bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The hospice in the care of the elderly: Field notes from the rural suburbs of Trichur city, Kerala
Authors: Thulasibai P.
Published: January 2017

The hospice can provide critical medical and nursing care, as well as psychological and spiritual support for the ailing elderly, augment the family support structure, help the elderly be independent and productive, and provide comfort and sophisticated symptom relief to the dying so as to help them die a peaceful, calm and dignified death. These aspects are illustrated with case study material compiled by a dedicated doctor running a hospice-the Santhitheeram Charitable Trust, in the rural suburbs of Trichur city, Kerala.
Migration and development: A review article
Authors: Deshpande Lalit
Published: January 2017

Dyamics of Migration in Kerala is a comprehensive analysis of the volume, characteristics, determinants, causes and consequences of migration from Kerala. It is a story not only of how a once in-migrating State became a predominantly out-migrating and an emigrating State, but also of how the transformation affected the migrants and other members of their households, particularly the women, and the old among them. The authors draw a balance sheet of the positive and negative impact of migration on the demography, society and economy of the State. They identify the Kerala pattern of development as the root cause of out-migration. They fault it for emphasising social sectors, neglect of the goods sector and institutions that set in place the right kind of incentives, and a deficiency of infrastructure conducive to the development of the commodity sector. The authors do not think migration could be a sustainable strategy of development. They recommend for the short and medium term, policies to diversify destinations and impart training in skills that were in demand in foreign destinations so as to avoid the catastrophic effect of a sudden closure of the Middle East. The DCs are in no mood to liberalise entry restrictions, and this too is a critical factor.
The status of the child in India in the context of The Convention on the Rights of the Child
Authors: Srivastava Nilima
Published: January 2017

India was among the first countries in the world to ratify The Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Convention, which has echoes in the provisions of the Constitution of India, can be directly be invoked before the courts, commissions and other bodies in India. The active role of the judiciary and the Supreme Court and Social Action litigation are also very much a part of the scene, and civil society initiatives have lent support to government efforts. Legislative provisions, strategic programmes and measures undertaken by the government also speak of the proactive approach on the part of the State. Moreover, the media, the GOI and UNICEF have played a critical role in shaping public opinion and creating mass awareness. Despite these developments, access to justice for innumerable children in the country remains a dream. To implement child rights laws in letter and spirit, a consorted effort on the part of citizens, the government and civil society is required.
When Gandhi's Talisman no longer guides policy considerations: Market, deprivation and education in the age of globalisation
Authors: Kumar Ravi
Published: January 2017

Recently, we have witnessed a flurry of activities in the ‘education sector’ in India. These activities are located within the larger context of globalisation dominated by the neoliberal capital. The paper argues that given the social and economic segregation in Indian society education has always been discriminatory. However, recent neoliberal influences in policymaking have accentuated the segregation furthermore. Everything, including education, is out in the market for sale as a commodity. When the purchasing capacity of the majority remains low, it becomes difficult to buy education and therefore most Indians-the poor, Dalits and the girl child-are getting alienated from education. Gandhi's Talisman that, at least, appeared as the guiding force in a welfare state no longer remains so in the neoliberal era. The consequence is institutionalisation of discrimination in education.
Education in a globalising era: Implications for disabled girls
Authors: Ghai Anita
Published: January 2017

Located in the larger context of globalisation and the changes effected by it in the Indian education sector, the paper looks at the issue of disability and education. The situation, it argues, is too complex and the problems for the disabled child are exacerbated by the caste, class and gender variables. The state while formulating its policies for the education of the disabled children hardly looks at the larger context in which the children are located and therefore most of its programmes are restricted to mere tokenism. In such a situation, the author argues, there is a need to alter the way the question of disability is seen in education and that we cannot understand the problem unless an effort is made to locate them within the political economy of disability. The education of the disabled remains a contested site as it fights the twin forces of globalisation as well as politics of normative hegemony unless we fight the institutional disablism.
The global city, the local school and the disadvantage! youth: Segregation as an everyday experience
Authors: Menon Radhika
Published: January 2017

Globalisation processes have led to visible changes in the Indian cities and particularly in the capital city of Delhi, with its high per capita income and its location in the politics and economics of the country. It has often been pointed out how it is flush with global brands, flooded markets, international schools, booming new residential areas, call centres and “increased opportunities for youth”. This paper, based on ethnographic field notes in a vast working class settlement, explores the matrix of education within which Dalit, secondary school educated youth, grow in the ‘globalisation’ era. The area covered in the paper includes the changes emerging in the school, the educational and occupational aspirations, the gender differential and their experience in the world of work. The paper looks at the way job markets are changing and how the character of the school transforms along with the larger socio-economic changes. Consequently, an asymmetry is created between the education attained and its validity in the job market, leaving the youth, Dalits and poor disheartened and discontented.
Accessing higher education: Affirmative action and structured inequality – The Indian experience
Authors: Wankhede G.G.
Published: January 2017

Education is considered as an important means for development of weaker sections like the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) in the contemporary period of globalization. However, due to their traditional socio-economic handicaps, their access to, performance and sustenance in education is hampered. The government committed itself to compensate their deprivation through various measures. Special provisions in education is one such measure. Studies revealed that the enrolment in higher education among these communities is very low and hence the scheme of post-matric scholarship is introduced since independence. The sole objective behind the scheme has been, in addition to many other facilities, to support their education financially to meet daily (other) expenses. The assumption has been that this material support will encourage and motivate them for higher education.

It is an established fact that the post-matric scholarship scheme proves to be one of the major incentives for these communities. However, a comprehensive evaluation of the scheme was long overdue pertaining to its strengths and weakness besides its impact. This paper is based on primary d a t a collected from two states: Maharashtra and Rajasthan. The study tried to address issues like the socio-economic and educational background of the beneficiaries, implementation procedure, colleges wherein the beneficiaries were studying, problems and experiences of the beneficiaries while availing themselves of the scheme. The findings show that there are several weaknesses in implementing the scheme and yet it is found to be very useful for the beneficiaries. The scheme needs to be revamped in a big way.
The challenge of good governance in India
Authors: Singh Balmiki Prasad
Published: January 2017

This paper makes an effort to provide a framework for good governance in India by identifying its essential features and shortcomings in its working. No theory of governance could be intelligible unless it is seen in the context of its time. India's democratic experience of the past six decades has clearly established that good governance must aim at expansion of social opportunities and removal of poverty. Good governance, according to the author, means securing justice, empowerment, employment and efficient delivery of services. The paper deals with these subjects in detail and also analyses administrative and political faultlines. It identifies criminalization of politics and corruption as two major challenges. It also highlights shifts in meaning and content of national values of the freedom movement particularly those of nationalism, democracy, secularism, non-alignment, and mixed economy and its impact on the nitty gritty of administration as well as on the intellectual build up of the organs of the Indian State. The paper lists several areas of concern that need to be addressed energetically and calls for synergy of efforts between government, the market and the civil society. The need is to formulate a national strategy that accords primacy to the Gandhian principle of ‘antodaya” without sacrificing growth and by making instruments of State accountable for good governance.
The Effects of Family-Friendly Policies on Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment
Authors: Bae Kwang Bin , Yang Gigeun
Published: January 2017

The aim of this research is to analyze the effects of family-friendly policies on job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Using the Korean Labor & Income Panel Study (KLIPS) from 2006 to 2013, this study finds significant positive relationships between the number of family-friendly policies and both job satisfaction and organizational commitment. More specifically, receiving maternity leave and child care leave benefits is positively associated with job satisfaction, whereas child care subsidy does not show a significant effect on job satisfaction. Furthermore, organizational commitment has a positive relationship with child care leave, maternity leave, and child care subsidy.
Implications of Structural Changes in the Global Alcohol Supply
Authors: Jernigan David H.
Published: January 2017

Commodity chain analysis provides a means of diagramming and analyzing changes in the global supply of alcohol in a developing-country context over time and beginning to theorize about the implications of those changes for health and development. A new ideal type of commodity chain, the “marketing-driven” chain, is proposed to describe the emerging pattern of supply of globalized beer brands, and evidence is presented from Malaysia to illustrate how the commodity chain operates. What distinguishes marketing-driven commodity chains is their reliance on the downstream activities of marketing and brand establishment. Such a chain has two important implications: It places substantial power over the alcohol supply in the hands of transnational brand owners, and it relies on an intentional process of cultural change directed by the brand owners to alter and embed exogenous patterns of drinking in developing societies.
The Process of Paradoxical Autonomy and Survival in the Heroin Careers of Mexican American Women
Authors: Valdez Avelardo , Kaplan Charles D. , Cepeda Alice
Published: January 2017

This study focuses on the process of paradoxical autonomy and survival in the heroin careers of Mexican American women. We explore how gender roles among Mexican American female heroin users influence the emergence of a paradoxical autonomy. Five key subprocesses of this autonomy were identified from 14 life history narratives: sustaining employment, working the welfare system, illegal activities, emotional aloofness, and loss of family and children. Dependency on drugs did not lead simply to the reproduction of traditional gender dependency but, paradoxically, seemed to contribute to a new type of gender autonomy. This autonomy did not necessarily make the survival less arduous, only more independent from gendered responsibilities associated with men and often with family and children. We discuss how this paradoxical autonomy is not acquired without ambiguity by some of these women, who place a value on maintaining relationships with men and family. Our study makes a contribution to a better understanding of the diverse processes by which Mexican American female heroin users struggle to survive. Although this struggle leads to a paradoxical autonomy from their traditional gender roles, it does little to change other barriers to self-development originating from poverty, ethnic discrimination, and the severity of their drug addiction.
Estimating Alcohol Consumption: Measurement and Policy Issues Related to Legal and Illegal Sources of Alcohol
Authors: Giesbrecht Norman , Greenfield Thomas K. , Lemmens Paul , Österberg Esa
Published: January 2017

There are several challenges to obtaining an accurate estimate of alcohol consumption and per capita consumption in a jurisdiction. There are difficulties in estimating the extent of illegal production and fraudulent transportation activities. In some jurisdictions there is extensive home production, which is difficult to estimate. There are challenges to estimating the amount of alcohol that is brought into a country or is taken out, primarily by individuals. This includes “slippage” between official and unofficial production and consumption. As drinking preferences change and stronger or weaker brands are marketed, the conventional conversion factors from beverage to absolute alcohol volumes need to be adjusted. Finally, in light of extensive international travel there are challenges in determining the appropriate denominators in calculating some rates of consumption or damage. The eight papers in this special issue of Contemporary Drug Problems address a number ofthe challenges related to measurement issues and to estimating “unrecorded” consumption, and they note the underlying social and political dynamics and the applications of estimates. They also point to the need forfurther research on the reasons for gaps between different estimation methods, consequences ofhigh rates ofsmuggling or use ofillegal alcohol, and impacts ofvarious interventions to curtail illegal consumption.
Adjusting for Changes in Mode of Administration in Repeated Cross-Sectional Surveys
Authors: Gmel Gerhard , Gutjahr Elisabeth
Published: January 2017

Objective:

The present study compares changes in mean consumption and hazardous drinking between 1992/3 and 1997 in Switzerland, first without adjusting for changes in mode of questionnaire administration, and then by adjusting for mode of administration by use of a methodological split-sample study. Changes were compared for the total population and for subgroups of sex and linguistic regions.

Method:

The samples of the first and second Swiss Health Surveys (SHS), conducted in 1992/3 and 1997, respectively, were analyzed. Both surveys had used a combined telephone/self-administered questionnaire technique. Individuals had first been interviewed by telephone and were subsequently sent by mail a questionnaire containing additional questions. Whereas in the first SHS the questions on alcohol consumption had been included in the mailed questionnaire, in the second they were administered by telephone. In addition, to evaluate possible effects of different questionnaire versions, a split-sample study conducted in 1996 administered the version of the first SHS to one split of the sample and that of the second to the other. For the present study, only current drinkers were analyzed, resulting in sample sizes of N=9,464 (first SHS), N=9,774 (second SHS), and N=658 (split-sample study).

Results:

When mode ofadministration was not taken into account, mean consumption and percentages of hazardous drinkers decreased overall and in all but one ofthe eight subgroups examined. Controlling for mode of administration, however, resulted in (a) an overall increase in mean consumption and in the percentages of heavy drinking and (b) both increases and decreases for separate subgroups.

Conclusions:

Methods of data collection may influence within-country comparisons of repeated cross-sectional surveys of alcohol consumption.
Are Estimates of the Concentration of Alcohol Consumption Affected by Undercoverage? Evidence from Five Pooled U.S. Surveys
Authors: Rogers John D. , Greenfield Thomas K.
Published: January 2017

Conclusions concerning the properties of alcohol consumption distributions are often based on surveys that underestimate the amount consumed by sampled populations. Relationships between underreporting of alcohol consumption and the concentration of heavy drinking could present problems for several important research findings. Using data from five US telephone surveys, we compared state-level survey estimates of alcohol consumption and concentration with published estimates based on sales and taxes. Demographic factors predicting undercoverage were assessed in a multilevel analysis. Concentration was not significantly related to coverage, but it was related to rates of any drinking. State-level undercoverage was predicted by the proportion of males, younger age, political conservatism, Hispanic ethnicity, and the proportion of ethanol sold as spirits. Additional research is needed to determine the consequences ofthe relationships between these factors and undercoverage, but national estimates ofconsumption distribution properties are unlikely to be affected greatly by low coverage rates.
Socially Obligatory Drinking: A Sociological Analysis of Norms Governing Minimum Drinking Levels
Authors: Paton-Simpson Grant
Published: January 2017

In many social situations, the consumption of at least some alcohol is socially obligatory—at least for some participants. This paper focuses on the norms that govern minimum levels of consumption in such settings. Evidence for the existence of such norms is derived from the empirical literature on drinking and on my own research on reactions to non-drinking and lighter-drinking men in New Zealand. Reactions encountered ranged from subtle nonverbal responses to threats of physical force. These responses add weight to the contention that abstinence and lighter drinking can be thought of as deviance relative to minimum drinking norms. Identifying abstinence and lighter drinking as deviance locates the study of minimum drinking norms within the ambit of the alcohol branch of the sociology of deviance. This raises some interesting issues from a public health point of view and partially balances the historical bias in favor of studying maximum drinking norms.
The History of Addiction/Recovery-Related Periodicals in America: Literature as Cultural/Professional Artifact
Authors: Weiner Barbara , White William
Published: January 2017

Can significant changes in the addictions field be identified by examining its specialized literature? Are political, economic, and cultural changes surrounding addiction and its treatment mirrored in its literature? In this paper an addictions historian/author (William White) and an addictions librarian/information professional (Barbara Weiner) examine the past 150 years of addiction/recovery history by analyzing the literature of the field. Over 250 American journal, magazine, and newsletter titles were examined for their focus, audience, and years of publication to identify important trends and cycles reflected in addiction/ recovery-related periodical literature.
Governing Risk and Drug Use in Juvenile Justice Settings
Authors: O'Brien Mary
Published: January 2017

Foucault's notion of “governmentality” is used to examine the rationalities and techniques used in the shaping of both individuals and populations. This paper reports on a qualitative study of the management and regulation of drug-use risk in the juvenile justice system in Victoria, Australia. It draws on in-depth interviews with 70 workers who have responsibility for the care and supervision of juvenile justice clients. The paper examines worker perceptions and definitions of their drug-using clients and the notions of risk that they employ, and then focuses on the techniques used to document and codify risk in different parts of the system. Finally it documents the different mechanisms through which workers govern the lives of drug-using clients.
The Drugs—Guns Relationship: Exploring Dynamic and Static Models
Authors: Reid Lesley Williams
Published: January 2017

The relationship between the onset of drug use and the onset of criminality is an ongoing debate in criminology. This study adds to this debate by examining the effect of the age of onset of minor criminal behavior and substance abuse on later hard-drug use and criminal gun use. I use discrete-time event history models to examine the degree to which the onset of marijuana and alcohol use, as well as the onset of less serious forms of criminal involvement, hastens the onset of hard-drug use and criminal gun use. This research finds a progression of the severity of delinquent behavior from minor criminality and hard-drug use to criminal gun use, but little evident developmental progression from less serious delinquency to hard-drug use.
A “New Institutional Economics” Approach to the Reliability of Street-Level Drug Transactions
Authors: Wilkins Chris
Published: January 2017

One issue that has emerged from the study of the operation of illicit-drug markets is the question of how these markets avoid collapsing into anarchy, as neither drug users nor drug dealers can call on the police and courts to enforce the terms of transactions. Recent advances in economic theory, collectively known as New Institutional Economics (NIE), are used to identify informal market institutions that might help sustain reliable transacting in street-level drug markets. High search costs in street-level drug markets compared with legal markets is identified as an environmental factor that may encourage exchange parties to honor the terms of illicit-drug transactions even though there is no third-party enforcement. High search costs may also account for the high levels of quality fraud reported in illicit-drug markets.
The Italian Debate on Alcohol Advertising Regulation
Authors: Beccaria Franca
Published: January 2017

Based on interviews with opinion leaders, this paper explores the Italian debate on alcohol advertising regulation. In European countries the advertising of alcoholic beverages is regulated by two channels: the law and self-regulation. At present in Italy both control systems exist. However, the presence of temperance movements leads to a greater discussion in the political debate on alcohol and also on alcohol advertising. This means a greater tendency toward regulation, as seen in bills introduced in the Italian parliament. Twenty-one opinion leaders were interviewed concerning their views on alcohol advertising and its regulation, from three categories: advertising producers, communication experts, and health advocates.
Taverns in the Public Sphere in 18th-Century Paris
Authors: Brennan Thomas
Published: January 2017

The 18th-century Parisian tavern was public space that lay beyond the private spheres of home, family, or corporate identity. Taverns, like markets or roads, were without inherent order, so they required the ordering of public authority. For much of the old regime, taverns illustrate the public sphere in its subjection to public control. A second public sphere, found in the coffeehouses of Britain and the cafés of France, was a place of intellectual and social exchange that gradually challenged the royal monopoly on public issues. Yet taverns demonstrated the evolution of a third public sphere from a space monopolized by royal control to one in which the populace constituted a public with its own discursive practices and norms. In their increasingly autonomous use of taverns, the people of Paris were developing a model of behavior that extended to the political life of the city during the French Revolution.
A Typology of Toronto Nightclubs at the Turn of the Millennium
Authors: Purcell John , Graham Kathryn
Published: January 2017

The international trend for large, corporately owned nightclubs that are similar around the globe is changing and homogenizing the public drinking cultures in many large cities. To better understand this phenomenon, we examined the different types of clubs in Toronto, Canada. The typology is drawn from qualitative and quantitative data compiled by trained observers who conducted 1,056 nights of unobtrusive observations in 75 high-capacity nightclubs. Ten club “types” were constructed using the genre of music as the primary distinction: Dance, Superclub, Rave, Lounge, Upscale, Pop, Salsa, Reggae-Rap, Alternative, and Live Music. These types roughly approximate different subcultures, and provided a means to explore differences related to age, gender, ethnicity patterns, and alcohol and drug usage, as well as the apparent functions for which patrons frequented the different types of clubs. The predominant pattern of the current club scene in Toronto is one of large, corporately owned clubs frequented by a youthful multiethnic clientele, with most club environments characterized by slick décor and heightened sexuality.
Drug Addiction between Deviance and Normality: A Study of Spontaneous and Assisted Remission
Authors: Scarscelli Daniele
Published: January 2017

In this article the results of a qualitative study carried out in Italy regarding the phenomenon of drug addiction remission are presented. The research explores the process of remission experienced by two groups of former drug addicts: One group of subjects who faced their addiction by turning to drug services and a group of subjects who overcame their addiction without treatment. Considering remission as a process regulated by specific social mechanisms, the careers of the interviewees are analyzed in order to evaluate: 1) If significant differences exist between the two groups as regard self-definition, lifestyle, etc. 2) If such differences may be attributed to interaction with treatment. The findings suggest that the differences noticed between the two groups as regards self-definition are determined by the remission process experienced; spontaneous remission is possible on certain conditions; the jeopardizing of a subject's social functionality and his capability of functioning are not the “natural” (inevitable) outcome of his drug addiction.
US Time Series Evidence regarding Alcohol-Related Risk of Oral Cancers and Protection against Stomach Cancers: Are Higher Concentration Beverages Different?
Authors: Kerr William C. , Ye Yu
Published: January 2017

Autoregressive integrated moving average modeling procedures are utilized on population-level mortality rates for oral and stomach cancers in relation to per capita consumption of total alcohol, beer, wine, spirits and cigarettes to estimate long-term population-level relationships between alcohol consumption series and oral and stomach cancer mortality rates, and to determine whether higher-concentration alcoholic beverages, as represented by spirits, are more strongly related to these cancers than beer or wine.

Total alcohol consumption is found to increase oral cancer rates by 3.5% per litre of ethanol. Spirits consumption is found to be the only significant predictor in multivariate models. For stomach cancers, total alcohol and especially spirits are found to be protective, with each litre of spirits associated with a 10% reduction in rates. High-concentration beverages, as represented by spirits, are found to be significant risk factors for oral cancers but potentially protective for stomach cancer.
Alcohol Consumption and All-Cause Mortality in the United States, 1950–2002
Authors: Norström Thor
Published: January 2017

The aim of the study was to estimate the relationship between per capita alcohol consumption and male all-cause mortality in the United States (U.S.) for the period 1950–2002. Alcohol sales (in litres of 100% alcohol) were used as proxy for per capita consumption. The data were analyzed using the Box-Jenkins technique. Two models were estimated, one including only female mortality as a control, the other including in addition cigarette sales. The first model yielded a significant alcohol effect that implied a 2.8% (p < 0.001) increase in mortality given a 1-litre increase in consumption. This estimate coincides with those obtained for Canada, northern Europe and Russia in previous research but is stronger than estimates for southern Europe. When cigarette sales were included in the model, the alcohol effect was almost halved but still statistically significant. The results indicate that population drinking is of great importance for public health.
Using Economic Evaluation Techniques to Inform Policy: Reflections from Some UK Studies
Authors: Godfrey Christine , Parrott Steve
Published: January 2017

Economic evaluation techniques are designed to provide some clear guidance to decision makers on the choice, in value for money terms, between specific interventions. However, such evaluations require a range of assumptions to be taken and these choices may impact on the ranking of interventions. This article explores these issues that arise in providing such policy relevant estimates using data from a number of recently completed United Kingdom (UK) studies. The broad welfarist approach which considers all costs and consequences is contrasted to a decision-maker approach taking a more restrictive set of costs and outcomes.

The choice of perspective is shown to be an important issues affecting choices of different policies and interventions. Data from the UK studies also suggests there is currently insufficient evidence to support the general health outcome, Quality Adjust Life Years (QALYs) measure recommended by UK regulatory authorities to serve as a main individual drug user outcome. Crime and productivity costs have been a major part of many international evaluations but have mean measured and valued differently and different treatment across different studies can lead to different policy recommendations. The technicalities behind some economic studies should not obscure some of these important issues and the implications for intervention and policy choices.
Una Perspectiva Diferente: Latin Americans and the Global Mission Movement
Authors: Heikes Laura
Published: January 2017

Missionaries from Latin American countries make up a small but powerful part of the global mission movement. With advantages drawn from their countries' weaker economies, their own cultural and historic background, and their familiarity with migrant work, Latin Americans could soon prove invaluable in areas “resistant” to Western missionaries. Yet if this dynamic force is to reach its full potential, the Latin American church must address problems such as deficiencies of financial and pastoral support, and lack of adequate, culturally appropriate training programs.
Christian Proselytization: A Hindu Perspective
Authors: Sharma Arvind
Published: January 2017

Proselytization in some form is usually perceived as an inalienable aspect of Christian identity, yet this aspect of Christianity is quite baffling to the modern Hindu, who is not disposed to doubt the salvific potency of other religions. This paper is an attempt to try to create some openings in this wall of mutual incomprehension so that both sides gain a better appreciation of the others' position and to indicate the “concessions” they could make to each others' position without compromising their own integrity.
Gospel Proclamation of the Ascended Lord
Authors: Hoefer Herbert
Published: January 2017

As missionaries proclaim the gospel among people of the major religions, especially in shame-based societies, they find a great deal of resistance and confusion. The traditional Western church formulation of substitionary atonement in particular does not make sense and even seems morally and aesthetically repulsive. Instead, missionaries find that many people come to faith in the gospel through their experience of Jesus in visions, healing, miracles, inner peace, prayer, etc. The article suggests that we recognize how people are following the same path that St. Paul did, first personal experience of the ascended Lord and then intellectual conviction about his suffering, death, and resurrection. They are seeking divine help in sanctification, rather than divine forgiveness through justification. The article concludes with alternative approaches from Scripture that we have largely ignored in our proclamation.
Contemporary Europe in Missiological Perspective
Authors: Shenk Wilbert R.
Published: January 2017

Over the past three centuries thoughtful observers have grappled with the ebbing vitality of Christian faith in Europe. In the 20th century European scholars have proposed various theories for analyzing and explaining the church's changing fortunes. Seven of these theories are reviewed here. These studies throw light on the current reality but stop short of constructive guidance in working for renewal. A missiological response is called for.
Culture since 1985
Authors: Taylor Barry R.
Published: January 2017

Contemporary culture has experienced important shifts since 1985. The media have played a central role in creating “mediated events” that have had global impact. The ascendancy of popular culture as a primary carrier of ideas and causes is evident in a mega-event such as Live Aid, the 16-hour concert staged worldwide to raise funds for Famine Relief in Africa in 1989. The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, Tiananmen Square crisis and Gulf War in 1991, Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, death of Princess Diana in 1997, the Y2K scare in 1999, and the September 11, 2001 event have all demonstrated the power of the media to inform and shape our perceptions of reality. These developments represent important cultural texts that missiologists ought to be studying.
Humanitarian Response: Christians in Response to Uprooted People
Authors: Myers Bryant L.
Published: January 2017

The world of humanitarian relief changed dramatically during the increase in civil conflict and people movements that took place during the 1990s. Relief now takes place in the midst of conflict and the relief worker is no longer sancrosanct. This article attempts the map out the complex nature of the changing world of the Christian relief worker. There is a brief survey of the biblical and theological themes that undergird the Christian humanitarian response. The nature of the problem of uprooted people and responding to them is explored. The article concludes with a list of the current challenges that Christian relief organizations must find answers to in order to remain faithful, professional and effective in this changing world of relief.
Global and Personal Reflections on Training/Equipping for Cross-Cultural Ministry Today
Authors: Taylor William D.
Published: January 2017

This paper reflects personally on the author's journey in global mission, tracing his own diverse road through formal education and the later discovery of other modes of equipping for service. The pilgrimage makes a careful examination of cross-cultural mission and how we have historically created structures that train women and men for ministry — within their cultures or crossing them. Legitimate questions are raised in areas where formal training does not foster spiritual formation and community. The paper engages seven critical issues; presents the International Missionary Training Network, a component of the Mission Commission, World Evangelical Alliance; and concludes with four challenges.
Training Cross-Cultural Missionaries from the Asian Context
Authors: Lee David Tai-Woong
Published: January 2017

Draw an over all picture of what a training program looks like in a given Asian context using GMTC as a case study. This is sort of like a philosophy of training cross-cultural missionaries in an Asian context. Following this, some of the key areas in training cross-cultural missionaries will be selected to show what further lessons could be learned.
Palestinian Protestant Theological Responses to a World Marked by Violence
Authors: Katanacho Yohanna
Published: January 2017

Katanacho introduces major Palestinian Protestant responses to violence, grouping them into four response categories: biographies, apologies, Liberation theology, and Reconciliation theologies. Each category is described with a helpful critique. First, several pastors tell their stories, explaining their Christian faith in light of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Second, some theologians engage Islam or Zionism. Third, Palestinian Liberation theology is explained through the works of Naim Ateek, Mitri Raheb, and others. Fourth, Katanacho unpacks two kinds of reconciliation theologies: Sulha and Musalaha. The former focuses on Christian-Muslim relations and the latter concentrates on the relationships between Messianic Jews and Palestinian Christians.
Globalization and Missions
Authors: Reese Robert
Published: January 2017

The issue that concerns this paper is the effect of globalization on the conduct of North American missions. The thesis of the paper is that globalization is just a phase of world history and should not drive mission methods to the extent that it is doing. Rather, mission methods must be firmly rooted in biblical theology and refined through historical analysis. Without the right foundations, current mission methods merely create problems for succeeding generations.
Jesus in Islam and Christianity: Discussing the Similarities and the Differences
Authors: Larson Warren
Published: January 2017

Based on the many references to Jesus in the Qur'an and the traditions of Islam, this article suggests that Islamic teachings offer Christians a great deal of material upon which to build an effective Muslim-Christian dialogue. The study may be useful for workers seeking to help Muslims think more deeply and search more diligently for the Prophet and Messiah, who is highly honored in their scriptures but a virtual stranger in their midst. Since Muslims are within “ear shot” of him, the stage has been set for them to recognize the One in the New Testament who claimed to be “the way, the truth and the life.”
The Family of God: An Ecclesial Model for HIV Prevention in Africa
Authors: Smith Stephanie Mar , Meme Kinoti
Published: January 2017

The traditional means of forming human identity and shaping moral values within traditional African communities have been undermined by a Western philosophical presupposition: the conception of the self as an individual, autonomous agent. Through the forces of colonization and globalization, this conception of the self has undermined the processes of identity formation that have traditionally taken place in African communities, creating a profoundly disturbing loss of moral identity among urban youth. We will argue that efforts at HIV prevention must address this issue. Specifically, we will propose the ecclesial model, “the family of God,” as a means for promoting HIV prevention.
Islam among African-American Prisoners
Authors: Feddes David
Published: January 2017

African American prison inmates convert to Islam at a rate faster than any other demographic group in the United States. In this article, I focus on the Christian encounter with Islam among African Americans in prison. First, I examine the wider demographic and historical context influencing the rise of Islam among prisoners. I trace the tendency of African Americans initially to join heterodox Black Nationalist Islamic groups and then to move toward Sunni orthodoxy. I then explore why some African Americans, especially inmates, find Islam more attractive than other Americans do. I discuss prison policy changes that seek to accommodate Muslim practices within a society where the predominant faith is Christianity. Finally, I offer recommendations for Christians to meet challenges and seize opportunities in the encounter with Islam among African American prisoners.
Ancient Capital of the Land of Gold
Authors: Mauny Raymond
Published: January 2017

This is the third article appearing in Practical Anthropology to throw light on Africa before the period of modern contact. During the European Middle Ages there were African kingdoms which rivaled the best in Europe except for the usual absence of writing and written literature. On March 6, 1957, a new state — Ghana, formerly the British-administered territory of the Gold Coast — came into existence on the shores of the Gulf of Guinea. The choice of Ghana as the name for the new-born state may have puzzled some students of African history. No part of the former Gold Coast was ever included in the Empire of Ghana, which extended over the western Sudan and the southern Sahara from the seventh until at least the thirteenth century, but whose southern expansion seems to have stopped at the Niger. Some writers have suggested that the Akan, one of the principal local, tribes, may have been connected with the Empire of Ghana. The selection of this name for the new West African State was actually probably due to the glamour surrounding the first great Sudanese Empire.
Communication of the Gospel to Latin Americans
Authors: Nida Eugene A.
Published: January 2017

Without doubt one of the most strategic problems facing Protestant missions and churches in Latin America is that of relevant communication. This does not mean that communication in the past has been totally ineffective. The remarkable increase in the evangelical constituency indicates quite the contrary, for whereas one hundred years ago there was probably not one evangelical to two hundred and fifty Roman Catholics, at present there is an estimated one evangelical to every thirty-nine Roman Catholics. On the other hand, in terms of the expenditure of time, effort, and personnel, communication of the gospel appears to be surprisingly inadequate, seemingly superficial, and apparently indicative of the Protestant church's having reached a plateau of creative involvement in the life of the Latin American community.1
The March of Iron across a Continent
Authors: Inskeep R. R.
Published: January 2017

Everywhere in the ancient world the development of iron metallurgy was a revolutionary advance that permitted men to build new and more complex societies. Africa was no exception to this rule. It saw the rise of great African kingdoms equipped with a new mastery over the soil and the forest and over their non-iron-using neighbors. This ironwork was the product of home industries practiced for generations and which originally owed nothing to the white man. It is now known that great iron civilizations developed as early as the beginnings of the Christian era in at least two widely separated regions of the continent: One in West Africa (the Sudan, Dahomey, Ghana, etc.); another in eastern and south-central Africa. A few years ago it was hardly suspected that iron technology in south-central Africa dated back so far, but since 1953 evidence has been piling up with the discovery of early Christian-period iron centers near Lake Tanganyika and elsewhere. This article is the last of a series of four articles reprinted here to help develop a sense of perspective in the historical depth of African culture, and the early evidences of civilization in some parts of the continent.
Peacemaker Extraordinaire: Bishop Dinis Sengulane and the Quest for Peace in Mozambique
Authors: McVeigh Malcolm J.
Published: January 2017

The role played by the Christian community in helping to bring peace to Mozambique has never been widely acknowledged and is largely unknown in the English-speaking world. It is a marvelous page in Christian history, a story of courage, perseverance, and faith. The key person was Dinis Salomao Sengulane, the Anglican Bishop of Limbombos, but others were also involved and are mentioned in the course of the re-telling. This article traces the ups and downs of the movement from its inception in 1982 until the signing of the peace agreement in late 1992, followed by democratic elections in 1994.
The Christian Mission and Modern Culture Trinity Press International Series
Authors: Paul  , Hertig Young Lee
Published: January 2017

Alan Neely, H. Wayne Pipkin, and Wilbert R. Shenk have launched a remarkable series, “The Christian Mission and Modern Culture,” which contributes extensively to the advancement of the field of missiology for the third millennium. This article reviews the authors' analysis of modern culture and their missional responses. Common to each book is a rigorous self-critique of Western culture and Christianity. In facing the altered role of the church and mission in the post-Christendom era, the series (1) examines modern/postmodern culture from a missional perspective; (2) develops theological models for the recovery of the integrity of the church; and (3) investigates new conceptualizations of the nature and mission of the church.
Thermoanalytical Studies of Rubber Oxidation
Authors: Goh Suat Hong
Published: January 2017

The effect of several antioxidants on the activation energy of oxidation of natural rubber was studied by DSC. With the exception of 2,6-di-tert-butyl-p-cresol, the addition of amine and dithiocarbamate types of antioxidants increased the activation energy of oxidation. Pro-oxidant effect was indicated for the dithiocarbamate type antioxidants at higher concentration. Activation energy appeared to provide a reasonable estimation of the effectiveness of antioxidant.
Just a Girl in the Army
Authors: Crowley Kacy , Sandhoff Michelle
Published: January 2017

This article considers the experiences of 12 U.S. Army women combat veterans. These women served in historically significant roles as some of the first women to officially serve in combat in the U.S. military. This article focuses on the role of gender in these women’s experiences in the context of the masculine culture of the military. We explore how they used performance of masculinity and metaphors of family to fit into their combat units. We also deliberate on how sexual harassment was used against these women in ways that communicated that they were not fully accepted. Finally, we consider the tension between empowerment and disempowerment in these women’s narratives of their military service.
Who Supports U.S. Veterans and Who Exaggerates Their Support?
Authors: Kleykamp Meredith , Hipes Crosby , MacLean Alair
Published: January 2017

Support for U.S. military personnel appears high, but does it extend to veterans after service ends? This study evaluates public support for social engagement with veterans and spending on recent military veterans’ health care and estimates the extent of socially desirable reporting on these forms of support. It uses a list experiment to identify the extent of socially desirable reporting on topics. Findings demonstrate that the public offers overwhelming support for spending on veterans’ health care and social engagement with the group, but they somewhat overstate this support. Support differs by age, race, and political ideology, and social desirability bias varies by race, political ideology, and prior military experience. African Americans express the lowest levels of support for returning veterans and the greatest extent of socially desirable reporting on that support. This is despite generally high rates of service and greater labor market returns to that service among this demographic group.