Counter-hair/gemonies: hair as a site of black identity struggle in post-apartheid South Africa

This thesis aims to allow the meanings engendered by various black hairstyle choices to emerge as discursive texts with which to further explore issues of black identity in post-apartheid South Africa. It seeks to identify what, if any, new discursive spaces and possibilities are operational in the post-apartheid capitalist context, and how identities are moulded by, and in tum, influence these possibilities. Operating within a discourse analytic approach, this research did not intend to establish fixed and generalisable notions of identity, but by unpacking the discursive baggage attached to historically loaded subjectivities it is concerned with reflecting identity as an ongoing and reflexive project. Entailing a diverse selection of texts, the analysis includes self-generated texts (stemming from interviews, a focus group and participant observation), and public domain texts (stemming from online and print media articles). Chapters 5 - 9 constitute the textual analysis. Using a consumer hair care product as a text, chapter 5 serves as an introduction to discourses surrounding black hair as a variously constructed object. This focus is concerned, more specifically, with the construction of black hair as a 'natural' object in chapter 6. Chapter 7 examines black hair gemonies and the " problematic classification and de/classification of class and consumer identities. Discourses pertaining to the construction and positioning of gendered and sexual subjectivities are explored in chapter 8. Finally, chapter 9 is concerned with the operations of discourses as they function to construct essentialised or hybrid conceptions of identity. The implications for black identity construction in post-apartheid South Africa are discussed in chapter 10 alongside a deconstruction of the research method and researcher positioning

Adolescent self-harm in the community: An update on prevalence using a self-report survey of adolescents aged 13-18 in England

© The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Faculty of Public Health. All rights reserved. Background To establish an estimate of prevalence in a nationally representative sample of community adolescents. To examine associations between self-harm and wellbeing. Methods An anonymous self-report survey completed by 2000 adolescents aged 13-18 years across England.Wellbeing was measured using theWarwick-Edinburgh MentalWellbeing Scale (WEMWBS). Results In total 15.5% (n = 309) of participants reported ever having self-harmed (95% confidence intervals 13.9-17.1). The median age of onset was 13.0 years. Females aged 13-15 years reported the highest incidence of self-harm within the past year (54.9%). Cutting elsewhere (other than on the arms) was more prevalent amongst females (56.4%). The mean wellbeing score for the whole sample (45.6) was lower than the WEMWBS validation score (48.8). Self-harm was associated with a significantly lower wellbeing score, with mean scores of 38.7 (ever selfharmed) and 46.8 (never self-harmed). Conclusions Self-harm remains prevalent amongst adolescents aged 13-18 years in England. An awareness of the age of peak incidence and risks associated with preferred harming behaviours is crucial during assessment and intervention. The promotion of wellbeing is important for all young people. Further study is needed on the ways in which wellbeing may prevent, or ameliorate, the distress associated with self-harm

Socio-spatial authenticity at co-created music festivals

From the early days of hippie counter-culture, music festivals have been an important part of the British summer. Today they are commercialised offerings without the counter-cultural discourse of earlier times. Drawing on participant observation, interviews and focus groups conducted at a rock festival and a smaller boutique festival, the paper examines how their design, organisation and management are co-created with participants to produce authentic experiences. The paper contributes to research on authenticity in tourism by examining how authenticity emerges and is experienced in such co-created commercial settings. It presents the importance that the socio-spatial plays in authenticity experiences and how socio-spatial experience and engagement can also be recognised as a form of aura

Public responses to volunteer community care: Propositions for old age and end of life

BackgroundFunding shortages and an ageing population have increased pressures on state or insurance funded end of life care for older people. Across the world, policy debate has arisen about the potential role volunteers can play, working alongside health and social care professionals in the community to support and care for the ageing and dying.AimsThe authors examined self-reported levels of care for the elderly by the public in England, and public opinions of community volunteering concepts to care for the elderly at the end of life. In particular, claimed willingness to help and to be helped by local people was surveyed. MethodsA sample of 3,590 adults in England aged 45 or more from an online access panel responded to a questionnaire in late 2017. The survey data was weighted to be representative of the population within this age band. Key literature and formative qualitative research informed the design of the survey questionnaire, which was further refined after piloting.ResultsPreferences for different models of community volunteering were elicited. There was a preference for ‘formal’ models with increased wariness of ‘informal’ features. Whilst 32% of adults said they ‘might join’ depending on whom the group helped, unsurprisingly more personal and demanding types of help significantly reduced the claimed willingness to help. Finally, willingness to help (or be helped) by local community carers or volunteers was regarded as less attractive than care being provided by personal family, close friends or indeed health and care professionals.ConclusionFindings suggest that if community volunteering to care for elderly people at the end of life in England is to expand it may require considerable attention to the model including training for volunteers and protections for patients and volunteers as well as public education and promotion. Currently, in England, there is a clear preference for non-medical care to be delivered by close family or social care professionals, with volunteer community care regarded only as a back-up option

Youth engagement with alcohol brands in the UK

Report from Cancer Research UK, University of the West of England and University of Stirling which explores how young people engage with alcohol brand

Attitudes towards advance care planning amongst community-based older people in England

Background: Advance care planning has been advocated as a way for people to have their wishes recorded and respected in relation to types of treatment and place of care. However, uptake in England remains low. Aims: To examine the views of older, well, adults towards Advance Care Plans (ACPs) and planning for end-of-life care, in order to inform national policy decisions. Methods: A mixed methods approach was adopted, involving individual and mini-group qualitative interviews (n = 76, ages 45–85), followed by a quantitative survey (n = 2294, age 55+). The quantitative sample was based on quotas in age, gender, region, socio-economic grade, and ethnicity, combined with light weighting to ensure the findings were representative of England. Results: Knowledge and understanding of advance care planning was low, with only 1% of survey respondents reporting they had completed an ACP for themselves. Common reasons for not putting wishes into writing were not wanting/needing to think about it now, the unpredictability of the future, trusting family/friends to make decisions, and financial resources limiting real choice. Conclusion: Whilst advance care planning is seen as a good idea in theory by older, well, adults living in the community, there is considerable reticence in practice. This raises questions over the current, national policy position in England, on the importance of written ACPs. We propose that policy should instead focus on encouraging ongoing conversations between individuals and all those (potentially) involved in their care, about what is important to them, and on ensuring there are adequate resources in community networks and health and social care systems, to be responsive to changing needs

The Reservoir of Goodwill: Conceptualising a Community Care Model for Later Life Care

Context: Concerns about an ageing population with long-term care needs putting strain on health and social care systems have prompted interest in community care models for later life care, as already exist in palliative and end-of-life care. Objectives: To identify existing later life care and support within communities, willingness to participate in a community care model, and barriers and enablers to such a model. Methods: We adopted a qualitative approach, involving in-depth interviews and focus groups with 39 participants aged 70 - 91 years old. Data were transcribed, and a deductive thematic analysis conducted. Findings: Most participants were involved in help-giving within their local community, with friends, neighbours, and nearby residents. However, whilst participants were willing to receive home care from volunteers in the community, they considered it inappropriate for volunteers to provide personal care, and perceived considerable barriers to enacting a community care model. Limitations: This study does not aim to be representative of the population aged over 70 in England, and instead presents an in-depth exploration of the views and experiences of a small sample of this group. Implications: There is currently a broad but shallow reservoir of goodwill towards caring within the community. Later life community care relies heavily on a core of family and friends, and there will continue to be increasing demand for professional care services to fill the gaps where this core does not exist, and where medical and personal care needs exceed what can be supported by informal carers

Attitudes towards advance care planning amongst community-based older people in England

Background Advance care planning has been advocated as a way for people to have their wishes recorded and respected in relation to types of treatment and place of care. However, uptake in England remains low. Aims To examine the views of older, well, adults towards Advance Care Plans (ACPs) and planning for end-of-life care, in order to inform national policy decisions. Methods A mixed methods approach was adopted, involving individual and mini-group qualitative interviews (n = 76, ages 45-85), followed by a quantitative survey (n = 2294, age 55+). The quantitative sample was based on quotas in age, gender, region, socio-economic grade, and ethnicity, combined with light weighting to ensure the findings were representative of England. Results Knowledge and understanding of advance care planning was low, with only 1% of survey respondents reporting they had completed an ACP for themselves. Common reasons for not putting wishes into writing were not wanting/needing to think about it now, the unpredictability of the future, trusting family/friends to make decisions, and financial resources limiting real choice. Conclusion Whilst advance care planning is seen as a good idea in theory by older, well, adults living in the community, there is considerable reticence in practice. This raises questions over the current, national policy position in England, on the importance of written ACPs. We propose that policy should instead focus on encouraging ongoing conversations between individuals and all those (potentially) involved in their care, about what is important to them, and on ensuring there are adequate resources in community networks and health and social care systems, to be responsive to changing needs

‘We achieve the impossible’: discourses of freedom and escape at music festivals and free parties

In this article, we explore the notion of freedom as a form of governance within contemporary consumer culture in a sphere where ‘freedom’ appears as a key component: outdoor music-based leisure events, notably music festivals and free parties. ‘Freedom’ is commodified as central to the marketing of many music festivals, which now form a highly commercialised sector of the UK leisure industry, subject to various regulatory restrictions. Free parties, in contrast, are unlicensed, mostly illegal and far less commercialised leisure spaces. We present data from two related studies to investigate how participants at three major British outdoor music festivals and a small rural free party scene draw on discourses of freedom, escape and regulation. We argue that major music festivals operate as temporary bounded spheres of ‘licensed transgression’, in which an apparent lack of regulation operates as a form of governance. In contrast, free parties appear to ‘achieve the impossible’ by creating alternative (and illegal) spaces in which both freedom and regulation are constituted in different ways compared to music festival settings

A practice theory approach to primary school physical activity: opportunities and challenges for intervention

A significant body of critical scholarship exists problematizing the dominant behavioural-individualist approaches to public health policy and intervention, and practice theories have been noted for their potential in providing an alternative. Children’s physical activity in primary school settings continues to be a major area of attention in public health, yet no critical examination of a practice theory approach exists in this context. This paper addresses this gap by applying the prevalent three-elements model of practices to the case of children’s school-based physical activity. Drawing on focus group, interview and observation data from pupils, staff and parents at one primary school setting in England, our analysis highlights; first, how the configurations of (a) physical resources (e.g. playground space and equipment), (b) practical know-how (e.g. a skilled understanding of performing the activity), and (c) the socio-cultural significance of practices (e.g. the values and meanings of the activity) impact how, and whether children’s physical activity happens, and is sustained or interrupted; and second, by showing how physically active practices are contingent on being simultaneously in harmony or conflict with other routinized practices of the school day. We conclude that the three-elements model offers a helpful framework for understanding school physical activity which de-centres the individual, but that there are challenges in using this analysis to support primary schools as they attempt to enable physically active practices more effectively. Further research is required to develop and evaluate a practice theory approach to promoting children’s physical activity