Aid to Children of Imprisoned Mothers: An Ethnographic Study

In the context of the developing generational divide in contemporary African-American social life, this study examines the not-for-profit organization, Aid to Children of Imprisoned Mothers (AIM), and its successes and challenges in transitioning youth to leadership. I examine AIM's organizational culture and its ability to transition youth -- its staff, volunteers and clients -- into leadership in partnership with the adult leadership of the organization. The mission of AIM is, "To inspire hope and empower children of incarcerated mothers through programs and services that lessen the impact of the mother's incarceration." Implicit in this mission is the development of leadership and decision-making skills of the participants in the program as essential to breaking the cycle of poverty and incarceration in the families and communities of the participating individuals. While the generation gap within the African-American community is one specific issue in the contemporary social context in which AIM operates, other issues such as negative social forces that reinforce a cycle of incarceration and poverty, as well as the educational and socio-economic gap between service providers and clients, also challenge its goal of meeting its mission. Children of incarcerated parents generally live in environments where substance abuse and criminal activity are common. With an incarcerated parent, the family unit is weakened in its ability to shield the child from factors that negatively the child's social development. AIM attempts to provide guidance and social support for the participants in its program to break the cycle of incarceration in the family and the community

Television, identity and diaspora youth: a visual ethnographic study

Media discourses and popular culture offer a broad range of symbolical sources on which teenagers can rely to give meaning to their everyday life experiences and by consequence play a possible role in the identity constructions of young people (Brown; Arnett; Durham). Since adolescent diaspora television use is characterized by hybridization in terms of program preferences and choice as they watch transnational, global as local television content, the possible role of discursive practices in their identity constructions is complex and lacks in academic research. This article tries to understand how second generation diaspora girls (age 14-16) from Turkish descent in Belgium give meaning and negotiate media representations of gender and ethnicity and whether such representations play a constitutive role in girls' identity constructions. Moreover, in an increasingly multicultural society, where racial and ethno cultural divisions are complicating the social picture, there is a great necessity for research that offers a contextually nuanced exploration of girls’ socialization and its impending outcomes. To this end, we will use extensive visual ethnographical methods. European research recently started to employ 'visual ethnographical methods' (Buckingham & De Block; Niesyto, Buckingham & Fisherkeller) or 'visual creative methods' (Gauntlett & Awan), where participants produce their own media in order to give explanations for the role of media in everyday life and their construction of identities. Especially adolescents’ identities are subject of this stance of research because "If somebody-in nowadays media society-wants to learn something about youth’s ideas, feelings and their ways of experiencing the world, he or she should give them a chance to express themselves also by means of their own self-made media products" (Niesyto 137). The study contains four creative research stages and will last about one month (November 2010). In the first exploratory phase, the girls are asked to make a collage representing their 'ideal television program' by using magazines, drawing material and Polaroid photo cameras. Afterwards, collages are presented and discussed in group. In the subsequent phases, the participants get an introductory course on camera use where basic filmmaking principles are learnt. Respondents are then divided in groups and asked to film a trailer for their ideal television fiction program where they present characters, themes, title, genre, music, etc. Afterwards, the films are edited based on choices made by the girls themselves. In the end, the videos are presented to each other and their families. During all research stages, conversations, negotiations and discussions are audio-taped. This research provides rich, various and in-depth material that is not solely 'verbal' but provides 'non-verbal', 'creative artifacts' as well. Moreover, the process of video production involves negotiation and interaction with others contributing to social identity constructions. Furthermore, participants are given time to reflect on their thoughts and feelings about representations on the television screen before producing a response. Next to methodological relevance, this research empowers young people who risk social and political disempowerment. Also, it enables youngsters to develop technical skills and experiment with different forms of representation which can result in an augmented media literacy (Buckingham)

Taken by strum: ukuleles and participatory music-making in Hamilton, Aotearoa/New Zealand

Ethnographic study of ukulele playing in Hamilton, N

Karo Kari : the murder of honour in Sindh Pakistan : an ethnographic study

This paper aims to discuss the wider context, in which honour murders occur, the social structures which contribute to the occurrence and perpetuation of the practice of honour murders. An ethnographic fieldwork was conducted in Jacobabad Sindh, Pakistan. The study found that honour murders were not solely driven by customs and traditions, but also by a feudal culture, male-dominated social structures, the complicit role of state institutions and law enforcement agencies and a web of vested interests. Therefore, honour murders may be prevented by reducing the influence and interference of feudal lords on state institutions, in particular law enforcement agencies, and by promoting education that challenges a patriarchal and feudal mind-set in the community

Language and anxiety: an ethnographic study of international postgraduate students

This paper presents some findings from an ethnographic study of international postgraduate students at a university in the South of England, which involved interviews and participant observation over a twelve-month academic year. One of the major themes that emerged from this research was students’ anxiety over their level of English language. Although all students entered their course with a minimum level of IELTS 6, the majority felt disadvantaged by particularly poor spoken English, and suffered feelings of anxiety, shame and inferiority. Low self-confidence meant that they felt ill-equipped to engage in class discussion and in social interaction which used English as the medium of communication. A common reaction to stress caused by language problems was to retreat into monoethnic communication with students from the same country, further inhibiting progress in language. Whilst some linguistic progress was made by nearly all students during the academic sojourn, the anxiety suffered by students in the initial stage must not be underestimated, and appropriate support systems must be put in place to alleviate their distress

Behind the Seams: An Ethnographic Study of the Performative Nature of Theatrical Costumes

Actors are said to bring a play to life, but what about the garments that they wear? Like set production, light design, and direction, the role of the costume plays an important part in informing and enchanting the audience. However, this is not all that they do. This paper acts as an in-depth examination of the culture of costume creation and destruction at Gettysburg College, researching their roles as garments, as well as how the garments themselves act around others. Imbued with their own set of responsibilities, the costumes are expected to behave certain ways, perform specific functions, and put on a show of their own. Through 20 hours of ethnographic research, this paper seeks to show that the costumes are not just as single component of the theatrical experience, but instead an integral performer in the social construction of the story itself

‘Children not trophies’: an ethnographic study of private family law practice in England

The welfare of the child in the context of private family law proceedings is of significant international interest. This paper presents findings from an ethnographic study of private law proceedings in England, which explored legal professionals’ experiences of and practice within space and place. Data are derived from interviews with professionals, and observations from the waiting areas, canteens, interview rooms and offices of lawyers who represent parents in private family law proceedings. The paper focuses on winners and losers in the area of private family law, and the ‘trophy’, the child, who appears to be lost in the battleground of legal proceedings, but remains the ultimate prize. The concept of space is explored before moving to reflect upon the data from the interviews. The themes that emerge from the data are the relationships between the public space of the court and the vulnerability of the parties as they attempt with greater or less ease, to navigate the complexities of this formal and procedurally driven space. This paper explores the idea of the child as the ultimate ‘trophy’ within private law proceedings to consider its significance for family justice practice in England, and to elicit a greater understanding of the importance of space and place in private law proceedings that have remained largely unexplored