Rural Autochthony? The Rejection of an Aboriginal Placename in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia

This article addresses the question of why the name ‘Mullawallah’, advanced by local Wada wurrung for a new suburb in the Ballarat area, was contested and rejected by residents. It argues that the intersection between corporate profit, government policy and meaning-based issues of belonging should be highlighted for a deeper understanding of practices around place naming. The contextual conditions regarding the democratisation of place-naming policy, overwhelming power of commercial developers to ‘name Australia’ with marketable high status names and a ‘carpentered’ pastoral environment ‘emptied’ of the Indigenous population, created an environment conducive for the contests over naming. The Indigenous people appeared to have been wiped from the landscape and the worldview of settler locals. Concepts of ‘locals’ and ‘rural autochthony’ prove useful for understanding the ambiguities of belonging and placename attachment in Australia. The article argues that cultural politics of naming remains a contested social practice

Orokaiva production and change

The central task of this study was to identify and set out the basic structures o f economic organization in Koropata 2, an Orokaivan village in Papua New Guinea. Through the understanding of these the links with-the outside capitalist economy can be gauged more effectively

Procreative and performative kinship among residents in Victorian caravan parks

Recent senior anthropologists have heralded a new era where performative social and cultural kinship may eclipse procreational ‘biological kinship’ in contemporary western society. This article takes research on permanent residents in caravan parks as an extreme case that may act as an exemplar for future western contexts. Between 2003 and 2008, interviews with caravanpark managers, 50 interviews with park residents and short field stays at 17 outer Melbourne and rural Victorian caravan parks, provided multi-sited ethnographic material for analysis. I argue that contemporary contexts for relatedness give scope for creative development of social performative ties with ‘ex’ spouses and in-laws, friends and pets. ‘Biological’ kin and family with a material dimension remain central, however, and a response to family need or rupture is often the broadening of the procreative kin links between grandparent and grandchild and between siblings. Childhood institutionalisation and divorce in particular, contributed to pathways towards caravan park housing. Other kin-based motivations include finding safe accommodation for wives; providing housing for young adult males after injury and family divorce; and arranging for housing succession for children. Ideas of blood and folk biology demonstrate considerable resilience in contemporary kinship arrangements

Permanent residents in caravan parks, managers and the persistence of the social

Until recently, permanent residents in caravan parks were often absent from discussions about homelessness and housing in the Australian context. When permanent residency was recognised and legislated for in the 1980s, efforts were made to ensure scope for standard community infrastructure such as roads, sewerage and community gathering places. Although the number of long term caravan parks in Australia has recently decreased, on the edge of Melbourne some parks are expanding to cater for a growing clientele reflecting a new and partly de-institutionalised society. This society is characterised by mobile, temporary and casualised work and changing, volatile family relationships; each trend creating a need for different forms of housing. In this paper, preliminary interviews with ten caravan park managers from the outskirts of Melbourne reveal their role in the complex relationship between space, community formation and social solidarity; a relationship which directly impacts on the health and well-being of caravan park residents.C

Childlessness and women managers : 'Choice', context and discourses

Childlessness is increasing and might reflect acceptance of diversity, scope for individual choice and a creative 'social imaginary' about being feminine without being a mother. Childlessness also appears to have a contextual manifestation arising from the recognition that the long-hours work culture in many organizations does not support appropriate parenting. A qualitative study of Australian managers reveals the contradictory discourses of childlessness around enlightened equality, maternalism, an elusive, ideal 'work-life balance' and individualism. The article explores a contextually nuanced, dynamic, generative theory of agency which does not hinge on the mother-child dyad, in explaining women managers' choices to remain childless. © Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2006.C

Rethinking Appropriation of the Indigenous: A Critique of the Romanticist Approach

The aim of this paper is to set out the effects of romanticism on attitudes of the New Age movement to Indigenous Aboriginal culture and people. Past scholarship has clearly expounded insensitive and exploitative New Age appropriation of Indigenous culture and emphasized inequalities in the power represent one’s own group. Essentialists, romantic stereotypes detract from deep understanding of Indigenous Australians, and negotiated solutions are not really possible when the parties involved are in grossly unequal circumstances. Scholarship acknowledges diversity within Indigenous groups and the New Age movement as well as convergences and reciprocal cultural borrowing, often within romantic epistemologies. A simple dichotomy of cultural theft by New Age practitioners from Indigenous Australians is inadequate to explain the complexities of the interaction

A phenomenological investigation of pre-qualifying nursing, midwifery and social work students' perceptions of learning from patients and clients in practice settings

Government policies have emphasised the importance of patient and client involvement in all aspects of health and social care delivery, with a corresponding impetus for their involvement in the education of practitioners. Professional education programmes adopt andragogical, student-centred approaches and incorporate both academic and practice based learning and assessments. Practice experience is recognised as a crucial aspect of student learning and has become a major focus of quality reviews in health and social care education. Whilst it might seem self-evident that students on practice placements will learn from their interactions with patients and clients, this is a relatively neglected area for formal modeling, evaluation and research. This study, therefore, explores pre-qualifying nursing, midwifery and social work students’ experiences of learning from patients and clients during practice placements. The research project is underpinned by a descriptive phenomenological approach and the extensive data are analysed using phenomenological reduction (Giorgi, 1989a; 1989b). Two key themes and six categories emerged from the data. The first theme is presented as the ‘Ways of Learning’ and this comprises the categories of: facilitation of learning; critical incidents/patient stories; and role modeling. The second theme is presented as the ‘Nature of Learning’ and comprises three categories: professional ideals; professional relationships; and understanding patients’ and clients’ perspectives. It is evident that contemporary theories, including andragogy, social learning, experiential, reflective and transformative learning theories, remain relevant to professional education. The new knowledge obtained in this research is that the most powerful learning opportunities result from unplanned, informal learning opportunities involving interactions with patients and clients. However, this is not fully explained by these contemporary learning theories. This thesis will, therefore, argue that complexity theory is relevant to the requirements of professional education programmes. It will present an overarching framework to explain the data from this study and will propose strategies to harness the complexity inherent in this important aspect of student learning.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Start up and beyond : Evolving training needs for rural women in small business

The rural decline in Australian industry restructuring and the withdrawal of infrastructural services (ABS, 1998), gives rise to the hope of a turnaround in regional and rural Australia arising from the growth of new business ventures. There has been a trend towards an increase in both small business and the involvement of women in recent years (ABS 1301.0, 1997). This combination is important for a sustainable rural future, and therefore, a greater understanding is needed of how women stand in relation to sound business preparation, and attitudes to professional training.C

Use of ETC-1002 to treat hypercholesterolemia in patients with statin intolerance

BackgroundOnce-daily, oral ETC-1002 reduces low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and has beneficial effects on other cardiometabolic risk factors but has not been examined in statin intolerant patients.ObjectivesTo study the efficacy and safety of ETC-1002 (a novel LDL-C–lowering agent) in patients with hypercholesterolemia and a history of statin intolerance.MethodsPatients intolerant to at least 1 statin were entered into this multicenter, double-blind, 8-week trial. Participants were required to have a history of muscle complaints that developed during statin treatment and resolved within 4 weeks of statin discontinuation. Patients (n = 56) were randomized in a 2:1 ratio to ETC-1002 60 mg daily or placebo. The ETC-1002 dose was increased at 2-week intervals to 120 mg, 180 mg, and 240 mg. The primary end point was the percentage change from baseline to week 8 in calculated LDL-C.ResultsETC-1002 reduced LDL-C 28.7% more than placebo (95% confidence interval, −35.4 to −22.1; P < .0001). ETC-1002 significantly reduced non–high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, total cholesterol, apolipoprotein B, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. Triglycerides and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol did not change with ETC-1002 treatment. Sixty-two percent of patients receiving ETC-1002 and none in the placebo group achieved the 2004 National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III LDL-C goal (P < .0001). Muscle-related adverse events occurred with similar frequency in the placebo and ETC-1002 treatment groups, causing no discontinuations in ETC-1002–treated patients.ConclusionsETC-1002 appears to be effective at reducing LDL-C and was well tolerated in patients with statin-associated muscle complaints. Longer and larger studies are required to confirm the absence of muscle side effects

Challenges and Support for Pre-service Teachers’ Virtual Teaching and Practicums: Implications for Bahamian Educational Systems

Teacher education programmes, nationally and internationally, are unique both at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Specifically, in the Bahamian educational system, they are designed to produce certified K-12 teachers who demonstrate academic and professional excellence in a variety of subject areas. These programmes incorporate a theoretical component and a culminating practical experience that requires pre-service teachers to be evaluated on the quality of their teaching. Normally the culminating experience has been completed in the traditional face-to-face setting. However, the onset of COVID-19 resulted in an immediate imposition of a virtual teaching practicum. This integrated literature review explores the challenges pre-service teachers faced and the support systems they needed during a virtual teaching practicum and addresses implications for practice in a Bahamian setting