Providence and method : Herbert Butterfield and the interpretation of history

This thesis presents an extended critical analysis of the methodological thought of the Cambridge historian Herbert Butterfield (1900-1979). It is based on the full range of his published works, as well as unpublished material. It is a contribution to the history of historiography, and to the theory of history. The thesis concentrates on the relationship between Butterfield’s views on historical research and historiographical narration, and his concept of a ‘historical process’ which was the expression of a ‘providential order’. The principal problem in Butterfield’s writings is the contradiction between his advocacy of a ‘technical history’ seen as free and independent of any interpretative presupposition, and his belief in Providence and its utilisation in the course of his historiography. Firstly, the thesis argues that Butterfield employs his own presuppositions even without making explicit references to his belief in Providence. Secondly, it explains why he embraced and advocated two contradictory standpoints. Butterfield’s position is best clarified with reference to the content of his Christian beliefs. It is argued that Butterfield regarded all non-Christian interpretations of history as distorting oversimplifications. They were for him not fully scientific and rigorous, because they selected some phenomenon, or principle, or institution arising within human history and made it the central interpretative principle. He saw his own practice as exempt from this criticism. This thesis argues that Butterfield’s position is nevertheless interpretative. However, it is argued that Butterfield’s critique of ideologically based historiographic distortions and oversimplifications is important in the assessment of rival interpretations of history.

Death and late-stage dementia in institutions : a cultural analysis

The first purpose of this study was to describe the deaths of fifteen nursing home residents with late-stage dementia. The devastating effect of dementia on a person has been called a ‘living death’ (Woods, 1989). The caring which occurs when someone is going through this process in a nursing home was recorded and analysed. In analysing this act of caring, the second purpose was to look for the origins of the structures and the sources of pressure that shaped the context and therefore helped determine the behaviour of the various groups under observation. These groups were residents and their relatives, the staff of the nursing home and the treating doctors. Before commencing observations and carrying out this study, an understanding needed to be developed of: the condition of dementia as it is perceived by health professionals and presented in the media; the institutions in which the majority of people with dementia end their days; the background and conditions of the staff who nurse in them; the models of care that guide and determine policies; and the conceptions of life and death which underpin relevant laws and moral standpoints. Accordingly, in part 1. chapter 1 the history, causes, pathology and effects of dementing conditions are examined. Relevant medical and lay literature including media influences are examined which pertain to the subject of death and dementia and nursing home care. The history of this institutional care is briefly examined together with the growth of the discipline of gerontological nursing. Chapter 2 discusses some of the effects of this history on present day care and the concept of emotional work being carried out within the present day aged care public policy regulations. The moral arguments surrounding illness and dying in Australian society today are briefly discussed. Chapter 3 describes the conceptual framework for the study, the ethnographic method that has been employed and an outline of critical theory as the basis for analysis. The chapter concludes by recounting the practical steps taken to arrange the field work, secure the consent of participants, record data and gather documents, and outlines the ethical considerations given to the undertaking of the study. Chapter 4 describes the context in which the study took place and the first tentative exploration of the culture from an etic perspective. Part 2 describes the death trajectories observed and raises some questions about alternative strategies that may have been considered within a different paradigm of caring. In chapter 5 the death trajectories of each of the fifteen residents in the study are described, each written with a particular emphasis to illustrate aspects of the culture of care that emerged through thematic analysis. Observations, comments and feelings from staff and family are wound in and around these case studies. Chapter 6 looks more closely at the impact of policy and institutional pressure on the milieu in which these deaths took place. Part 3 draws conclusions from the observations and makes suggestions for emancipatory change as viewed from the author's standpoint of critical ethnographic analysis. In the final chapter an argument is presented for policy change that leads a movement towards palliative care practices for people with late-stage dementia. Approaches to implementation of palliative care will need to take account of any expression by the resident such as an advanced directive, indicating a preferred approach to treatment in the period prior to death; a need for a better understanding of such issues as the significance of body breakdown, the manifestations of pain and electrolyte imbalances; the surrounding ethical complexities and shift in public opinion, and perhaps, most of ail, the culture of the institutions in which this dying will take place. A definition of late-stage dementia which might be used in determining patterns of care is set out. A discussion about changes in practice which relate lo communication with treating doctors, the administering of antibiotics, the relief of pain, the mobilisation of residents and the provision of food and water takes place in light of the evidence found. The discussion of these issues is raised in the form of debate. Each aspect needs more rigorous analysis and information so that evidence-based practice, rather than care which is value-laden and emotional, can be used when treatment decisions are made for people with late-stage dementia.

Japanese investment on the Gold Coast : the interface of globalization and locality

This study explored the interface between the forces of globalization and a given place, at a given time, the Gold Coast during the 1980s. The global economic boom of the 1980s was one in which the role of Japan was particularly important. In less than half a decade capital flows from Japan surged to make it the world's largest investor. Locations in the Pacific Basin were favoured destinations for Japanese investment, one of the most significant was the Gold Coast. Japanese capital and tourism helped transform its urban area from a national resort to an international tourist destination and resort centre, The surge of capital arriving to the Gold Coast was a function of economic conditions in Japan, as was its steep reduction after November 1989, Thus the Gold Coast became integrated into global capital flows and so dependent on decisions made in Tokyo, one of the main financial centres of the world. However this study has also sought to explore a more complex reality; namely, that this place also became the interface of complex cultural forces and perceptions. The wealth of the Japanese investors on the Gold Coast enabled them to realize their dream of developing projects in the most fashionable global styles. These styles were essentially Western, and it was onto these that their Japanese owners ascribed their own meanings; meanings that reflected the cultural baggage that they had brought from Japan, and through which were filtered the economic and environmental realities of the Gold Coast. The Gold Coast as locality also included residents. Hence it became an interface between two different groups of people, the Japanese and the strongly Anglo-Celtic local community. Some in the local community perceived the Japanese presence as a threat to their perception of the Gold Coast, in fact, a threat to their perception of Australia's national identity. A campaign based on the politics of memory of the Japanese developed on the Gold Coast. Within weeks it became a national debate in which isolationalist, if not xenophobic traditionalists, concentrated on the Gold Coast challenged the economic rationalism and multicultural tolerance of the self-interested and ideologically convinced advocates of globalization. Governments at all levels sought to arbitrate, to legitimize standpoints, but more often than not were seen to move into positions of ineffectual flexibility. The forces of globalization on the Gold Coast were catalysts for change that in turn provoked local opposition which rapidly became a debate about national identity and direction. It is in the exploration of the complex and contradictory economic, cultural and political forces engendered by globalization that this study has sought to make a distinctive contribution.

Knowing practice in English teaching? Research challenges in representing the professional practice of English teachers

This article problematises representations of professional practice. It investigates assumptions behind received accounts of professional practice, including professional standards that purportedly capture what accomplished English teachers “should know and be able to do”, “scientific” studies that construct accounts of classrooms from the standpoint of academic researchers, and narratives written by teachers that claim to explore dimensions of classroom teaching that elude outside observers. Especially significant are attempts by practitioner researchers to develop accounts of their professional practice vis-a-vis constructions of their work from other standpoints. We argue that it is timely for practitioner researchers to reflexively examine the conditions for producing such accounts, and to address the question of the validity of their knowledge claims. Yet this is also – crucially – more than an epistemological issue, but one that requires acknowledging the primacy of practice for engaging with the complexities of classroom settings. This article gives an account of our ongoing efforts to develop forms of representation that might begin to do justice to the complexities of practice in comparison with accepted accounts of what English teachers know and do. We intend it to be read as a position paper which outlines a framework for research on English teaching as a dynamic culture practice.

Re-conceptualizing disability and assistive technology : Australian consumers driving policy change

For people living with a disability, enablers such as assistive technologies, environmental modifications and personal care can make the difference between living fully and merely existing. This article is written from the standpoints of people with disabilities and professionals in one Australian State who found their government and service system to be a constraining rather than an enabling force. It presents two key components of policy and practice change in the area of assistive technology: challenging understandings of disability, assistive technology, and the desired life outcomes that assistive technology contributes to; and building a public evidence base through consumer-focussed research. In short, government funding of assistive technology needs to move beyond a limited focus on functional needs and take responsibility for fully equipping people to live the lives they aspire to.

Social work supervision and discrimination

This article outlines a ‘mutual inquiry’ based approach to supervision using techniques,  concepts and insights drawn from social work supervision experience, a current Ph.D. institutional ethnographic research project and intersectionality. Good supervision of social work students and staff can progress efforts towards identifying and combatting discrimination, important steps towards a more socially just society. Reducing  discrimination also improves the quality of service provision with clients, often members  of the most marginalised groups in the community. Supervision to reduce discrimination needs to be shaped by humility rather than the more popular goal of competence. Humility is fostered when a supervisor and supervisee consider their work together from the standpoints of clients, and purposefully contemplate their complicities in the creation  and maintenance of discriminatory practices. This supervision approach aims to create the  vision, and ability, to challenge discriminatory policies and practices as they are normalised  and inflect at individual, supervision, organisational and societal levels.

Meet the phallic teacher: curriculum design and identity in a neoliberal imaginary

This paper introduces the concept of the phallic teacher, a spectral figure that needs to be negotiated in teachers’ everyday work and in school-based disciplinary communities of practice. Reporting the findings of a three year doctoral study completed in 2014, the paper looks closely at how English teachers design both curriculum and identity in an environment where feminist and poststructuralist work of the late 20th century seems to have lost traction.These observations are based on empirical research in a Victorian school, combined with autoethnographic writing and other materials connecting teachers’ and researchers’ lives to the broader cultural postfeminist debate. The paper makes room for an absent subject, the teacher, marginalised in neoliberal discourses of curriculum and critiques the masculinist hegemony of outcomes and standards-based education. This provides us with new ways to challenge increasingly dominant current paradigms and to conceptualise a different future in which the standpoints of teachers are privileged in curriculum theory and curricular innovation.

Meet the phallic teacher: designing curriculum and identity in a neoliberal imaginary

This paper introduces the concept of the phallic teacher, a spectral figure negotiated in teachers’ everyday work and in school-based disciplinary communities of practice. Reporting the findings of a three year Australian doctoral study completed in 2014, the paper looks closely at how English teachers design both curriculum and identity in an environment where feminist and poststructuralist work of the late 20th century seems to have lost traction. These observations made here are based on empirical research in a Victorian school, combined with autoethnographic writing and other materials connecting teachers’ and researchers’ lives to the broader cultural postfeminist debate. The paper makes room for an absent subject, the teacher, marginalised in neoliberal discourses of curriculum and critiques the masculinist hegemony of outcomes and standards-based education. This provides us with new ways to challenge increasingly dominant current paradigms and to conceptualise a different future in which the standpoints of teachers are privileged in curriculum theory and curricular innovation.