Risk management for drinking water safety in low and middle income countries: cultural influences on water safety plan (WSP) implementation in urban water utilities

We investigated cultural influences on the implementation of water safety plans (WSPs) using case studies from WSP pilots in India, Uganda and Jamaica. A comprehensive thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews (n = 150 utility customers, n = 32 WSP ‘implementers’ and n = 9 WSP ‘promoters’), field observations and related documents revealed 12 cultural themes, offered as ‘enabling’, ‘limiting’, or ‘neutral’, that influence WSP implementation in urban water utilities to varying extents. Aspects such as a ‘deliver first, safety later’ mind set; supply system knowledge management and storage practices; and non-compliance are deemed influential. Emergent themes of cultural influence (ET1 to ET12) are discussed by reference to the risk management, development studies and institutional culture literatures; by reference to their positive, negative or neutral influence on WSP implementation. The results have implications for the utility endorsement of WSPs, for the impact of organisational cultures on WSP implementation; for the scale-up of pilot studies; and they support repeated calls from practitioner communities for cultural attentiveness during WSP design. Findings on organisational cultures mirror those from utilities in higher income nations implementing WSPs – leadership, advocacy among promoters and customers (not just implementers) and purposeful knowledge management are critical to WSP success

Kneeling But Still Singing: Threshold Identity, Disidentification, and Invitation in U.S. American National Anthem Protest

Driven by a desire to transcend current divisive political and social discourse, this article analyzes Denasia Lawrence’s 2016 U.S. national anthem performance and Black Lives Matter protest. Lawrence knelt while performing the anthem to protest biased policing practices in the U.S. In engaging Lawrence’s actions and statements about this event through rhetorical criticism, I employ theories of intercultural hybridity (threshold identity and disidentification) and invitational rhetoric to demonstrate the inherent potentials for political activism in her act. I assert that Lawrence’s embodied performance invites viewers to re/consider the multilayered implications of her protest, and to hopefully engage with differences more openly. Lawrence’s choice to actively engage in a non-violent protest of pervasive racial injustices in the United States, while simultaneously singing the national anthem, is representative of new potentials for other activists who seek to authentically perform hybrid identities

Netnography on football : fans online attitudes towards football

This study aims to understand the behavior of football fans within online communities. What is intended is to understand how people live the daily life of clubs, what influence sports have in their well-being and how they interact with each other using online platforms. The approach used to conduct the study was Netnography. A qualitative tool of marketing studies conducted through the analysis of high volumes of data collected online. The data collected during the study were treated using a thematic approach in which it was possible to disclose the main themes of the research based on the collected volumes of information. The results suggest that there is a quasi-religious nature in football. Clubs appear to be as cults followed by legions of loyal fans. It was possible to discern a recurrence of verbal violence and that this appears through people subject to doses of frustration. This disillusionment may have internal or external sources. That is, it may stem from unpleasant news related to the club object of support or from the success of the rival club. After presenting several conclusions, the report highlights some implications of this behavior. At the end of the dissertation some improvement opportunities for clubs are disclosed based on the supporters' complaints and some suggestions are provided for the moderation of the conflict and hostility.O presente estudo vise compreender o comportamento dos fãs do futebol no seio das comunidades online. O que se pretende é perceber de que forma as pessoas vivem o dia-a-dia dos clubes, que influência o desporto tem no seu estado de espírito e de que forma é que estas interagem entre si utilizando plataformas online. A abordagem utilizada para a condução do estudo foi a Netnografia. Uma ferramenta qualitativa de estudos de marketing através da análise de grandes volumes de dados recolhidos online. Os dados recolhidos durante o estudo foram tratados com o recurso a uma abordagem temática na qual foi permitido eleger os temas principais da pesquisa com base nos volumes de informação colecionados. Os resultados sugerem que existe uma natureza quase religiosa no futebol. Os clubes parecem ser cultos seguidos por legiões de fãs leais. Foi possível vislumbrar uma recorrência de violência verbal e que esta surge através de pessoas sujeitas a doses de frustração. Essa desilusão pode ter fontes internas ou externas. Isto é, pode advir de notícias indesejadas relacionadas com a clube de apoio ou com o sucesso do clube rival. Depois de apresentar várias conclusões, o relatório apresenta algumas implicações deste comportamento. No final da dissertação são destacadas algumas oportunidades de melhoria para os clubes com base nas reclamações dos adeptos e são providenciadas algumas sugestões para moderação do conflito e hostilidad

The Pan American (2013-10-24)

https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/panamerican/1917/thumbnail.jp

Invigorating and Reinventing Sacred Space: Hijra and Non-Hijra Relationships in a Dargah

The article juxtaposes the lived realities and perceptions of a hijra gharana connected to a dargah (shrine of a revered religious figure belonging to the Sufi tradition) in a North Indian city, Narayanpura. It addresses how a hijra community interacts and develops interpersonal relationships with their non-hijra neighbours, devotees and shopkeepers, thereby engendering hijra selfhood. The potent element of symbolism enunciated through mythology, rituals and festivals becomes pertinent in constructing and authenticating the hijra identity. Concomitantly, the spiritual pursuits of these groups are intertwined with their material interests in constructing their complex universe. The monument provides a site where shared connotations for each section of people connected to the dargah, hailing from different cultural, religious and gender orientations, are invigorated. The dargah is, therefore, not only part of the religious system, but it is a system in itself. Data for this article have been accumulated through limited participant observation, unobstructed conversations and narratives of the interlocutors

Bad Holocaust Art

This article examines the representation of the Holocaust in the visual arts, and evaluates theories of that representation which seek to place limits upon artworks that are seen to transgress responsible modes. Acknowledging that the Holocaust is one of the most fraught and contested of crime scenes, it opens by studying the public responses to the Mirroring Evil exhibition, at the Jewish Museum in New York in 2002. It traces changing critical and theoretical discourses about the limits of Holocaust representation, and tests these against practices in literature, historiography, jurisprudence and visual art. In particular, it describes the transgressive goals of certain practices within contemporary visual art, and proposes an ethical framework for engaging with various forms of transgressive conduct

Letter from Iowa: Same-Sex Marriage and the Ouster of Three Justices

This is the published version

Objectionable Commemorations, Historical Value, and Repudiatory Honouring

Many have argued that certain statues or monuments are objectionable, and thus ought to be removed. Even if their arguments are compelling, a major obstacle is the apparent historical value of those commemorations. Preservation in some form seems to be the best way to respect the value of commemorations as connections to the past or opportunities to learn important historical lessons. Against this, I argue that we have exaggerated the historical value of objectionable commemorations. Sometimes commemorations connect to biased or distorted versions of history, if not mere myths. We can also learn historical lessons through what I call repudiatory honouring: the honouring of certain victims or resistors that can only make sense if the oppressor(s) or target(s) of resistance are deemed unjust, where no part of the original objectionable commemorations is preserved. This type of commemorative practice can even help to overcome some of the obstacles objectionable commemorations pose against properly connecting to the past