Covert repertoires: ecotage in the UK

Ecological sabotage (ecotage) has been a feature of the more radical parts of the environmental movement in the Western world for several decades. While it may be perceived as being the preserve of underground cells of 'eco-terrorists', in the UK those who carry out small-scale acts of sabotage are also often engaged in relatively conventional political activity; view sabotage as a complement to other action, not as an end in itself; and are committed to avoiding physical harm to people. Drawing on ethnographic data from research with British activists, this article seeks to define ecotage and to explain its place in the repertoires of the environmental direct action movement in the UK. It is argued that the self-limiting form of ecotage in the UK has its roots in cross-movement debates that have developed over several decades and that national traditions remain important in understanding the development of social movement repertoires

Explaining the fuel protests

We describe and analyse the fuel protests in the UK in September and November 2000. We draw on theories of social movements to explain the success of the first of these protests and the failure of the second. We show how the loose, network forms of organisation contributed to the success in September, and the attempts to impose more formal organisations helped to cause the failure in November. We also show how the success of the protests depended on the articulation of the aims of the protestors with dominant social forces in British politics, in particular the oil companies, the police, and the mass media

MINERvA medium-energy physics results

MINERν A is a neutrino-nucleus interaction experiment in the Neutrino Main Injector beam at Fermilab. With the ⟨Eν⟩∼6GeV Medium Energy run complete and 12×1020 protons on target delivered in neutrino and antineutrino mode, MINERν A combines a high statistics reach and the ability to make precise cross-section measurements in more than one dimensions. Analyses of plastic scintillator and nuclear target data constrain interaction models, providing feedback to neutrino event generators and driving down systematic uncertainties for future oscillation experiments. Specifically, MINERν A probes both the intrinsic neutrino scattering and the extrinsic nuclear effects which complicate the interactions. Generally, nuclear effects can be separated into initial- and final-state interactions, both of which are not known a priori to the precision needed for oscillation experiments. By fully exploiting the precisely measured final-state particles out of different target materials in the MINERν A detector, these effects can be accurately probed. In this work, the newest MINERν A analyses since the last ICHEP, which encompass a broad physics range, will be presented: inclusive cross-section measurements in the tracker and in situ measurements of the delivered flux, allowing detailed comparisons with generator predictions, and control of systematic flux uncertainties, respectively. Moreover, by exploiting the significant statistics reach offered by the large exposure, MINERν A measures rare processes

Regulation of components of AP-1 transcription factor by early and late Ras signals

Experiments utilising either tumour cells or over-expression of oncogenes like Ras and its potential downstream mediators have yielded a wealth of information over the last decade. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of AP-1 transcription factor has been extensively analysed in response to various oncogenic signals. One basic criticism is that the continued presence of an activated component of cellular signaling renders the study of early Ras-mediated signaling impossible. Inducible systems for oncogene expression offer a valuable alternative for detailed analysis of signal transduction pathways. Here, we report the comparative analysis of components of oncogenic pathways between tumour cells and cells that carry inducible oncogenes

Another science for another world?: Science and genomics at the London Social Forum

The 3rd meeting of the European Social Forum was held in London during October 2004 with a broad ranging formal agenda and a penumbra of affiliated workshops and cultural activities. This paper focuses upon a range of sessions dealing with science in general and the sciences of human genetics in particular. Through participant observation this paper details the representations of science by ESF actors, their use of the ESF as a ‘convergence space’ for global activist network interaction and the various ways in which participants sought to create a more socially responsible and accountable science. Drawing on observations of, and participation in, these sessions we describe how scientific knowledge and practices were portrayed in the context of neo-liberal market relations by both ‘producers’ and ‘consumers’ of techno-science. The concluding section considers the implications of (re)negotiating scientific and social orders within such open network spaces. It is argued that ‘broad and shallow’ and ‘narrow and deep’ approaches towards public understanding of science need to be supplemented by the ‘broad and diverse’ processes typifying the forum milieu

Challenging interactions: an ethnographic study of behaviour in the youth club

Young people’s challenging behaviour in the school classroom and elsewhere has long been subject to research and policy attention. Despite inherent definitional difficulties, challenging behaviour is often constructed as a product of an individual young person’s pathology (whether biologically, psychologically or socially determined). Adopting an alternative starting point, this study focuses on a youth work setting and conceptualises challenging behaviour as something created in and through social interaction. The aim of this study is to contribute to a contextualised understanding of challenging behaviour as a social phenomenon that ordinarily arises when working with young people. As an exploratory study of everyday youth work practices, a year-long ethnographic study was conducted of an open-access youth club, located in a Scottish secondary school. Data were generated through participant observation, interviews, question sheets and written evaluation records. The data were analysed to identify significant themes facilitating the construction of a meaningful and accurate account of challenging interactions in this youth club. The thesis suggests that ‘doing’ and drawing attention to challenging behaviour functions to delineate the boundaries around acceptable and unacceptable behaviour in the youth club. Challenging behaviour plays a substantial role in the social interactions of this setting, linked to personal and professional identities. The youth club is described as a chaotic (dynamic, bodily and playful) space, where challenging behaviour is expected and normalised yet it is still identified and disciplined. The study suggests it is difficult to reach a subjective contextual definition of challenging behaviour because although certain types of behaviour are repeatedly acknowledged as problematic, in practice there are inconsistencies in whether and how these behaviours are challenged. Challenging interactions are argued to emerge in the negotiation of control over the behaviour of self and others. The research indentified ‘humour’ and ‘playfulness’ as significant in the construction, diffusion and emotional management of recurring challenging interactions. The study concludes that it is fruitful to conceptualise challenging behaviour as a social phenomenon - something created in the moment - in advancing an understanding of the complexity of working with young people perceived to be challenging. The findings, and limitations, of this study suggest that it would be useful to conduct further research into: the emotional aspects of challenging interactions; potential age and gender differences in negotiating challenging interactions; and the relationship between challenging behaviour, creativity and transformative actions