2019-08-23T12:27:50Z
2019-08-23T12:27:50Z
Five films you need to watch to better understand radicalisation
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/288896/original/file-20190821-170951-5i1qt4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Deeyah Khan in White Right: Meeting the Enemy.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">© Fuuse</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Violent extremist ideologies are becoming more widespread, globally. It is clear that stemming this tide demands more than harsh policing and a “tough on crime” attitude. This is a deeper problem. Indeed, recently, UK Metropolitan police assistant commissioner Neil Basu argued that fighting extremism <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/aug/06/counter-terrorism-chief-calls-for-greater-social-inclusion">requires more</a> than just policing and security measures. He suggested that sociologists and criminologists assume a leading role in tackling radicalisation, looking at factors like social exclusion, education and social mobility.</p>
<p>This is a positive development. But it’s worth remembering that filmmakers from around the world have been on the front line in exploring the reasons why young men and women are drawn into violent movements. And so when exploring the foundations of radicalisation, watching film is a good place to start. Film has the power to <a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/sharmeen_obaid_chinoy_how_film_transforms_the_way_we_see_the_world#t-664838">change how we see the world</a>. Watching a film brings us face to face with people and situations we wouldn’t normally encounter.</p>
<p>This selection of films shows the problem of extremism in its complexity — moving away from Hollywood “villain and hero” tales, to examine how real people can become radicalised, as well as containing hopeful ideas for tackling the problem.</p>
<h2>1. White Right: Meeting the Enemy (2017)</h2>
<p>An astonishingly prescient documentary about the growing scourge of white supremacist terrorism, White Right is directed by Deeyah Khan, who was filming at the Charlottesville rally where anti-fascist protestor Heather Heyer was killed.</p>
<p>When interviewing white supremacists, Khan is frank about her Muslim identity and liberal politics. But instead of engaging the men she interviews in ideological debates, she focuses on their emotions, and highlights how their belief systems have impacted her personally.</p>
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<p>The most striking instance of Khan’s approach is Ken Parker, an aggressive member of a neo-Nazi organisation. Having spent some time together, Khan reads Ken some racist abuse she received following a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCWUSiQ0KLo">BBC interview</a>. In a moving and transformational scene, Ken, visibly distressed, says, “I don’t want to hurt your feelings … I consider you a friend.”</p>
<p>For people like Ken, adherence to extremism gave him a sense of belonging. When confronted with the pain his ideology inflicted on a real person, he chose to leave. He is now an <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ex-kkk-member-denounces-hate-groups-one-year-after-rallying-n899326">active member</a> in his local African American Church.</p>
<h2>2. The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2011)</h2>
<p>Donald Trump may think that a travel ban on certain Muslim countries can stop terrorism in the US, but of course, it is impossible to tell who is, or will become, a terrorist from their nationality or skin colour.</p>
<p>This is the premise of Mira Nair’s film The Reluctant Fundamentalist: we don’t know whether the protagonist, Changez, is a terrorist or not.</p>
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<p>The son of a blue-blooded but broke Pakistani family, Changez attends Princeton and obtains a coveted position in an elite Manhattan consultancy. He asserts: “I am a lover of America.” But this is the era of 9/11 – America is not a lover of Changez, his Pakistani passport, nor his “Muslim” appearance.</p>
<p>As societies, we reap what we sow. In the wake of 9/11, heightened, humiliating security measures and racial profiling alienated members of the Muslim community in the US.</p>
<p>The film also shows that there are different kinds of fundamentalism – how we treat those suspected of terrorism can tip into a kind of fundamentalist mania as well: “<a href="https://theconversation.com/we-can-all-be-a-little-radicalised-recognising-this-will-help-tackle-extremism-63144">We can all be a little radicalised</a>.”</p>
<h2>3. Four Lions (2010)</h2>
<p>Brass Eye creator Chris Morris’s latest political satire, The Day Shall Come, will be released on October 11, 2019, so it’s an excellent time to revisit Four Lions.</p>
<p>On reading reports of terrorist cells, Morris <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/terrorism-youre-having-a-laugh-1961372.html">noted</a> that they “contained elements of farce”. The jihadi band is just a “bunch of blokes”.</p>
<p>Starring the irrepressible Riz Ahmed, Four Lions lampoons the inefficacy of a haphazard gang of would-be jihadists and our fears of the terrorist bogeyman. The film also shows that the attractions of extremism for young British people are not religious, but instead connected a range of grievances, around capitalism and consumerism.</p>
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<p>In one particularly hilarious scene, Ahmed’s character Omar launches into a tirade of astonishing verbosity: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>We have instructions to bring havoc to this bullshit, consumerist, godless, paki-bashing, Gordon-Ramsey-taste-the-difference-specialty-cheddar, torture-endorsing, massacre-sponsoring, LOOK AT ME DANCING, PISSING ABOUT, SKY 1 UNCOVERED, WHO GIVES A FUCK ABOUT DEAD AFGHANIS? DISNEYLAND!</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Ironic, then, that Omar blows himself up in a Boots chemist shop.</p>
<h2>4. Making Of (2006)</h2>
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<span class="attribution"><span class="source">© Maria Flood</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
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<p>Many accounts of radicalisation focus on Western countries, but films like Nouri Bouzid’s <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0976145/">Making Of</a> remind us that radicalisation is a global problem. This film addresses two issues that are consistently cited as key risk factors: <a href="https://www.nybooks.com/daily/2015/11/16/paris-attacks-isis-strategy-chaos/">youth</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/el-paso-we-need-to-examine-the-role-masculinity-plays-in-mass-shootings-121533">masculinity</a>.</p>
<p>Making Of clearly outlines the push and pull factors that motivate extremism in young men: lack of job opportunities, feelings of shame and humiliation, brainwashing by extremist leaders. Most significant, the film suggests, is a lack of hope for the future.</p>
<p>Bhatha, the young radicalised man in the film, comes across not as an angry villainous terrorist, but as a confused and even vulnerable young man. One of the saddest moments in the film is when Bhatha says: “I don’t dream anymore.”</p>
<p>This chimes with anthropologist Scott Atran’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlbirlSA-dc">argument</a> that aspirations are key in preventing radicalisation – we need to give young people hope, encourage their passions and dreams, and give them what he calls “a life of significance”.</p>
<h2>5. Maurice Sweeney, I, Dolours (2018)</h2>
<p>As the Irish border continues to be the sticking point in UK government’s Brexit policy, it’s a good time to revisit a conflict whose violence and devastation <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/lyra-mckee-death-arrests-shooting-northern-ireland-journalist-derry-ira-latest-a8906141.html">continue to affect</a> the lives of Protestant and Catholic communities in Northern Ireland.</p>
<p>I, Dolours is an intimate documentary portrait of Dolours Price, an Irish Republican who became one of the most infamous members of the IRA in the 1970s and 1980s.</p>
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<p>Price, who passed away in 2013, looks back on her days in the IRA. Jailed for participating in a car bombing of the Old Bailey in London in 1973, Price and her sister Margaret were the first IRA prisoners to go on hunger strike.</p>
<p>One of the most poignant aspects of Price’s move towards violent extremism is how it might have been avoided – as a schoolgirl, she was drawn first to the peaceful civil rights movement of African Americans like Martin Luther King.</p>
<p>Only after the brutality of the Burntollet Bridge attack did Price renounce peaceful methods of emancipation – showing that <a href="https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/attack-on-burntollet-march-in-derry-occurred-50-years-ago-today-1.3746978">violence breeds violence</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/122225/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Maria Flood has received funding from the British Academy for her project, 'Radical Screens: The Making of the Terrorist'. </span></em></p>
This selection of films shows the problem of extremism in its complexity, examining how real people can become radicalised.
Maria Flood, Lecturer in Film Studies, Keele University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/114855
2019-06-12T08:00:01Z
2019-06-12T08:00:01Z
The neuroscience of terrorism: how we convinced a group of radicals to let us scan their brains
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/276984/original/file-20190529-192451-y0fn4t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Brain scans from three 'radicals'. © Nafees Hamid and Clara Pretus</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The young man sitting in the waiting room of our neuroimaging facility wearing skinny jeans and trainers looked like a typical Spanish 20-year-old of Moroccan origin. Yassine* was bouncy, chatting up the research assistants, and generally in good spirits. He was like so many other Barcelona youths, except he openly expressed a desire to engage in violence for jihadist causes.</p>
<p>As we took him through a battery of tests and questionnaires, we were barely able to keep him in his seat as he kept proclaiming his willingness to travel to Syria to kill himself. “I would go tomorrow, I would do it tomorrow,” he said. When we probed for the sincerity of his claim, he responded, “only if we go together. You pay for the tickets”, with a wink and a smile. Less budding foreign fighter and more extremist provocateur, he enjoyed insulting us with impunity and showed us the middle finger as he left. And yet, Yassine agreed to let us scan his brain – for the first ever brain scan study on radicalisation.</p>
<p>Imagine being a young Muslim man, walking down the street in Barcelona, when you’re approached by a stranger asking if they can do a survey with you. The survey is on your religious, political and cultural values. This might sound fine, if it weren’t for a few details: we were at the height of Islamic State’s reign in Syria and Iraq and the survey questions included questions about creating a worldwide caliphate, being ruled by strict Sharia law and engaging in armed jihad.</p>
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<span class="caption">A market in busy Barcelona.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/barcelona-spain-august-2018-market-hall-1165712356?src=Ufk93fM5hp0Mb5kzx_jBHQ-1-50">MikeDotta/Shutterstock.com</a></span>
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<p>You’re then told the reason for the survey is to find people suitable for a brain scan. And those few people would be the most radicalised ones we could find; a fact that would only be revealed in the post-experiment debrief. To our surprise, the part about the brain scans piqued people’s interest.</p>
<p>The responses varied from concerned: “You think there’s something wrong with my brain?”, to pride: “There’s definitely something different about my brain.” Even the most hardcore jihadist supporters tapped into their nerdy side and started asking questions about how the brain works, what we’ve found in other studies, and what might the implications be of this research. Some would even ask us for medical advice (we had to explain that we weren’t those kinds of doctors). Once satisfied with the scientific merit of the work, most consented to participate.</p>
<p>As Ahmed*, a 31-year-old Pakistani immigrant and staunch supporter of Al Qaida, told us: “People like us, our brains are so different. You can’t compare us to others. But go ahead and try. It’s interesting what you’re doing.”</p>
<p>But he had one very important condition to be satisfied before agreeing to participate. He leaned in close, as if there could be someone listening, and whispered: “Can I get a picture of my brain? Just to prove to my mother that I have one.” Humour was never in short supply among our participants.</p>
<p>We carried out two brain studies in Barcelona between 2014 and 2017. Spain <a href="https://www.europol.europa.eu/activities-services/main-reports/european-union-terrorism-situation-and-trend-report-2018-tesat-2018">ranks</a> among Europe’s top countries for failed and completed terror attacks and the greater Barcelona region is the country’s <a href="http://www.realinstitutoelcano.org/publicaciones/libros/Informe-Estado-Islamico-Espana.pdf">primary</a> recruitment hotspot. In fact, it was <a href="https://www.nybooks.com/daily/2017/09/19/terrorism-the-lessons-of-barcelona/">during our fieldwork</a> that the Islamic State-inspired attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils took place in August 2017, killing 16 civilians and injuring 152 others. </p>
<p>Given that our aim was to study willingness to engage in violence for cultural and religious values, we needed a sample of people with the same cultural background and language. So, we recruited Sunni Muslim men of Moroccan and Pakistani origin (the two largest groups of Sunni Muslims in the province of Barcelona) to participate in our studies.</p>
<hr>
<p><em><strong>This article is part of Conversation Insights</strong></em></p>
<p><em>The Conversation’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/introducing-conversation-insights-a-new-team-that-seeks-scoops-from-interdisciplinary-research-107119">Insights team</a> generates long-form journalism derived from interdisciplinary research. The team is working with academics from different backgrounds who have been engaged in projects aimed at tackling societal and scientific challenges. In generating these narratives we hope to bring areas of interdisciplinary research to a wider audience.</em></p>
<p><em>You can read more Insights stories <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/insights-series-71218">here</a>.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>Despite years of <a href="https://www.nybooks.com/daily/2017/08/23/what-makes-a-terrorist/">research</a> to the contrary, two oversimplified categories of thinking about violent extremism still continue to hold sway in public opinion. On the one hand are those who want to reduce radicalisation to an individual pathology. In this view, people who become terrorists are all mentally ill, have a low IQ, or a personality disorder. On the other are those who ignore the individual altogether and explain away those who become terrorists by purely environmental factors – whether it’s poverty, marginalisation, or being “brainwashed” by online propaganda. </p>
<p>So radicalisation tends to either be seen as caused by individual characteristics or purely social factors. And of course, neither of these depictions are true. We are instead trying to get to the bottom of the interplay between these factors.</p>
<h2>Sacred values</h2>
<p>We’re part of an international research team, <a href="https://artisinternational.org/">Artis International</a>, that’s been studying something called “sacred values” and their role in violent conflicts around the world. Sacred values are moral values that are non-negotiable and inviolable. You certainly wouldn’t trade them in for material incentives. Despite the label “sacred”, these values don’t have to be religious.</p>
<p>For example, most readers would likely consider individual liberty a basic right. If it could be guaranteed that the entire world would experience untold levels of economic prosperity and individual wealth, and to achieve this all we would need to do is enslave a tiny fraction of the world’s population, would you agree to it? If not, anti-slavery is a sacred value for you.</p>
<p>We’ve studied sacred values across a range of conflicts, from nation states such as <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/104/18/7357">Israel and Palestine</a>, <a href="http://csjarchive.cogsci.rpi.edu/Proceedings/2009/papers/677/paper677.pdf">India and Pakistan</a> and <a href="https://jeannicod.ccsd.cnrs.fr/ijn_00505191/file/jdm91203.pdf">Iran and the US</a> to sub-state groups, such as <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Scott_Atran/publication/319470470_The_devoted_actor%27s_will_to_fight_and_the_spiritual_dimension_of_human_conflict/links/59c4d2eaa6fdccc719148e30/The-devoted-actors-will-to-fight-and-the-spiritual-dimension-of-human-conflict.pdf">Kurdish militias</a> and <a href="https://aeon.co/essays/why-isis-has-the-potential-to-be-a-world-altering-revolution">Islamic State/al-Qaeda</a>. We also looked into non-violent conflicts like the <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2017/10/catalan-referendum-spain-independence/541656/">Catalan independence</a> movement. The sacred values that drive these conflicts are those that are perceived as (or actually are) being contested.</p>
<p>From Israel’s right to exist, to Palestinian sovereignty, or the future of Kashmir, to the resurrection of a caliphate, when people feel their sacred values are under threat, they muster the will to fight for them. This can happen for both long-held values or new values that people adopt as part of their radicalisation process. These threats can even be as abstract as cultural annihilation. As an imam in Barcelona who was implicated in a thwarted terrorist attack in 2008 told us:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Say what you will about al-Qaeda, the Taliban, or others. If our culture survives modernity, it will be precisely because of these groups.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>In the case of radicalisation, the adoption of extremist values are concerning enough. But as more of these values become sacred, the propensity towards violence increases and the chance of de-radicalisation decreases.</p>
<h2>Social exclusion</h2>
<p>For our brain scans we used a tool called functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) which records and identifies which areas of the brain are active during specific tasks. Our <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02462/full">first fMRI study</a> explored what could make non-sacred values become more like sacred values. </p>
<p>After conducting 535 surveys of young Moroccan origin men in Barcelona, we recruited 38 participants who openly said they would engage in violent acts in defence of jihadist causes. The young men were asked to play “Cyberball”, a video game where they and three other young male Spanish players would pass a virtual ball to each other. Unbeknown to them until the debrief, the Spanish players were purely virtual.</p>
<p>Half of these participants were “socially excluded” as the Spanish players stopped passing to the Moroccan players and only played among themselves. The other half continued getting passed the ball. Then, both the excluded and included participants got into the brain scanner, where we measured their willingness to fight and die for their sacred values (for example, forbidding cartoons of the prophet, banning gay marriages) and their important but non-sacred values (women wearing the niqab, Islamic teaching in schools) which were ascertained beforehand in the surveys.</p>
<p>Unsurprisingly, participants rated higher willingness to fight and die for sacred rather than non-sacred values. Neurally, sacred values activated the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) – an area associated with rule processing and previously correlated with sacred values in <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rstb.2011.0262">American university students</a>. But those who were excluded increased their willingness to fight and die for their non-sacred values, and the left IFG became activated even during non-sacred value processing. </p>
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<p>In other words, social exclusion made non-sacred values more similar to sacred values. This is an alarming shift as it suggests that social exclusion contributes to making attitudes less negotiable and increases a propensity towards violence. As values become fully held sacred values, prospects are grim: no research has been able to demonstrate how to de-sacralise them. </p>
<h2>Highly radicalised</h2>
<p>Even if we can’t de-sacralise a value, perhaps we can still pull a highly radicalised person back from the edge of violence. This is what our <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.181585">second neuro-imaging study</a> explored. After surveying 146 Pakistani men from the small and tight-knit community in Barcelona, we recruited 30 participants who explicitly supported al-Qaeda associate, <a href="https://www.counterextremism.com/threat/lashkar-e-taiba">Lashkar-e-Taiba</a>, endorsed violence against the West, endorsed armed jihad and stated they would be willing to carry out violence in the name of armed jihad. These participants were more radicalised than our previous study participants.</p>
<p>In the first part of the study, they were scanned while rating their willingness to fight and die for their sacred and non-sacred values. These participants showed a different pattern of neural activity from the Moroccans in our first study, who exhibited the same patterns as US university students. </p>
<p>As the highly radicalised Pakistani men rated their sacred values, there was deactivation in a network that includes the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), a part of the brain which is associated with deliberative reasoning and integrating cost-benefit calculations. When they rated a high willingness to fight and die for their values, we found increased activation in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), a part of the brain that is associated with subjective valuation (how much value does this have for me?). In daily life, the DLPFC and vmPFC work in tandem when making decisions.</p>
<iframe title="Willingness to fight and die" aria-label="Grouped Column Chart" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/2lTJ4/1/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="border: none;" width="100%" height="433"></iframe>
<p>A <a href="https://academic.oup.com/scan/advance-article/doi/10.1093/scan/nsz034/5486105">follow-up analysis</a> found that these two regions of the brain were highly connected when participants rated low willingness to fight and die – that is, subjective value was regulated by decision control mechanisms. But when they rated high willingness to fight and die, we found that these two regions were more disconnected. This suggests that, when someone is ready to kill and be killed in defence of an idea, they are no longer using decision control mechanisms typically involved in deliberative reasoning.</p>
<p>They essentially disengage this part of their brain. But, their willingness to fight and die lowers as their deliberative and subjective valuation regions reconnect. So what mechanisms bring people to lower their willingness to fight and die for a cause?</p>
<h2>The influence of peers</h2>
<p>In the second part of the study, while still in the scanner, the participants were shown each value again with their own original rating but this time they could press a button to see the average willingness to fight and die ratings of their peers. What they weren’t told was that these average ratings were an invention and were evenly split between lower, the same, or higher ratings to serve as an experimental manipulation.</p>
<p>When they got out of the scanner they rated their willingness to fight and die for each value again. In post-scan interviews and surveys, the participants stated that they were surprised and even outraged when their peers were not as willing to engage in violence as they were.</p>
<p>Despite this, we found that people lowered their willingness to fight and die for both sacred and non-sacred values to conform to the responses of their peers. This change was correlated with increased DLPFC activation in the brain. Their deliberative pathways were reopening.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/276984/original/file-20190529-192451-y0fn4t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/276984/original/file-20190529-192451-y0fn4t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/276984/original/file-20190529-192451-y0fn4t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/276984/original/file-20190529-192451-y0fn4t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/276984/original/file-20190529-192451-y0fn4t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/276984/original/file-20190529-192451-y0fn4t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/276984/original/file-20190529-192451-y0fn4t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Brain scans from three ‘radicals’ who took part in the Barcelona studies.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Brain scans from three 'radicals'. © Nafees Hamid and Clara Pretus</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The ‘normal’ radicals</h2>
<p>So – what does all this imply as to the various explanations for radicalisation often touted? </p>
<p>Let’s take the contention that it all comes down to individual characteristics. All the participants in our studies were given a battery of tests from measuring their IQs, to assessing mental illness, to personality scales. They were all considered “normal”. </p>
<p>We also found that the idea that radicalisation derives solely from social or environmental conditions is flawed. Our studies did not find any relationship between economic factors like poverty and support for extremist ideas or groups. The picture that started to emerge from our research paints a more complicated image – one that has a variety of policy implications. </p>
<p>Our first study suggests that social exclusion can contribute to the hardening of values and increased willingness to engage in violence. This is consistent with other research on social exclusion such as <a href="https://behavioralpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/BSP_vol1is2_-Lyons-Padilla.pdf">survey findings</a>, which showed that when marginalised American Muslims faced discrimination, they increased their support for radical groups. </p>
<p>But social exclusion does not merely mean the experience of discrimination. Social exclusion is a much broader and more complex phenomenon – a person’s feeling that they do not have a seat at the table in their own society. </p>
<p>Terrorist groups recruit new members throughout the world by capitalising on this feeling. Previous research in <a href="https://www.international-alert.org/sites/default/files/Syria_YouthRecruitmentExtremistGroups_EN_2016.pdf">Syria</a>, <a href="https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Paper266.pdf">Somalia</a> and <a href="https://www.peacemakersnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Understanding-Boko-Haram-in-Nigeria-%CC%B6-Reality-and-perceptions-WEB.pdf">Nigeria</a> has shown that among the grievances that drive individuals and tribes towards joining terrorist organisations are those of religious, ethnic or political exclusion. </p>
<p>A feeling of not having a voice doesn’t lead to radicalisation on its own, but rather creates social cracks that local extremist groups can exploit by claiming they are fighting on the behalf of these disenfranchised groups.</p>
<p>Feelings of social exclusion by Sunni Arabs in post-invasion Iraq were an <a href="https://carnegie-mec.org/publications/55372">important factor</a> in laying the groundwork for Islamic State’s territorial victories. Our <a href="https://ctc.usma.edu/islamic-states-lingering-legacy-among-young-men-mosul-area/">research</a> into post-Islamic State Mosul and preliminary investigations into post-Islamic State Raqqa suggests that there were lingering feelings of social exclusion among those who were the most vulnerable to Islamic State recruitment. This will help to lay the groundwork for a resurgence of a similar organisation.</p>
<p>Western countries contain marginalised communities who are recruitment targets of both jihadist and extreme right-wing groups. It is in these countries where disenfranchisement is felt particularly strongly because the narratives of these societies are supposed to be based on unbiased access to social mobility and equality.</p>
<p>But in reality, the lived experiences of marginalised communities in the West make them see these claims as hypocritical. Extremist groups exacerbate these feelings with other narratives that polarise them from the rest of society while empowering them with offers of joining a revolution against those who are excluding them. As one British member of Islamic State stated in another of our ongoing research projects:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I had a choice of either selling merchandise for a corrupt system or being part of a revolution against it.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>All this implies that both foreign and domestic policies that facilitate social inclusion could have a variety of benefits, including stripping violent extremist groups of one of their most exploitable issues. </p>
<h2>Counter-messaging</h2>
<p>Our research also points to potential problems in mainstream anti-terrorism communications policies. One tool that many governments use is that of alternative and counter-messaging, such as France’s <a href="http://www.stop-djihadisme.gouv.fr/">Stop-Djihadisme</a> campaign. There are a multitude of such campaigns by civil society organisations that are discretely funded by governments. These are mostly online messages that attempt to subvert the appeal of extremist groups by, in some cases, prompting self-reflection. </p>
<p>Our research suggests that if areas of the brain associated with deliberative reasoning are disengaged for sacred values, then messages aimed at these issues may not work as intended. In addition, sacred values are unique to the individual. This adds an additional difficulty for mass distributed online alternative and counter-messaging. </p>
<p>Successful radicalisation, even online, usually contains an element of person-to-person interaction. Recent investigations into Western foreign fighters who went to Syria <a href="https://www.sciencenews.org/article/new-studies-explore-why-ordinary-people-turn-terrorist?">found</a> that 90% were recruited through either face-to-face or online social interaction. No compelling evidence shows that disembodied online messages play a determining role. Radicalisation is a deeply social process that promises a sense of belonging and a purposeful role in social change. </p>
<p>The impulse to become an agent of social change need not be negated. It should instead be re-channelled towards positive ends. So instead of simple counter-messaging, policies should seek to <a href="https://icct.nl/publication/dont-just-counter-message-counter-engage/">counter-engage</a> by encouraging activities that foster a sense of purpose and belonging.</p>
<p>This is exactly what we’re finding in our ongoing <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-GmXLvLGlY">research in Belgium</a> into why some youth networks remained resilient to Islamic State recruiters. One of the main differences was how engaged non-radicalised peers were in their communities. They were involved in socially beneficial activities, like youth mentoring, helping the homeless, assisting refugees, or social activism like political advocacy for their own or other communities. While some were still frustrated they nonetheless felt they had the power to effect social change. The greater sense there is of being able to make a difference in the current system, the lower the appeal of violent anti-establishment movements.</p>
<h2>Feeling involved</h2>
<p>Our experiments indicate that creating inclusive societies that offer pathways to purpose and a sense of belonging to all its citizens has to be a priority in the fight against political violence. Radicalisation is a social phenomenon that must be socially combated with the help of inclusive governance, friends and families, and media. </p>
<p>Policies aimed at disengaging extremists from violent pathways might, for example, benefit from enrolling the help of their non-radicalised friends. Additionally, any strategic communications that can enhance the perception among vulnerable youth that their peers do not consider political violence to be acceptable may help in preventing future breakouts of violent extremism. </p>
<p>The importance of this was highlighted to us by the example of Fahad, a charismatic young man we came across during our fieldwork. Every other week he had a new life goal: becoming an athlete, a scientist, an artist, even a politician. At every turn his conservative parents rejected his ambitions. He soon began to turn inward, spending less time with friends and more time roaming the streets of Barcelona alone. </p>
<p>One day he came in contact with a former acquaintance who was now radicalised. Within weeks Fahad’s starry-eyed demeanour changed. Shortly after, he disappeared. His social media accounts and other forms of communication were shut down. </p>
<p>But the worst-case scenario had in fact not emerged. His parents became aware of his nascent transformation and offered him an alternative: if he worked part-time in a relative’s business then he could spend the rest of his time pursuing his career ambitions. As the possibility of a purpose-driven life re-emerged it washed out his flirtation with extremist ideology. In a later communication he told us how well his life was going and how he finally felt that he “really belongs here”.</p>
<p>The process of radicalisation remains a complex system that cannot be reduced to the brain, behaviour, or environment. It exists at the intersection of these elements. Simplistic explanations that call people “crazy”, blame a whole religion or ethnicity, or cast local communities as the villains only obscure practical solutions and provide a recruitment boost to terrorist groups. An inclusive society with pathways to purpose must be an aim for policies that seek to counter violent extremism.</p>
<hr>
<hr>
<p><em>* All names have been changed to protect participants’ anonymity. Our research undergoes the strictest of academic ethics reviews which sets in place protocols that protect the researchers, the participants and the general public as established by the US Department of Health and Human Services. Part of what convinces radicalised people to speak with us is the guarantee of their anonymity. However, if we ever felt that the public were in danger we would follow the appropriate protocols to ensure their safety.</em></p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/313478/original/file-20200204-41481-1n8vco4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/313478/original/file-20200204-41481-1n8vco4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=112&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313478/original/file-20200204-41481-1n8vco4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=112&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313478/original/file-20200204-41481-1n8vco4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=112&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313478/original/file-20200204-41481-1n8vco4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=140&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313478/original/file-20200204-41481-1n8vco4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=140&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313478/original/file-20200204-41481-1n8vco4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=140&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><em>For you: more from our <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/insights-series-71218?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=TCUKengagement&utm_content=InsightsUK">Insights series</a>:</em></p>
<ul>
<li><p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/they-put-a-few-coins-in-your-hands-to-drop-a-baby-in-you-265-stories-of-haitian-children-abandoned-by-un-fathers-114854?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=TCUKengagement&utm_content=InsightsUK">‘They put a few coins in your hands to drop a baby in you’ – 265 stories of Haitian children abandoned by UN fathers</a></em></p></li>
<li><p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/the-end-of-the-world-a-history-of-how-a-silent-cosmos-led-humans-to-fear-the-worst-120193?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=TCUKengagement&utm_content=InsightsUK">The end of the world: a history of how a silent cosmos led humans to fear the worst</a></em></p></li>
<li><p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/the-new-right-how-a-frenchman-born-150-years-ago-inspired-the-extreme-nationalism-behind-brexit-and-donald-trump-117277?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=TCUKengagement&utm_content=InsightsUK">The New Right: how a Frenchman born 150 years ago inspired the extreme nationalism behind Brexit and Donald Trump</a></em></p></li>
</ul>
<p><em>To hear about new Insights articles, join the hundreds of thousands of people who value The Conversation’s evidence-based news. <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/the-daily-newsletter-2?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=TCUKengagement&utm_content=InsightsUK"><strong>Subscribe to our newsletter</strong></a>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/114855/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nafees Hamid is a Fellow at Artis International. He received funding from the Minerva Research Initiative and the Frederick Bonnart-Braunthal Trust.
</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Clara Pretus is affiliated with Artis International. She received funding from the Minerva Research Initiative and the BIAL Foundation.</span></em></p>
The process of radicalisation is a complex system that cannot be reduced to the brain, behaviour, or environment. It exists at the intersection of all these elements.
Nafees Hamid, PhD Candidate, Department of Security and Crime Science, UCL
Clara Pretus, Postdoctoral Fellow in Psychiatry and Legal Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/114963
2019-06-05T22:55:07Z
2019-06-05T22:55:07Z
Canada’s food guide is easy to follow if you’re wealthy or middle class
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/277230/original/file-20190530-69051-1ao8azn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=411%2C16%2C5008%2C3641&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Canada's new good guide has mean international headlines but is it viable for Canada's poor and marginalized?</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Brooke Lark /Unsplash</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Canada’s <a href="https://food-guide.canada.ca/en/">new 2019 food guide</a> uses <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/canada-food-guide/resources/evidence.html">nutritional science</a> to define what a wholesome diet looks like. This is a <a href="https://theconversation.com/in-defence-of-canadas-food-guide-110347">great improvement</a> over <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/canada-food-guide/about/history-food-guide.html">previous versions</a>, but it raises important questions about the accessibility of healthy food resources for low-income households. </p>
<p>As researchers in the field of <a href="https://www.uoguelph.ca/gids/">development studies</a>, we are bound to ask: how affordable, equitable and feasible are the recommendations in the national food guide? </p>
<p>Although Canada is a high-income country, <a href="https://proof.utoronto.ca/food-insecurity/">one out of eight households</a> is deemed food insecure. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1182768">Food insecurity</a> exists when people lack access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs. <a href="https://doi.org/10.3945/jn.113.175414">Poor households</a> are most at risk of being food insecure.</p>
<p>The federal government released the new food guide in January with the goal to improve overall health, decrease food insecurity and foster environmental sustainability. It sends a <a href="https://food-guide.canada.ca/en/healthy-eating-recommendations">clear message</a>: be more mindful of your eating habits, eat more plant-based meals and consume less processed foods and saturated fats. </p>
<p>The guide does a great job explaining what we should consume, but because food insecurity in Canada is real, we must increase awareness and shift the dinner table conversations of Canadians from all income groups. </p>
<p>The food guide prominently displays a plate with bright, colourful fruits and vegetables, but how affordable is this idealized diet?</p>
<h2>The cost of a nutritious diet</h2>
<p>Research conducted by Dalhousie University and the University of Guelph suggests that the new guide is <a href="https://www.dal.ca/faculty/management/news-events/news/2019/03/14/release__new_canada___s_food_guide_offers_a_more_affordable_plate__and_greater_food_security_____but_that_may_not_last.html">more affordable than its predecessor</a> — for now. The study determined that a family of four will save 6.8 per cent on their yearly grocery bill if they prepare food at home using the guidelines. </p>
<p>However, these savings will diminish <a href="https://cdn.dal.ca/content/dam/dalhousie/pdf/management/News/Canada%20Food%20Guide%20March%2014%20EN.pdf">as more Canadians begin to adopt a plant-based diet</a>, increasing the cost of fresh produce as demand begins to outstrip supply.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/277233/original/file-20190530-69071-orml92.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/277233/original/file-20190530-69071-orml92.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/277233/original/file-20190530-69071-orml92.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/277233/original/file-20190530-69071-orml92.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/277233/original/file-20190530-69071-orml92.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/277233/original/file-20190530-69071-orml92.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/277233/original/file-20190530-69071-orml92.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Neonbrand/Unsplash</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Analysts use the concept of the <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/food-nutrition/food-nutrition-surveillance/national-nutritious-food-basket.html">Nutritious Food Basket</a> to monitor the affordability of healthy eating. It describes a set of approximately 60 foods that represent a nutritious diet for various age and gender groups. </p>
<p>According to <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=1810000403">Statistics Canada</a>, the price of fresh food has steadily increased over the past decades. Based on <a href="https://www.dal.ca/faculty/management/news-events/canada-s-food-price-report.html">Canada’s Food Price Report of 2019</a>, it is expected that the <a href="https://www.dal.ca/faculty/management/news-events/canada-s-food-price-report.html">costs for produce will continue to rise</a>. </p>
<p>While these price increases might not have a significant impact on the budget of the average Canadian, it is of considerable importance for marginalized groups. <a href="https://www.odph.ca/upload/membership/document/recommendations-document-final.pdf">Food insecurity is more prevalent</a> in households with lower incomes, those headed by a single female parent and households with children under the age of 18. A history of political and economic marginalization has also left many <a href="http://www.srfood.org/images/stories/pdf/officialreports/20121224_canadafinal_en.pdf">Indigenous peoples</a> living with comparatively low levels of access to adequate food.</p>
<p>Social assistance programs were developed to help Canadian residents in financial need; these programs <a href="https://doi-org.subzero.lib.uoguelph.ca/10.1080/21699763.2019.1568280">differ by provinces and territories</a>. In Ontario, Canada’s most populous province, <a href="https://maytree.com/social-assistance-summaries/ontario/">approximately 454,000 people</a> received Ontario Works benefits in 2017-18. </p>
<p>A closer look at the cost of living for families on social assistance shows that the monthly allowance is not adequate for their basic needs, let alone to consume the recommended foods outlined in the current food guide.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/270429/original/file-20190423-175524-7dnans.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/270429/original/file-20190423-175524-7dnans.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=214&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/270429/original/file-20190423-175524-7dnans.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=214&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/270429/original/file-20190423-175524-7dnans.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=214&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/270429/original/file-20190423-175524-7dnans.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=269&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/270429/original/file-20190423-175524-7dnans.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=269&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/270429/original/file-20190423-175524-7dnans.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=269&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Cost of Living Table.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Our table presents the monthly allowance given to social assistance recipients in Ontario and displays how regionality impacts their monthly living and food expenses. It compares the 2018 costs of the nutritious food baskets <a href="http://www.ottawapublichealth.ca/en/public-health-topics/resources/Documents/2018_NFB-Report_EN.pdf">in Ottawa</a>, <a href="https://www.toronto.ca/community-people/health-wellness-care/health-programs-advice/nutrition-food-basket/">Toronto</a> and <a href="https://www.wdgpublichealth.ca/sites/default/files/file-attachments/basic-page/bh.01.nov0718.r33_-_nutritious_food_basket_for_wdg_2018_with_appendices_access.pdf?utm_source=guelphmercury.com">Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph</a>. </p>
<p>The chart depicts a disheartening situation, showing that single individuals end their month with a negative balance if they try to follow the recommended healthy diet. This is true even in locations where housing is still comparatively affordable. Families of four are slightly better off, but they are left with little spending money for necessary expenses such as clothing, education or transportation.</p>
<h2>The unforeseen costs</h2>
<p>Scientific evidence consistently points to the <a href="https://doi.org/10.3945/jn.109.112573">negative health impacts of food insecurity</a>. A recent study conducted in Ontario shows that the likelihood of death follows a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0202642">food-insecurity severity gradient</a>: higher levels of food insecurity are associated with higher mortality rates.</p>
<p>The situation calls for decisive political action. </p>
<p>In response to these concerns, the government of Canada committed to developing a <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/campaign/food-policy.html">national food policy</a> as an overarching framework for food policy-making. In the 2019 federal budget, <a href="https://www.budget.gc.ca/2019/docs/plan/chap-04-en.html#Introducing-a-Food-Policy-for-Canada">$134.4 million</a> have been allocated over a five-year period to pursue four overarching goals: increase access to healthy food, promote Canadian food resources, support food security in northern and Indigenous communities and reduce food waste. </p>
<p>The announcement received mixed reviews from the food movement. <a href="https://foodsecurecanada.org/resources-news/news-media/budget-hints-priorities-upcoming-food-policy-analysis-fsc">Food Secure Canada</a> applauded the approach but critiqued the lack of more robust measures to combat poverty, which has long been established as one of the <a href="http://www.fao.org/state-of-food-security-nutrition/en/">root causes for food insecurity</a>.</p>
<p>We are at a pivotal point with various policy options to choose from. </p>
<p>Low-income Canadians may continue to rely on <a href="https://www.foodbankscanada.ca/">charitable food donations</a>, but these can be unpredictable. Instead, we can advocate for more effective income-based solutions to food insecurity. This may include strengthening <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2014.11.017">the existing universal child-care benefit</a>, a <a href="https://doi.org/10.3138/cpp.2015-069">guaranteed annual income for senior citizens</a>, or even <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/programs/metromorning/food-banks-food-insecurity-basic-income-1.3857066">a universal basic income</a>. </p>
<p>Ensuring the future food security of our working-age population between the ages of 18 and 65 also requires deliberate investments in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2016.05.006">vocational education and training</a> to promote social justice and poverty reduction. </p>
<p>The new food guide has made <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/canada-food-guide-unveil-1.4987261">headlines in Canada</a> and garnered attention <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46964549">internationally</a>. We should use this opportunity to alert our leaders to the solutions that present themselves to create a truly equitable food system.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/114963/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Canada’s food guide does a great job explaining what we should consume, but it is tailored to the wealthy and the middle class and many on social assistance cannot afford to maintain it.
Steffi Hamann, Assistant Professor of Political Science and International Development Studies, University of Guelph
Arvinder Pannu, Masters Student, Research Associate, University of Guelph
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/114284
2019-03-29T06:29:16Z
2019-03-29T06:29:16Z
Why are we losing so many Indigenous children to suicide?
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/266238/original/file-20190328-139377-3badvp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Over the past five years, one in every four children who died by suicide in Australia was Indigenous.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>This article was written with Rob McPhee, Deputy CEO of the Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Service and co-chair of the Commonwealth-funded Kimberley Aboriginal Suicide Prevention Working Group</em>.</p>
<hr>
<p>The <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/healthcare/leaders-urged-to-declare-aboriginal-child-suicides-a-national-crisis-20190319-p515fh.html">recent child and youth suicides</a> in our communities are a tragedy. Five young Indigenous Queenslanders have <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/suicide-now-normal-for-indigenous-youth/news-story/d821f8f367245a9b3ad95928a1cf76ea">taken their lives</a> this month. This adds to a <a href="https://www.news.com.au/national/five-indigenous-girls-take-their-own-lives-in-nineday-period/news-story/f800a3e6ebc210e37cb3084854381fdf">spate of child deaths</a> in Adelaide and Western Australia in January.</p>
<p>There is nothing new about Indigenous child suicide. In 2017 it was the <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/by%20Subject/3303.0%7E2017%7EMain%20Features%7EIntentional%20self-harm%20in%20Aboriginal%20and%20Torres%20Strait%20Islander%20people%7E10">leading cause of death</a> among our children aged 5 to 17. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people account for just 2.8% of the population, but over the past five years, one in every four Australian children who died by suicide was Indigenous. </p>
<p>There is something especially shocking about the suicide of a child for whom life was just beginning. It indicates serious underlying issues in our society, and <a href="http://atsichsbrisbane.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Indigenous-childrens-issues-0203.pdf">our children are reacting to</a> their environment. We need to <a href="http://www.indigenous.uwa.edu.au/indigenous-research/Centre-for-Best-Practice">act now</a> to prevent as many potential child suicides as possible in our communities. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/indigenous-suicide-rates-in-the-kimberley-seven-times-national-average-61502">Indigenous suicide rates in the Kimberley seven times national average</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Tackle both short- and long-term change</h2>
<p>Short- and long-term action is essential, but alongside this, long-term action must begin to address the traumatic, disrupting and intergenerational effects of colonisation and its aftermath: poverty and social exclusion. These are <a href="https://www.atsispep.sis.uwa.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/2947299/ATSISPEP-Report-Final-Web.pdf">deep-rooted contributors</a> to Indigenous suicide and child suicide. </p>
<p>Children <a href="https://www.atsispep.sis.uwa.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/2947299/ATSISPEP-Report-Final-Web.pdf">may be at higher risk</a> of suicide if they experience behavioural and emotional challenges, bullying, family and relationship breakdown, and issues that contribute to other forms of psychological distress.</p>
<p>In the short term, we need to identify and provide immediate help to our children and young people in crisis situations. Families, peers and schools need to be involved, with backup from counsellors and, if required, 24/7 access to culturally competent mental health professionals. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/its-despair-not-depression-thats-responsible-for-indigenous-suicide-108497">It's despair, not depression, that's responsible for Indigenous suicide</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Some child and young person suicides occur in “clusters”, where several deaths occur over a short period in the same place.</p>
<p>Ensuring children and young people exposed to family and community suicide receive “postvention” support can <a href="https://thirrili.com.au/nicrs/">also be vital</a> to preventing further suicides. Postvention is an intervention after a death to provide counselling, material support, and other assistance to the family and community of the deceased.</p>
<p>To avoid imitations, responsible, non-sensational <a href="https://mindframe.org.au/">media and social media discussion about suicide</a> is crucial. Proactively monitoring the social media activity of children for signs of suicidal thoughts can also <a href="https://natsilmh.org.au/sites/default/files/Final%20Brisbane%20workshop%20report.pdf">play a role</a> in preventing suicide in a community.</p>
<p>In the medium term, communities <a href="https://www.atsispep.sis.uwa.edu.au/">must be empowered</a> to co-design and control responses that capitalise on the community’s strengths. </p>
<p>We can also learn from <a href="https://www.atsispep.sis.uwa.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/2947299/ATSISPEP-Report-Final-Web.pdf">past programs</a> that have been evaluated and shown to be successful in preventing Indigenous child and youth suicide. This includes <a href="https://www.atsispep.sis.uwa.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/2947299/ATSISPEP-Report-Final-Web.pdf">peer-to-peer mentoring networks</a>; programs to engage children and young people, including in sport; and connecting young people to Elders and culture.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/d415CdeNemM?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Culture is Life backs Aboriginal-led solutions that deepen connection and belonging to culture and country and supports young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to thrive.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Blueprint for action</h2>
<p>In November 2018, two Indigenous suicide prevention conferences in Perth brought together 500 delegates from the national and international Indigenous communities to identify solutions that work in Indigenous suicide prevention.</p>
<p>The delegates called for a <a href="http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/mental-pub-atsi-suicide-prevention-strategy">new national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander suicide prevention strategy</a> – and fully funded implementation plan – with a focus on preventing child and youth suicide. </p>
<p>This should build on the <a href="http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/mental-pub-atsi-suicide-prevention-strategy">2013 strategy</a>, adapted to the current policy environment, with an increased focus on suicide prevention. </p>
<p>The plan should also address stopping, and otherwise healing, child sexual abuse that is <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/01/190109192533.htm">increasingly associated with suicide</a>.</p>
<p>It’s important the plan is developed in genuine partnership with our communities, suicide prevention experts and mental health leaders. It should: </p>
<ul>
<li>support Indigenous community empowerment and self-determination</li>
<li>enable suicide prevention programs to be co-designed with Indigenous communities</li>
<li>focus on increasing the Indigenous suicide prevention workforce to levels that meet demand</li>
<li>ensure the workforce is culturally safe and competent</li>
<li>embed (and appropriately remunerate) youth peer workers, Elders and cultural healers in mental health and suicide prevention services</li>
<li>include a plan to build the evidence-base for, and fund, Indigenous suicide prevention research. </li>
</ul>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/well-connected-indigenous-kids-keen-to-tap-new-ways-to-save-lives-30964">Well-connected Indigenous kids keen to tap new ways to save lives</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Truth and healing to move forward</h2>
<p>Any sustainable response must go to the deeper, underlying historical causes of hopelessness and despair, which contributes to suicide. This isn’t just a problem among children; the <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/by%20Subject/3303.0%7E2017%7EMain%20Features%7EIntentional%20self-harm%20in%20Aboriginal%20and%20Torres%20Strait%20Islander%20people%7E10">suicide rate peaks</a> in those aged between 25 and 34.</p>
<p>These deeper causes include intergenerational trauma. Poverty, racism, social exclusion, substandard housing, and economic marginalisation of our communities are the legacies of colonisation. </p>
<p>Indigenous suicide is different because it cannot be separated from the historical and related present-day situation of our peoples. Indigenous people from around the world share both similar histories and high rates of child, youth and other suicide.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/266261/original/file-20190328-139371-veh6wm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/266261/original/file-20190328-139371-veh6wm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=407&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266261/original/file-20190328-139371-veh6wm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=407&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266261/original/file-20190328-139371-veh6wm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=407&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266261/original/file-20190328-139371-veh6wm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=512&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266261/original/file-20190328-139371-veh6wm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=512&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266261/original/file-20190328-139371-veh6wm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=512&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Acknowledging the truth allows people to start healing.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/download/confirm/1133622494?size=huge_jpg">Annie 888/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Indigenous leaders want to see a broader Australian recovery and healing. Truth is the basis for healing and moving forward. And this process can begin by recognising the impacts of colonisation on present-day trauma, disadvantage, marginalisation, and neglect. </p>
<p>Some Elders have suggested a royal commission or “truth and reconciliation commission” could form the foundation for this process. </p>
<p>Our communities and cultures are sources of identity, values and practices that can help protect against suicide. Such strengths provide the foundation for a mix of short, medium, and longer-term action to turn the trajectory of Indigenous child and youth suicide deaths around.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/reducing-indigenous-suicide-through-empowerment-and-pride-7760">Reducing Indigenous suicide through empowerment and pride</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p><em>If you or anyone you know needs help or is having suicidal thoughts, contact <a href="https://www.lifeline.org.au/">Lifeline</a> on 131 114 or <a href="https://www.beyondblue.org.au/">beyondblue</a> on 1300 22 46 36.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/114284/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tanja Hirvonen serves as the Executive Support Officer for the Australian Indigenous Psychologists Association. Tanja provides supervision for the NICRS team.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Pat Dudgeon does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Poverty and social exclusion play a big role in Indigenous child suicide. The causes are complex but we know enough to act now to reduce the number of deaths in our communities.
Pat Dudgeon, Professor, The Centre of Best Practice in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention, the Poche Centre for Indigenous Health, The University of Western Australia
Tanja Hirvonen, Lecturer in Mental Health, Centre for Remote Health, Flinders University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/104941
2018-11-01T19:07:16Z
2018-11-01T19:07:16Z
Making developments green doesn’t help with inequality
<p>Around the world, new developments are increasingly framed as sustainable to both policymakers and prospective buyers. They are seen as a “win-win” for the environment and the economy. However, recent concerns suggest social inequality often results.</p>
<p>Barangaroo is one such green development on the harbourfront in Sydney, Australia. What was once a contaminated, dilapidated, post-industrial wharf is now home to a six-hectare park, three office towers and two residential complexes. More is to come, in the form of a 275-metre hotel-casino. </p>
<p>Beyond its immense scale, Barangaroo is significant for another reason: it has a commendable sustainability agenda. </p>
<p>Rooftop solar partially powers the buildings, which are constructed from carbon-neutral materials and even provide a supply of recycled water from a stormwater treatment plant underneath. Beyond the project’s economic advantages – an <a href="http://www.barangaroo.com">estimated $2 billion-a-year boost to the New South Wales economy</a> – the environment benefits through increased green space and biodiversity, along with reduced carbon emissions and electricity and water use. </p>
<p>These are undeniably beneficial outcomes. Yet, worryingly, such developments may result in “green gentrification” as increases to environmental amenity in an area result in displacement and exclusion of the disadvantaged. </p>
<p>I examined this claim at Barangaroo, by breaking its outcomes into three parts:</p>
<ul>
<li>who has access to the spaces it creates</li>
<li>what happens to the surrounding property market</li>
<li>how governance enables the outcome. </li>
</ul>
<p>My findings suggest there is an urgent need to prioritise social outcomes in future sustainable development.</p>
<h2>The spaces</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.barangaroo.com/the-project/progress/barangaroo-development">Barangaroo has created many new spaces</a>, but will people from all kinds of socio-economic backgrounds have access? Multiple hectares of public park and waterfront access, piers, laneways and bridges are accessible at the development. Retail spaces are scattered in between the office towers and residential complexes.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/la/papers/DBAssets/tabledpaper/webAttachments/69917/BDA%202016.pdf">Around 900,000 people</a> from the local Sydney region visited the public park in its first year alone. The commercial space, likewise, provides for 23,000 professionals.</p>
<p>To determine whether these statistics include the disadvantaged it is necessary to delve deeper. Who are those who live nearby? Who are employed in the offices? Who are the shops’ target market? </p>
<p>The price of floor space at Barangaroo is very high – <a href="https://www.domain.com.au/news/barangaroo-to-change-sydney-20130801-2r04e">around $20,000 per square metre for its apartments</a>. <a href="https://www.domain.com.au/news/barangaroo-to-change-sydney-20130801-2r04e">Affordable housing has been moved offsite</a>, so many will be priced out of living within Barangaroo. </p>
<p>Business giants, such as KPMG and Westpac, are among those that can afford to occupy the office space. Smaller, less professionally oriented businesses are unable to do so. The result is that retailers largely cater to office workers. David Jones, for instance, “<a href="https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/david-jones-junior-to-hit-australias-affluent-inner-city-suburbs-20161103-gsh9jf.html">has been carefully designed to appeal to Barangaroo’s big office community</a>”. </p>
<p>Likewise, the new restaurants, owned by celebrity chefs and restaurateurs, appeal to those from high socio-economic backgrounds. </p>
<p>These trends provide little room for the disadvantaged to occupy the site’s residential, retail or commercial spaces. What about the public space, however? If those from low socio-economic backgrounds live around the development, they could enjoy these spaces.</p>
<h2>The property market</h2>
<p><a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0309132518803799">Green gentrification studies</a> suggest sustainable developments may raise the prices of property nearby. Using data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics between 2011 and 2016, I found the rent prices in areas northeast of Barangaroo increased drastically. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/241198/original/file-20181018-41153-4s11hp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/241198/original/file-20181018-41153-4s11hp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=466&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/241198/original/file-20181018-41153-4s11hp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=466&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/241198/original/file-20181018-41153-4s11hp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=466&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/241198/original/file-20181018-41153-4s11hp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=585&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/241198/original/file-20181018-41153-4s11hp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=585&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/241198/original/file-20181018-41153-4s11hp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=585&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Rental price increases as a percentage in the areas surrounding Barangaroo.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The main reason for this change was the selling of 214 public housing properties in Millers Point, Dawes Point and The Rocks in 2014. The NSW government announced the sales after Barangaroo’s effect on the surrounding areas began to take place, realising the increased profit to be made. </p>
<p>As a result, the development is not only exclusive on the inside, it has also contributed to the displacement of the disadvantaged from surrounding areas.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/last-of-the-millers-point-and-sirius-tenants-hang-on-as-the-money-now-pours-in-85754">Last of the Millers Point and Sirius tenants hang on as the money now pours in</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>The governance</h2>
<p>Could appropriate governance have prevented this? The political agenda that enabled this exclusion and displacement effectively ignored the disadvantaged. Counterclaims to the benefits of the development were ignored, as these did not match the win-win narrative of the development’s proponents. </p>
<p>For instance, the then NSW finance minister, Greg Pearce, dismissed the concerns of evicted residents by <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/residents-stick-to-their-point-of-community-20121025-288bh.html">stating</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Millers Point is poorly suited for social housing … when considering its future, the government needs to consider it in the context of all of the surrounding areas, including the Barangaroo redevelopment area.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>In a more extreme case, <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/last-ditch-law-change-clears-barangaroo-20110302-1bey5.html">fast-tracked legislation</a> made legally void a claim brought against the government for approving potentially unlawful elements of the development. </p>
<p>These actions minimise antagonistic voices, those that often act to promote social equality. </p>
<p>If future green developments are to minimise exclusion and displacement, they must allow participation from all sectors of society and recognise all the potential impacts in advance. The NSW government has not only enabled exclusion by failing to ensure affordable housing quotas, it has actively encouraged it by selling the nearby public housing. </p>
<p>Barangaroo is a missed opportunity: instead of promoting social equality, it has made inequality worse.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/104941/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rupert Legg does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Barangaroo is an example of a development with admirable green credentials, but it is also an exclusive precinct that has played a role in displacing the disadvantaged from this part of Sydney.
Rupert Legg, PhD Candidate, University of Technology Sydney
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/101546
2018-08-24T08:49:41Z
2018-08-24T08:49:41Z
Britain’s real working-class voices are not being heard – here’s why
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/232664/original/file-20180820-30599-jdlio8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">imageedit</span> </figcaption></figure><p>One of the paradoxes of our age is that we are told all the time that we need to do more to listen to communities whose voices may not get heard – but at the same time we seem to have preconceived expectations of what they’re going to say. So, in fact, the myriad voices of the UK working classes in all their diversity are <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/feb/10/kit-de-waal-where-are-all-the-working-class-writers-">often getting lost</a> because we simply don’t recognise them – or simply refuse to listen to what they’re actually saying.</p>
<p>The stories people hear about themselves and their communities can have a significant impact on the ways in which they think about themselves and their lives. But the lack of ways for working class people to tell their stories means that they are either invisible in literature, or are frequently portrayed in ways that do not reflect their real experiences.</p>
<p>This raises the question of who does tell us about life in modern Britain? Based on an analysis of the 2014 British Labour Force Survey, <a href="http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/66499/">Dave O’Brien and colleagues</a> estimated that almost half of all authors, writers and translators (47%) had parents in higher professional or managerial occupations, compared with just 10% of those with parents in routine or manual labour – the traditional indicator of being working class.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/232673/original/file-20180820-30587-2g2vv2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/232673/original/file-20180820-30587-2g2vv2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/232673/original/file-20180820-30587-2g2vv2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=238&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/232673/original/file-20180820-30587-2g2vv2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=238&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/232673/original/file-20180820-30587-2g2vv2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=238&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/232673/original/file-20180820-30587-2g2vv2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=299&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/232673/original/file-20180820-30587-2g2vv2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=299&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/232673/original/file-20180820-30587-2g2vv2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=299&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Who do you think you are? An analysis of social origins of people in creative industries.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Dave O'Brien, Daniel Laurison, Andrew Miles and Sam Friedman</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In the past few years, there has been an increasing recognition that, as writer and blogger <a href="http://www.aplayfulday.com/about/">Kate O'Sullivan</a> <a href="https://www.nawe.co.uk/DB/events/where-are-our-working-class-narratives.html">has said</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Writing that accurately reflects the diverse experiences of everyday life for the working class continues to go undiscovered, unpublished and unseen. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Projects such as <a href="https://deadinkbooks.com/product/know-your-place/">Know Your Place</a> from Dead Ink Books, a publisher focused on developing the careers of writers who might otherwise be overlooked by large trade publishers, and activism from writers such as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/feb/10/kit-de-waal-where-are-all-the-working-class-writers-">Kit De Waal</a>, author of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/jun/03/my-name-is-leon-by-kit-de-waal-review">My Name is Leon</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/mar/31/the-trick-to-time-by-kit-de-waal-review-life-on-the-fringes-of-sweeping-change">The Trick to Time</a>, are attempting to give a more accurate representation of voices from working-class communities. </p>
<p>But despite all this, the working class is still all too often seen from the outside as a monolith – uneducated, white, racist – whereas the reality is obviously much more diverse and complex.</p>
<h2>Using improvisation</h2>
<p>In an attempt to find ways to address the problem of most working-class narratives being imposed from “above”, we have been working with a number of groups to explore alternative possibilities for their stories. Our aim is to support people in working-class communities to rewrite their stories in new ways that better make sense of how they view the world and how they view themselves – and also to share these stories with others. We refer to this approach as “improvisation”. This involves the workshop leader stepping back and allowing participants to take control of their own narratives.</p>
<p>Improvisation might take different forms. At its most basic, it could be simply basing the themes for the session on whatever participants happen to be talking about that day. Alternatively, it could be opening the space up to a broad interpretation of what poetry or writing might be, with participants allowed to create visually or artistically, as well as with words, as the mood takes them.</p>
<p>In the <a href="http://www.esri.mmu.ac.uk/resprojects/project_outline.php?project_id=180">Graphic Lives</a> project, for example, we worked with a group of British-Bangladeshi women from Hyde in Greater Manchester. The women met over a number of months with the aim of creating digital comics about their life stories. While the format of the final output was prescribed – the women were expected to create a some form of comic – the ways in which they wished to tell their stories was deliberately left open.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/232678/original/file-20180820-30587-15k2tcq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/232678/original/file-20180820-30587-15k2tcq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=449&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/232678/original/file-20180820-30587-15k2tcq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=449&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/232678/original/file-20180820-30587-15k2tcq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=449&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/232678/original/file-20180820-30587-15k2tcq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=564&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/232678/original/file-20180820-30587-15k2tcq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=564&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/232678/original/file-20180820-30587-15k2tcq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=564&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Finding their voices: the Graphic Lives project.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Manchester Metropolitan University</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As a result, the majority of their narratives do not follow the conventional chronological format that we might have expected. Instead, they are focused around <a href="http://www.esri.mmu.ac.uk/resprojects/reports/comicthemes.pdf">themes, feelings or ideas</a> that the women themselves considered important – for example, the role of families or mental health issues. They also combine different languages and different types of images to construct stories in ways that the women felt best represented their lives.</p>
<h2>Finding ‘experts’</h2>
<p>We also did a project in a secondary school in South Yorkshire which had been in special measures. The <a href="https://sites.google.com/sheffield.ac.uk/takingyourselfseriously/home">Taking Yourself Seriously</a> workshop involved more than 100 students between the ages of 12 and 13. Here, we saw how narratives imposed upon individual pupils can affect how they are seen by staff and their peers. </p>
<p>But turning the focus towards a pupil’s expertise allowed to be repositioned as the “expert”. For example, one boy was on the verge of exclusion and had an unimaginably difficult home life – but he was also captain of the school football team. He stood at the front of the class and confidently explained how to write a poem about football. His should have been a narrative about leadership and strength, and – once we stepped back and allowed him to take control of his own story – that’s what it became.</p>
<p>Another moment took place in a workshop in Stoke-on-Trent with women who had been active in the miners’ strike in the 1980s. One of the participants told us that rather than being a time of struggle and despair as it is often depicted, it had been the best time of her life. Creating space for moments such as this bold rewriting of the imposed narratives of the strike is crucial if workshops are to offer the chance to critique, challenge and rewrite the narratives of working-class communities. </p>
<p>Both these examples demonstrate how, once people take control of their own narratives, they go from being victims to heroes of their own stories.</p>
<p>Our work has shown that, unless people have control of the language and narratives of their own lives, they will never be able to have full autonomy over how their imagined futures will unfold. In a time when we are seeing more discussion around “giving voice” to working class and other communities, this kind of work is showing us that voice is not something that should be given, from the powerful to the not, but rather that voice is something which already exists in the community. The job of researchers and artists is to create space, not to “give other people a voice” but to recognise those voices and listen to them.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/101546/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sarah McNicol receives funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Andrew McMillan receives funding from The AHRC </span></em></p>
The socially and ethnically diverse working classes are not being heard. A recent project aims to change that.
Sarah McNicol, Research Associate, Manchester Metropolitan University
Andrew McMillan, Senior Lecturer, Department of English, Manchester Metropolitan University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/94745
2018-05-14T14:47:44Z
2018-05-14T14:47:44Z
Why some young women struggle to get the child support grant in South Africa
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/214479/original/file-20180412-570-39mqrg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The expansion of the South African welfare system of social grants, in the form of a range of unconditional cash transfers, is one of the success stories of the African National Congress (ANC) government since it was first elected in 1994. </p>
<p>Recent research has suggested that social grants – which include the child support grant, a state pension grant and a disability grant – are critical for household survival in South Africa. One <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-social-grants-matter-in-south-africa-they-support-33-of-the-nation-73087">study</a> estimated that a third of South Africans rely on grants for survival. </p>
<p>Social grants do more than enable the poorest households to survive. The benefits are broad. For instance, <a href="http://opensaldru.uct.ac.za/handle/11090/46">research</a> has shown that children in households receiving the child support grant have better growth and nutrition levels. They are also less likely to engage in <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214109X13701153">risky sexual behaviour</a>. </p>
<p>In addition, social grants have been viewed as a way for the state to “recognise” people historically overlooked by the South African government. Beneficiaries <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00220388.2012.658371">view</a> the receipt of social grants as a way of connecting with the state.</p>
<p>Yet there are problems with the system. While there has been a rapid expansion of access to social grants, not everyone who should receive grants does; for instance, only <a href="https://bmcinthealthhumrights.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1472-698X-12-24">an estimated 65%-70%</a> of eligible recipients receive the child support grant.</p>
<p>My colleagues and I wanted to understand young women’s experiences of accessing the child support grant, and what their challenges have been. Our <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17441692.2018.1449231">research</a> showed that a complex set of relationships between women seeking access to grants, and the systems and processes established to facilitate this, meant it was hard for women to access the grant.</p>
<h2>From pillar to post</h2>
<p>We interviewed 30 young women aged between 18 and 25, from two urban informal settlements in Durban, South Africa. All were eligible to receive the child support grant, but 10 were not, despite having tried. The other 20 described a range of experiences when it came to accessing the grant. </p>
<p>Almost all described the distance and the cost of travelling to the South African Social Security Agency offices to apply for the grant as a major barrier. </p>
<p>One respondent, Nonjabulo (not her real name), said: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>There were problems because we didn’t have money to go to SASSA all the time. My mother is not working and getting transport money was a problem at times. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Another set of barriers many women reported was a lack of access to vital registration documents: their own identity books, their child’s birth certificate, or their child’s “road to health” card - a document provided by the Department of Health and recording a child’s health information, such as dates for vaccination and growth charts.</p>
<p>Many women described being passed from pillar to post as they tried to get replacement identity documents or a full unabridged birth certificate for their child. As they told their stories, it was evident that this was not a once-off experience. For many it was an ongoing struggle which had started in their mothers’ generation and then continued for them today. </p>
<h2>Shamed and humiliated</h2>
<p>Worryingly, many women described being treated poorly by the agency’s officials when they went to apply for the child social grant. A number reported that officials shamed and humiliated them, asking questions such as “Why did they get pregnant at such an age?” and “Where is your boyfriend?”</p>
<p>These questions not only caused great pain to the women: they were completely unnecessary for the application to receive a child support grant. </p>
<p>The young women felt forced to sit silently and let the officials continue to abuse them because they wanted to receive the child support grant and felt if they objected to the questions and talked back, it would put their grant application in jeopardy. </p>
<p>Families played a mixed role in supporting access to the child support grant for these women. Some relatives were supportive, for instance providing information on the application process or going with the woman to apply. This made the overall process much more bearable. Other women reported a lack of support, saying their boyfriends and relatives were unwilling to contribute to travel costs or otherwise support them.</p>
<h2>Solutions</h2>
<p>The research suggests that a number of important strategies need to be put in place to increase access to the child social grant among young women, who are often those who struggle most to access the grant. There needs to be support for women to receive all forms of vital registration documents. The processes to do this need to be simplified. </p>
<p>There also need to be strategies to reduce the distance applicants have to travel to the agency’s offices. This may include opening offices closer to where the poorest in South Africa live, or shifting existing offices to these areas.</p>
<p>And the agency’s officials need to be trained about interacting with those applying for the child support grant. Treating women who have a right to access the grant in ways that continue to oppress and marginalise them is unacceptable. Such behaviour must be rooted out.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/94745/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Andrew Gibbs receives funding from the UK Department for International Development (DfID) programme, What Works to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls? Global Programme, managed by the South African Medical Research Council. This work was partially funded by the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA). </span></em></p>
Many young South African mothers who deserve to get the child support grant are excluded.
Andrew Gibbs, Senior specialist scientist: Gender and Health Research Unit, Medical Research Council, South African Medical Research Council
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/85964
2017-10-25T14:58:08Z
2017-10-25T14:58:08Z
Why disability hate crimes are woefully under-reported
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/191838/original/file-20171025-25551-dwjjlx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption"></span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/senior-man-wheelchair-isolation-loneliness-concept-555416089">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Ten years ago, 38-year-old <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/long_reads/fiona-pilkington-frankie-pilkington-suicide-learning-disabilities-bullying-hate-crime-a8004526.html">Fiona Pilkington</a> set fire to her car with herself and her 18-year-old daughter Frankie inside. The family had experienced more than a decade of harassment and anti-social behaviour in their Leicester neighbourhood which focused on Frankie, who had learning disabilities.</p>
<p>Their deaths, and the inadequate response of Leicestershire Police (<a href="https://www.ipcc.gov.uk/sites/default/files/Documents/investigation_commissioner_reports/pilkington_report_2_040511.pdf">noted</a> by the Independent Police Complaints Commission), became the key reference point for the <a href="https://www.scope.org.uk/hate-crime?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIzp-oztKL1wIVBTPTCh30MgtCEAAYASAAEgKyYvD_BwE">disability hate crime</a> debate, and in particular the need to increase the reporting and prosecution of crimes of this kind.</p>
<h2>Reality behind the figures</h2>
<p>The latest disability hate-crime <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hate-crime-england-and-wales-2016-to-2017">figures</a> for England and Wales reveal a significant rise of more than 50% on the year before. This could possibly be seen as positive, as it means more people are reporting these crimes. </p>
<p>In 2016-17 the police recorded 5,558 criminal offences “motivated by hostility or prejudice” against someone with a disability – an increase of 53% compared to 2015-16. Disability hate crimes make up around 7% of all recorded hate crimes. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/191818/original/file-20171025-25540-n2hey2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/191818/original/file-20171025-25540-n2hey2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=437&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/191818/original/file-20171025-25540-n2hey2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=437&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/191818/original/file-20171025-25540-n2hey2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=437&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/191818/original/file-20171025-25540-n2hey2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=550&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/191818/original/file-20171025-25540-n2hey2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=550&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/191818/original/file-20171025-25540-n2hey2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=550&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Frankie Pilkington and her mother Fiona, who died in 2007.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.paimages.co.uk/search-results/fluid/?q=Fiona%20Pilkington&category=A,S,E&fields_0=all&fields_1=all&imagesonly=1&orientation=both&text=Fiona%20Pilkington&words_0=all&words_1=all">PA</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The report notes that the number of offences for all hate crimes has increased since last year, attributing it to “police improving their identification and recording of hate crime offences, and more people coming forward to report these crimes rather than a genuine increase”. </p>
<p>In Scotland the 2016-17 <a href="http://www.copfs.gov.uk/media-site/media-releases/1557-hate-crime-in-scotland-2016-17-an-official-statistics-publication-for-scotland">figures</a> show that there were 188 charges of “<a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2009/8/section/1">aggravation by prejudice</a>” related to disability, a drop of 6% from the previous year and the first fall in the six years data has been collected by the <a href="http://www.gov.scot/About/People/strategic-board/chief-executive-copfs">Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal</a> (COPF). </p>
<p>While this could be interpreted as reflecting an improvement in social attitudes towards disabled people, it is more likely, as the COPF report emphasises, that significant, continued under-reporting of incidents is the explanation. </p>
<p>Director of Public Prosecutions Alison Saunders emphasises in her foreword to the <a href="http://www.cps.gov.uk/publications/docs/cps_hate_crime_report_2017.pdf">CPS Hate Crime Annual Report</a>, that all types of hate crime are under-reported, but stresses “how difficult it can be for victims of disability hate crime to come forward”.</p>
<p>The extent of under-reporting is revealed by the <a href="http://doc.ukdataservice.ac.uk/doc/7911/mrdoc/pdf/7911_csew_2013-14_teaching_dataset_user_guide.pdf">Crime Survey for England and Wales (2013-14)</a>: it estimated 62,000 incidents which could potentially be defined as disability hate crimes; in the same period, 2,020 such crimes were recorded by the police.</p>
<p>One possible explanation is the way in which disability hate crime has become associated with exceptional acts of extreme violence. As well as the Pilkingtons, <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1580367/Jail-for-disabled-mans-sadistic-murderers.html">Brent Martin</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2011/mar/21/ipcc-condemns-manchester-police-david-askew">David Askew</a> both died after months of harassment, victimisation and violence.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/B03jduD9N5o?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">BBC/YouTube.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Discrimination and exclusion</h2>
<p>For most disabled people, acts of violence and hate do not reflect their everyday lives. What they do experience is significant discrimination and exclusion – not being able to get a space on the bus, being ignored in shops, applying for jobs and rarely getting an interview, being unable to get around town because of lack of access or facilities. There is also <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/jul/22/combat-disability-hate-crime-understand-people-commit">evidence</a> that such negative attitudes have been fuelled by political rhetoric around welfare benefits for disabled people. </p>
<p>These experiences are unacceptable, but for some disabled people there is uncertainty about whether they constitute an act of hate or bigotry, and whether they should be reported to the authorities as such.</p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/191834/original/file-20171025-25551-1ia83y1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/191834/original/file-20171025-25551-1ia83y1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=899&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/191834/original/file-20171025-25551-1ia83y1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=899&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/191834/original/file-20171025-25551-1ia83y1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=899&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/191834/original/file-20171025-25551-1ia83y1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1130&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/191834/original/file-20171025-25551-1ia83y1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1130&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/191834/original/file-20171025-25551-1ia83y1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1130&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">For most disabled people exclusion and lack of consideration are the biggest obstacles.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/young-person-wheelchair-front-stair-678059290">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Another possible reason for the under-reporting of disability hate crime is that many disabled people know the person who harasses or abuses them, which is not a common feature of other hate crimes. Clearly when you know someone, it can be difficult to report an incident as you may be afraid of consequences.</p>
<p>And while the number of disability hate crime referrals from the police to the courts and conviction rate has increased (up to 79.3%) in 2016-17, the proportion of successfully completed prosecutions with an “uplift” (an increase in the sentence to reflect the hate motivation) remains relatively low, at 14.6%. </p>
<p>The CPS has published <a href="http://www.cps.gov.uk/publications/docs/guide-to-support-for-disabled-victims-and-witnesses-of-crime.pdf" title=""">Support for disabled victims and witnesses of crime</a>, a guide to encourage people to report hate crimes, and support them through the police investigation and court process. <a href="https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/cjji/inspections/joint-review-of-disability-hate-crime/">Research</a> has also shown that staff in the criminal justice system need to do more to identify disability hate crime, support victims and ensure that sufficient evidence is gathered to bring the case to court.</p>
<p>In Scotland, the <a href="https://beta.gov.scot/about/who-runs-government/cabinet-and-ministers/lord-advocate/">Lord Advocate</a> acknowledged in 2014 that while the COPF is committed to tackling disability hate crime, the criminal justice system needs to <a href="http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/scotland-failing-disabled-hate-crime-victims-1-3354981">do more</a>. </p>
<h2>Practical steps</h2>
<p>There is certainly an argument to expand initiatives to support disabled people to report harassment, violence and abuse. Third party reporting centres and “Keep Safe” sites in city centres and communities can provide secure spaces for people to report. Recent <a href="http://www.copfs.gov.uk/media-site-news-from-copfs/1617-a-warning-to-hate-crime-offenders">statements</a> from the CPS and COPF have focused on the determination to pursue and prosecute hate crime offenders, to boost people’s confidence in reporting these crimes. </p>
<p>Independent advocacy services have a key role to play, especially when the perpetrator is known to the disabled person. And improving the communication capabilities of the police with specialist training is crucial for the recording of evidence robust enough for cases to reach court.</p>
<p>For most disabled people it is discrimination and exclusion that dominate their lives, sometimes developing into violence and abuse. Preventative work by police, the authorities and local organisations to challenge and change negative social attitudes towards disabled people is essential. Ultimately, this is how disability hate crime will be addressed.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/85964/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ed Hall received a Scottish Institute for Policing Research (SIPR) Small Research Grant in 2016/17, for a project titled 'Enhancing Police Scotland's Response to Disability Hate Crime'. </span></em></p>
Victimisation, fear of reprisal and the need for more police support mean thousands of hate crimes against disabled people go unreported
Ed Hall, Senior Lecturer in Human Geography, University of Dundee
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/66115
2016-10-06T03:14:12Z
2016-10-06T03:14:12Z
Memorials for drug overdose victims create a place for grieving and inclusion
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/140624/original/image-20161005-20134-4r73h5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A spontaneous memorial shrine to an overdose victim in Celestial Lane, Melbourne. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Peta Malins</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>Australian cities are inherently diverse places, but that diversity can lead to conflict between different values about what cities should and can be. Our series, <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/conflict-in-the-city-31714">Conflict in the City</a>, brings together urban researchers to examine some of these tensions and consider how cities are governed and for whom.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>The vibrant spaces of cities are rich in social, artistic and political possibilities. They are also increasingly commodified and controlled. Police, private security guards, surveillance cameras and “<a href="https://theconversation.com/defensive-architecture-designing-the-homeless-out-of-cities-52399">defensive architecture</a>” all make some groups <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=hAItCgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA203&dq=marginalisation+and+exclusion+in+city+space&ots=ON22F69dZr&sig=zW1TC5G0OOhqiCnhRJjzbq8gIKM#v=onepage&q=marginalisation%20and%20exclusion%20in%20city%20space&f=false">feel more welcome, secure and valued than others</a>.</p>
<p>Public memorials are one way to accord more value, visibility and respect to the most marginalised and excluded groups. Installations honouring the deaths of <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/monument-to-aboriginals-1842-execution-first-step-to-recognising-brutal-past-20160911-grdvbx.html">Indigenous people</a>, <a href="http://www.ecohh.ca/Memorial.html">homeless people</a>, <a href="http://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/west-end-sex-workers-honoured-with-memorial">sex workers</a>, <a href="http://www.iamsterdam.com/en/visiting/what-to-do/activities-and-excursions/overview/homomonument">queers</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/memorials-that-go-beyond-boring-statues-of-big-men-on-bronze-horses-65069">activists</a> and <a href="http://www.drugusersmemorial.ca/">drug users</a> can now be found in cities around the world.</p>
<p>Such memorials serve important social, political and spatial functions that go well beyond personal or collective mourning. In doing so, the <a href="https://epress.lib.uts.edu.au/journals/index.php/phrj/article/view/632">design and location</a> of a memorial can be just as important as its subject.</p>
<p>Harm Reduction Victoria’s recent <a href="http://www.overdoseday.com/melbourne-victoria-3/">Overdose Memorial Day</a> installation, in central Melbourne, and Sue Anne-Ware’s earlier <a href="http://www.sueanneware.com/antimemorial-to-heroin-overdose-victims/">Anti-Memorial to Heroin Overdose Victims</a>, in nearby St Kilda, are good examples. Both show how public memorials might not only shift who we consider worth grieving, but also encourage us to reflect on the nature of memory, urban space and the ethics of social relations.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/140625/original/image-20161005-20134-e6ydd3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/140625/original/image-20161005-20134-e6ydd3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/140625/original/image-20161005-20134-e6ydd3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140625/original/image-20161005-20134-e6ydd3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140625/original/image-20161005-20134-e6ydd3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140625/original/image-20161005-20134-e6ydd3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140625/original/image-20161005-20134-e6ydd3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140625/original/image-20161005-20134-e6ydd3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Public memorials encourage passers-by to recognise the humanity of overdose victims.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Peta Malins</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>A life ungrievable?</h2>
<p>Globally, <a href="http://www.overdoseday.com/resources/facts-stats/">hundreds of thousands</a> of people die from drug overdose every year. Australia recorded <a href="http://www.penington.org.au/overdoseday/">1,137 deaths in 2014</a>, down from <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/3321.0.55.001">1,739 in 1999</a>, but trending up again from <a href="http://www.penington.org.au/overdoseday/">993 in 2013 and 705 in 2004</a>. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.druginfo.adf.org.au/topics/statistics-trends#illicit">More than 40%</a> of Australians have used illicit drugs at some point. Despite this, it remains a heavily <a href="http://www.countthecosts.org/sites/default/files/Stigma-briefing.pdf">stigmatised</a> activity. This is particularly so for those who take drugs excessively, use on the streets, are homeless, have mental health issues, or are marginalised in other ways.</p>
<p>Rather than treat problematic drug use as a health and welfare issue, current prohibitionist policies mean such drug users are usually regarded, first and foremost, as criminal.</p>
<p><a href="http://csc.sagepub.com/content/15/5/398.short">School drug education</a> and public health campaigns often <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-03-18/qld-police-aim-to-take-greater-role-in-school-drug-education/6327628">mobilise stigma</a> as a deterrent, positioning drug users as irrational, dirty, diseased and dangerous. Problematic drug use is presented as a fault of character or willpower, rather than a result of personal trauma or broader sociopolitical forces.</p>
<p>These representations, frequently reinforced by news media, do little to foster empathy for people who use drugs. Indeed, visible signs of drug use tend to produce <a href="http://www.ijdp.org/article/S0955-3959(04)00099-4/abstract">fear and disgust</a> in other city users.</p>
<p>When someone’s death is linked to their drug use, therefore, they are less likely to be afforded “<a href="http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-349-08305-3_2">ideal victim</a>” status. Their life becomes less “<a href="http://www.wkv-stuttgart.de/uploads/media/butler-judith-precarious-life.pdf">grievable</a>”. </p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2015/08/31/stigma-drug-overdose-causing-extra-pain-grieving-families">stigma and shame</a> mean those who are mourning can be reluctant to acknowledge the drug use. Drug-using friends are sometimes excluded from funeral services, or miss out because their transient lifestyle means news of the death does not reach them in time.</p>
<p>Stigma also increases the risk of overdose itself, by <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-stigma-against-people-who-use-heroin-makes-it-harder-for-them-to-get-help-46906">reducing the likelihood</a> that people experiencing problems with drugs will seek treatment. It also <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09663690600858895">encourages</a> rushed drug use in more secluded spaces, discourages friends from seeking help and deters passers-by from assisting. </p>
<h2>How might overdose memorials help?</h2>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/140628/original/image-20161005-20142-fd4768.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/140628/original/image-20161005-20142-fd4768.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/140628/original/image-20161005-20142-fd4768.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=652&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140628/original/image-20161005-20142-fd4768.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=652&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140628/original/image-20161005-20142-fd4768.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=652&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140628/original/image-20161005-20142-fd4768.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=819&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140628/original/image-20161005-20142-fd4768.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=819&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140628/original/image-20161005-20142-fd4768.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=819&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A graffitied message marks the place someone’s friend, child, sibling, parent, client or colleague was lost.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Peta Malins</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In the laneways and alcoves of Melbourne, where many overdose deaths have occurred, <a href="https://melbourneartcritic.com/2011/06/20/melbourne-shrines-%E2%80%93-especially-the-unofficial/">informal memorial sites</a> sometimes appear. Flowers, cards, memorabilia and graffitied messages mark the place someone’s friend, child, sibling, parent, client or colleague was lost.</p>
<p>Although fleeting, these memorials are significant. They give those mourning a place to locate their grief. And they inscribe that grief in the fabric of city space. </p>
<p>Drawing inspiration from these unofficial memorials, as well as a growing international literature on “<a href="http://partizaning.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Memory-and-Counter-Memory.pdf">counter-memory</a>”, Ware’s 2001 Anti-Memorial to Heroin Overdose was designed to challenge not only who is remembered, but how they are remembered.</p>
<p>Ware placed a series of obituaries to overdose victims along three key thoroughfares in St Kilda, a Melbourne suburb known for its bayside bohemian culture and street-based drug use and sex work. Each was stencilled on the footpath in red paint, alongside a resin plaque embedded with personal memorabilia and red poppies growing in a planter box.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/140626/original/image-20161005-20125-1mu0v63.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/140626/original/image-20161005-20125-1mu0v63.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/140626/original/image-20161005-20125-1mu0v63.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140626/original/image-20161005-20125-1mu0v63.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140626/original/image-20161005-20125-1mu0v63.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140626/original/image-20161005-20125-1mu0v63.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140626/original/image-20161005-20125-1mu0v63.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140626/original/image-20161005-20125-1mu0v63.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Sue-Anne Ware’s 2001 Anti-Memorial to Heroin Overdose challenged how we remember overdose victims.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Peta Malins</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Most <a href="http://search.informit.com.au.ezproxy.lib.rmit.edu.au/documentSummary;res=IELHSS;dn=867053144495459">traditional memorials and monuments</a> encourage visitors to stand back and look up at statues on plinths, or names and dates inscribed in stone. Most are static and permanent. They tell visitors who to remember and how to remember them, and create a sense that remembrance is complete.</p>
<p>The “Anti-Memorial” was different. It worked to unsettle them, prompting them to move differently and feel differently about drug use, memory and urban space. Instead of simply telling people who and how to remember, it encouraged them to look down, to stop, to read and touch, to think and feel.</p>
<p>The poppies gradually came into bloom, then died away. The resin plaques and planter boxes were removed and the red words slowly faded from view. </p>
<p>By its temporary nature, the “Anti-Memorial” drew attention to everyday processes of urban erasure, and to the need to engage with and rethink issues of drug use and marginalisation. </p>
<h2>A graffiti memorial</h2>
<p>Although simpler in design and execution, Harm Reduction Victoria’s graffiti installation can also be understood as a counter-memorial.</p>
<p>Five local graffiti artists were commissioned to paint the words “Overdose Awareness Day” on the wall of a narrow alley, just off the heavily commodified Bourke Street Mall. The names of overdose victims are embedded within the text.</p>
<p>Vulnerable to the effects of sun, wind and rain, as well maintenance workers and other graffiti writers, the memorial is unstable and temporary. Designed to be stumbled upon and viewed at close range, it challenges us to engage more viscerally with remembrance and the politics of city space.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/140627/original/image-20161005-20139-m0q6bf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/140627/original/image-20161005-20139-m0q6bf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/140627/original/image-20161005-20139-m0q6bf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140627/original/image-20161005-20139-m0q6bf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140627/original/image-20161005-20139-m0q6bf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140627/original/image-20161005-20139-m0q6bf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=563&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140627/original/image-20161005-20139-m0q6bf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=563&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140627/original/image-20161005-20139-m0q6bf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=563&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The names of overdose victims are embedded within the words ‘Overdose Awareness Day’ in Harm Reduction Victoria’s recent memorial in Union Lane, Melbourne.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Peta Malins</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="http://www.thatsmelbourne.com.au/Placestogo/PublicArt/Pages/StreetArt.aspx">Melbourne’s graffiti</a> and <a href="http://www.thatsmelbourne.com.au/placestogo/LanewaysandArcades/Pages/LanewaysandArcades.aspx">laneways</a> have long been paradoxical entities. They are simultaneously denigrated as dirty and criminal and celebrated as central to the inner city’s hip, edgy identity. Both enable more democratic forms of communication than legitimised or privatised forums permit. Yet both remain subject to forces of policing and gentrification.</p>
<p>Given graffiti’s ubiquity in Melbourne, it is unlikely the Overdose Awareness Day memorial will unsettle or provoke many passers-by. Its positioning in a narrow lane and obscure graf-style text also limit its reach. </p>
<p>However, its form and location encourage those who do notice it to reflect on and challenge how drug users and other marginalised groups are treated in our cities. </p>
<h2>Reminders of humanity</h2>
<p>These memorials don’t tell us explicitly how to think about overdose deaths. Nor do they overtly show how the criminalisation and stigmatisation of drug users make such deaths more likely.</p>
<p>But by humanising drug users, and sending a powerful message about their social worth, they can increase empathy and reduce stigma and fear. Such shifts would likely improve outcomes for other drug users.</p>
<p>Public memorials are political as well as personal interventions. They can elevate marginalised bodies to the status of grievable. Those that also creatively unsettle our very relationships <a href="https://minerva-access.unimelb.edu.au/handle/11343/35163">to memory and space</a> will do even more to challenge marginalisation and exclusion in cities.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>You can read other Conflict in the City articles <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/conflict-in-the-city-31714">here</a>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/66115/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Peta Malins does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Public memorials to overdose victims might not only shift who we consider worth grieving, but also encourage us to reflect on the nature of memory and mourning, inclusion and exclusion.
Peta Malins, Lecturer in Justice and Legal Studies, RMIT University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/64591
2016-09-29T03:48:39Z
2016-09-29T03:48:39Z
Sense of place: messier than it ever was, so how do we manage this shifting world?
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/138004/original/image-20160915-30600-1fmdns0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Place-making: a seasonal beach in Campus Martius Park, Detroit 2014.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Laura Crommelin</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Place is a crucial dimension of human meaning and relationships. It grounds us. </p>
<p>Our attachments with multiple places are a significant part of our individual and group identities. At one level, these attachments reflect our values and aspirations, while at another level they capture broader social, cultural and economic trends.</p>
<p>Place is therefore at once <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Belonging-A-Culture-of-Place/hooks/p/book/9780415968164">very personal</a> and collective. It connotes multiple rather than singular meanings.</p>
<p>In 1976, Canadian geographer Ted Relph confidently divided the two ideas in his seminal book <a href="https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/place-and-placelessness/book249276">Place and Placenessness</a>. This work influenced a growing movement for place-based research by geographers, sociologists, psychologists, environmental planners and others. </p>
<p>According to Relph, some places were real and authentic; others were bland and homogeneous.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/137896/original/image-20160915-30587-41x3km.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/137896/original/image-20160915-30587-41x3km.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/137896/original/image-20160915-30587-41x3km.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/137896/original/image-20160915-30587-41x3km.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/137896/original/image-20160915-30587-41x3km.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/137896/original/image-20160915-30587-41x3km.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/137896/original/image-20160915-30587-41x3km.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/137896/original/image-20160915-30587-41x3km.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The very ‘authentic’ Grand Bazaar of Istanbul.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Robert Freestone</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Place identities, a contested business</h2>
<p>Things have got far messier since then. Places can clearly channel both dimensions depending on the beholder; others have evolved under neoliberalism in very different ways that were unforeseen even late last century. Place-making has emerged as a multi-million-dollar industry aimed at <a href="http://www.jllrealviews.com/trends/blight-city-highlight-urban-renewal-projects/">creating meaningful sites</a>.</p>
<p>Place research has exploded in various and nuanced directions; there is no more black and white. As prominent place academic <a href="http://au.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-1405106719.html">Tim Cresswell</a> proclaims:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Place is made and remade on a daily basis. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Place is political and contested. Geographer <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Geographies-of-Exclusion-Society-and-Difference-in-the-West/Sibley/p/book/9780415119252">David Sibley</a> argues every act of inclusion is defined by an act of exclusion.</p>
<p>This could be as blatant as physically keeping out the unwanted (such as <a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/438">the Great Wall of China</a>), a shift in the <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/40553528?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents">ownership of “public” spaces</a>, or <a href="https://safety.unsw.edu.au/news/unsw-smoke-free-policy">applying policies that prohibit</a> the presence of <a href="https://theconversation.com/graf-all-you-want-but-dont-you-dare-be-poor-64377">“unwelcome” activities</a>, whether in the name of public good or otherwise. </p>
<p>Such protectionist mentalities seem to be running rampant on <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/brexit">current global</a> <a href="https://www.donaldjtrump.com/positions/pay-for-the-wall">political stages</a>.</p>
<p>Elsewhere, much investment is made into actively changing place identity – with varying degrees of success. Regardless, branded place-making is now big business. It is part of urban renewal initiatives in transforming <a href="http://www.jllrealviews.com/trends/breathing-new-life-utilized-buildings/">disused or “out of date”</a> areas into higher-density, often boutique (and therefore premium) <a href="http://www.domain.com.au/news/a-place-to-call-home-placemaking-is-all-the-rage-in-apartment-developments-20160721-gqalb4/">places</a>.</p>
<p>Professional place-makers supposedly have the expertise to take downtrodden places, wave their magic wands and create new and exciting precincts for us to enjoy. But do these projects always succeed in changing urban fortunes?</p>
<h2>The development of place-making</h2>
<p>The concept of place-making has its origin in the 1960s, when academics and urban activists like <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2016/apr/28/story-cities-32-new-york-jane-jacobs-robert-moses">Jane Jacobs</a> and <a href="http://www.upenn.edu/pennpress/book/13565.html">William H. Whyte</a> promoted a more human-centred (re)design of cities to counter the anodyne steamroller of international modernism.</p>
<p>Since then, however, governments and private industries alike have dreamt up big ideas – and spent big dollars – in creating “memorable” places in the service of <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-the-triple-bottom-line-22798">triple bottom line</a> sustainability, though often especially the economic dimension. Paradoxically, this global phenomenon can account for an uneasy new form of placelessness as similar solutions are adapted in diverse settings.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/137895/original/image-20160915-30580-dgheb0.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/137895/original/image-20160915-30580-dgheb0.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/137895/original/image-20160915-30580-dgheb0.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/137895/original/image-20160915-30580-dgheb0.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/137895/original/image-20160915-30580-dgheb0.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/137895/original/image-20160915-30580-dgheb0.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/137895/original/image-20160915-30580-dgheb0.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/137895/original/image-20160915-30580-dgheb0.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The commercialisation of ‘place’ extends beyond urban design and even to clothing chains.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Edgar Liu</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Great designs help in creating a distinctive and unique sense of place, but design alone cannot solve all. As a regeneration consultant <a href="http://www.afr.com/lifestyle/good-urban-design-is-all-about-a-true-sharing-economy-20160401-gnwlcb">recently wrote</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Urban design is not destiny. It alone can’t create communities, can’t address racism or affect global politics through pretty place-making.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The people and place disconnect – or what Relph termed placelessness – has changed and evolved since the 1970s and so have our interpretations, perceptions and experiences of it.</p>
<p>The key point is that process is as important as product. Good design must have the people at heart. And to do that one must first listen to the people. </p>
<p>We all play critical roles in how place identities come to be. There is a great diversity of views but also wisdom in crowds.</p>
<p>So the turn is towards consultative and, better still, participatory exercises even in large-scale projects alongside small-scale, community-led projects and on to more <a href="http://www.planetizen.com/node/84500/diy-urbanism-and-top-down-planning">DIY</a> and <a href="http://www.citylab.com/topics/guerilla-urbanism/">guerrilla-style</a> urbanism. </p>
<p>The united aim is to invest nondescript places (by almost any criterion) with new attractiveness and meaning. This frequently involves respecting individual and collective memories of the past.</p>
<h2>Disrupting placelessness</h2>
<p>As this is played out through private development, the catch is that return on investment becomes a critical driver. New places, reinvented places and what French philosopher Marc Augé termed <a href="https://www.versobooks.com/books/360-non-places">non-places</a> will all tend to blend authenticity and anonymity.</p>
<p>Place is messier than it ever was, and our engagements with it too. That is why we set out to see how Relph’s simple binary had been disrupted in a new collection called <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Place-and-Placelessness-Revisited/Freestone-Liu/p/book/9781138937116">Place and Placelessness Revisited</a>.</p>
<p>This surveys our connections to place in many different settings – civic squares, playgrounds, airports, shopping malls, even public toilets. All serendipitously point to place as a fascinating multiplicity.</p>
<p>We invited Relph to have the last word. He declared without nostalgia that the either/or of his original formulation was “obsolete”. In the new millennium, as discomforting as it may seem, nothing about place “can be taken for granted”.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/64591/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Edgar Liu receives funding from the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute, Cooperative Research Centre for Low Carbon Living, New South Wales' Department of Family and Community Services, PAYCE Communities, SGCH Ltd, South Australia's Department for Communities and Social Inclusion, and Strata Community Australia (NSW chapter).</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Robert Freestone receives funding from the Australian Research Council. </span></em></p>
Big ideas and big dollars have been invested in making ‘memorable’ places. Paradoxically, as similar solutions are adapted in diverse settings worldwide, this can lead to an uneasy new placelessness.
Edgar Liu, Research Fellow at City Futures Research Centre, UNSW Sydney
Robert Freestone, Professor of Planning, Faculty of Built Environment, UNSW Sydney
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/63952
2016-08-17T14:33:42Z
2016-08-17T14:33:42Z
Yes, Muslim women face discrimination – but they’re pushing for change
<p>A British parliamentary committee recently discovered what many people in Muslim communities have known for ages – that Muslim women <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-37041301">face discrimination</a> on account of their gender, their ethnicity and their religion.</p>
<p>As the most disadvantaged members of the most socially and economically deprived communities in Britain, Muslim women suffer astronomical levels of unemployment and economic inactivity. In 2015 <a href="http://data.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/committeeevidence.svc/evidencedocument/women-and-equalities-committee/employment-opportunities-for-muslims-in-the-uk/written/34259.html">ONS figures</a> showed only 35% of Muslim women aged 16 to 64 were employed. That compares with 69% of all British women in the same age range. We also learnt that 58% are economically inactive (not looking for work). That compares with 27% of working age women across the British population.</p>
<p>The committee also concluded that while Muslim women suffered a “triple penalty” on account of their gender, ethnicity and religion, it was the latter that poses the most barriers. Muslims face discrimination in many areas of public life but women are held back further because they are seen as passive, uninformed and uninterested in the world beyond their doorstep.</p>
<p>Muslim women, especially those wearing Islamic dress, represent what is considered a backward faith which disrupts western ways of life. Islam is also regarded as a barrier to their advancement outside the home because it stresses women’s role as care givers and homemakers. It apparently compels them to cover their hair and face and excludes them from Islamic thought and governance.</p>
<p>Large numbers of Muslim women in Britain argue that it is the intersecting effects of Islamophobia, including public stereotyping and male-dominated interpretations of Islam from within Muslim communities or assumptions made by non-Muslims, which constrain them.</p>
<p>For some time, they have been seeking to fight back – particularly in the years following 9/11. Muslim communities have come under heavy surveillance and women have had to play different family roles. Wives, mothers, sisters of men charged with or imprisoned for “terrorist” activity have undertaken traditional male responsibilities. Others have been subjected to surveillance themselves.</p>
<p>They have become rapidly politicised and active in public arenas. They are involved in campaigns <a href="http://www.palgrave.com/us/book/9781137480613">to counter Islamophobia and also patriarchal attitudes</a> in their ethnic and religious communities.</p>
<p>The British government also courts Muslim women to act as “bridge-builders” between Muslim communities and majority British society. The <a href="https://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmselect/cmcomloc/65/65.pdf">Preventing Violent Extremism</a> programme, which ran between 2007 and 2010, for instance, encouraged Muslim women to play a greater role in civic life. The idea was to prevent extremism and promote Muslim integration.</p>
<h2>Institutional representation</h2>
<p>In 2010, three women identifying as Muslim were elected to the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2010/may/07/general-election-female-muslim-mps">House of Commons</a>. They were joined by another <a href="http://www.scotsman.com/news/uk/record-of-13-muslim-mps-elected-8-of-them-women-1-3768726">five in 2015</a>. The number of Muslim women in local councils has also increased in the 9/11 era.</p>
<p>These elections marked the culmination of Muslim women’s involvement in party politics in the 2000s. And while most of these women would stress that they represent all constituents regardless of gender, ethnicity, race or faith, many feel they bear responsibility for <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2010/may/07/general-election-female-muslim-mps">changing the way in which Muslim women are perceived</a>. They also want to show that that they make a valuable contribution to British society. Some have also challenged the <a href="https://bradfordwest.wordpress.com/2015/04/15/naz-shah-labour-party-candidate-bradford-west-facts/">clan-based system</a> within Muslim communities which promotes men as community and political leaders while excluding women.</p>
<p>Far larger numbers of Muslim women also participate in women’s community organisations and NGOs today than 15 years ago. These organisations work not just on issues concerning Muslim women – empowering them to deal with oppressive cultural and religious practices – but also to build capacity among Muslim women. They provide women with the knowledge and skills needed to enter public life and the labour market.</p>
<p>Muslim women have also become active in street politics. In the 2000s, girls and young women were foremost participants in the Stop the War movement and more recently they’ve been involved in support for Syrian refugees.</p>
<p>They are countering male domination within their communities by challenging the way in which mosques are dominated and run in Britain by all-male committees. Some women’s organisations are planning <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/12/muslim-womens-council-mosque-plans-teaching-uk">women-only mosques</a>, while others have called for transparency in mosque governance structures. They are pushing for more women to be involved in making decisions.</p>
<p>So Muslim women are working hard to increase their presence in public arenas and break down stereotypes. That said, it is recognised that too many Muslim women still remain on the margins of society and the economy. State support is crucial in bringing them centre stage.</p>
<p>However, it is important to show that Muslim women are not passive or isolated in the way that media representations suggest. They are subjects in their own right.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/63952/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Khursheed Wadia has received funding from the ESRC. She is on the Board of Trustees of Muslim Women's Network UK. </span></em></p>
A parliamentary report found this group suffers severe exclusion from life and work. But things are getting better.
Khursheed Wadia, Principal Research Fellow, Centre for the Study of Safety and Well-Being, University of Warwick
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/53810
2016-02-15T03:24:08Z
2016-02-15T03:24:08Z
How do we stop people falling through the gaps in a digitally connected city?
<p>Popular visions of the “smart city” promise that with digital technology the <a href="http://www.chairdigitaleconomy.com.au/digital-dialgoue-smart-cities-people-place-and-technologies-23-november-2015/">power of the city “as a platform”</a> is put in users’ hands. Whether real or imagined, digital connectivity 24/7 is a fundamental part of the city-fabric. Yet this is not the case for the city’s most marginalised and excluded. </p>
<p>Much of this digital dimension is hidden. Shopping, banking, job searches, trip planning, government service transactions, entertainment and contact with friends and family are carried out online and through an increasing array of mobile apps. </p>
<p>Such activities are now essential for navigating and participating fully in city life. Cultural activity is <a href="http://www.springer.com/gp/book/9789812879172">increasingly hybridised</a>, reliant on social media and location-aware devices for co-ordinating collocated gatherings and events.</p>
<h2>Struggling to stay connected</h2>
<p>Yet some groups are not automatically included in this experience of connectedness. Despite the fact that <a href="https://accan.org.au/files/Grants/homelessandconnected/FindingsSummary-web.pdf">95% of people</a> experiencing homelessness have a mobile phone, staying connected is an everyday struggle.</p>
<p>In <a href="http://www.accan.org.au/grants/completed-grants/619-homeless-and-connected">research</a> carried out for the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (<a href="http://www.accan.org.au/">ACCAN</a>), a common reported experience of homelessness was having lost or broken a mobile phone, or had it stolen. Service restrictions, number changes and credit shortages also meant internet and telephone access was partial and discontinuous.</p>
<p>There is also the issue of access to power. The assumption that city dwellers have a place to go to recharge their device batteries is so ingrained as to be unremarkable. Yet the same study found that 32% experienced difficulty recharging their mobile handset. </p>
<p>Through the project, <a href="https://www.youngandwellcrc.org.au/making-connections/">Making Connections</a>, we set out to find out more about these connectivity barriers and to come up with creative solutions. Supported by the <a href="http://www.youngandwellcrc.org.au/">Young and Well Co-operative Research Centre</a> and <a href="http://www.westernsydney.edu.au/ics/research/projects/yawcrc/program_2/making_connections">Western Sydney University</a>, the project involves working directly with young people who have experienced homelessness and relevant organisations. A series of participatory design workshops is guiding the innovation process. </p>
<p>Stories that the participants shared in the first workshop highlighted the risks associated with not having regular, reliable and affordable access. In some cases the results are life-threatening.</p>
<p>One young man recounted an incident of waking up on the street with his backpack being pulled from under him and a knife in his stomach. His mobile phone was in the stolen bag, so he had no way of dialling emergency services. He waited for hours before someone stopped to see if he needed help.</p>
<p>The difficulties associated with digital connectivity also mean that people who are homeless shape their activities and movements to meet their access needs. This is time and energy that might otherwise be directed to getting the support and assistance needed to move out of homelessness. </p>
<p>The recently launched “<a href="http://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/news/praise-for-ask-izzy-app-but-also-a-warning-it-will-highlight-gaps-in-the-system/news-story/382de96f98a384be4034f8a27f7fda2f">Ask Izzy</a>” app and website, for example, which simplifies and streamlines access to services for the homeless, relies on an internet connection. The patchwork nature of free public WiFi, with inadequate or no access in some places, means users of these services <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/prime-minister-turnbull-meets-kent-and-spruiks-new-website-for-homeless-20160129-gmh25m.html">face new hurdles</a>. </p>
<p>Another young man talked of how he would walk around endlessly, trying to connect: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>I’m walking around and I just have my WiFi open checking … Usually you can’t even find anything anywhere. It’s pretty hard.</p>
<p>City centres are at least easier than suburban areas. If you go further west, especially near Penrith or anywhere between Blacktown and Penrith, there’s not much free WiFi. It’s more something you have to pay for. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Sociologst Emma Jackson describes experiences such as these as being “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Young-Homeless-People-Urban-Space/dp/0415722160">fixed in mobility</a>”. Here, the physical and political structure of the city imposes movement simply to access the resources necessary to survive, making it even harder to move out of homelessness. </p>
<p>Urban digital connectivity is highly uneven and subject to rapid change as a result of market forces, new technology developments and planning initiatives. Until recently, internet access was a paid-for service in internet cafes and convenience stores. Now it is more likely to be in the form of charged or free WiFi hot spots. </p>
<h2>Working to secure access</h2>
<p>Given these challenges, how might we design city spaces better to make it easier and safer for people who are homeless to access digital technology? The group who attended the first of the Making Connections workshops came up with five creative ideas revolving around some key principles:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>free and widespread access to power </p></li>
<li><p>availability of free WiFi/mobile internet</p></li>
<li><p>affordable and robust devices and flexible mobile plans</p></li>
<li><p>security of belongings and self</p></li>
<li><p>enhanced access to support services.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>The idea behind the second Making Connections workshop, to be held on February 19 at the Parramatta city campus of Western Sydney University, is to bring these ideas and principles to life. Representatives of telecommunication companies, charities, local government, public libraries, universities and related organisations will come together to develop and implement these ideas. The aim is to incorporate these key principles into policies and new programs, and to develop a common approach in all cities. </p>
<p>The shift to a more complex urban internet ecology, with the taken-for-grantedness of mobile connectivity, creates a need to re-engage with issues of digital exclusion in cities. Developing long-term and sustainable responses requires the involvement of multiple stakeholders. They will need to be not only committed to the goal of inclusion but also have the means for co-operating and taking action to achieve this goal. </p>
<hr>
<p><em>To find out more about the upcoming workshop or any aspect of the Making Connections project, please contact Dr Justine Humphry at j.humphry@westernsydney.edu.au.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/53810/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Justine Humphry receives funding from Young and Well CRC to carry out the Making Connections project and is a member of the Institute for Culture and Society.</span></em></p>
We have come to see being digitally connected as part of the fabric of life in the city, but staying connected is a daily struggle for the marginalised and homeless.
Justine Humphry, Lecturer, Cultural and Social Analysis, Western Sydney University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/46308
2015-08-24T08:44:08Z
2015-08-24T08:44:08Z
For older people, beating loneliness isn’t just about where and who they live with
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/92704/original/image-20150821-31397-rhlrgo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Too many older people feel socially excluded. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Kristo-Gothard Hunor/www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Social isolation and loneliness among older people are public health issues in the UK and have a terrible effect on well-being, physical health – causing depression and mental decline. The <a href="https://theconversation.com/social-isolation-trumps-loneliness-as-early-death-indicator-in-old-age-13069">health risks</a> associated with social isolation have been compared to the harmful effects of smoking and obesity.</p>
<p>Some new forms of accommodation are trying to give older people more opportunity for social contact in order to combat the empty feelings of loneliness. A <a href="http://www.ilcuk.org.uk/index.php/publications/publication_details/village_life_independence_loneliness_and_quality_of_life_in_retirement_vill">new report</a>, launched by the think-tank the <a href="http://www.ilcuk.org.uk/index.php/home">International Longevity Centre</a>, surveyed residents in some retirement villages, where people buy apartments with flexible “extra” care on hand. The report argued that village living could promote older people’s quality of life, help to reduce feelings of isolation and loneliness, and increase their sense of control over their own lives.</p>
<p>Housing with extra care services and retirement villages are still a rarity in the UK. They are also not all the same and other research suggests they may not always protect against loneliness. </p>
<p>Vanessa Burholt and her colleagues at Swansea University <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/19424620.2013.870811#.VdWTNrSuHK4">found</a> that while residents might have more social interactions, loneliness itself wasn’t affected. Residents living in accommodation with extra care didn’t necessarily make new friends and felt their real friends were people they knew from before. Some residents still want to connect with “younger” age groups. Many retirement villages are far from city centres and lack access to public transport. People need support to maintain existing meaningful and long-term friendships during and after the move to extra-care housing and also into care homes. </p>
<h2>Housing only part of the problem</h2>
<p><a href="http://oro.open.ac.uk/43925/">Our recent research</a> with people living in ordinary mixed communities – which is where the vast majority of older people live – has identified housing as just one of many factors that affect isolation and loneliness among older people. We discovered many ways of promoting the inclusion of older residents within the neighbourhoods they are familiar with. </p>
<p>Some people develop their own “personal convoy” over time, making connections and cultivating interests to protect themselves against future loneliness. Contact with families is important to feel connected. Some local councils are actively nurturing awareness and the capacity of neighbourhoods and communities to support and look out for older people, such as Bristol with its <a href="http://www.linkagebristol.org.uk/about-us.aspx">LinkAge programme</a>. Volunteering within communities (including involving older people as volunteers) can be encouraged – with support from organisations such as Age UK that have experience of training and mentoring volunteers. </p>
<p>Local walking groups, book clubs, local history groups, photography groups, sewing and knitting groups can help. So can using local venues such as parks, garden centres, or cafes as convenient places to meet. For some people, inter-generational activities are helpful, such as school students and older people sharing their skills. One group called <a href="https://equalarts.org.uk/our-work/henpower/">HenPower</a> brings older people together to keep hens and <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-chicken-commotion-that-is-improving-life-for-pensioners-25412">combat loneliness</a>, and links up with schools. Others may learn to use the internet from children and share stories related to local history. </p>
<h2>‘Older people’ aren’t all the same</h2>
<p>Of course the term “older people” covers a lot of ground – from “late middle age to early old age” around 55-65 years, to centenarians. People vary enormously in their capacity and outlook at any age, so it would be over-simplifying just to define people by age groups. There is, however, some sense in thinking about different strategies for different situations connected to the life course and physical capacity: what people are likely to want to be doing – and what they can manage to do. </p>
<p>For example, people still under pension age may lose social contacts because of redundancy, or after a break-up, but not yet be eligible for services for older people such as free bus travel or discounted rail fares. They might want support to get back into the flow through voluntary work, or learning digital skills to enhance their employability. </p>
<p>People in their “third age” (65-79) and “fourth age” (roughly 80-85 and older) might want different services. Retirement villages, lunch clubs and day centres are sometimes perceived as being for the “very old” and may not be attractive for the not-quite-so-old – one reason why housing that comes with extra care is strongly marketed as “lifestyle” housing for active ageing. </p>
<p><a href="http://oro.open.ac.uk/36591/">Our research</a> has shown that for some people, online social interactions can also be a path to greater social inclusion, with a positive effect on well-being. Wherever someone is living, when increasing frailty or other life changes start to impact on their quality of life, making sure they are “digitally included” could be another way to overcome isolation and loneliness.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/92788/original/image-20150824-17793-5k6sj2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/92788/original/image-20150824-17793-5k6sj2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92788/original/image-20150824-17793-5k6sj2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92788/original/image-20150824-17793-5k6sj2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92788/original/image-20150824-17793-5k6sj2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92788/original/image-20150824-17793-5k6sj2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92788/original/image-20150824-17793-5k6sj2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Time to get online.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/gallery-1335553p1.html?cr=00&pl=edit-00%22>pixinoo">pixinoo / Shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Enhanced digital skills can enable people to benefit from lifelong learning opportunities such as open educational resources and Massive Open Online Courses. However, our <a href="http://oro.open.ac.uk/44009/">research shows</a> the kind of support needed for digital inclusion differs based on a person’s situation. Some older people lack even basic digital skills, but others might be looking to improve their digital skills for employment. Some may be living alone and may not have informal “technical support” from family or friends – or they might have disabilities or age-related impairments to deal with.</p>
<p>So, we suggest an approach to social inclusion that takes into account all the different ways that older people live, as well as where they live.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/46308/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Shailey Minocha has received research funding from UK's EPSRC, Jisc, VITAE, Wolfson Foundation, Innovate UK and Milton Keynes Council.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Caroline Holland has received research funding from ESRC, Milton Keynes Council, and various charities including most recently the Alzheimer's Society and Thomas Pocklington Trust. She is affiliated with the UCU, the Labour Party and UKUncut.</span></em></p>
Older people aren’t all lonely for the same reasons – we need different solutions to help them feel socially included.
Shailey Minocha, Professor in Learning Technologies and Social Computing, The Open University
Caroline Holland, Senior Research Fellow, Faculty of Health & Social Care, The Open University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/44574
2015-07-22T04:23:46Z
2015-07-22T04:23:46Z
Who’s on the outer? Uncovering poverty’s many faces
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/89099/original/image-20150721-12576-w5j8t9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Older Australians, women and people with disabilities are at high risk of being excluded from society by poverty and disadvantage.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">from www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Despite a long history of research into poverty, no consensus yet exists on what constitutes being “poor” or “disadvantaged”. Measures of household wealth don’t go far enough in identifying those most at risk of being excluded from society. Nor do such measures explain the level of exclusion they face.</p>
<p>Significant numbers of people are at risk, however. Our research suggests that more than one in two people with a disability or long-term health condition and nearly half of people aged 65 and above experienced social exclusion in 2012.</p>
<h2>A better way to measure poverty?</h2>
<p>Monitoring changes in the prevalence and characteristics of poverty is crucial to keeping track of whether a society is really successful in tackling this problem. Traditional measurements have too narrowly focused on incomes and whether households can afford a minimum acceptable standard of living.</p>
<p>Broader concepts have emerged more recently. These recognise that socioeconomic disadvantage is much more complex. One more useful method is the concept of “social exclusion”. </p>
<p>The measure, which first emerged in Europe, encompasses not only income and other economic resources, but also dimensions of disadvantage – such as health and education – that determine individuals’ ability to participate fully in society. </p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/89106/original/image-20150721-14732-1y63tg2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/89106/original/image-20150721-14732-1y63tg2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/89106/original/image-20150721-14732-1y63tg2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/89106/original/image-20150721-14732-1y63tg2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/89106/original/image-20150721-14732-1y63tg2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/89106/original/image-20150721-14732-1y63tg2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/89106/original/image-20150721-14732-1y63tg2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">More than one in two people with a disability or long-term health condition suffered social exclusion in 2012.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-106283927/stock-photo-disabled-handicapped-person-on-wheeled-chair-among-people-without-disabilities-place-for-copy.html?src=pp-same_artist-129699809-1&ws=1">from www.shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The <a href="http://www.bsl.org.au/research-and-publications/social-exclusion-monitor/">Social Exclusion Monitor</a>, developed by the Brotherhood of St Laurence and the University of Melbourne, has proven useful in Australia to measure the extent and evolution of a wider notion of poverty and disadvantage. </p>
<p>In contrast with income-based poverty measures, the monitor measures the accumulation of deprivation across seven life domains: material resources, employment, education and skills, health and disability, social connection, community and personal safety. </p>
<p>Considering a total of 29 indicators across these domains, it uses data from the national Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (<a href="https://www.melbourneinstitute.com/hilda/">HILDA</a>) survey. Since 2001, this survey has annually collected detailed socioeconomic data for a nationally representative sample of the population. This allows the monitor to study social exclusion since the beginning of the 21st century.</p>
<p>The latest issue of the Social Exclusion Monitor <a href="http://www.bsl.org.au/fileadmin/user_upload/files/research/reports/AzpitarteBowman_Social_exclusion_monitor_bulletin_Jun2015.pdf">bulletin</a>, written by researchers Francisco Azpitarte and Dina Bowman, provides revealing insights into the nature and characteristics of disadvantage.</p>
<p>For 2012, the most recent wave of HILDA data, around 25% of Australians aged 15 years or above experienced some level of social exclusion: 20% were marginally excluded, 5% deeply excluded and almost 1% very deeply excluded.</p>
<p>This means that about 825,000 Australians experienced deep exclusion and more than 150,000 people were very deeply excluded.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/89124/original/image-20150721-24261-1kp0r3v.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/89124/original/image-20150721-24261-1kp0r3v.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/89124/original/image-20150721-24261-1kp0r3v.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=722&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/89124/original/image-20150721-24261-1kp0r3v.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=722&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/89124/original/image-20150721-24261-1kp0r3v.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=722&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/89124/original/image-20150721-24261-1kp0r3v.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=908&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/89124/original/image-20150721-24261-1kp0r3v.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=908&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/89124/original/image-20150721-24261-1kp0r3v.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=908&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.bsl.org.au/research-and-publications/social-exclusion-monitor/who-experiences-social-exclusion/">The Brotherhood of St Laurence and the Melbourne Institute, 2014</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Social exclusion worse for some</h2>
<p>The monitor also provides valuable insights into trends over time. Overall, the impact of the 2008 global financial crisis was more limited in Australia than in many countries, but it marked a turning point in terms of social exclusion.</p>
<p>From 2001, the prevalence of exclusion steadily declined to reach a low point for the period in 2008. The decline in unemployment and the rate of jobless households, measured by the monitor’s employment domain as well as the fall in the proportion of people with a low level of education, contributed to the reduction in the number of excluded. </p>
<p>However, following the global financial crisis, the prevalence of marginal exclusion started to grow. It has remained above pre-crisis levels since then.</p>
<p>The Social Exclusion Monitor bulletin shows the risk of social exclusion is not the same for everybody. The demographic groups most likely to experience exclusion are people aged 65 and above – almost half experienced it in 2012 – and people with long-term health conditions or a disability – more than half experienced it. </p>
<p>The risk of exclusion also varies with the level of education. The prevalence of social exclusion among those with less than Year 12 is more than 2.5 times higher than among those with more education. </p>
<p>The type of households individuals live in also influences the risk of exclusion. Single parents and people living alone experience exclusion at higher rates than other families. Public housing tenants have higher rates of exclusion than those in other forms of housing.</p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/89109/original/image-20150721-12536-1k4d062.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/89109/original/image-20150721-12536-1k4d062.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/89109/original/image-20150721-12536-1k4d062.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/89109/original/image-20150721-12536-1k4d062.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/89109/original/image-20150721-12536-1k4d062.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/89109/original/image-20150721-12536-1k4d062.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/89109/original/image-20150721-12536-1k4d062.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Women are more excluded than men in all age groups, by an overall margin of more than five percentage points.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-203091910/stock-photo-woman-feeling-so-alone.html?src=mBlpHGYgivCVn365xcYcZQ-1-28">from www.shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>There is also a gender gap. Women are more excluded than men in all age groups, overall by more than five percentage points. The difference is larger among people aged over 55.</p>
<p>The most prevalent indicators of exclusion are low education, long-term health conditions or disabilities and low wealth – each is experienced by at least 20% of people. These are the key to understanding social exclusion in Australia. </p>
<p>The sources of exclusion do vary over the life cycle, however. Education and employment are the main drivers of exclusion for those under 25, accounting for more than half of the exclusion of this age group. In contrast, economic resources, health and community engagement make the largest contribution to the exclusion of people aged 65 and above. </p>
<p>Unsurprisingly, some socioeconomic groups are more likely to experience persistent social exclusion than others. Analysis of the longitudinal information in the HILDA survey shows that older Australians, people living in highly disadvantaged areas as measured by the <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/censushome.nsf/home/seifa">Socioeconomic Indexes for Areas</a>, long-term unemployed and households with members who are jobless or have a disability are more likely to experience persistent exclusion. </p>
<p>The reason is twofold. People in these groups are both less likely to move out of poverty and, if they have managed to improve their circumstances, more likely to fall back into it.</p>
<p>This data reveals few surprises. The findings tell a familiar and consistent story about who is and isn’t excluded in Australia. However, the analysis of the sources of exclusion at different points in the life cycle and the findings in relation to persistent exclusion are especially important for developing polices to reduce social exclusion. </p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/89115/original/image-20150721-12546-1atfyai.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/89115/original/image-20150721-12546-1atfyai.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=326&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/89115/original/image-20150721-12546-1atfyai.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=326&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/89115/original/image-20150721-12546-1atfyai.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=326&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/89115/original/image-20150721-12546-1atfyai.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=409&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/89115/original/image-20150721-12546-1atfyai.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=409&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/89115/original/image-20150721-12546-1atfyai.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=409&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The risk of exclusion varies with the level of education. We should increase our effort to keep young people in education.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-57140308/stock-photo-shot-of-graduation-caps-during-commencement.html?src=pp-same_artist-57140281-1&ws=1">from www.shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>These findings underline the need to focus our policies and services on the places and groups where social exclusion is concentrated. We need to redouble our efforts to keep young people in education while also assisting them, and the long-term jobless, to find and retain employment. </p>
<p>We must ensure that older people with chronic health conditions and those with a disability are able to participate in the community while also addressing their health needs.</p>
<p>And if we were really smart we would invest in early intervention among these groups to prevent persistent social exclusion.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/44574/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Francisco Azipitarte is the Ronald Henderson Research Fellow, a joint position between the University of Melbourne and the Brotherhood of St Laurence. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Professor Shelley Mallett is affiliated with the Brotherhood of St Laurence. Several research projects that she is involved with receive funding from Victorian and Australian Governments.</span></em></p>
Measures of household wealth don’t go far enough in identifying those most at risk of being excluded from society, or in explaining the level of exclusion they face.
Francisco Azpitarte, Ronald Henderson Research Fellow Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne
Shelley Mallett, Professorial Fellow in Social Policy, School of Social and Political Sciences, The University of Melbourne
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/30545
2014-08-20T12:10:29Z
2014-08-20T12:10:29Z
You can’t write a CV on a smartphone – digital literacy is no help to unemployed youth
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/56550/original/84sxpmvw-1408030881.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">How do I do a bullet point on this?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-210267208/stock-photo-couple-in-a-modern-common-phase-of-mutual-disinterest-and-sadness-concept-of-apathy-connected-to.html?src=MxH1422bd0sIOs92vfDMsA-1-23">Shutterstock couple on phones</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Concerns have been raised for some time about the UK government’s “digital by default” approach to welfare reforms. More and more public services are being shifted online and many fear that this will marginalise people who are not computer literate.</p>
<p>But our research demonstrates that even the so-called digital generation – young people who seem to spend half their life online – are struggling just as much. They may be incredibly digitally literate in terms of social media, photo sharing and instant messaging; they may be highly discerning about the apps they use, but their digital culture is no help when they try to find a job. </p>
<p>It is becoming clear that more and more people are being affected by welfare reforms. In a survey conducted by <a href="http://www.adviceleeds.org.uk/formsanddocs/Advice%20Leeds%20-%20The%20Impact%20of%20Welfare%20Reform%20in%20Leeds.pdf">Advice Leeds</a> in 2013, for example, 68% of respondents said the reforms had affected their ability to meet living costs or pay bills; 50% said their ability to pay for food was affected, and 44% said fuel costs had been affected.</p>
<p>For our research, we spent time in Leeds with young NEETS – the term used to refer to people who are not in education, employment or training. We were involved in two ethnographic projects with community arts organisations and young people on benefits, and we have been interviewing charities and public sector organisations who help them. </p>
<p>It became clear that for these 17 to 25-year-olds, adult life has been an experience entirely characterised by careful budgeting, little money, bridging loans and constant rationalisations around spending. Funding for projects that seek to help NEETS is also increasingly scarce and the demographics affected by unemployment are increasingly diverse. It is not the case that those on job seekers allowance are the perpetually unemployed. It is not the case that all those on job seekers allowance are content, unwilling to work or uneducated. </p>
<p>One of the most frustrating aspects of the digital-by-default philosophy is experienced daily by young people seeking work. People looking for a job are now expected to devote up to five hours a day to the task and apply for between 10 and 15 jobs a week. If they fail to meet certain quotas, a jobseeker might have their benefits stopped. Many of the people we spoke to had seen their benefits stopped, usually for between three and six months but sometimes for up to a year.</p>
<p>But job searching and submitting an application are both now very much online activities. That means people who are out of work and often out of money need to somehow find a way to spend large portions of their day online if they want to break the cycle.</p>
<p>The young people we worked with told us that their homes don’t have broadband for a variety of reasons. Some families simply can’t afford it, while others don’t have a credit rating and some saw arguments break out over who pays the bill when they did get connected. If tenants move around a lot, it’s also difficult to keep a contract with an internet service provider. </p>
<p>In Leeds, libraries often only allow visitors to spend between 15 minutes and an hour using their internet services – and the same is probably true in other areas. Even under these rules, they are struggling to cope with demand.</p>
<p>At the same time, the smartphone is the tool most young people use when they access digital welfare services. But while smartphones are already the device of choice for so many young people, they are by no means ideal for writing a CV or applying for a job. Aside from basic formatting issues, these activities require a very different kind of literacy.</p>
<p>The young people were incredibly digitally literate when it came to tariffs and consumer rights. They knew exactly which tariff was best at any particular time across service providers, for example. But their credit for making actual phone calls often fluctuated or was non-existent. This made it difficult to keep in touch with social or youth workers and especially to have sustained conversations with them.</p>
<p>It is clear from working with these young people that even while smartphones are compulsively taken in and out of pockets, checked, and engaged with, they are inadequate devices for what is required by the welfare system.</p>
<p>Young people appear to have a vast knowledge of digital technologies and in some cases far outstrips that of adults. But this knowledge and literacy does not empower them when faced with a job search or application, a court order or email exchange with a social or youth worker. These young people are, clearly, digital by default, but their digital literacy is also – like the phones they use – often smashed or broken.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/30545/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Helen Thornham receives funding from the Digital Economy theme of the EPSRC and from the ESRC Global Insecurities theme.</span></em></p>
Concerns have been raised for some time about the UK government’s “digital by default” approach to welfare reforms. More and more public services are being shifted online and many fear that this will marginalise…
Helen Thornham, Research Fellow in Transformation of Media, University of Leeds
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/20762
2014-01-08T19:22:43Z
2014-01-08T19:22:43Z
Unemployment … coming to a suburb near you
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/38569/original/7fhhj9dr-1389071127.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Unemployment is expected to rise in 2014, and some suburbs of Australia will be harder hit than others.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">eliduke/Flickr</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Australians are heading into 2014 with job vacancies <a href="http://abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/6354.0?OpenDocument">falling</a>, and Australian Treasury forecasts and monthly labour force data all pointing to rising levels of unemployment in the year ahead.</p>
<p>Some local communities and suburbs will be harder hit than others, and this includes areas not usually associated with disadvantage.</p>
<p>That’s the take home story of the <a href="http://e1.newcastle.edu.au/coffee/pubs/reports/2013/CofFEE_EVI_V2_Report_2013.pdf">Employment Vulnerability Index (EVI)</a> developed at the Centre of Full Employment and Equity (Charles Darwin University) and the Social and Population Health Research Program (Griffith University). The index doesn’t account for existing levels of unemployment, but rather it illustrates those places most at risk of unemployment.</p>
<p>The degree of risk for each region depends on its employment characteristics and skill levels. The results from an analysis of the index shows two distinct groups of potential job loss suburbs.</p>
<h2>‘Red alert’ suburbs</h2>
<p>The first group were identified as red alert suburbs — those places with high job loss potential — and were places that are already witness to high levels of social disadvantage. These areas are usually at the forefront of discussions regarding the negative impacts of social exclusion. </p>
<p>They are often associated with rising and sustained joblessness and include many of the places associated with Australia’s old manufacturing sector, such as Broadmeadows in Melbourne or Elizabeth in outer Adelaide. They also include places in larger regional centres such as Raymond Terrace in Newcastle and Whyalla in South Australia. </p>
<p>Concerns regarding the concentration of jobless households and families dependent on social welfare abound, with many caught up in a revolving door of intergenerational disadvantage.</p>
<p>While this group of suburbs should rightfully be the focus of social and economic policy aimed at reducing social exclusion, a second group of disadvantaged suburbs are likely to emerge as the unemployment rate edges higher.</p>
<h2>Housing headache</h2>
<p>These are from the the so-called mortgage belt. They’re the places where families have moved to get a foothold in the housing market, often with a requisite two income earners. Faced with rises in unemployment and sudden loss of incomes across households, they will become less aspirational and prosperous than before.</p>
<p>These areas are not usually associated with social disadvantage. While they share the employment characteristics of the other potential job loss suburbs — low formal education levels, higher levels of part-time employment and employment in vulnerable industries — on other indicators of disadvantage they appear as some of Australia’s middle suburbia. Existing levels of joblessness tend to be lower in many of these localities and formal attachment to the paid workforce is strong.</p>
<p>They included places such as Craigieburn in Melbourne, Crestmead in Brisbane and Mandurah in Perth. Outside the metropolitan regions, places such as the suburb of Kelso in Townsville (Queensland) and Latrobe in Devonport (Tasmania) are included. These were once places that may have been characterised by prosperous families and all the trappings of aspirational Australian suburbia.</p>
<p>The final wash-up in terms of increasing unemployment and the way this will be stamped on the social and economic geography of our cities will likely reveal itself as we move further into 2014. For some families in some suburbs the negative impacts will likely be short lived as the economy eventually begins to see job creation. But for others the ability to secure employment is likely to be curtailed as a range of both supply and demand factors come together to reduce the ability of some unemployed to successfully compete in the job market.</p>
<p>For these, and in the short term it is likely to be the majority, direct government action will be required.</p>
<p>[</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/38607/original/3r8pjhxj-1389136278.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/38607/original/3r8pjhxj-1389136278.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=317&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/38607/original/3r8pjhxj-1389136278.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=317&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/38607/original/3r8pjhxj-1389136278.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=317&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/38607/original/3r8pjhxj-1389136278.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/38607/original/3r8pjhxj-1389136278.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/38607/original/3r8pjhxj-1389136278.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Red Alert suburb: Crestmead in Brisbane’s south. For an interactive, Australia-wide map of red alert areas, click the map.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Centre of Full Employment and Equity</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>](http://e1.newcastle.edu.au/coffee/maps/evi/EVI2011.html)</p>
<h2>Seeking solutions</h2>
<p>At present, the labour market policy suite is too focused on supply-side initiatives which cannot insulate our regions from rising unemployment.</p>
<p>The EVI underscores the need for coherent government policy that will minimise the increase in unemployment when economic growth falters. </p>
<p>First, we recommend the Federal government introduce a “job guarantee”, which would involve the unconditional offer of employment at the current national minimum wage to any worker who could not find work elsewhere. The guarantee would work as a buffer stock program with jobs available in the public sector on demand. </p>
<p>The Centre of Full Employment and Equity has <a href="http://e1.newcastle.edu.au/coffee/pubs/reports/2008/CofFEE_JA/CofFEE_JA_final_report_November_2008.pdf">identified</a> hundreds and thousands of local government low-skill jobs in areas of unmet community need and environmental care that could be offered if the Federal government was to fund them. This would not only provide a jobs safety net to exposed regions, but would also revitalise private sector employment growth. </p>
<p>Second, a new commitment to national skills development could be integrated into the job guarantee, given research shows training is most effective when conducted within a paid work environment.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/20762/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Australians are heading into 2014 with job vacancies falling, and Australian Treasury forecasts and monthly labour force data all pointing to rising levels of unemployment in the year ahead. Some local…
William Mitchell, Professor of Economics, Charles Darwin University
Scott Baum, Professor of Urban and Regional Analysis, Griffith University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/19296
2013-10-18T23:01:21Z
2013-10-18T23:01:21Z
Birthday party blues: why forcing parents to invite the whole class is a bad idea
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/33239/original/2swzz3p9-1382069523.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">It's my party but I can't invite who I want to?</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Birthday image from www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Mark Breary, a headmaster in the UK, recently <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2458613/Invite-ALL-class-birthday-parties-Inclusive-prep-schools-diktat-parents.html">sent a letter to parents</a> asking them to invite the whole class whenever their child was having a birthday party.</p>
<p>The headmaster’s goal is commendable, and inclusion for all school children is a process that every teacher should strive to achieve. </p>
<p>But while exclusion can have negative psychological effects, instructing parents to invite every child in the class could have potential problems too.</p>
<h2>You’re in or you’re out</h2>
<p>Inter-group relations and the development of the “us” and “them” phenomenon in groups were famously investigated by British social psychologist Henri Tajfel. </p>
<p>Tajfel showed through <a href="http://www.age-of-the-sage.org/psychology/social/tajfel_discrimination_groups.html">a number of studies</a> that individuals would form groups and develop a bias towards those in the group based on minimal reasons. An “out-group prejudice” – a bias against those outside of the group – was also easily formed by in-group members.</p>
<p>There’s plenty of anecdotal evidence for this, particularly from teachers. Students will quickly form friendship groups and dismiss anyone not a part of it.</p>
<p>Favouring those closest to us and caring less for strangers or outsiders has <a href="http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-01-10/the-dunbar-number-from-the-guru-of-social-networks">an evolutionary explanation</a> and it’s not limited to children. Adults form similar bonds and in-group biases. </p>
<p>Ask your average football supporter or music fan what they think of another team or music group outside of their favourite genre and you’ll quickly see this phenomenon at work.</p>
<h2>Making things worse</h2>
<p>While there is <a href="http://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/psychology/ppl/amc/articles-pdfs/someexpe.pdf">research</a> to suggest that <a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/articles/e/exposure_effect.htm">repeated exposure to stimuli increases</a> the chances of liking it, there is also the chance for an opposite effect to occur where people are involved.</p>
<p>Imagine what would happen if the letter actually did force parents to invite all the children in a class to a party. It is likely that there will still be certain children who are aware they are the “forced” invitees – a feeling that could be as damaging as not being invited in the first place.</p>
<p>Labels can have a strong and pervasive influence on a person, leading to them living up to their label. Psychologists call this a “self-fulfilling prophecy”. Issues like ostracism could be exacerbated if the underlying causes are not addressed. </p>
<p>If an individual is being ostracised, then forcing them to socialise with the perpetrators outside of school has the potential to increase the experience of this feeling.</p>
<h2>A noble goal and better ways</h2>
<p>In trying to overcome this problem, the school’s headmaster is trying to do the right thing. However, the psychological processes that lead to this bias are unlikely to be overcome by his simple inclusive invitation policy.</p>
<p>But if this policy wouldn’t work, what would? Another famous psychologist, Muzafer Sherif, <a href="http://www.age-of-the-sage.org/psychology/social/sherif_robbers_cave_experiment.html">investigated this</a> with groups of school children at a summer camp. Through a series of tasks, Sherif showed how inter-group conflict could arise through in-groups blaming out-groups for failures. </p>
<p>This process happens in the classroom, too. If sub-groups form, they can blame other members of the class when things don’t go their way.</p>
<p>An important outcome of Sherif’s research, however, was how he overcame the conflict between groups. More than simply making sure children invited each other into their groups, Sherif noted that conflict between groups reduced when teamwork was required to attain a mutually agreed-upon, desired goal. </p>
<p>Furthermore, successful attainment of the goal helped to cement the group bond – even between those who had previously been in-group/out-group members.</p>
<p>Along with team building, there are other of good ways to build inclusive groups. For example, one of the most harrowing memories for most adults is being picked last for a sports team (a process that makes those who are last feel ostracised and unwanted). This can be overcome by a numbers-based allocation system. This way, no-one is left feeling unwanted and the allocation remains impartial.</p>
<h2>The group dyanmic</h2>
<p>Inclusive invites have the potential to increase exposure between children, perhaps allowing them to find mutual likes and integrate into a collective harmonious group.</p>
<p>But there is a sizable concern that simply inviting all students will not be enough, and may result in children opposing the pressure to do so, making it clear when invites are not truly meant to be there. This may take more dismissive or confrontational forms than simply not handing out an invite to begin with. </p>
<p>Overcoming ostracism is a big issue for schools, teachers and students alike, and novel ideas in this area are welcome. But these need to be considered carefully. Even with the best intentions, things can easily be made worse.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/19296/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Keatley does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Mark Breary, a headmaster in the UK, recently sent a letter to parents asking them to invite the whole class whenever their child was having a birthday party. The headmaster’s goal is commendable, and…
David Keatley, Lecturer in Psychology, Curtin University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/3165
2011-10-31T03:40:57Z
2011-10-31T03:40:57Z
Why China’s mega-cities leave their citizens struggling
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/3631/original/Migrant_rubbish_tip_for_Carillo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Developing smaller urban areas may mean better employment and living conditions for migrant workers.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">AFP</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/topics/7-billion-people">SEVEN BILLION PEOPLE</a>: The world’s seven billionth person is likely to be born today. Beatriz Carrillo Garcia, lecturer in China Studies at the University of Sydney looks at effect a growing population has on the most populus nation in the world</em>.</p>
<p>The Chinese Premier, Wen Jiabao, has <a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gCn7zG89GlbNDelNT3ffGMEUSq7g">called for</a> better treatment of rural migrant workers after a <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304665904576383142907232726.html">wave of unrest</a> about their living conditions.</p>
<p>With a population of over 1.3 billion, China has close to 700 cities. In most developing countries, a large proportion of the population is concentrated in a few cities. In China, however, only 35 million live in cities with a population larger than 10 million. </p>
<p>Many urban economists promote industry clusters coming together to bring down production costs, and form larger markets to promote development. China has one of the world’s most dispersed urban systems, and many think its cities are too small to take advantage of <a href="http://www.philadelphiafed.org/research-and-data/publications/business-review/2003/q4/brq403sc.pdf">agglomeration</a>. Yet many cities in Europe are smaller than your average Chinese county town. </p>
<p>But the size of an urban centre there matters not only for its economic efficiency, but most importantly for the quality of life of its citizens, and particularly for the most vulnerable social groups. </p>
<h2>Rural migrant workers</h2>
<p>Big metropolises have not been kind to rural migrant workers. </p>
<p>Generally, the larger a city the harder it is for them to find meaningful employment and decent housing. They struggle to gain access to public services and welfare assistance. </p>
<p>Added to this is the contempt urban citizens hold for these migrants, whom they often perceive as the cause of all social problems in the city. </p>
<p>There are numerous accounts of the exploitation and social exclusion of rural migrant workers in China’s large metropolises. They point to a high degree of social tension in those cities, where in some cases up to a third of the population are non-natives.</p>
<p>The reality of large cities, however, represents only part of the story of internal migration in contemporary China. </p>
<h2>Migration</h2>
<p>In fact, during the 1980s it was the development of small towns and their enterprises that became the initial engine of economic growth. </p>
<p>Up until the mid-1990s most rural workers moved to their nearest county town in search for work, and not to a big city. </p>
<p>Since then they have been increasingly travelling longer distances in search for work, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they all head for the big cities. Sichuanese cotton pickers travelling to Xinjiang and Gansu peasants working in Shanxi’s coal mines are but two examples.</p>
<p>Over the last three decades of economic reform China’s small cities and towns have been important recipients of rural migrant labour, yet up to now we have known very little about the experiences and living conditions of these workers. </p>
<p>Moving to a small city or town has not only been a more practical and less risky endeavour - the trend has also been fostered through policy. </p>
<h2>Registering benefits</h2>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/3630/original/China_school.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/3630/original/China_school.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/3630/original/China_school.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/3630/original/China_school.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/3630/original/China_school.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/3630/original/China_school.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/3630/original/China_school.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Children of migrant workers receive a better education in urban areas.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">EPA/How Hwee Young</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Smaller urban centres make it easier for migrant workers to change their rural registration or <a href="http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90780/91345/7335015.html">hukou</a> into an urban one. It’s an important step towards gaining access to better job opportunities, social insurances, housing, and services such as education and health. But also allows them the possibility of staying permanently in the city or town. </p>
<p>Nevertheless, on its own, an urban hukou cannot guarantee the social inclusion of the rural migrant. </p>
<p>Small cities and towns have offered them both social and physical proximity to the countryside. In this environment it is harder to spot the migrant from the local, whereas in the big cities the rural migrant worker stands out. </p>
<p>Social contacts provide migrants with information about the urban job market, and many move to the towns to work and live with relatives. </p>
<p>Physical proximity allows rural workers to return to their home village on a daily basis, and only as they strengthen their economic foothold in the town do they begin to consider building or buying a house there. </p>
<p>This gives time for local governments to develop the housing sector, avoiding the overcrowding and poor living conditions that migrants experience in big cities. Home ownership among migrant workers in small cities and towns is much higher than amongst those living in the big metropolises, where only a tiny minority owns their dwelling. </p>
<h2>Small social development</h2>
<p>The characteristics of the host society and economy of the small city and town seems to provide more avenues for rural migrant workers to take part in urban socio-economic life. </p>
<p>More often than not the constraints faced by migrant workers in small urban centres are the same constraints faced by local urban citizens: expensive and limited healthcare and education services and low social security coverage rates, amongst other issues. </p>
<p>The promotion of social development in smaller urban centres is hence very likely to benefit its rural migrant population, and in turn make it more likely for them to set roots in these towns, as they are already doing in growing numbers. </p>
<p>Social development in the big metropolises is, and will probably remain at least in the medium term, only the right of urban citizens.</p>
<p><strong>Read more:</strong> </p>
<p><a href="http://theconversation.com/sustaining-7-billion-australias-part-in-planning-for-population-growth-4085">Sustaining 7 billion: Australia’s part in planning for population growth</a></p>
<p><a href="http://theconversation.com/seven-billion-reasons-to-be-a-feminist-4082">Seven billion reasons to be a feminist </a></p>
<p><a href="http://theconversation.com/seven-billion-reasons-to-open-our-hearts-and-homes-to-adoption-4044">Seven billion reasons to open our hearts and homes to adoption</a></p>
<p><a href="http://theconversation.com/population-is-only-part-of-the-environmental-impact-equation-4009">Population is only part of the environmental impact equation</a></p>
<p><a href="http://theconversation.com/rise-of-the-planet-of-the-homosapiens-the-death-sentence-for-other-life-4010">Rise of the planet of homosapiens: The death sentence for other life</a></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/3165/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Beatriz Carrillo Garcia receives funding from the Australian Research Council.</span></em></p>
SEVEN BILLION PEOPLE: The world’s seven billionth person is likely to be born today. Beatriz Carrillo Garcia, lecturer in China Studies at the University of Sydney looks at effect a growing population…
Beatriz Carrillo Garcia, Lecturer in China Studies, University of Sydney
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/3640
2011-10-03T03:59:52Z
2011-10-03T03:59:52Z
Tax Forum: Make the social security system fair
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/3995/original/Wheelchair_dominikgolenia.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Carers lose out in the current welfare system.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Flickr/dominikgolenia</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Almost 50 cents of every dollar spent by governments in Australia goes on social spending - either social security or health and community services. This week’s <a href="http://www.futuretax.gov.au/content/Content.aspx?doc=TaxForum.htm">tax forum</a> must reform the system, as the taxation and transfer systems are the two main ways governments reduce inequality and poverty.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://taxreview.treasury.gov.au/Content/Content.aspx?doc=html/home.htm">Henry Review</a> and the <a href="http://www.fahcsia.gov.au/about/publicationsarticles/corp/BudgetPAES/budget09_10/pension/Pages/PensionReviewReport.aspx">Harmer Pension Review</a> between them provided the most detailed analysis of Australia’s social security system looking not only at the interactions between the two systems, but also analysing specific social security policy issues in their own right. </p>
<p>The Henry Review recognised that:
“A 21st century tax and transfer system should reflect the commitment to Australian values of fairness and support for those who are disadvantaged, but do so in a way that is efficient, sustainable, simple and transparent, and internally consistent” </p>
<p>Although it concluded the broad architecture of the transfer system was well suited to these goals, reflecting <a href="http://taxreview.treasury.gov.au/content/Content.aspx?doc=html/conference.htm">effective targeting</a> of support to low income households, the Report identified a number of weaknesses: the system is overly complex, can treat those of similar means differently, and can result in people making choices that potentially undermine long-term wellbeing. Henry noted that setting payment levels and the design of payments could be improved to provide incentives to participate in the workforce. </p>
<p>Many issues raised by the Henry Review are long-term and should be debated and analysed comprehensively before reforms are introduced. </p>
<p>Other issues are more urgent and should be acted on as a matter of priority.</p>
<p>The system needs to minimise adverse incentives to work and save. It should treat different types of households equitably, and be politically and economically sustainable. But, if payments are not adequate, the system is not meeting its primary objective.</p>
<h2>The unemployed</h2>
<p>Currently, for a single person on the average wage <a href="http://clubtroppo.com.au/2009/03/15/is-australian-social-protection-ready-for-the-great-recession/">losing their job</a>, Australian benefits are the <a href="http://www.oecd.org/document/3/0,3746,en_2649_34637_39617987_1_1_1_1,00.html">lowest in the OECD</a>. </p>
<p>A single unemployed adult receives about $475 per fortnight, or $33.90 per day. If they’re renting privately, they’re entitled to up to $116 per fortnight in rent assistance, but to get that amount their rent has to be more than $258 per fortnight, leaving them with just $23.75 per day for everything else. </p>
<p>And that assumes you can find somewhere to rent for that amount. The NSW government’s <a href="http://www.housing.nsw.gov.au/NR/rdonlyres/7B8407E4-8BF2-4F74-ADEC-FB7EA81296A6/0/RSReport96.pdf">Rent and Sales Report</a> found that in June 2011 the cheapest one-bedroom homes in Sydney’s outer ring were in Wyong and Gosford and cost “just” $180 a week.</p>
<p>If you were on <a href="http://www.centrelink.gov.au/internet/internet.nsf/payments/newstart.htm">Newstart</a> and paying that rent would have just $16.50 a day left over for your food, clothing, transport and other bills. </p>
<p>Adequate payments are important for incentives. If the gap between pensions and allowances widen further then incentives to claim disability payments will increase. </p>
<p>High housing costs can also price the unemployed out of areas where job opportunities are greater.</p>
<p>If welfare recipients don’t have enough money to live on, they may not be able to undertake sufficient or effective job search; a student may compromise their study efforts. </p>
<h2>The carers’ case </h2>
<p>The difference between payment rates can also create major equity problems. </p>
<p>The Australian community provides support to people caring for those who have a disability. But if the person being cared for dies then their carer, who has been encouraged to commit many years to providing support - and whose labour market skills and experience have therefore been adversely affected - can experience a massive drop in income after the bereavement period of 14 weeks is over. </p>
<p>If they are under 60 when their partner dies they will see a reduction in income of more than $200 per fortnight.</p>
<p>The gap between pensions and allowances has existed for a long time, but has become much worse since 1997. </p>
<h2>Pension payments</h2>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/3994/original/Elderly_Flickr_i.tokaris.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=154%2C243%2C342%2C321&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/3994/original/Elderly_Flickr_i.tokaris.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=986&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/3994/original/Elderly_Flickr_i.tokaris.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=986&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/3994/original/Elderly_Flickr_i.tokaris.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=986&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/3994/original/Elderly_Flickr_i.tokaris.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1239&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/3994/original/Elderly_Flickr_i.tokaris.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1239&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/3994/original/Elderly_Flickr_i.tokaris.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1239&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Pensions are rising at a faster rate than other benefits.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Flickr/i.tokaris</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Since 1997 Age, Disability and Carers Pensions have been indexed to average earnings while payments for the unemployed remained indexed to the <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/6401.0">CPI</a>. </p>
<p>Before then single rate of Newstart was around 91% of the single pension rate. The gap between pensions and allowances has widened over time. </p>
<p>Changes in payments for pensioners implemented after the Harmer Review have meant that the gap between in benefits for the unemployed and for people with disabilities has widened. It’s now more than $230 per fortnight, and a single unemployed person receives a payment that is only 65% of the payments for a disability pensioner.</p>
<p>As the system is currently configured this gap cannot narrow over time, it can only grow.</p>
<p>Last year’s <a href="http://www.treasury.gov.au/igr/igr2010/">Intergenerational Report</a> assumes that current indexation policies apply into the future so that age and disability pensions will be linked to wages, while most other payments for people of working age and families will be indexed to prices. </p>
<p>Over a 40 year period this will produce an even more remarkable change in the relative levels of support for pensioners and beneficiaries. Pensions are projected to rise by 4% a year on average, while benefits and allowances would rise by 2.6% a year. </p>
<p>The result – if actually continued for 40 years – would be that in 2050 a single unemployed person would be receiving a payment of about 11% of the average male wage, compared to 20% now. </p>
<p>The gap between pensions and allowances would widen enormously, and an unemployed person would be receiving a payment that was little more than one-third that of an age or disability pensioner. </p>
<p>So relative poverty among working age allowance recipients including families with children would increase significantly. But also incentives for the unemployed to qualify as eligible for disability payments would be strengthened enormously.</p>
<h2>Encouraging employment</h2>
<p>Would raising benefits to a more adequate level keep the unemployed out of jobs or even cause low paid workers to give up jobs? </p>
<p>Australia has been very fortunate in having one of the lowest increases in unemployment of any OECD country since 2008. But we shouldn’t overlook the fact that it has still risen significantly, and there are many people relying on an increasingly inadequate payment. </p>
<p>Over the last fifteen years the level of Newstart for a single person has fallen from around 54 per cent to 45 per cent of the after-tax minimum wage. If it hadn’t changed from the 1996 level then benefits would be around 19 per cent higher. It is difficult to see that going back to to that would pose serious disincentives to work. </p>
<h2>Urgent reforms</h2>
<p>These problems are not going to go away. Current policies are simply going to make the problems more difficult to deal with the longer decisions are postponed.</p>
<p>The single rate of Newstart should be increased by around 20%, and rent assistance should be increased substantially (with a rent threshold of around 20% of income before support is payable). </p>
<p>In the longer run, <a href="http://www.centrelink.gov.au/internet/internet.nsf/payments/rent_assistance.htm">Rent Assistance</a> should be indexed to rental costs. The indexation of unemployment payments needs to be regularly reviewed and adjusted to ensure payments are adequate.</p>
<p>The Tax Forum needs to make changes now, before inequalities in the system are too great to handle.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/3640/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Peter Whiteford receives funding from the Australian Research Council for work on social security policy issues. He will be attending the October 4-5 Tax Forum.</span></em></p>
Almost 50 cents of every dollar spent by governments in Australia goes on social spending - either social security or health and community services. This week’s tax forum must reform the system, as the…
Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University
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