Drifting: Towards mobilities at sea

This paper advocates a critical analysis of drifting as a particular typology of mobility. Drifting is a commonplace term used across the social sciences and particularly within physical, urban and psycho‐geographic strands of geography. However, drifting has not been unpacked within a mobilities framework as a specific trope of moving, nor has it been taken ‘to sea’ by social scientists. This is surprising given the long‐standing relationship between drift, drifting and the ocean. Recent years have witnessed a ‘filling out’ and ‘deepening’ of mobilities studies in geography and the broader social sciences, wherein mobility is not taken as singular and undifferentiated, but rather can be broken down into more specific parts that constitute particular technologies, experiences, forms and conditions of moving. This study dissects drifting by investigating the intricacies of this mobile quality and the quality of mobility. In particular, the paper draws on drifting in the context of the sea in order to demonstrate the new knowledges made possible by moving examinations from city spaces (where drifting has been most readily employed as conceptual tool and method). Indeed, drawing on case studies of drifting at sea, this paper argues that a focus on this distinctive form of mobility generates new insights into the politics of what it means to move in the maritime realm, a space often neglected in studies of mobilities

Tracking (Im)mobilities at Sea: Ships, Boats and Surveillance Strategies

This paper explores how national governments exercise regulatory power over spaces beyond their jurisdiction, when activities in those extra-territorial spaces have direct impacts within the boundaries of state concerned. Focusing explicitly on the control of shipping mobilities in the high seas and territorial sea zones, it is contended that apparatus of control, in particular, surveillance, are not only complex across spaces of alternate legal composition and between spaces of national and international law, but also across of the differing conditions and materialities of land, air and sea. Indeed, this paper argues that the immobilisation of the undesirable mobilities of ships and boats is inherently difficult at sea because of its very nature – its mobile legal boundaries, its liquidity compared to ‘landed’ fixity, and its scale and depth. Drawing on the case study of offshore radio pirates and the tender vessels which travelled ship to shore to supply them with necessary goods, it is reasoned that greater attention must be paid to mobilities at sea in view of forms of governance in this space. The sea is not like the land, or air, legally or materially, and mobilities cannot be governed, controlled and contained in the same ways therefore, as these connected spaces. Thinking seriously about the issues that arise when surveillance of mobilities is taken to sea, can help work towards better understandings for why security at sea proves so problematic and how those issues can be resolved, when the sea is the stage for contemporary geopolitical concerns in the twenty-first century

Fixed-term and temporary: teaching fellows, tactics, and the negotiation of contingent labour in the UK higher education system

This paper autobiographically considers the role of teaching-only staff as a contingent labour force in the contemporary Higher Education system in the UK. The aims of this paper are twofold. First, whilst much attention has been paid to the role of the research fellow, there has been less consideration, in the UK context, of the Teaching Fellow as an alternate form of postdoctoral experience. Accordingly, this paper gives voice to the Teaching Fellow – a member of academic staff who is not allocated writing and research time as part of their contract – whose views are often marginalised in on-going debates concerning the plays of power in the neo-liberalised academy. Second, the paper raises these voices to bring into consciousness the impacts of Teaching Fellow experience for the Fellow themselves and the faculties they work in. It is argued that Teaching Fellows face challenging circumstances in view of their onwards career trajectories in the academy. Accordingly, this paper considers the ways in which Fellows, through tactics of place making, presence and visibility, and collaboration, negotiate the challenging structural and institutional conditions that underscore their contracts. It is contended that exploring the teaching-only workforce is vital for critically assessing the workings of the contemporary academy and questioning the unequal power relations that underscore work places in a culture where contingent labour is expanding; becoming less of a fixed-term and temporary feature of the university system, but rather a stable and enduring one

Academic Engagement with Wadden Sea Stakeholders: A Review of Past Foci and Possible Futures

The Wadden Sea became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2009 owing to its geographical and ecological importance. Given its status and its global recognition, academic understanding of, and engagement with, a diverse set of stakeholders is crucial to the sustainability of the Wadden Sea and the wildlife that inhabit its transnational boundaries. As such, this paper reviews with whom, how, and to what extent the academy has engaged with Wadden Sea stakeholders. This study finds that stakeholder groups (whom, with vested interests in the sea, might be expected to be present) are missing from academic publications focused on stakeholders in the Wadden Sea. Moreover, existing studies tend to focus on singular, categorized stakeholder ‘groups’, and lack transboundary integration, as well as reference to UN Sustainability Goal 14 – a key target for environmental protection. In sum, the review provides (1) an analysis of academic work that engages Wadden Sea stakeholders to assist future researchers undertaking work in this global ecologically significant area, and (2) a discussion of where future academic work might be developed

Predictors of Preterm Birth in New Mexico: outcomes from 377,770 pregnancies over fifteen years

Background: Preterm birth (PTB) is a significant health problem both in New Mexico and nationally. It accounts for significant infant morbidity and mortality and it poses an economic burden to both individuals and the state. The goal of this study is to elucidate maternal risk factors for PTB in New Mexico, a poor state with a unique ethnic background. By doing this we hope to be able to identify women at increased risk and invite further study into targeted interventions among these high risk populations. Methods: This was a cross-sectional analysis of 377,770 singleton live births in the state of New Mexico from 1991-2005. The medical risk factors tracked were pulmonary, renal, cardiac, diabetes, eclampsia, oligo/polyhydramnios, hypertensive disorders, cervical incompetence, previous preterm delivery, tocolysis and isoimmunization. Gestational age of less than 37 weeks was defined as PTB. Multiple gestations and congenital anomalies were excluded. The Kotelchuck Index was used as a measure for level of prenatal care described as inadequate, intermediate, adequate, and intensive. Multivariate logistic regression was conducted using SAS 9.1 statistical software. Results: Of the live births analyzed, 28,036 of these were preterm (7.4%). Overall the PTB rate has risen from 1991-2005 at a rate of 0.18 percent per year. This was statistically significant (p = \u3c0.00004). Among patients with medical risk factors, PTB rate had a direct inverse relationship with an intensive level of prenatal care. High risk patients with intensive care were less likely to have a PTB delivery with an odds ratio of 0.74 than similar patients with low levels of care. The nadir for risk of PTB is among women aged 25-29 with significant increases in risk among women \u3c15 and \u3e40 years of age. Other risk factors are unmarried status, education less than high school,tobacco/alcohol use, Black, Asian, and White Hispanic ethnicity and the presence of one or more medical risk factors. Statistically significant protective factors for PTB are age 25-29, education surpassing high school, and Native American race. Counties with rising adjusted PTB rates are Chaves, Dona Ana, Grant, Hidalgo, Lea, Lincoln, McKinley, Mora, Otero, Rio Arriba, San Juan and San Miguel. Counties with decreasing PTB rates are Sandoval and Santa Fe counties. Conclusion: Even adjusted for known risk factors PTB is still a significant problem in New Mexico. A lack of prenatal care was a significant predictor of PTB in high risk patients. Other predictors include the known risk factors of age \u3c15 and \u3e40, single, tobacco/alcohol use, being of low socioeconomic status and White Hispanic, Asian and Black ethnicities. Interestingly, Native American patients have a lower PTB rate compared to other groups, even though this group is traditionally one of low socioeconomic status in New Mexico

Natural Flood Management: Beyond the evidence debate

Globally, flood frequency has increased over the last three decades. Natural Flood Management (NFM) is considered a progressive holistic flood management approach, using “natural” hydrological processes to slow and store water, delivering multiple benefits including water quality, biodiversity and amenity improvements. Although there are existing evaluations of NFM, they remain insufficient for drawing conclusions as to its effectiveness at catchment scales. However, without this evidence base and because of the domination of the natural sciences in the framing and research agenda, catchment‐wide interventions have not been implemented. In acknowledging the importance of understanding and data gaps (and attempts to fill them), this paper argues that there is an opportunity to deliver NFM more widely by capitalising on widespread interest in different land and water management sectors, supported by interdisciplinary policy‐relevant research. This paper illustrates how multi‐stakeholder collaborative partnership is suited to the dynamic complexity of NFM delivery. It is proposed that, through championing NFM delivery at catchment scales and the work of established catchment partnerships in England and Wales, there is the opportunity to more widely deliver NFM as an integrated component of flood risk management