Interrogating the Ruling Relations of Thailand’s Post-tsunami Reconstruction: Empirically Tracking Social Relations in the Absence of Conventional Texts

This paper discusses methodological strengths and challenges in doing institutional ethnographic (IE) research in communities devastated by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami in Southern Thailand. IE is a mode of inquiry used to describe institutional mechanisms of reconstruction, aid, and recovery and to show how recovery efforts affected real people and communities over time. The chaotic nature of a disaster zone, combined with the more common difficulties of conducting research in a developing region relying on a translator, posed various challenges in the conduct of this IE study. Textual data, one of the important tools used in IE research, were scarce and what texts emerged were unusual. Our study reveals a disordered and uneven aid distribution. We show how private interests and pressure for economic redevelopment coordinated government practices which could be portrayed as corrupt. Our paper highlights the strengths of the IE method in assessing reconstruction, aid, and recovery in a disaster zone by focusing on the everyday lives of people as they moved beyond the immediate turmoil. We discuss the methodological techniques used to uncover empirical data to support analytical work when actual texts were not available. Further, we describe how IE is an effective approach for examining peoples\u27 recall of past events, where experiences described can provide insights into the current social organization and ruling relations. These insights lead to our understanding of changes and developments that occurred in the landscape and in the community after recovery. We discuss how the reconstructed environment, including new buildings and signage, coordinated and changed people’s day-to-day activities and their ways of making a livelihood

Tips for fusing

"File: Clothing and Textiles, 6/82/8M""Selecting the one interfacing that will be most compatible with the chosen fashion fabric and applying the interfacing properly are keys to constructing garments with a professional look. Pattern companies suggest appropriate face fabrics but do not specify the interfacing for the drape or hang you want to achieve. Some manufacturers print this information on the edge of the interfacing and on the end of the bolt."--First paragraphVelda Rankin (State Clothing and Textile Specialist), Janet Delcour (Area Clothing and Textiles Specialist

Institutional Ethnography (IE), Nursing Work and Hospital Reform: IE's Cautionary Analysis

Während der letzten Jahrzehnte war das Krankenhauswesen in Kanada im Zuge der Durchsetzung einer neoliberalen Agenda erheblichen Restrukturierungsprozessen ausgesetzt, verbunden mit dem Ziel einer effektiveren Verwendung öffentlicher Mittel und einer zunehmenden Expansion des privaten Sektors im Gesundheitswesen. Hierbei kamen erhebliche öffentliche Mittel für Gesundheitsinformationsdienste und für Forschung zum Einsatz, um objektivierbares Wissen für die Reform des Gesundheitssystems zu generieren: die Hoffnung war, dass Gesundheitsorganisationen und deren Wirksamkeit deutlich verbessert werden würden. Die Forschungsarbeit, die Gegenstand dieses Beitrags ist, beschäftigt sich mit der professionellen Pflege in diesem restrukturierten Krankenhauswesen und insbesondere mit der Frage, inwieweit die Reformen sich in der Pflegepraxis niedergeschlagen haben. Dabei fokussiert unser Ansatz der institutionellen Ethnografie die soziale Organisation von Gesundheitsbezogenem Wissen aus der Perspektive derer, die in diese Reformprozesse involviert und ihnen unterworfen sind – nämlich aus der Perspektive des Pflegepersonals. Ein wesentlicher Befund betrifft einen neuen Modus der Entscheidungsaushandlung und -findung: Das Pflegepersonal bemüht sich aktiv um die Ein- und Unterordnung eigener professioneller Urteile in objektiviertes Wissen und vorgängig festgelegte, wissensbasierte Praktiken, sodass Entscheidungsprozesse eher externalisiert und an autoritativen Vorgaben orientiert verlaufen. In dem Beitrag wird der Einsatz der institutionellen Ethnografie an Beispielen aus dieser Forschung beschrieben und diskutiert. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs090287Los hospitales en Canadá han sido objeto de intensa reorganización en pocas décadas pasadas en tanto el sistema público de cuidado de la salud absorbe y se adapta a un programa de gobierno neoliberal que promueve el uso más "eficiente y eficaz" de los fondos públicos e incrementa la participación por parte de la sector privado. Una masiva infusión de dinero público para las tecnologías de información en salud y para la investigación de servicios en salud ha creado la capacidad para generar conocimiento objetivado y utilizarlo para reformar el sistema de atención de salud, tanto en su organización y, cada vez más, en su terapéutica, con la promesa de hacer que todo funcione mejor. La investigación que se reporta aquí es sobre la participación de profesionales de enfermería en su trabajo diario/nocturno en hospitales reestructurados y sobre cómo se reestructura la práctica de la enfermería en consecuencia. Nuestro enfoque de investigación, la etnografía institucional, se centra en la organización social de los conocimientos sobre la salud desde la perspectiva de quienes participan en ella y se subordinan a sus usos de gestión, en este caso, las enfermeras. Creemos que una nueva forma de gobernar se está desplegando. Las enfermeras desempeñan un papel activo en la subordinación de su propio juicio profesional al conocimiento objetivado y al conocimiento basado en las prácticas que externaliza la toma de decisiones y reposiciona el saber autorizado. Este artículo describe y discute la realización de una investigación etnográfica institucional (RANKIN & CAMPBELL 2006) e ilustra algunos de sus rasgos distintivos por medio de ejemplos en nuestra investigación. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs090287Hospitals in Canada have been subject to intensive reorganization in the past few decades as the public health care system absorbs and adapts to a neoliberal government agenda that promotes more "efficient and effective" use of public funds and increased involvement on the part of the private sector. A massive infusion of public money for health information technology and health services research has created the capacity to generate objectified knowledge and to use it to reform the health care system—both its organization and, increasingly, its therapeutics—with the promise of making it all work better. The research reported here is on the engagement of professional nurses in their everyday/night work in restructured hospitals and on how nursing practice is being reshaped in consequence. Our research approach, institutional ethnography, focuses on the social organization of health knowledge from the standpoint of those involved in and subordinated to its managerial uses, in this case, the nurses. We argue that a new form of ruling is being deployed. Nurses play an active part in the subordination of their own professional judgment to the objectified knowledge and knowledge-based practices that externalize decision making and reposition authoritative knowing. The paper describes and discusses the conduct of an institutional ethnographic inquiry (RANKIN & CAMPBELL, 2006) and illustrates some of its distinctive features using examples from our research. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs09028

Floating chest piece (men's jackets)

"File: Clothing and Textiles, 6/82/8M""Chest pieces may be fused or floating. The top of floating chestpiece is attached to the jacket, after darts and pockets have been completed, and hands free in the jacket."--First paragraphVelda Rankin (State Clothing and Textile Specialist), Janet Delcour (Area Clothing and Textiles Specialist), Doris Koelling (Consultant

Fitting the pattern

"File: Clothing and Textiles, 6/82/8M""Patterns are made for average figures. They will fit a few persons exactly and some with minor adjustments. However, many need specific adjustments for special problems. Terminology should be reviewed before measuring and fitting is started. Study the following illustrations."--First paragraphVelda Rankin (State Clothing and Textile Specialist), Janet Delcour (Area Clothing and Textiles Specialist), Doris Koelling (Consultant

Easy his and hers pants and jackets

"File: Clothing and Textiles, 6/82/8M""Techniques used to construct men's and women's tailored pants and jackets are often similar. The following directions, with slight modification, can be used for both."--First paragraph.Velda Rankin (State Clothing and Textile Specialist), Janet Delcour (Area Clothing and Textiles Specialist), Doris Koelling (Consultant

Sleeve Cap Alteration

"File: Clothing and Textiles"Date taken from stamp on front coverVelda Rankin (State Clothing and Textile Specialist), Janet Delcour (Area Clothing and Textiles Specialist), Doris Koelling (Consultant

Cutting and attaching the lining

"File: Clothing and Textiles, 6/82/8M""Many men's jackets have a full lining in front and a half lining in the back. Women's jackets are usually unlined or completely lined. It is not difficult to cut a full lining if one is included in the pattern. The following steps are suggested."--First paragraphVelda Rankin (State Clothing and Textile Specialist), Janet Delcour (Area Clothing and Textiles Specialist), Doris Koelling (Consultant

Assembly of jacket body, sleeves and collar attachment

"File: Clothing and Textiles"Velda Rankin (State Clothing and Textile Specialist), Janet Delcour (Area Clothing and Textiles Specialist), Doris Koelling (Consultant

Fusing and marking the interfacing

"File: Clothing and Textiles, 6/82/8M""The type of interfacing selected is determined by the face fabric and the area in which it is used. The following instructions show the use of a good quality woven interfacing, a woven fusible and fusible hair canvas."--First paragraph.Velda Rankin (State Clothing and Textile Specialist), Janet Delcour (Area Clothing and Textiles Specialist), Doris Koelling (Consultant