bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
La memoria histórica en la poesía de Isabel Pérez Montalbán y David González
Authors: Llorente Marina
Published: April 2013

The Spanish Civil War and Franco's regime are central themes in various Spanish novels and films from the post-dictatorship period, and literary critics have analyzed in great length the representation of these two historical, crucial periods in Spain's history. However, how these topics have been presented in poetry written during the democratic era has not been thoroughly researched. This article fills that critical gap by analyzing poems by Isabel Pérez Montalbán (1964) and David González (1964) in the context of a complex body of theoretical literature on historical memory. The analysis of these poems shows how their composition represents a commitment to support and defend the recuperation of historical memory, thereby resisting the political and social discourse that insists on only looking to the future.
Memorias del derrumbe: representaciones de la Historia y del nacionalismo mexicano en Materia dispuesta , de Juan Villoro
Authors: Daniel Iván Pérez
Published: April 2013

El artículo estudia la relación entre la Historia y la ficción en la novela Materia dispuesta (1996), de Juan Villoro. A partir de un análisis de la figura del narrador-protagonista centrado en su relación filial, así como de un par de referencias intertextuales, se intenta mostrar cómo el texto de Villoro construye sobre la base de la memoria y la experiencia del personaje un relato alterno al de la Historia oficial, que critica la hegemonía del nacionalismo mexicano. La novela formaría parte, según esta interpretación, de un proyecto narrativo más amplio que intenta situar el surgimiento de la sociedad civil como un acontecimiento central de la historia reciente de México.
Descartes’s Supposed Libertarianism: Letter to Mesland or Memorandum concerning Petau ?
Authors: Lennon Thomas M.
Published: April 2013

There is a text, almost certainly was written by Descartes, that is typically referred to as a letter of 9 February 1645 from him to the Jesuit, Denis Mesland. In fact, it is a text of very problematic status, discussed here. In addition, it is the fundamental text for libertarian readings of Descartes’s view of the will. The main argument of the paper is that the text grounds no such reading, as becomes clear once the role in it of another Jesuit, Denis Petau, is taken into account.
Locke and Sensitive Knowledge
Authors: Allen Keith
Published: April 2013

This papers considers the well-known tension between Locke’s definition of knowledge and his claim that we can know by sensation of the existence of things without the mind. I argue (in response to recent suggestions by Rickless and Newman) that sensitive knowledge is knowledge (and Knowledge with a capital ‘K’). I then present an account of sensitive knowledge that is consistent with Locke’s definition of knowledge, which gives a central role to the reflective idea of sensation. I conclude by considering whether Locke’s general epistemological framework leads inevitably to scepticism or idealism, arguing that Locke’s response to the sceptic is more interesting--and more robust--than it might initially appear.
Metaphysical Motives of Kant’s Analytic–Synthetic Distinction
Authors: Hogan Desmond
Published: April 2013

The paper identifies metaphysical motives underwriting Kant’s analytic-synthetic distinction. Kant denies the reducibility of his synthetic to analytic judgments by conceptual analysis. Leibniz upholds general reducibility, presenting the Principle of Sufficient Reason as its instrument. I argue that Kant’s irreducibility doctrine involves a threefold metaphysical critique of Leibniz’s PSR. First, this principle is described as incompatible with the metaphysics of experience. Second, Kant claims it is incompatible with the metaphysical contingency of free agency. I find here a crucial and neglected motivation underpinning Kant’s doctrine of synthetic causal judgment. Finally, Leibniz’s principle supposedly entails an untenable metaphysics of divine necessity.
Aristotle’s Conception of Truth: An Alternative View
Authors: Hestir Blake
Published: April 2013

The prevailing view among scholars is that Aristotle’s remarks on truth at Metaphysics Γ.7, 1011b26–27 express a correspondence conception of truth. However, although Aristotle thinks that truth depends on the world, his conception of truth does not require that either (a) there be some truthmaker such as a fact or a state of affairs that obtains to which truthbearers correspond, or (b) there be a some universal dependence relation that holds between truths and ontological entities. Aristotle’s conception of truth is more minimal. I focus on Aristotle’s semantic views and their relation to his ontology and psychology.
Afterword: Reconceptualizing Jeffersonian Democracy
Authors: Robertson Andrew W.
Published: April 2013

The essays in this issue of the JER showcase what can be done with the vastly expanded empirical evidence available in A New Nation Votes. The new work displayed in this journal suggests the exciting opportunities opened by the database for reinterpreting the political culture of the Jeffersonian era.
The Family Factor: Congressmen, Turnover, and the Burden of Public Service in the Early American Republic
Authors: Zagarri Rosemarie
Published: April 2013

During the first decades of the new nation's existence, the decision to serve in Congress imposed immense personal sacrifices not only on those who were elected but also on the members' wives and children. During this era, a class of professional politicians had not yet emerged. In order to attend meetings of Congress, ordinary citizens had to leave their farms, families, homes, and businesses and live for long periods in distant capital cities. For a variety of reasons, most congressmen did not bring their loved ones with them to the seat of government. Without the emotional moorings of home, members often experienced their time in Congress as a kind of exile. Surrounded by hostile antagonists and intractable controversies, they did not have the solace of domestic life to cushion them against the blows of the political arena. Back home, wives were left to fend for themselves.
The Federalist Party Resurgence, 1808-1816: Evidence from the New Nation Votes Database
Authors: Lampi Philip J.
Published: April 2013

After suffering repeated defeats in Presidential, Congressional and various State elections during 1800 and 1801, the Federalist went into a sharp decline. By 1804 their Presidential candidate carried just two states, receiving only received fourteen electoral votes against 162 for Thomas Jefferson. An impending collapse and possible extinction of the Federalists was averted only by Republican infighting in various states. Federalists in New York and Pennsylvania supported or formed coalitions with dissident Republicans and held the balance of power in both states for several years. By 1807 however, the Republicans having resolved most of their internal issues was once again united and when the annual election cycle ended in October, Federalist only controlled the two states of Connecticut and Delaware. Once again, Federalist faced the real possibility of becoming extinct. Their approaching demise was however, halted by passage of the Embargo Act in December 1807. Over the next year, a reinvigorated Federalist Party, quickly mobilized opposition to the Embargo and by December 1808 impressive gains were made in every state election they contested. Victories continued into early 1809 and their success convinced the Republicans to repeal the Embargo Act shortly afterwards. Republicans quickly recovered their losses, but the political organization developed by Federalists during the Embargo period would serve them well as they lead political reaction against the war with Great Britain. Between the years 1812 - 1816 the nation would be engulfed in continuous political elections, which resulted in voter turnout approaching historic levels.
The Right to Vote and the Rise of Democracy, 1787-1828
Authors: Ratcliffe Donald
Published: April 2013

Historians and political scientists continue to emphasize the connection between the expansion of the suffrage to almost all adult white males and Andrew Jackson's election to the presidency in 1828. That interpretation has the unfortunate effect of preventing general appreciation of what has been clear to specialists for decades, that the suffrage had significantly expanded and the United States become in many ways a functioning democracy long before 1815. Even before the Revolution at least 60 percent of adult white males had been able to vote, and that figure had expanded significantly by 1787. The traditional belief that voting must be restricted to those with a "stake in society" still persisted, but increasingly the stake was measured less by the freehold ownership of landed property than by measures of civic involvement such as taxpaying, militia service, and evidences of social contribution. Qualifications defined by wealth were gradually undermined by inflation, and restrictions on voting proved difficult to enforce in practice. After partisan differences became inflamed in the 1790s, turnouts rose to unprecedented—and sometimes unrepeated—levels. In the end this pressure from below created a situation in which even conservatives thought that honest elections required the legal recognition of what was in fact happening at the polls. There was no constitutional revolution in the 1820s, except in New York, and the growing political agitation that resulted in Jackson's election was nothing more than the application to presidential elections of what had become commonplace in many states before 1815.
The Determination of Man: Johann Joachim Spalding and the Protestant Enlightenment
Authors: Printy Michael
Published: April 2013

This article uses Johan Joachim Spalding’s Bestimmung des Menschen (1748) to explore the transformation of German Protestantism in the second half of the eighteenth century. The text was at once a philosophical and religious meditation about the senses, the spirit, the nature of creation, and the immortality of the soul. The essay demonstrates how Spalding’s text points to three central features of the Protestant Enlightenment: an apologetical effort attempting to show how Christianity is compatible with polite society, a vernacular idiom that appealed simultaneously to heart and mind, and an engagement with philosophical arguments about man’s place in the world.
Notices
Authors: Forkosch Prize Morris D.
Published: April 2013

Announcement of the Morris D. Forkosch book prize competition. Announcement of the Selma V. Forkosch prize for the best article published in the Journal of the History of Ideas.
Forum: Ideas and the City Introduction
Authors: Spector Scott
Published: April 2013

What is the relationship of ideas to the city, and how should we rethink the “urban model” of intellectual history? Are we experiencing a resurgence of a model of European intellectual history focused on cities? Is there in fact an “urban model” for cultural and intellectual history? Meike G. Werner, Mary Gluck, and Emily J. Levine, approach the question of the links between cities and ideas. In particular, they focus, respectively, on Jena, Budapest, and Hamburg, cities that, if not all exactly “peripheral,” did not enjoy the status of the leading capital cities that were the focus of the first wave of city-based intellectual histories.
Modern Jena as a Model of Cultural Regeneration in Wilhelmine Germany
Authors: Werner Meike G.
Published: April 2013

The path-breaking work of Carl Schorske and other scholars have tended to locate the great urban centers as the main sites of modernist culture. But simply to recall the Dessau of Gropius, the Basel of Nietzsche and Burckhardt, and the Czernowitz of Celan, is to conjure an alternative image. This article considers aspects of modernity in Jena, and focuses in particular on how the publisher Eugen Diederichs used this provincial city as template for a form of German modernism that was substantively different than the publishing program of Samuel Fischer in Berlin.
The Budapest Coffee House and the Making of “Jewish Modernity” at the Fin de Siècle
Authors: Gluck Mary
Published: April 2013

The article explores the shifting meanings and unstable boundaries of a specifically Jewish “modernity” that came into existence in fin-de-siècle Budapest. It argues that contemporary understandings of the modern were encoded within discourses about the coffee house, which was simultaneously seen as the site of immorality and instability; as well as the space where literary culture and urban identities were produces. The article concludes that the conditions of possibility for Budapest modernity came to an end with the collapse of the Habsburg Empire in 1918, when Hungary changed from a multi-ethnic state into a homogeneous nation.
The History of “Hylomorphism”
Authors: Manning Gideon
Published: April 2013

The origin of the term “hylomorphism” is shrouded in mystery in spite of its being used to distinguish Aristotle and the Peripatetics from competing traditions in science and philosophy. This paper details the history of “hylomorphism” from its nineteenth-century German origins in the correspondence between Friedrich Schleiermacher and Friedrich Jacobi to its first appearance in English in 1860, to its eventual use to refer to the Peripatetic commitment to matter-form thinking. Utilizing this history, the paper specifies the obstacles the term has created for scholars and concludes with a suggestion to use “hylomorphisms” when exactness is required.
The Rules of Gift-Exchange: Catullus 12, 13, & 14
Authors: McMaster Aven
Published: April 2013

Gift-exchange forms one of the central frameworks for defining social bonds within Roman society, and was part of how Roman poets constructed the world. In the late Republic, Rome was built on gift-exchange and reciprocal obligations, both between patrons and clients and between nominally equal friends. At the same time, social and political position was determined by prestige, dignity, and public image, and this combination resulted in tensions and concerns over status in the giving and receiving of gifts, favours and services. Although this tension becomes more evident in the work of later Augustan poets, it can also be seen in the poetry of Catullus. Much of his poetry is concerned, explicitly or implicitly, with the formation and dissolution of social bonds, and comprehending the role of gift-exchange in his poetry is important to a clear understanding of his works.

L’échange de dons et de contre-dons constitue un des principaux modes de définition des liens sociaux au sein de la société romaine et jouait un rôle dans la représentation du monde par les poètes romains. À la fin de la République, Rome était construite sur un système d’échanges de dons et d’obligations réciproques, à la fois entre patrons et clients, ainsi qu’entre amis théoriquement égaux. Parallèlement, les positions sociales et politiques étaient déterminées par le prestige, la dignité et l’image publique. Cette combinaison occasionnait des tensions et des préoccupations relatives au statut respectif du donneur et du receveur lors de l’échange de dons, de faveurs ou de services. Bien que cette tension devînt plus évidente dans l’œuvre des poètes augustéens tardifs, elle peut aussi être discernée dans la poésie de Catulle. Une grande partie de sa poésie s’intéresse, explicitement ou implicitement, à la formation et à la dissolution des liens sociaux. Comprendre le rôle de l’échange de dons dans sa poésie permet donc d’accéder à une meilleure compréhension de ses œuvres.
Temples and Priests of Sol in the City of Rome
Authors: Hijmans Steven
Published: April 2013

It was long thought that Sol Invictus was a Syrian sun-god, and that Aurelian imported his cult into Rome after he had vanquished Zenobia and captured Palmyra. This sun-god, it was postulated, differed fundamentally from the old Roman sungod Sol Indiges, whose cult had long since disappeared from Rome. Scholars thus tended to postulate a hiatus in the first centuries of imperial rule during which there was little or no cult of the sun in Rome. Recent studies, however, have shown that Aurelian’s Sol Invictus was neither new nor foreign, and that the cult of the sun was maintained in Rome without interruption from the city’s earliest history until the demise of Roman religion(s). This continuity of the Roman cult of Sol sheds a new light on the evidence for priests and temples of Sol in Rome. In this article I offer a review of that evidence and what we can infer from it about the Roman cult of the sun. A significant portion of the article is devoted to a temple of Sol in Trastevere, hitherto misidentified.

Durant longtemps, on a cru que Sol Invictus était un dieu-soleil syrien, dont Aurélien aurait importé le culte à Rome, après avoir vaincu Zénobie et pris Palmyre. Ce dieusoleil, supposément, différait fondamentalement de l’ancien dieu-soleil romain, Sol Indiges, dont le culte avait depuis longtemps disparu de Rome. Les chercheurs tendaient ainsi à postuler que les premiers siècles du régime impérial avaient connu un hiatus, durant lequel il n’y aurait eu que peu ou pas de culte du soleil à Rome. Des études récentes ont toutefois montré que le Sol Invictus d’Aurélien n’était ni nouveau ni étranger et que le culte du soleil s’était maintenu à Rome sans interruption, depuis les débuts de la cité jusqu’à la disparition de la (des) religion(s) romaine(s). Cette continuité dans le culte romain de Sol jette un éclairage nouveau sur les témoignages relatifs aux prêtres et aux temples de Sol à Rome. Dans cet article, je propose d’examiner ces témoignages et ce que nous pouvons en déduire sur le culte romain du soleil. Une partie significative de cet article est consacrée à un temple de Sol dans le Trastevere, jusque-là mal identifié
Elephants, Alexander and the Indian Campaign
Authors: Charles Michael B.
Published: April 2013

References to elephants captured by Alexander up until the battle of the Hydaspes (326 bc ) are awkward to explain, especially given that the beasts, according to the surviving accounts, filled the Macedonian and allied troops with terror in the same engagement. This is problematic if Alexander’s men had already encountered elephants, even if not in the context of a pitched battle. Moreover, analysis of the evidence suggests that Alexander, far from despising elephants, as our sources, and Curtius Rufus in particular, contend, regarded their possession as both politically and militarily important, and decided to incorporate the animals into the Macedonian army on this basis.

Les références aux éléphants capturés par Alexandre avant la bataille de l’Hydaspe (326 avant J. C.) sont difficiles à expliquer, d’autant plus que, selon les récits disponibles, les bêtes remplirent de terreur Macédoniens et troupes alliées au cours de ce même affrontement. Cela pose problème si les hommes d’Alexandre avaient déjà rencontré des éléphants, fût-ce dans un contexte autre que celui d’une bataille rangée. De plus, l’analyse des témoignages suggère que, loin de mépriser les éléphants, comme le prétendent nos sources, et en particulier Quinte-Curce, Alexandre considérait leur possession comme importante d’un point de vue à la fois politique et militaire, et décida de ce fait d’incorporer ces animaux dans l’armée macédonienne.
Two “Jacobean” Malfis: Controversy and Reception in 1892 and 2010
Authors: Bloomfield Jem
Published: April 2013

Drawing on Susan Bennett's notion of "Jacobean" as a term attached to contemporary productions of Shakespeare's contemporaries, which "flaunt...thematic distinctions concerned with transgression, dissidence, and desire", this article investigates two productions of  The Duchess of Malfi , in 1892 and 2010.  William Poel's production for the Independent Theatre Society took place at the intersection between the progressive theatre movement of the late nineteenth century and the growing interest in "authentic" staging conditions, though it also appears to draw on the language of melodrama and the trappings of the commercial theatre.  Punchdrunk's version combined their well-known site-specific approach, which was interpreted by some spectators as a once-innovative technique applied once again to a famous text, with music by the composer Torsten Rasch, whose previous works had included a cantata based on the lyrics of the heavy metal band Rammstein.  The article expands the historical frame within which Malfi's "Jacobean" status is considered, suggesting that both demonstrate the power of non-Shakespearean drama to destabilise assumptions about "authentic" British culture and the version of the past, which supports current visions of that culture.  It considers the way in which these productions provided a site for cultural controversy, and suggests that this potential may be ebbing away with each performance and syllabus, as  Malfi  becomes the most safely canonical non-Shakespearean play from the era.
Looking for Shakespeare: Taking Pacino’s Quest Seriously
Authors: Sircy Jonathan
Published: April 2013

This article examines Al Pacino's 1996 documentary film Looking for Richard , in which the actor adapts Shakespeare's Richard III as part of an experiment, in his words, in 'communicat[ing] a Shakespeare that is about how we feel and how we think today.' Following Pacino's quest, the article traces the Hollywood actor's investigation of how Shakespeare's name and ghostly image - which remain perpetually indefinite throughout the film - establish authority and authenticity, drawing attention to the plethora of different modes of performance that could function under the 'Shakespearean' banner. In doing so, it raises questions concerning the critical practice of adaptation, illuminating how on their titular search, Pacino and his collaborators - which include a host of Shakespeare practitioners and scholars - must themselves adapt, finding both the play and its author so defamiliarized that they have no choice but to suspend their knowledge and judgment, enabling the journey to become a conduit of feeling and meaning rather than one of scholarly endeavour. The film thus serves, the article demonstrates, as a warning to audience members - such as the scholars who feature in it - who think they know who Shakespeare is before they arrive and, in that knowledge, place themselves in a position of judgment. Ultimately, the essay argues for a new approach to critical work on Shakespearean adaptation which starts by aligning ourselves with Pacino in examining our own investment in knowing Shakespeare before our analysis begins.
“Look with Thine Ears:” Puns, Wordplay, and Original Pronunciation in Performance
Authors: Lodewyck Laura A.
Published: April 2013

What do contemporary audiences hear when they attend a performance of one of Shakespeare's plays, and how might this differ from the way it was received by an Elizabethan audience? This article examines how historical pronunciation can reveal new meanings in contemporary performance through the investigation of puns and double entrendre , and explores what modern practitioners might glean from an understanding of the listening practices of Elizabethans. As a culture that values literacy and attributes authority to the written word, to "look with thine ears" is not a practice with which we are readily familiar. How does one effectively communicate the more fluid understanding of words of Renaissance English, given that the modern audience is relatively unsophisticated in listening for wordplay in comparison to an early modern audience? And moreover, how might one communicate this in working with an audience used to a fixed meaning of words, and accustomed to the rules of standardization?
Prevalence of and Characteristics Associated with Use Of Withdrawal Among Women in Victoria, Australia
Authors: Ong Jason , Temple‐Smith Meredith , Wong William , McNamee Kathleen , Fairley Christopher
Published: April 2013

CONTEXT

Popularly regarded as “ineffective,” withdrawal is a form of contraception largely ignored by health ‐professionals. Thus, little is known of the prevalence and correlates of its use.

METHODS

A survey of 1,006 sexually active women aged 16–50 and not intending to conceive was conducted in three Family Planning Victoria clinics in 2011. The questionnaire asked about contraceptive behavior and characteristics associated with contraceptive use. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to assess prevalence of withdrawal use and characteristics associated with reliance solely on this method.

RESULTS

Ninety‐six percent of women reported having used some form of contraception in the last three months, most commonly male condoms (67%), the pill (49%) and withdrawal (32%); use of withdrawal was especially common among the youngest women. Of women reporting withdrawal use, 40% relied solely on this method. Eighty percent of sole users of withdrawal were also inconsistent users. Women who used only withdrawal had elevated odds of saying that they were dissatisfied with their current method (odds ratio, 1.6), had had more than one partner in the last three months (1.7), had no access to contraceptives when needed (2.4) and found it too inconvenient to use contraceptives (2.1).

CONCLUSION

Withdrawal use is common, but there is a need for better education on proper use. Health profes‐sionals should discuss the risks and benefits of withdrawal, along with those of other methods, when discussing con‐traception with their patients. Further research is needed into why women choose withdrawal.
Confidentiality in Direct Social-Work Practice: Inevitable Challenges and Ethical Dilemmas
Authors: Millstein Kathleen
Published: April 2013

Social workers have long concerned themselves with confidentiality and its importance to practice. In 1922, social workers created their Code of Ethics, a major precept of which is the protection of confidentiality, defined as the regulation, both legal and ethical, that protects the client's rights of privacy. Social workers are confronting many ethical issues related to confidentiality, such as increasing demands for accountability, mandated duty-to-protect or -warn provisions, expanding court involvement in professional decision making, and widening access to information in records through the expanded use of computer technology. The objective of this study was to learn more about practitioners' ethical dilemmas in maintaining client confidentiality. A mailed, anonymous survey of experienced social-work practitioners was conducted to gain an understanding of how practitioners address confidentiality issues in their work with clients and to identify specific areas in which practitioners experience ethical dilemmas related to confidentiality, the factors contributing to these dilemmas, and the resources used by practitioners to resolve them. Major issues of practitioner concern and specific areas in which practitioners felt a need for more resources, education, and policy clarification were identified.
Independence or Interdependence: Rethinking the Transition from “Ward of the Court” to Adulthood
Authors: Propp Jennifer , Ortega Debora M. , NewHeart Forest
Published: April 2013

Youth who transition out of foster care are often overlooked and unprepared for a life outside of the child welfare system. As youth begin to grow up in the foster care system, they are encouraged to move toward the goal of self-sufficiency. This article examines the idea of self-sufficiency as it relates to youth transitioning from the foster care system and proposes a different approach to the state of transition, an approach called interdependent living. Through this examination, the authors suggest a way to reshape practice approaches by emphasizing the values of interdependence, connection, and collaboration. Together these values lead to an empowerment model of practice for youth who transition from foster care.
Homeless Outreach: On the Road to Pretreatment Alternatives
Authors: Levy Jay S.
Published: April 2013

A pretreatment perspective is presented to enhance treatment and/or housing readiness for homeless street-bound individuals with major mental illness. This subgroup of the homeless mentally ill population is substantial in number and requires improved access to mental-health care inclusive of residential services. In response, the author introduces five governing principles of pretreatment that provide the basis for a cohesive and integrated guide to practice. This pretreatment perspective promotes quality outreach services and viable placement alternatives for homeless street-bound individuals who have major mental illness.
The Role of Grandparents in the Social Support System of Mothers of Children with a Physical Disability
Authors: Findler Liora S.
Published: April 2013

The structural and functional dimensions of perceived social support were examined, with particular emphasis on the importance of grandparents as support providers to the mothers of children with special needs. Forty-seven mothers of children with cerebral palsy and 43 mothers of children without such a disability (comparison group) were interviewed in their homes using the social support network list (Kazak & Wilcox, 1984), a special version of a support functions scale (Dunst, Trivette, & Deal, 1988), and satisfaction with social support (Vaux & Harrison, 1985). The results indicate that differences between the two groups were found only in the structural dimension of network size. However, no differences in the analysis of the functional dimension and satisfaction from support were revealed. In both research groups, grandparents were highly ranked in comparison with other support providers, and a clear hierarchy was revealed; maternal grandmothers were perceived to be the most important figures providing more emotional than instrumental support and received the highest score in terms of satisfaction from support. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.
Family Group Conferencing in Child Welfare: Lessons from a Demonstration Project
Authors: Sieppert Jackie D. , Hudson Joe , Unrau Yvonne
Published: April 2013

A child-welfare family group conferencing (FGC) project that served families who were referred for child abuse, neglect, and/or abandonment issues is reported. The stages and mechanisms used to implement the family group conferences are described, and the conferencing processes and outcomes are presented. Findings indicate that FGC is inherently a resource-intensive process, but one that successfully achieves broad participation in child-welfare decisions. The resource demands of FGC, however, also raise questions regarding the use of highly educated professionals to coordinate many aspects of a family group conference. A service-team approach to FGC is offered as one way of making it a viable model for child-welfare service delivery on a larger scale.
Mediation in Court Cases of Domestic Violence
Authors: Imbrogno Andre Rene , Imbrogno Salvatore
Published: April 2013

Social workers currently are involved in mediation of divorce and child-custody matters as an alternative to litigation, a mediating process referred to as alternative dispute resolution (ADR). It seems likely that ADR through mediation for cases of domestic violence will be expanded as a social-work practice. It would be a pitfall for social work to stand in lieu of the execution of law without first engaging in the formulation of the concepts and practice models necessary for integrating the very complex legal, economic, political, and cultural manifestations to domestic violence.
Securing the Welfare of Children: Policies Past, Present, and Future
Authors: Hutchison Elizabeth D. , Charlesworth Leanne W.
Published: April 2013

For the past century in the United States, the welfare of children has been considered a legitimate concern of government, but recent analyses have been critical of the efforts of the public child welfare system. This paper places the contemporary child welfare system, and its failures, in a sociocultural context, from an international perspective. The social construction of childhood is analyzed, and the ways that this construction marks children as a class in need of protection are discussed. Recent global demographic changes that affect the welfare of children are presented. Policies to secure the welfare of children are placed first in historical context, and then analyzed as they currently exist in fragmented late-industrial societies with multiple sites of authority. Following this analysis, future policy directions are recommended.
Conflicting Principles in Multicultural Social Work
Authors: Goldberg Margaret
Published: April 2013

The starting point for social work approaches to multicultural issues is the principle of respect for human diversity. But practice issues concerning multiculturism and the role of ethnicity in patterns of oppression have revealed that current interpretations and applications of the principle of respect for human diversity often result in self contradictions and conflicts with other social work principles. This paper describes three of these conflicts, and, drawing on the literature of cultural anthropology, ethnic sensitive social work, and constructivism, proposes several conceptualizations to eliminate, or manage, them. The conflicts discussed are 1) respecting the contents of all cultures versus supporting basic human rights, 2) inability to understand the needs and views of people from different cultural backgrounds versus mission to practice social work, and 3) social worker's own right to ethnic preference versus social worker's obligation to eliminate personal cultural bias and prejudice. Conceptualizations proposed to deal with these conflicts include unconditional ethnic esteem, qualified cultural equality, right to ethnic identity, and reality and limitations of multicultural competence.
“Mi Casa Es Su Casa”: Beginning Exploration of Mexican Americans' Natural Helping
Authors: Patterson Shirley L. , Marsiglia Flavio Francisco
Published: April 2013

This article presents the findings of a pilot study on natural helping among Mexican Americans conducted in a large urban area of the Southwest. Twelve community-identified natural helpers were interviewed using the “Natural Helper Interview Schedule” utilized in previous studies in other parts of the country with European American subjects. As expansion of the earlier studies, the interview schedule was translated into Spanish and assessed for cultural appropriateness. The similarities found between the findings of the Mexican American sample and previous samples may suggest that natural helping is a cross-cultural phenomenon. At the same time, the unique trends identified among Mexican American respondents may indicate a stronger family connection to natural helping processes in this community. Respondents narrated the helping incidents as if the recipients and providers of help were all family members. A series of common trends emerged from the data gathered on helping incidents. Some of these trends suggest that natural helpers assisting recent immigrants used a doing type of helping style, but a facilitating style of helping was also reported for other recipients. Although these findings cannot be generalized, they provide important information about community-based natural helping networks and provide beginning comparison about natural helping characteristics among different ethnic groups. These findings can be of use by practitioners and policy makers as they attempt to reach the Mexican American community in a culturally competent manner.
Familiy Support and Community Guiding
Authors: Nahom Debbie , Richardson Mary L. , Romer Lyle , Porter Alice
Published: April 2013

This paper introduces the concept of “community guiding,” a new approach implemented in Washington State's family support program. Community guides, as defined by this program, are intended to assist families with members who have developmental disabilities in locating community resources – other than “typical” state-funded resources – that are helpful to them in meeting their needs. Results from this qualitative study suggest community guiding has potential as a family support resource, provided there is good communication system-wide and adequate guide recruitment and role definition.
Religious and Secular Belief Systems in Social Work: A Survey of Israeli Social Work Professionals
Authors: Osmo Rujla , Landau Ruth
Published: April 2013

In this study, the authors examined the impact of religiosity on social workers' ranking of ethical principles. The findings indicate that religiosity may be a distinguishing variable in some, but not all, contexts of ethical decision making in social work practice. The religiosity of religious social workers may influence their ethical decision making in situations with religious connotations. Moreover, religious social workers' ethical hierarchies seem to be more consistent both in different contexts and in comparison to those of secular social workers. The prospect that social workers may be influenced in some situations by a competing code of rules in conflict with the professional code of ethics emphasizes the need for social workers' awareness of their own belief system.
The Social Construction of Normality
Authors: Freud Sophie
Published: April 2013

Our rapidly changing culture raises questions about standards of normality that social workers are often asked to help enforce. The author insists that we need standards to guide our communal life while also reminding the reader that normality is a mere context-dependent social construct. The article gives examples of drastically changing standards such as the changing expectations of normal sexuality or normal child rearing. Therapeutic standards, partially laid down in the Code of Ethics, are, moreover, the guidelines for social work practice, given the close interface between ethical values and clinical practice. The ambiguity of the meaning of normal and abnormal is discussed, suggesting that abnormal behavior may be required in the face of social injustices.
Isolation or Inclusion: Creating Safe Spaces for Lesbian and Gay Youth
Authors: Peters Andrew J.
Published: April 2013

This article demonstrates the use of action research to bring youth and adults together to address homophobia in their community. Two community-based organizations led an action research project, using student surveys, peer-to-peer interviews, student artwork, and artifacts of homophobia in schools. The research found that 94% of the students surveyed hear anti-gay epithets “frequently” or “sometimes” in their schools; 86% of students say that anti-gay harassment is “rarely” or “never” confronted by school officials; and nearly 1 in 10 (9%) of students have been physically harassed based on their real or perceived sexual orientation. This project culminated in an inter-generational conference during which participants developed a network to provide ongoing education, advocacy, and youth development around the problem of school-based homophobia.
Forging a New Practice Area: Social Work's Role in Death Penalty Mitigation Investigations
Authors: Schroeder Julie
Published: April 2013

The death penalty remains alive and well in the United States. Courts in 37 states try defendants who are oftentimes mentally retarded, mentally ill, or suffer from neurological disorders. Social workers are using their skills and expertise to lead mitigation investigations where disability, discrimination, and deprivation in defendant's lives are being woven into the fabric of the penalty phase process. Mitigation investigations yield information about a defendant's life that is then empirically linked with factors identified in the social science literature and presented to juries to guide their focus in making sentencing decisions. Advanced clinical skills and an ecological theoretical approach to interpreting the biopsychosocial realities of the defendant's life are proving to be vital components of capital litigation.
Doing It, Artfully
Authors: Powell William
Published: April 2013

It's sort of like instinct. It's understanding what needs to be said and done and then using yourself in exactly the right way at exactly the right times. I don't have words to explain it well, but it's that instinctive knowing of what to do because you're so focused and in touch with your client. It seems to go so effortlessly and beautifully when you're in that “place.”
Siblings and Out-of-Home Placement: Best Practices
Authors: Groza Victor , Maschmeier Connie , Jamison Cheryl , Piccola Trista
Published: April 2013

This article is based on research and practice experience from projects and cases in both public child welfare agencies and private adoption agencies. Here, the authors summarize the research on sibling relationships, including a description of sibling relationships in families where children have been abused and neglected. The authors also discuss the barriers in child welfare that can result in the separation of siblings. Finally, they offer best practice solutions that support maintaining sibling relationships throughout temporary and permanent placement. An assessment tool to assist in the decision-making process for the placement of siblings is also included. This tool will help practitioners think systematically about the placement of siblings in order to make the best decisions.
Public Adoption by Gay and Lesbian Parents in North Carolina: Policy and Practice
Authors: Kenyon Gail L. , Chong Kerry-Ann , Enkoff-Sage Melanie , Hill Clifton , Mays Carrie , Rochelle Lauren
Published: April 2013

The authors examined policies and practices related to adoption by gay and lesbian parents in North Carolina. In this article, they review the literature concerning the changing definition of family and the impact of sexual orientation on the development of children and review relevant federal and state legislation and adoption policy in North Carolina. Workers in a sample of 20 of the 100 county Departments of Social Service were interviewed. The results show that a lack of clear policy at a federal or state level and a lack of protection from discrimination made it difficult for gay and lesbian prospective adoptive parents to adopt.
The Illness, Stigma, Culture, or Immigration? Burdens on Chinese American Caregivers of Patients with Schizophrenia
Authors: Kung Winnie W.
Published: April 2013

In this study, the author investigates the burden of 30 Chinese American caregivers of patients with schizophrenia using both quantitative and qualitative data. The relatives experienced enormous burden because of being intensely involved in patient care. Burdens were strongly positively related to family conflicts. In the literature, conflicts among caregivers have rarely been examined, but these conflicts seem particularly important to Chinese families because of the intense involvement of more than 1 member in caregiving. The significant relationship between length of stay in the United States and burden is perhaps related to caregivers' sense of mastery in language and knowledge of community resources in coping with stress.
Solution-Focused Brief Therapy — One Model Fits All?
Authors: Stalker Carol A. , Levene Judith E. , Coady Nick F.
Published: April 2013

This article expresses concern about the indiscriminate acceptance of the solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) model by some social workers and social agencies in spite of the dearth of empirical support for its claims to provide clients with more rapid and more enduring change than other treatment models. The article reviews the core assumptions and techniques of SFBT and outlines the strengths and limitations of the model in the context of the findings of psychotherapy process and outcome research and from the perspective of mainstream social work. The authors argue that social workers should avoid rigid adherence to narrow models of therapy and that social work students need to be exposed to multiple theories and techniques to be adequately prepared for practice. Agencies are encouraged to offer services based on a variety of treatment models in order to more adequately serve their clients and also to better position themselves to contribute to research that would further inform the profession about the combinations of model, client, and worker characteristics that lead to the most efficient and effective outcomes.
Stressors and Strengths: A Theoretical and Practical Examination of Nuclear, Single-Parent, and Augmented African American Families
Authors: Barnes Sandra L.
Published: April 2013

Much of the academic attention on the African American family has focused on pathologies. Less information has been obtained using cultural equivalent or emergent models to recognize positive, adaptive features. In this research, a survey study of 114 African American families is used to assess (1) similarities between experiences and existing theoretical exemplars; (2) stressors and strengths and whether they are family-type specific; (3) religiosity; and (4) family success measures for nuclear, single-parent, and augmented families. The results suggest that the experiences of the study families reflect a fusion of various social and cultural theories.
Surviving Two Diseases: Addiction, Recovery, and Spirituality among Mothers Living with HIV Disease
Authors: Tangenberg Kathleen M.
Published: April 2013

Drawing upon narratives spoken by mothers living with HIV/AIDS, this article describes the role of recovery in helping many women survive the two “diseases” of HIV infection and addiction. The theme of surviving two diseases emerged from secondary qualitative analysis of narratives contained in focus group transcripts. Originally convened to address questions involving life experience and support services, the focus group discussions revealed the importance of recovery, spirituality, positive thinking, inner strength, and social support in helping many women cope with the complexity of living with two highly stigmatized conditions. Secondary analysis provided the opportunity to more closely examine the relevance of recovery principles to ending addiction and strengthening women's feelings of self-efficacy and support.
Resilience and Social Work Practice: Three Case Studies
Authors: Turner Sandra G.
Published: April 2013

Resilience is the capacity to bounce back in the face of adversity and to go on to live functional lives with a sense of well-being. People can become resilient even though they may have lived in stressful and neglectful family and community environments. The author describes three case vignettes that illustrate how therapists and clients working together in a resilience framework can discover and bolster strengths that can lead to more enhanced and satisfying lives.
From Grandparent to Caregiver: The Stress and Satisfaction of Raising Grandchildren
Authors: Waldrop Deborah P. , Weber Joseph A.
Published: April 2013

The circumstances faced by grandparents who become caregivers for their grandchildren are complicated and stressful. Indepth interviews were conducted with 54 grandparent caregivers (37 grandmothers and 17 grandfathers). Analysis of qualitative data involved the use of QSR NUD*IST software for organizing and coding interview transcripts. Subsets of financial, family, and legal problems specific to grandparent caregiving were identified. Grandparent caregivers acquire problem-specific coping strategies, which include taking action, talking about feelings, religious faith, focus on the grandchild, outreach to others, and some “less desirable” means. Caregiver satisfaction was related to the joys of children, the tasks of child rearing, participating in grandchildren's activities, a new focus for life, and watching a child's accomplishments. This study identified the need for additional research about interventions for the stress and coping responses of grandparent caregivers.
Inspiration
Authors: Goldstein Howard
Published: April 2013

Most of us who turn to any subject we love remember some morning or evening hour when we got on a high stool to reach down an untried volume, or sat with parted lips listening to a new talker, or for the very lack of books began to listen to the voices within, as the first traceable beginning of our love.

- George Eliot, Middlemarch, 1871