Experiencing Transculturalism.

Those working at the grass roots in any project have a range of wisdom that often remains unrecognised and untapped. It appeared impor tant to redress this common imbalance and to express something of the experience and views of those most involved in transcultural experiences. In order to connect with something of this richness a group of members involved in transcultural congregations were invited to respond to six questions about their Church's story of multicultural development. The respondents were selected for the range and depth of their experience in the field as well as for the variety of their cultural backgrounds. Some of the respondents were ministers or leaders, others described themselves as ordinary local Church members. The congregations in which they were involved reflected many differences, coming from a variety of denominational backgrounds and were located in a wide range of differing contexts. All were situated in Ireland, some in urban or suburban areas, others in towns or villages, scattered throughout the country This chapter tries to encapsulate the respondents' reactions in a way which honours their experience. As well as giving a 'voice' to those most deeply involved in this area of transcultural development, it also seemed imperative to reflect the wide variety of views expressed as well as to note commonality of thought and experience where this existed. Not all those invited to respond did so, and of those who did, not all answered each question. Responses are, however, characterised by aremarkable degree of reflectiveness and insight. Many are profoundly challenging of the respondents themselves and indicate a very high level of both personal awareness and honesty. A number of responses are also quite challenging of the Church structures and of the larger denominational systems. Some question sensitive issues s~ch as existing structures of power, leadership and tradition. Others share very personal aspects of their own journey. All speak for themselves; their views are not necessarily those of others in their congregation or their denomination. Instead, they are stories of a story. If there is an emergent commo~ theme it may be to suggest that the creation of transcultural community provokes a questioning of the assumed status quo in all sorts of unexpected and frequently uncomfortable ways. To preserve a sense of privacy for both respond~nts an~ t~~ congregations involved, responses are not credited to part1cular 1nd1V1duals or congregations

Changing Culture.

There are outsiders always. These stars - These iron inklings of an Irish january, Whose light happened Thousands of years before Our pain did: they are, they always have been Outside history. Eavan Boland ( 1944-

The Trauma of Cultural Displacement.

It is important to address the multi-faceted nature of the trauma of displacement and the challenges of rebuilding life in a foreign culture if we are to gain insights into the processes involved in building culturally diverse community

Learning from Minority: Exploring Irish Protestant Experience

This paper, based on a narrative research inquiry, presents and explores a number of stories relating to the experience and identity of members of the small Irish Protestant minority. Drawing on these stories it uses Foucault‟s conceptualisation of power and discourse to consider community, social withdrawal, and two different but linked expressions of silence as acts of resistance. These were simultaneously utilised to preserve a culture and ethos diametrically opposed to the religious and political hegemony of the Irish Catholic state and to combat the threat of extinction. The article concludes that an exploration of Ireland‟s traditional religious minority not only raises awareness concerning a specific group‟s experience but extends an understanding of the issues with which minorities (in more general terms) may have to cope in order to survive

The Trauma of Cultural Displacement.

It is important to address the multi-faceted nature of the trauma of displacement and the challenges of rebuilding life in a foreign culture if we are to gain insights into the processes involved in building culturally diverse community

Writing your thesis.

Introduction, Post-positivist approaches to research, Sourcing information for your thesis

Constructing Your Thesis

This chapter explores a number of questions most commonly asked by students as they embark on writing a thesis: •What is a thesis? •How is a thesis structured? •How do I select a thesis topic? •How do I formulate a research question or hypothesis? •How can I be sure I take an objective angle in writing my thesis? •How do I start my thesis? •What is theory? •What can I expect from my supervisor? •What will I learn from writing a thesis

Creating new knowledge

Those involved in any learning situation whether as educators or as students, come to their tasks enmeshed in the contexts which form part of their wider environment. Hence they are both knowingly and unknowingly influenced by the web of conflicts, dilemmas and power differentials which are part of their system of origin. In this chapter we, the authors, recall an experience of a course where the four key players - the students, their lecturers and their respective organisations - did not share the same learning goals. The chapter examines from our perspective, the impact these differences had on classroom dynamics and highlights the need to take account of the prevailing values and circumstances in the broader environments that impinge on adult students and on their educators. Our exploration of the experience incorporated three distinct but interconnected processes. We sought (i) to construct a narrative of events; (ii) to reveal the non-conscious processes through which we filtered our experiences; and (iii) to attend to the systemic dynamics that formed the framework for interaction among the different players involved. We recognise that our reality is no more privileged than that of any of the other parties (Usher and Edwards, 1994) and therefore we recounted the events more as witnesses than as holders of the ultimate truth of what happened. Our goal was to record only our 'truth' at a particular time, recognising that this has probably changed and evolved over the years since the course was delivered, and that it is but one of a range of possible perspectives (Kenny and Gardner, 1989). We have afforded ourselves this position of 'knowing subjects' in order to further our own learning and in so doing to create useful knowledge for use in the future. We are also aware that the meanings and understandings generated by our enquiry, cannot be divorced from our subjectivity. Our approach to the topic is not that of impartial investigators. On the contrary we were active participants in the events and undertook this reflective process with the express purpose of learning how to do our job better

Views on alternatives to imprisonment: a citizens jury approach

Abstract Alarming over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australian prisons, combined with high recidivism rates and poor health and social outcomes among those released from prison, has led many to claim that incarceration is a social policy failure. An important obstacle to a reform agenda in the criminal justice area is public opinion. The public are often perceived to hold punitive attitudes towards offenders, a situation often exploited by politicians to perpetuate punitive penal policies at the expense of developing decarceration initiatives. However, alternatives to public opinion surveys/polls are needed to assess the public’s views, as survey/poll-based methods typically present shallow, unconsidered public opinion and thwart good policy development and reform. Citizens Juries offer an alternative method to assess the public’s views, views that are critically informed and thus better aid policy development. This project aimed to explore, through Citizens Juries, the views of a critically informed public in three states/territories towards how we, as a community, should address offenders in terms of incarceration and incarceration alternatives. The research focused on a range of incarceration alternatives including Justice Reinvestment. The study also aimed to examine the thoughts of senior policymakers on the outcomes of Citizens Juries. This research provides important information and evidence in the offender health area and contributes to the Justice Reinvestment debate among offender health, criminal justice, political and community stakeholders.&nbsp

Social work, meaning and suicide bereavement

here have been many dramatic changes in IriSh society in recent years. These are seen in the economy, in politics, in value systems and culture, and in community and family life. Accompanying; or resulting from these shifts has been a dramatic change in both rates and patterns of suicide. Some decades ago Ireland had one of the lowest suicide rates in Emope, now it has one of the highest