Subcultural capital and the female 'underclass'? A feminist response to an underclass discourse

It is often argued that economically marginalized young women occupy a school and post-school underclass, and that this underclass has a particular culture associated with it. Such views provoke a profound ambivalence in many of those who work with such young people. On the one hand, they are anxious to acknowledge the culture of the communities to which marginalized young women belong. On the other hand, they wish to avoid the pernicious implications of underclass theories that suggest disadvantage is the result of the culture and values of marginalized social groupings. This paper offers an overview and feminist critique of the structuralist and cultural or behaviourist strands of underclass theory. It focuses particularly on the work of Charles Murray, a major proponent of the culturalist perspective and the representation of the single mother in this discourse. It then considers how a less punitive theorization of marginalized cultures might be achieved by drawing on and adapting concepts from Pierre Bourdieu's sociology. The paper reflects on how such ideas might serve as a way of exploring how gender impacts on the forms of cultural capital available to young women in difficult economic circumstances.

If the Tasmanian Tiger were found, what should we do? An interdisciplinary guide to endangered species recovery

The Tasmanian tiger, or thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus), is a wolf-like carnivorous marsupial last reported in the 1930s in Tasmania, an island state of Australia. Although the species is likely extinct, sightings are reported annually. A fictional scenario is described in which a female thylacine with four pouched young is captured. This scenario is explored and an interdisciplinary approach to endangered species recovery is introduced. This approach is applicable to all endangered species recovery efforts and focuses on the principal dimensions of recovery: (1) orienting to the problem at hand and meeting it successfully; (2) understanding the recovery effort itself, its full context, and the required management (decision) process; (3) using a broad range of methods; and (4) integrating research results into a comprehensive recovery process (picture of the whole). By using this interdisciplinary approach, recovery can be systematically understood, best managed, and restoration prospects enhanced.

Empowering practitioners to critically examine their current practice

A Self-Assessment Manual (SAM) for early childhood practitioners has been developed around the previously reported framework (Raban, Waniganayake, Deans, Brown & Reynolds, 2003a), and this has been piloted in a number of early childhood settings. When engaging in self reflection using SAM, practitioners collaborate with mentors from the Early Childhood Consortium Victoria (ECCV) to consider their past, present and future professional experiences. This process empowers practitioners to critically examine their current practice and plan for their future professional development in a more systematic way. SAM is seen here to serve dual purposes: on the one hand, it is an evaluative instrument that can direct professional development of individual practitioners. On the other hand, it is a research tool aimed at identifying theoretical assumptions underpinning professional practice, and allows a longitudinal approach to mapping professional growth and development. Either way, it has the potential to enhance the quality of early childhood experiences for preschool children regardless of the settings in which they may find themselves. This paper presents a formative evaluation of this work and discusses its potential for professional development planning.

On-track to what? Foucauldian analysis of Victorian post-compulsory education policy

Current ideas of adolescent development portray a slow steady movement toward adulthood. These notions developed hand in hand with social practices that evolved in the latter half of the 19th century and contemporaneously with modernisation. During this period conceptions of adolescence included longer stays in school, organised leisure activities, juvenile justice policies and the protection of youth from child labour. Lesko (2001) works from a position that the modern age is defined by time, an understanding that events and change are meaningful in their occurrence in and through time. She examines adolescence as partaking of panoptical time which is condensed and commodified; a time framework that compels us - scholars, educators, parents, and teenagers - to attend to progress, precocity, arrest, or decline" (2001 p.41). Panoptical time can be used to explore how ideas of what is 'normal' development can be used to privilege particular ways of being an adolescent, to monitor who is deemed to be 'at risk' of not conforming to that model and to govern their behaviour. A Foucauldian analysis suggests the formation of 'at risk' identities reflects historically specific discourses. An understanding of how these and other discursive constructions are formed opens the way for resistance. This presentation explores the recent implementation of On-Track and On-Track Connect within Victorian government policy and explores the experience of a Local Learning and Employment Network in implementing the policy.

A new Brachiopod fauna from the early to middle permian of Southern Qinghai Province, Northwest China

A new brachiopod fauna is described from the Early and Middle Permian of Zadoi and Zhidoi counties, southern Qinghai (Changdu block), northwest China. This fauna includes 13 species in nine genera with Spinomarginifera concentrica n. sp. and Transennatia waterhousei n. sp. The Early to Middle Permian brachiopod fauna from southern Qinghai is very similar to the contemporary Cathaysian faunas of South China with which the new fauna shares 70 per cent of its species. On the other hand, the Qinghai brachiopods also demonstrate a significant link with the Permian brachiopod fauna of the Sino-Mongolian-Japanese Province in northeast China, as suggested by Marginifera septentrionalis and Attenuatella. In particular, the occurrence of the bipolar brachiopod genus Attenuatella suggests that southern Qinghai may have played an important role as a biogeographic stepping stone in the marine faunal interchanges between the northern and southern hemispheres during the Early and Middle Permian.

Fighting fatigue whilst fighting bushfire : an overview of factors contributing to firefighter fatigue during bushfire suppression

Aching muscles and joints, lethargy, and sleepiness are all signs of firefighter fatigue during bushfire suppression. If not managed, fatigue may lead to injury or illness for the individual, which may also compromise the safety and productivity of their crew. Understanding the many sources of firefighter fatigue is, therefore, fundamental for all Australian fire agencies. This article will briefly address  several factors thought to contribute to firefighter fatigue including; sleep loss, firefighter’s work activity, their hydration, and nutrition, the hot and smoky  working environment, firefighter’s physical fitness and their experience. This brief overview draws on findings from firefighting research and the broader scientific literature.