tag:theconversation.com,2011:/nz/topics/obe-4016/articlesOBE – The Conversation2020-05-20T13:44:11Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1390612020-05-20T13:44:11Z2020-05-20T13:44:11ZTom Moore knighthood shows the value of honours system – but reform is needed<p>Has there been a more popular knighthood in recent times than that granted to <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-52735192">Captain Tom Moore</a> for his remarkable fundraising achievements? The positive reception to the move is understandable given the amount of money he’s raised for the NHS – more than £32 million – and the fact he did it while approaching his 100th birthday. </p>
<p>I strongly suspect that this is the first of tens of thousands of honours that will be awarded across the UK in the next year or so, given the bravery and courage of so many working in the NHS, social care and other vital services – not to mention people volunteering to support their local communities. Captain Moore’s knighthood might also spark a broader conversation about whether the honours system should be reformed, and how this might be done.</p>
<p>Opponents of the honours system have long argued against it on the grounds that far too often the undeserving super-rich are given the highest honours available, while engaging in tax avoidance and other unsavoury activities. This is a valid point and promises were made a few years ago to try to <a href="https://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/public-administration/combined-written-evidencehonours.pdf">tackle the issue</a> – but questions remain about who is rewarded and why. </p>
<p>Other criticisms include that all the major political parties use it as a way of rewarding their supporters and that the whole system is archaic. The argument that the system is out of date was being made <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/aug/01/from-lloyd-george-to-the-lavender-list-the-history-of-honours-scandals">as long ago as the 1920s</a> – and certainly those given the awards should be scrutinised to ensure they’re not getting them purely for political reasons.</p>
<h2>Options for reform</h2>
<p>Over the years, several suggestions have been made as to how the system could be reformed. These have ranged from abolishing it altogether, to widening the selection and approval process to involve more members of the public. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/dear-sir-five-reasons-why-britain-should-keep-knights-and-dames-50111">Dear Sir: five reasons why Britain should keep knights and dames</a>
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<p>The latter is not necessarily a bad idea, although I think we should be careful to avoid turning it into a popularity contest. The <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/apr/17/boaty-mcboatface-wins-poll-to-name-polar-research-vessel">Boaty McBoatface</a> fiasco shows how easy it can be for public votes to become hijacked.</p>
<p>But if the honours system is to survive into the 21st century, then it probably does need reforming. At their best, awards are meant to reward the worthy – and ideally inspire others to follow their example. In order for this to work they need to be seen as being both transparent and fair. Both of these are qualities that British civic society will need to foster in the upcoming economic downturn.</p>
<h2>Just rewards</h2>
<p>It should be pointed out in their defence that the vast majority of the honours awarded each year are to people that do deserve them, but that mostly go unreported beyond the local press. Unfortunately, most of the media coverage tends to be focused on either celebrities, or honours awarded to people who subsequently become involved in scandals, creating the impression that the entire system is broken. One way of improving the transparency of the system therefore would be more coverage of lesser-known names and their achievements in the media. Equally, this would help demonstrate that the system is fair.</p>
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<p>Another way would be to improve the transparency of the process of how people are chosen. Despite attempts to <a href="https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200304/cmselect/cmpubadm/212/212.pdf">open it up in recent years</a>, most people have no idea how the system works – and this is perhaps not surprising considering its labyrinth complexity of <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/206116/PASC_2012_Report_on_the_Honours_System.pdf">sub-committee after sub-committee</a>. Equally, the number of awards could be reduced and others abolished entirely. </p>
<p>Some politicians have also suggested changing many of the names arguing that some recipients might feel uncomfortable receiving an award in the name of the British Empire. In 2004 John Major <a href="https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200304/cmselect/cmpubadm/212/212.pdf">suggested changing</a> the Order of the British Empire (OBE), to the Order of British Excellence in order to better reflect Britain in the 21st century. There is also the argument for creating a unique award for people who have worked so hard during this pandemic.</p>
<p>All of these ideas have merit – but the most fundamental issue remains one of trust. The British public must believe that the honours system isn’t corrupt and that the right people are being rewarded. Giving a knighthood to Captain Tom Moore is a step in the right direction, but must be followed by well-publicised awards to the tens (or even hundreds) of thousands who have helped Britain and the British people during this time of national emergency.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/139061/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Matthew Mokhefi-Ashton 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 British public must believe that the right people are being rewarded. Giving a knighthood to Captain Tom Moore is a step in the right direction.Matthew Mokhefi-Ashton, Lecturer in Politics and International Relations, Nottingham Trent UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1293112020-01-16T15:29:58Z2020-01-16T15:29:58ZRacism, colonialism and slavery: why ‘empire’ needs to be removed from the UK honours system<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/309742/original/file-20200113-103982-1kcrfc8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=100%2C33%2C5473%2C4462&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The links with Britain's imperial past can make receiving an honour deeply problematic.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/london-united-kingdom-may-27-2016-566157265">spatuletail/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Too many National Honours nominees in the UK have been put in an impossible dilemma. Either they <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/may/21/after-100-years-is-it-time-to-remove-empire-from-uk-honours-system">reject their well-deserved award</a> or accept it with grave anxieties because of the “<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-commonwealth-and-britain-the-trouble-with-empire-2-0-73707">British empire</a>” tag to the names. MBE, OBE and CBE stand for “member”, “officer” and “commander” of “the most excellent order of the British empire”. For a conscientious, modern-minded person, it can be like receiving an honour with no honour.</p>
<p>This year, I (Gill Hague) was awarded a CBE for 50 years work <a href="http://www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2019/december/gill-hague-cbe.html">combating violence against women</a>, which I accepted to promote the cause. But I feel severe anguish about the name. Colleagues suggested I refuse it. I do feel honoured personally, but it will be shaming, mortifying, to use the name with many of my esteemed partners in NGOs and women’s organisations in <a href="https://mifumi.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/MIFUMI-Bride-Price-Report-Executive-Summary">former colonial countries</a> and <a href="http://www.jkp.com/jkpblog/2012/09/gill-hague-breaking-the-silence-on-abuse/">the UK</a> who will be bemused or critical. </p>
<h2>Exploitation and slavery</h2>
<p>The empire might be held to have done some good in the world – spreading <a href="https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9783319542799">Enlightenment ideals</a> about <a href="https://theconversation.com/britain-should-stop-trying-to-pretend-that-its-empire-was-benevolent-59298">democracy</a> and individual rights, as well as providing <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/08/india-britain-empire-railways-myths-gifts">infrastructure and development</a>. But it is a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/oct/19/end-myths-britains-imperial-past">contested history</a>. Many black and minority ethnic UK citizens, in particular, feel deeply wounded by evidence of <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Inglorious-Empire-What-British-India/dp/1849048088">past injustices, brutalities, arrests, enslavement and indentured labour</a> – and are enduringly hurt by the insensitive titles of the UK National Honours that celebrate empire.</p>
<p>I too (<a href="http://www.sussex.ac.uk/profiles/158815">Raminder Kaur</a>) have seen that British minorities and their supporters continue to be upset by such references. Empire recalls a period of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jan/23/britain-empire-pride-poll">exploitation</a>, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/2016/aug/18/uncovering-truth-british-empire-caroline-elkins-mau-mau">torture</a>, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/12/british-history-slavery-buried-scale-revealed">slavery</a> and <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/worst-atrocities-british-empire-amritsar-boer-war-concentration-camp-mau-mau-a6821756.html">deaths</a>, simply because people wanted their <a href="https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/ism/">freedom</a>. Now, the UK wants to be seen as an outward-facing, international hub, open to engagements with formerly colonised countries. Raminder points out that this makes the old names even more of a <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/new-year-honours-list-queen-british-empire-bame-race-equality-a8703196.html">problem</a>. She adds: “When I travel to India and explain what OBE or CBE stands for, they either laugh or get angry”. </p>
<p>In many <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/jan/30/students-want-their-curriculums-decolonised-are-universities-listening">universities</a> and emerging economies, a <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.18772/22019083351">decolonisation agenda</a> is in <a href="https://www.plutobooks.com/9780745338200/decolonising-the-university/">progress</a>. The Social Work Department at the <a href="https://www.uj.ac.za/newandevents/Pages/Decolonising-the-curriculum-How-far-are-we.aspx">University of Johannesburg</a>, for example, is engaged in decolonising its whole curriculum. The UK government’s <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/case-studies">Department for International Development</a> also funds research that attempts to undo some of the negative outcomes of empire. </p>
<p>These issues are now in the <a href="https://theconversation.com/british-empire-is-still-being-whitewashed-by-the-school-curriculum-historian-on-why-this-must-change-105250">public consciousness</a>, with a wide variety of <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=1MPMlUS3Zh8C&dq=postcolonial++and+++empire+sussex&lr=&source=gbs_navlinks_s">postcolonial</a> and <a href="https://www.dukeupress.edu/on-decoloniality">decolonial</a> literature, TV, radio and <a href="http://www.tradingfacesonline.com/index.asp">digital</a> programmes that address the atrocities of the past – including contributions by renowned journalists like <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/oct/24/britains-despicable-history-of-slavery-needs-teaching-and-commemorating">Afua Hirsch</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/nov/04/david-olusoga-interview-black-history">David Olusoga</a>. Indeed, for Remembrance Day 2019, MP David Lammy presented a TV programme about the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/nov/03/how-britain-dishonoured-first-world-war-african-dead">discriminatory treatment of empire colony soldiers</a> fighting in the world wars. The Honours names are seriously out of sync with contemporary sensibilities.</p>
<h2>Declining a distinction</h2>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/309649/original/file-20200113-103974-5n9gbf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/309649/original/file-20200113-103974-5n9gbf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/309649/original/file-20200113-103974-5n9gbf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=390&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/309649/original/file-20200113-103974-5n9gbf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=390&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/309649/original/file-20200113-103974-5n9gbf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=390&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/309649/original/file-20200113-103974-5n9gbf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=490&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/309649/original/file-20200113-103974-5n9gbf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=490&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/309649/original/file-20200113-103974-5n9gbf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=490&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">The ultimate honour or a symbol of oppression?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/the-queens-birthday-honours-2017">Royal Communications</a></span>
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<p>It’s not surprising then that many people are distressed about accepting a National Honour. Nobel Prize winner, the late <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/3234807/Doris-Lessing-rejected-top-honour-for-being-in-the-name-of-a-non-existent-Empire.html">Doris Lessing</a> declined a damehood because of its associations. The musician, <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/06/15/composer-turned-obe-says-later-accepted-cbe-tribute-parents/">Nitin Sawhney</a>, whose parents are from the Punjab, talked publicly in 2019 about his initial refusal of an OBE. He highlighted some of the unjust and distressing aspects of the treatment of the Indian subcontinent by the empire, and the subsequent national liberation struggle. </p>
<p>Writer, <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/commentators/yasmin-alibhai-brown/yasmin-alibhai-brown-these-shameless-honours-dishonour-us-all-6097766.html">Yasmin Alibhai-Brown</a>, profoundly regretted accepting her Honour, and returned it. Poet, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2003/nov/27/iraq.monarchy">Benjamin Zephaniah</a>, rejected his because he could not bring himself to accept an honour named after the very institution that had literally enslaved his people in chains. This is a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/aug/15/howard-gayle-mbe-liverpool-first-black-footballer">common story</a> of upset, and of rejection.</p>
<p>To be honoured for excellent work in society is certainly not at issue. But times and titles change. Queen Elizabeth no longer has the title that Queen Victoria had as “Empress of India”. If this hereditary title can be changed – and the Royals be <a href="https://theconversation.com/prince-harrys-decision-to-step-back-from-the-monarchy-is-a-gift-to-republicans-129624">“modernised”</a> – so too can titles from the colonial period in these more participatory times.</p>
<p>The British empire has not existed for decades. The Commonwealth, succeeding the empire, began in 1931, and most of Britain’s population was born after the empire ended. The names of the National Honours are both a fiction and a source of friction.</p>
<p>There have been moves to replace the word “empire” before. I (Raminder Kaur) have previously <a href="https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/update_titles_of_mbe_cbe_and_obe">written to the Cabinet Office</a> to follow up on earlier recommendations in a <a href="https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200304/cmselect/cmpubadm/212/212.pdf">2004 House of Commons report</a> to change <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3888581.stm">“empire” to “excellence”</a>. The Cabinet Office responded with the results of a small survey. After review, they decided to keep the names. </p>
<p>But we urge the government to consider a new addition. We propose that, while the traditional names remain in use, an alternative should be offered specifically to those of deep conviction who feel unable to accept them.</p>
<p>For the National Honours to embrace diversity is not simply to add black and minority ethnic recipients (most of whom are at the lower scale of the <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/new-year-honours-list-2020-in-full-w5tkmsqzd">Honours list</a>), but to respect their views, and permit a choice of titles that depart from empire. Titles that people can add to their own names without pain, shame or embarrassment. </p>
<p>In law courts, people can swear or affirm on an alternative to the Bible, on grounds of conscience. Surely it would be only fair to offer those of sincere belief and conviction an alternative name, to enable them to accept a National Honour without anguish: “an Honour with honour”.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/129311/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gill Margaret Hague previously received Government and ESRC research funding.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Raminder Kaur receives funding from ESRC, AHRC, British Academy and Arts Council England. She is affiliated with the University of Sussex, and a Fellow of the RSA and RAI.</span></em></p>The British Honours system and its link to empire is outdated and inappropriate, it must change.Gill Margaret Hague, Professor Emerita of Violence Against Women Studies, University of BristolRaminder Kaur, Professor of Anthropology and Cultural Studies, University of SussexLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/99632012-10-11T19:57:22Z2012-10-11T19:57:22ZBody swapping and out-of-body experiences – a how-to guide<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/16212/original/49bx3f79-1349394331.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C387%2C2841%2C1743&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Why would someone want to step outside of their own body?</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">mandymama</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>During an out-of-body experience (OBE) a person finds his or her centre of consciousness displaced from their physical body.</p>
<p>Research <a href="http://aiprinc.org/oobe.asp">suggests</a> around 10% of people have had an OBE, where they have experienced leaving their body and viewing it from a different location in the room. </p>
<p>During an OBE people typically see themselves from a different place in the room, hovering above, or standing next to, their body.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.medicine.virginia.edu/clinical/departments/psychiatry/sections/cspp/dops/publicationslinks/JSPR-Volume-63_pg65to85.pdf">One study</a> found 37% of people who have these experiences are capable of inducing them wilfully. In a <a href="http://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=656895010941593;res=IELHSS">recent research study</a> I conducted, I found that this number is in fact as high as 45%.</p>
<p>Meditation, visualisation and guided relaxation techniques have been related to induced OBEs. Such factors could account for some individuals being more capable of inducing their own OBEs.</p>
<p>This leaves us with an interesting question:</p>
<p>Why would someone seek the experience of stepping outside of their own body?</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/16133/original/6n9pc239-1349254002.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/16133/original/6n9pc239-1349254002.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/16133/original/6n9pc239-1349254002.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/16133/original/6n9pc239-1349254002.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/16133/original/6n9pc239-1349254002.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=500&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/16133/original/6n9pc239-1349254002.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=500&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/16133/original/6n9pc239-1349254002.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=500&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">A graphic artist’s impression of an out of body experience.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">istockphoto.com</span></span>
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<p>Research suggests that an OBE is a hallucination – it happens in the mind. Yet despite this, the experience of travelling beyond the boundaries of the body is still appealing to many.</p>
<p>A <a href="http://publicationslist.org/data/joseph.meyerson/ref-2/OBE.pdf">2004 study</a> suggested that a sense of separation from one’s body could be beneficial as a form of therapy – such as for treating anxiety or panic disorders.</p>
<p>Though research into inducing OBEs is still emerging, research psychologists and clinical psychologists alike are beginning to consider the implications.</p>
<h2>Inducing an out-of-body experience</h2>
<p>Recent research has utilised an experiment called the <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0003832">body-swapping illusion</a> to simulate a version of OBE. The video below shows this illusion in action:</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Inducing an OBE using virtual reality goggles.</span></figcaption>
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<p>During the body-swapping illusion a person wears a head-mounted display which is connected to a video camera feed. The video camera is, in some cases, connected to the forehead of another individual. </p>
<p>This gives the impression that one’s awareness has shifted from one’s own body to the second body.</p>
<p>Other researchers have attempted to utilise variations of the body-swapping illusion in order to simulate the sense of body displacement. </p>
<p>One example of this includes the <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0040867">“very long arm” illusion</a> experiment published earlier this year. </p>
<p>In this experiment researchers simulated the sense of a participant’s arm growing in length with the use of contradictory visual and tactile input – as per the video below:</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EyujFtuFWvo?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">The “very long arm” illusion.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Current research based on body-swapping experiments suggests that our sense of “whole body” perception can be altered. Such experiments provide valuable insight into the nature of OBEs.</p>
<p>Ongoing research into the body-swapping illusion could also help us understand why OBEs occur. Additionally, research may help us devise techniques for simulating (and inducing) more realistic OBEs.</p>
<p>Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to step outside of yourself for a moment and to look back at your own body? </p>
<p>In the future, this might just be possible.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/9963/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alexander De Foe 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>During an out-of-body experience (OBE) a person finds his or her centre of consciousness displaced from their physical body. Research suggests around 10% of people have had an OBE, where they have experienced…Alexander De Foe, PhD Candidate, Psychological Studies, Monash UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.