Societies: An Open Access Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities

Scholars have long recognized the value of moving beyond their disciplinary silos to view the world from a variety of different perspectives. Our understanding of humanity and the world in which we live has been greatly enhanced by the insights produced by multidisciplinary research teams and the emergence of interdisciplinary programs within academia. Societies, the latest open access journal from MDPI, contributes to this thriving enterprise in three inter-related and unique ways. [...

Learning Circles: One form of knowledge production in social action research

This paper explores the use of “learning circles” as one form of knowledge production in social action research. It reports on a project that used learning circles as a setting within which to increase the engagement of people living with low income in developing strategies for the reduction and elimination of poverty in Canada. It presents the process and reflections, analysis and recommendations of 55 project participants and the authors.L’auteur explore l’utilisation des «cercles d’apprentissage» comme vecteur de création du savoir dans le contexte de recherche en action sociale. Pour ce faire, l’auteur rapporte les résultats d’un projet ayant utilisé les cercles d’apprentissage comme moyen d’augmenter l’engagement d’individus à faibles revenus à développer des stratégies de réduction et d’élimination de la pauvreté au Canada. Cet article dresse le portrait du processus et des réflexions, des analyses et des recommandations de 55 participants au projet et des auteurs

Pathways to resilience : formal service and informal support use patterns among youth in challenging social ecologies; final technical report

Despite exposure to poverty, violence, mental illness, marginalization due to race, ethnicity, ability, divorce or death of their parents, cultural dislocation, and other risks, research shows that many at-risk youth still become active contributors to their families and as citizens in their communities. What would locally designed interventions look like that promote resilience (citizenship, prosociality, safety, etc.) for youth exposed to significant risk associated with their social and physical ecologies? As well as conducting research responding to this question, Pathways participants, researchers and students/interns were afforded 20 opportunities to learn and enhance their research-related skills

Understanding \u27Elder Abuse and Neglect\u27: A Critique of Assumptions Underpinning Responses to the Mistreatment and Neglect of Older People

This article provides an overview of the ways in which the mistreatment and neglect of older people have come to be understood as a social problem, one which is underpinned by a variety of substantive and theoretical assumptions. It connects the process of conceptualizing elder abuse and neglect to political-economic and social evolution. The authors draw on a review of the literature, government sources, interest group websites, and their own research to provide a critical commentary illustrating how these understandings have become manifest in legislation, policies, and programs pertaining to elder abuse and neglect in Canada. Suggestions are provided for changes in direction for policies, programs, and research

Understanding \u27Elder Abuse and Neglect\u27: A Critique of Assumptions Underpinning Responses to the Mistreatment and Neglect of Older People

This article provides an overview of the ways in which the mistreatment and neglect of older people have come to be understood as a social problem, one which is underpinned by a variety of substantive and theoretical assumptions. It connects the process of conceptualizing elder abuse and neglect to political-economic and social evolution. The authors draw on a review of the literature, government sources, interest group websites, and their own research to provide a critical commentary illustrating how these understandings have become manifest in legislation, policies, and programs pertaining to elder abuse and neglect in Canada. Suggestions are provided for changes in direction for policies, programs, and research