Secular values and the location of religion: a spatial analysis of an English medical centre

What do contemporary controversies in healthcare reveal about secular values and the location of religion within an English medical centre? Using a socio-spatial methodology designed to break open ideological perspectives and normative values, we analyse the doctor-patient relationship, complementary and alternative medicine, and an issue that bridges the two, evidence-based medicine. In the physical, social and mental spaces of the medical centre we uncover the traces of religious activity and roles and of alternative therapeutic regimes often informed by spiritual or religious systems. Furthermore we disclose the heterogeneity of values that comprise the secular worldview of one group of contemporary general practitioners

Dispositivo midiático de governamentalidade

El carácter desterritorializado de los medios de comunicación impide por momentos detectar –a diferencia de problemáticas relacionadas con la pobreza, la violencia física, la explotación de recursos naturales– su relación directa con injusticias sociales, inequidades, exclusiones y sujeciones. En la fase actual del sistema/mundo/moderno/ colonial los mecanismos de dominación se tornan más “democráticos” y “liberales”, los efectos de verdad, producidos por los medios, anestesian la mirada, y de ahí, el cuerpo y los sentidos. El objetivo del artículo es desvelar el carácter gubernamentalizado de las imágenes mediáticas reflexionando sobre aquella red de poder global que conduce las conductas a través de los medios de comunicación, conceptualizada en el texto como “dispositivo mediático de gubernamentalidad”. Se concluye entonces que el funcionamiento de dicho dispositivo se da a partir de tecnologías de poder noopolíticas y racionalidades capitalistas y coloniales.The deterritorialized nature of media, at times prevents detection –unlike problems related to poverty, physical violence, the exploitation of natural resources– its direct relationship with social injustices, inequities, exclusions and restraints. In the current phase of the system/ world/modern/colonial the mechanisms of domination become more "democratic" and "liberal", the effects of truth, produced by the media, anesthetize the gaze, and hence, the body and the senses. The objective of the article is to reveal the governmentalized character of media images reflecting on that network of global power that guides the conducts through media, conceptualized in the text as "media device of governmentality." It is concluded that the functioning of this device is based on technologies of noopolitical power and capitalist and colonial rationalities.O caráter desterritorializado dos meios de comunicação impede, em momentos, detectar — ao contrário de problemáticas relacionadas com a pobreza, a violência física, a exploração de recursos naturais — sua relação direta com injustiças sociais, inequidades, exclusões e submissões. Na fase atual do sistema mundo moderno-colonial, os mecanismos de dominação se tornam mais “democráticos” e “liberais”, os efeitos de verdade, produzidos pelos meios, anestesiam o olhar e, em consequência, o corpo e os sentidos. O objetivo deste artigo é revelar o caráter governamentalizado das imagens midiáticas refletindo sobre a rede de poder global que conduz os comportamentos pelos meios de comunicação, conceituada no texto como “dispositivo midiático de governamentalidade”. Conclui-se, portanto, que o funcionamento desse dispositivo se dá a partir de tecnologias de poder noopolíticas e racionalidades capitalistas e coloniais.https://revistas.udem.edu.co/index.php/anagramas/article/view/186

Les poisons de flèches utilisés par les Pygmées de la préfecture de la Lobaye (République Centrafricaine)

Les détenteurs des savoirs traditionnels sont généralement des personnes âgées. Souvent, celles-ci meurent sans transmettre leurs connaissances aux jeunes de plus en plus désintéressés. Ainsi, avant que cela ne soit trop tard, nous nous sommes fixés pour objectif de rassembler les  informations sur les poisons de flèches utilisés par les Pygmées de la préfecture de la Lobaye. Pour cela, nous avons conduit des enquêtesethnobotaniques. Quinze personnes ont été interrogées, quatorze  Pygmées Aka et un « villageois ». Au total, nous avons recensé 25 espèces de plantes pour lesquelles 21 sont indiquées comme entrant dans la préparation des poisons de flèches dans cette région ; les quatre autres espèces sont utilisées pour la fabrication d’arcs, d’arbalètes et de sagaies. Treize des 25 espèces sont signalées dans la littérature comme étant utilisées comme poisons de flèches. Periploca nigrescens Afzel.  (Apocynaceae) constitue l’élément principal de plusieurs poisons.Mots clés : Poisons de flèches, Pygmées, enquêtes ethnobotaniques, République Centrafricaine

The tactical mimicry of social enterprise strategies: acting ‘as if’ in the everyday life of third sector organizations

Using England as a paradigmatic case of the „enterprising up ‟ of the third sector through social enterprise policies and programs, this article sheds light on resistance as enacted through dramaturgical identification with government strategies. Drawing from a longitudinal qualitative research study, which is interpreted via Michel de Certeau‟s theory of the everyday, we present the case study of Teak, a charitable regeneration company, to illustrate how its Chief Executive Liam „acted as ‟ a social entrepreneur in order to gain access to important resources. We establish „tactical mimicry ‟ as a sensitizing concept to suggest that third sector practitioners ‟ identification with the normative premises of „social enterprise ‟ is part of a parasitical prosaics geared toward appropriating public money. While tactical mimicry conforms to strategies only in order to exploit them, its ultimate aim is to increase potentials of collective agency outside the direct influence of power. The contribution we make is threefold: first, we extend the recent debate on productive resistance by highlighting how „playing the game ‟ without changing existing relations of power can nevertheless produce largely favorable outcomes. Second, we suggest that recognition of the productive potential of tactical mimicry requires methodologies which pay attention to the spatial and temporal dynamics of resistance. And third, we argue that explaining „social enterprise‟ without consideration of the non-discursive, mainly financial resources made available to those who identify with it, necessarily risks overlooking a crucial element of the dramaturgical dynamic of discourse

The treatment of the insane patients at the hospital in Vila Viçosa Rilhafoles (second half of the nineteenth century)

Neste trabalho analisamos os trâmites processuais respeitantes ao envio de doentes insanos de Vila Viçosa para o hospital de Rilhafoles, na segunda metade do século XIX, e as relações estabelecidas com o hospital desta vila alentejana relativamente ao pagamento do tratamento. A braços com uma grave crise financeira, o hospital de Vila Viçosa recusava sistematicamente a responsabilidade de enviar os alienados para Rilhafoles, numa tentativa de passar esse ónus para a administração do concelho, mostrando-se muito renitente no pagamento das faturas que lhe chegavam do hospital de São José. O conflito entre as duas instituições chegou ao monarca e sem outra alternativa que a do pagamento, o hospital da vila alentejana procedeu ao envio de parcelas de dinheiro, ainda que de forma muito atrasada. Para a realização deste trabalho servimo-nos dos livros de atas da Misericórdia e do fundo do Governo Civil de Évora, custodiadas pelo Arquivo Distrital da mesma cidade. Estas fontes resultam essencialmente da correspondência estabelecida entre a Misericórdia de Vila Viçosa, o administrador do concelho e o governador civil de Évora.In this work we examined the procedural requirements related to the sending of insane patients of Vila Viçosa to the hospital of Rilhafoles, in the second half of the 19th century, and the relationships established with the hospital of this Alentejo town relating to the payment of treatment. Faced with a severe financial crisis, the hospital of Vila Viçosa systematically refused the responsibility to send the insane patients to the Rilhafoles hospital in an attempt to pass this burden on the administration of the county, being very reluctant to pay the bills that came to him from the hospital of São José. The conflict between the two institutions came to the monarch with no other alternative than the payment, the hospital of village of the Alentejo region proceeded to sending parcels of money, albeit way too late. For the realization of this work we use the books of the Misericórdia and the documents of the Civil Governor found of the city of Évora under the custody of the Distrital Archive of the same city. This documents results, basically, from the correspondence between the Misericórdia of Vila Viçosa, the council administrator and the civil governor of Évora

Regeneration naturelle des especes ligneuses dans la foret de Ngotto (Republique Centrafricaine)

L’étude envisagée a pour objectif d’analyser le potentiel de la régénération naturelle des espèces ligneuses de la forêt de Ngotto (République  Centrafricaine). En considérant la régénération naturelle comme la population de brins (juvéniles) en sous-bois, les proportions d’essences juvéniles ont été évaluées pour chaque syntaxon (groupement) identifié au sein des synusies arbustive, sous-arbustive et herbacée haute. Il en ressort que la régénération est en général pauvre le long des récentes pistes d’exploitation, dans les jeunes chablis et les zones dominées par les Marantaceae. En revanche, la régénération est abondante le long des vieilles pistes d’exploitation et dans le sous-bois de forêt «intacte».Mots-clés : Régénération naturelle, forêt tropicale, République CentrafricaineNATURAL REGENERATIONOFWOODYSPECIES INTHE FOREST NGOTTO (CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC)The proposed study aims to analyze the potential for natural regeneration of woody species in Ngotto forest (Central African Republic). Considering the natural regeneration as the population of strands (juveniles) in the undergrowth, the proportions of juvenile species were evaluated for each syntaxon (group) identified within synusiae shrub, sub-shrub and  herbaceous high. It shows that regeneration is generally poor along the tracks recent operating in young Chablis and areas dominated by Marantaceae. There is an abundant regeneration along the old logging roads and in the forest undergrowth «intact».Keywords : Natural regeneration, rainforest, Central African Republi

Unravelling social constructionism

Social constructionist research is an area of rapidly expanding influence that has brought together theorists from a range of different disciplines. At the same time, however, it has fuelled the development of a new set of divisions. There would appear to be an increasing uneasiness about the implications of a thoroughgoing constructionism, with some regarding it as both theoretically parasitic and politically paralysing. In this paper I review these debates and clarify some of the issues involved. My main argument is that social constructionism is not best understood as a unitary paradigm and that one very important difference is between what Edwards (1997) calls its ontological and epistemic forms. I argue that an appreciation of this distinction not only exhausts many of the disputes that currently divide the constructionist community, but also takes away from the apparent radicalism of much of this work

Caractéristiques structurales et écologiques des phytocénoses forestières de la forêt classée d’itchèdè (département du plateau, sud-est bénin)

Notre étude phytosociologique a été menée dans la forêt classée d’Itchèdè (6°59’-7°00’N et 2°37’-2°38’ E). Elle a pour objectif de mieux connaître la forêt pour un meilleur suivi de sa dynamique en vue d’asseoir à terme, une base fiable de son aménagement et de sa gestion durable. Nous avons utilisé l’approche synusiale intégrée pour identifier et caractériser les communautés végétales. La topographie et les sols ont été étudiés à travers la mesure des pentes, l’appréciation de la texture tactile à travers des profils texturaux effectués sur 50 cm de profondeur, la descriptionde profils pédologiques complétée par des analyses d’échantillons de sol au laboratoire. L’étude des paramètres dendrométriques et sylvicoles s’est faite à l’intérieur de placettes circulaires couvrant chacune 0,0314 ha pour les plantations forestières et 0,0615 ha pour la forêt naturelle.Les résultats ont révélé la présence de six phytocénoses dont quatre phytocénoses non pionnières de sous-bois. Les caractéristiques dendrométriques des phytocénoses permettent de déduire que la forêt naturelle d’Itchèdè est une formation secondaire assez dégradée mais relativement riche en sujets de grands diamètres en comparaison avec les autres forêts du Bénin.Mots-clés : phytosociologie synusiale, phytocénoses, stations forestières, Itchèdè, BéninThe main purpose of the phytosociological study in Itchèdè forest reserve (6°59’ to 7°00’ N and 2°37’ to 2°38’ E) was to contribute to the sustainable management of the forest. Phytosociological survey was done using the synusial approach. Soils and topography were studied through textural profiles appreciation in the first 50 cm of the soil, pedological profiles description and laboratory analysis. Dendrometric and sivicultural parameters were studied inside circular plots of 0.0314 ha for plantations and 0.0615 ha for natural forest. The study revealed the existence of six plant-communities including four non pioneer plant-communities were identified and described. Based on dendrometric parameters of the natural forest, we assume that Itchèdè forest reserve is a secondary degraded forest but somewhat rich in trees with high diameters in comparison with other natural forest in Benin

Ecological and silvicultural indicatory value of plant-communities of Koto forest reserve (Centre-Benin)

A study was carried out in Koto forest reserve in central Benin (6°56’ to 7°02’ of north lat. and 02°03’ to 02°09’ of east long), in order to contribute to the sustainable management of the forest. Phytosociological inventory was done using the synusial approach. Soils were studied through texture surveys, pedological profiles description and laboratory analysis. Silvicultural parameters of plantations were studied using temporary sample plots of 300 m². The study helps to identify and describe twenty-two basic plantcommunities named synusia. Based on their relationships, the synusia have been combined to describe seven phytocoenoses (plant-communities). Each non pioneer phytocoenose is an expression of specific ecological conditions. The study of plantation productivity has shown remarkable homogeneity of productivity level within each non pioneer phytocoenose. Analysis of variance reveals a significant difference at 5% of probability level between the productivity levels of the phytocoenoses. Three productivity levels are identified according to phytocoenoses. The study leads to the conclusion that phytosociology is a reliable tool for forest management

Self-Tracking, Governmentality, and Nursing and Midwifery Council's (2016) Revalidation Policy

In April 2016 the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) introduced a new revalidation continuous professional development (CPD) policy. This policy states that revalidation is the responsibility of nurses, and although employers are urged to support the revalidation process, the NMC clearly states that employers have no legal requirement to provide either time or funds for the CPD activities of nurses and midwives (NMC, 2014, 2016; Royal College of Nursing, 2016). The aim of this professional development policy is to ensure that nurses and midwives maintain their professional competency and to promote public safety and confidence in nurses and midwives. A closer look at the process of revalidation suggests that several measures have been introduced to ensure that nurses and midwives conform to the CPD policy, and this paper examines the influence of governmentality and neoliberalism on the NMC's self-tracking revalidation policy. It will be recommended that the responsibility for the revalidation process should be shared by nurses, midwives, and their employers, and that time and money should be allocated for the professional development of nurses and midwives