Black Like Who?: The Class of 2014 Considers Race in Dear White People

Modern educational institutions were associated with the separation of children from ordinary people and of the schoolhouse from the ordinary world, creating an educational subculture and a minority population of schoolchildren. Passage through this subculture became a universal shared experience. Higher education grew at the same time into an experience that separated those who went to college from those who did not, becoming a basis for the modern class system. Popular culture reflects this split as the college movie, a genre that addresses only part of the movie audience. As in other American institutions, there is also a split between the worlds of Black and White colleges. Only the mainstream White version of college appeared in movies until recently. The African-American-themed college movie was pioneered in School Daze. Dear White People followed that lead. The movie concerns a generation of Black college students whose perspectives rest on a familiarity with more than a half century of ideas about race in America.     

Fat Acceptance TV?: Rethinking Reality Television With TLC’s Big Sexy and the Carnivalesque

Big Sexy (2011), a television mini-series on TLC, tells the story of five “larger than life” Manhattan women working in the fashion industry. In comparison to dozens of reality television programs that emphasize weight-loss, Big Sexy critiques the idea that all fat individuals need to lose weight, or should even want to lose weight in the first place. This resistant message of fat acceptance exists in a carnivalesque televisual space, creating a site for the interplay of competing, yet increasingly co-present discourses of the body despite the dominance of “obesity epidemic” rhetoric. Ultimately, Big Sexy necessitates a different theoretical lens than the one often applied to reality television, namely neoliberalism in relation to governmentality, shame, and self-discipline, in order to make sense of its uniqueness within this continually expanding genre.     

Intercultural communication competence in retrospect: Who would have guessed?

The formative work on intercultural communication competence reflected a wide array of definitions and methodologies. In the years since it was introduced the impact concept has been substantial. First, the ICC conceptualization provided a linkage between interpersonal communication and intercultural communication. Second, the ICC concept contributed to the shift away from linear, information-transmission views of communication, in favor of transactional, constructivist perspectives on the process—perspectives that emphasized meaning and interpretational dynamics, rather than solely messages and media. Third, attention to ICC made it clear that intercultural knowledge and good intentions—without the appropriate behaviors—often lead to other-than-intended outcomes. Conversely, a culturally defined skill set, without more general knowledge, may result in outcomes that are only appropriate in particular cultural settings. Fourth, while “intercultural” began as a somewhat limited concept referring to interactions between individuals from differing national backgrounds, the concept of “culture” gradually expanded to regional, ethnic, organizational, occupational, and relational entities. Scholars of the day may have failed then to recognize the importance of the concept. Nonetheless, the competence concept envisioned in our earliest work has been influential in into writings in many areas, including relationships, organizations, healthcare, leadership and other areas (Ruben, 2006, 2014). One can only imagine how the concepts of intercultural, communication, and competence will evolve and influence the shape of future scholarship and practice within communication and other social science endeavors in the years ahead.     

Young Campers in Love: Who Are the Grown-ups in Moonrise Kingdom?

Popular culture, especially movie culture, is the arena where the struggles of the diverse cultures belonging to age groups are carried out. Moonrise Kingdom is an unusual movie, different from the usual summer or coming of age movies. In such movies, different theories of youth are displayed, providing tools for constructing the political bases of marginalization of adolescents. These theories limit the character traits that can be awarded to all subcultural groups, in this case to youth.     

The politics of media policy: how political?

This article reviews three recently published books which make an important contribution, in their different ways, to our understanding of major media policy issues in the digital era. They are all concerned with the core issue of how well media policy serves the public interest. They exemplify different approaches to the study of media policy with regard to how political they are in their content. The first two draw strongly on political science. The first might be best described as critically engaged and has an ideologically sensitive perspective on media policy in the United Kingdom and the United States. The second adopts a policy studies approach to examine the introduction of digital TV in the United Kingdom. The third, written by a media sociologist, provides a comparative study of policies for public service TV in six European countries. It offers rather less political analysis, but presents a useful policy content-focused approach. The article concludes by calling for more work on the development of policies that will ensure the continued fulfilment in the digital era of public service journalistic functions and provision of public service content.     

UK museums: Safe and sound?

The new millennium finds UK museums confronting change in their markets and a new political environment.

Recent research has shown that the museum market is static. Sustainability may be difficult for many, with only those that are small and run by volunteers escaping financial difficulties. Alongside these market factors, and following the election of the Labour government, museums are being expected to confront new challenges. While much government policy continues the thrust of the previous administration ‐ especially the focus on the national museums and galleries ‐ there have been some distinctive shifts, especially in respect of admission charges. Besides devolution to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, an increasingly important English regional agenda has developed, in which museums are expected to play a significant role.

Other influences have also had a considerable impact, such as the advent of Best Value, which requires museums funded by local councils to demonstrate their efficiency and effectiveness, and the National Lottery's significant investment in museum capital projects. While this has created some exciting new projects, it has also added to museums’ running costs at a time when market conditions are difficult. Additionally, limited opportunities for employees to progress and develop, and uncompetitive pay, make museums an unattractive career choice, thereby depriving them of the talent that will be needed to meet the public's changing needs.

All these issues provide a reason for central government to understand better the issues faced by the museum sector as a whole, and regional museums and galleries in particular. Without such national guidance, and opportunities for strategic change and rationalisation, museums may close in a disordered way, and their collections lost. In this way, the legacy of this generation to the next may be in danger.     

Who’s counting whom? Non-National museum attendances in the UK: part 1

ABSTRACT

This paper is the first part of a study on visit numbers to UK regional and local museums. It reviews the limited past research on the topic, examines the motivations for counting such visits and the means required to do so, and explores the methods used from the early nineteenth century to now. A concluding section discusses the theme within the context of modern public policy on museums.

In relating historic context to current practice, it shows that, irrespective of the general use of visit numbers as a proxy for public interest and institutional importance, the practice of collecting museum visit numbers continues to be inconsistent and their publication erratic. It suggests that the lack of accepted good practice makes this an area for improvement.     

The Globalization of Beauty: How is Ideal Beauty Influenced by Globally Published Fashion and Beauty Magazines?

The current research examined the portrayal of female beauty worldwide through a content analysis of 5577 female models in four top beauty and fashion magazines from 12 countries/regions. Different magazines used different standards to frame stories and select models, suggesting that the image of beauty was more a result of the editorial rooms than derived from objective standards. North American and European magazines dominated the beauty standards. Asian countries were relatively independent particularly in terms of sexual frames and sexual model selections. Magazines distributed in Latin America and South Africa were in danger of being assimilated into the Western norms of beauty.     

Between al-Andalus and Genoa: The “Embriaci Tower” Lustreware

This article examines a set of lustreware pottery discovered in the fill of the tower belonging to the Genoese family, the Embriaci. The finds are datable to the mid-thirteenth century, characterised by decorative patterns which are atypical in lustreware production in al-Andalus, though some comparisons can be drawn with the decorative patterns of the “vasos de la Alhambra” and the pottery known as “nazarí primitive”. The context of the discovery in Genoa will briefly be outlined, including the story of the family settlement (Part 1), the stratigraphic sequence (Part 2), and the stylistic connections to other pottery characterising it (Part 3). The formal and decorative elements characterising the lustreware pottery found in the Embriaci Tower will then be examined and compared (Part 4) with finds from the Upper Tyrrhenian region (Provence, Savona, Pisa). Part 5 will suggest that the finds are a specific type of decorated lustreware produced in the thirteenth century in al-Andalus (Murcia, Málaga and Almería). The concluding part (Part 6) will investigate the meaning of the presence of the set of imported ceramics in the “curia” of the Embriaci family in Genoa.

This type of pottery has only been discovered hitherto in excavation finds and architectural contexts (the so called “bacini”) in Italy and France. The identification of decorative and formal elements characterising this “group” of pottery will allow the identification of examples of this production outside of Italy and France. The publication of the findings will provide new data to develop an archaeological overview of commercial contacts between al-Andalus and the Tyrrhenian area (Provence, Liguria, Tuscany) during the thirteenth century.     

What Shall I Do With This Sword? Narrative,Speech and Politics in the Carnation Revolution

The vast grassroots movement triggered by the 1974 Carnation Revolution in Portugal represented an enormous challenge to filmic and literary representation. This article analyses how writers and filmmakers tried to come to terms with the event, in particular how they managed to incorporate the proliferation of written and oral discourses during the revolutionary process into their narratives. In the context of an event so deeply influenced by Marxist political cultures that aimed to collapse the distinction between theory and practice, these narratives will also allow us to consider the challenges posed by the history of communism to cultural history.     

The Left and Indonesia’s 1960s: the politics of remembering and forgetting

Abstract

This article examines a pivotal decade in the recent history of Indonesian society: the 1960s. It examines the context within which the Left came to be decisively, and violently, defeated as a social and political force. It then studies the consequences of this defeat for Indonesia’s subsequent historical trajectory. The article also suggests that history‐writing anywhere is nothing less than the politics of remembering (and forgetting). What is at stake in these exercises is ultimately tied up with the legitimacy of entire social orders and systems of power. Thus, in Indonesia, the trauma of 1965 and its aftermath banished, from the collective memory of Indonesians, the political role of the Left – except in the form that runs through New Order‐era discourse on Indonesian communism. For Indonesians born or raised after 1965, the ‘communist treason’ became, arguably, the most critical element of the grand narrative of post‐colonial Indonesian history, which was so important in legitimising New Order authoritarianism. The current inability of Indonesian society and its elites to acknowledge and confront the reality of the horrors of the 1960s might prove to be a major impediment to a more genuine and substantive democratisation process.     

The effect of perceived overqualification on job satisfaction and career satisfaction among immigrants: Does host national identity matter?

Overqualification is a form of person-job misfit that is common among those who reside in a foreign country. It is associated with poor work-related well-being and can inhibit full adjustment to the host society. The goal of our study is to examine the impact of perceived overqualification on job satisfaction and career satisfaction among immigrants. Furthermore, we investigated immigrants’ host national identity as a moderator of the impact of perceived overqualification on job satisfaction and career satisfaction. We analysed longitudinal online survey data from 124 Italian and Spanish immigrants who migrated to Germany between 2000 and 2014. Regression analyses show that perceived overqualification is negatively associated with job satisfaction six months later. Furthermore, host national identity moderates the association between perceived overqualification and job satisfaction: low overqualification is beneficial for job satisfaction whereas high overqualification is a threat for job satisfaction, especially for immigrants who identify strongly with the host society. We do not find corresponding direct and moderating effects on career satisfaction. We conclude that indicators of acculturation, such as host national identity, are worth considering in order to understand the impact of person-job misfit on work-related well-being among immigrants.     

The Last and Most Developed Naṣrid Palace in the Alhambra: The Alijares and Its Country Estate (Fourteenth Century)

The country estate (al-munya, almunia in Spanish) of the Alijares occupied grounds near the Alhambra and the Generalife, although it was higher up. It was constructed at the peak of the Na?rid dynasty's splendour, during the last stage of the reign of Mu?ammad V (r.1354–1359 / 1362–1391), after he had finished the Palace of the Lions.

The Alijares formed the last link in the chain in the stylistic development of the palaces of al-Andalus. When its founder decided on the features of the Alijares, he was in search of something that was completely innovative, as he had already undertaken work in the medinas of Granada and in the Alhambra that turned out to be a transformation of the architectural forms so far developed.

Life in the palace and the al-munya was cut short by sizeable earthquake in 1431, which coincided with a hard Castilian military campaign against the Kingdom of Granada. The consequences of the allegiance formed after the Na?rid defeat hindered the reconstruction of the Alijares, and so the royal buildings above the Royal Water Channel (Acequia Real) of the Alhambra were abandoned. Although time has erased many of the traces of the palace and its al-munya, we have extensive knowledge of its main architectural features, thanks to an analysis of all the available sources.     

Does the term matter? The labeling effect on the perception of ethnic minorities: The case of The Romani in Serbia

Empirical research on the impact of linguistic labels on social perceptions is scarce, especially in the context of ethnic groups. Across three studies (N = 1185), we investigated the impact of labels on perceptions of the Romani ethnic group by non-Romani participants in Serbia. In Study 1 (N = 244), we found some evidence that the Romani elicit more positive perceptions (more sociable and competent) when labeled with the neutral (vs. derogatory) term. In two follow-up studies, we focused on investigating potential mechanisms. In Study 2, we tested whether positive perceptions emerged via perceived higher status, while in Study 3 we focused on the motivation to respond without prejudice and sensitivity to hate speech. Study 2 (N = 467) replicated the labeling effect showing that Romani were perceived more positively (more sociable and moral) when labeled with the neutral term. However, we found no support for perceived group status as a mechanism. Study 3 (N = 474) did not corroborate the labeling effect but found the higher external motivation to respond without prejudice (potential mechanism). Meta-analytic effects showed that Romani were perceived as more moral, sociable, and competent when the neutral term was used. These effects were to some extent moderated by ideology as they existed only for right-wing individuals. We conclude that the effect is much smaller than the effects in previous comparable studies.