Niagara alternative food projects : networks, discourses and nature /

This thesis undertakes an exploration of the nature of alternative food projects in Niagara. A review of various theoretical approaches to the study of food and agriculture, suggests that actor-network theory offers the most useful lens through which to understand these projects. In particular, actor-network theory facilitates non-dualistic theorisations of power and scale and a commitment to the inclusion of non-humans in the 'social' sciences. The research is based on 19 in-depth interviews with actors involved in various urban and rural projects including community supported agriculture, community gardens, chefs using local seasonal food, a winery that grows organically, the good food box, a value-added small business, and organic producers. The analysis consists of four themes. The first analytical section pays special attention to the prominence of agri-tourism in Niagara, and examines the ways in which the projects in the sample interact with agri-tourist networks. In the second section the discussion focuses on the discourses and practices of resistance among Niagara alternative food actors. The participants' interviews suggest there are more discourses of resistance toward agri-tourist than toward dominant food networks. The third section questions commodity chain theorisations of alternative food projects. In particular, this section shows how the inclusion of non-human actors in an analysis confounds conceptualisations of 'short' and 'local' chains. The final analytical section assesses relations of power in Niagara alternative food projects. Three important conclusions arise from this research. First, Niagara alternative food projects cannot be conceptualised as operating at the 'local' scale. Broadening the scope of analysis to include non-human actors, it becomes apparent that these projects actually draw on a variety of extra-local actors. They are at once local and global. Second, the projects in this sample are simultaneously part of alternative, dominant and agri-tourist networks. While Niagara alternative food projects do perform many of the roles characteristic of alternative food systems, they are also involved in practices of development, business, and class distinction. Thus, alternative food networks should not be understood as separate from and in direct opposition to dominant food networks. Despite the second conclusion, this research determines that Niagara alternative food projects have made significant strides in the reworking of power. The projects represented in this thesis do engage in resistant practices and are associated with increased levels ofjustice.

Companies��� practices and social responsibility: cases of companies in the French tourist sector

This article examines the firms���practices in the French tourist sector. By confronting the concepts defined in the literature on the social responsibility and what really happens in companies, the current research shows that the studied firms implement a minimal social responsibility which remains well below the expectation level of some stakeholders. This situation is explained by several factors, namely structural. Finally, the paper suggests ways to improve the concept of social responsibility.

Order and the literary rendering of chaos : children's literature as knowledge, order, and social foundation

Depuis que l'animal humain a con��u un syst��me de technologies pour la pens��e abstraite gr��ce au langage, la guerre contre le monde sauvage est devenu une voie �� sens unique vers l'ali��nation, la civilisation et la litt��rature. Le but de ce travail est d'analyser comment les r��cits civilisationnels donnent une structure �� l'exp��rience par le biais de la s��gr��gation, de la domestication, de la s��lection, et de l'extermination, tandis que les r��cits sauvages d��montrent les possibilit��s infinies du chaos pour d��couvrir le monde en toute sa diversit�� et en lien avec sa communaut�� de vie. Un des objectifs de cette th��se a ��t�� de combler le foss�� entre la science et la litt��rature, et d'examiner l'interd��pendance de la fiction et la r��alit��. Un autre objectif a ��t�� de mettre ces r��cits au c��ur d'un dialogue les uns avec les autres, ainsi que de tracer leur expression dans les diff��rentes disciplines et ��uvres pour enfants et adultes mais ��galement d���analyser leur manifestations c���est redondant dans la vie r��elle. C'est un effort multi-disciplinaires qui se refl��te dans la combinaison de m��thodes de recherche en anthropologie et en ��tudes litt��raires. Cette analyse compare et contraste trois livres de fiction pour enfants qui pr��sentent trois diff��rents paradigmes socio-��conomiques, �� savoir, ��Winnie-l'Ourson�� de Milne qui met en place un monde civilis�� monarcho-capitaliste, la trilogie de Nosov sur ��les aventures de Neznaika et ses amis�� qui pr��sente les d��fis et les exploits d'une soci��t�� anarcho-socialiste dans son ��volution du primitivisme vers la technologie, et les livres de Moomines de Jansson, qui repr��sentent le chaos, l'anarchie, et l'��tat sauvage qui contient tout, y compris des ��pisodes de civilisation. En axant la m��thodologie de ma recherche sur la fa��on dont nous connaissons le monde, j'ai d'abord examin�� la construction, la transmission et l'acquisition des connaissances, en particulier �� travers la th��orie de praxis de Bourdieu et la critique de la civilisation d��velopp��e dans les ��tudes de Zerzan, Ong, et Goody sur les liens entre l'alphab��tisation, la dette et l'oppression. Quant �� la litt��rature pour enfants, j'ai choisi trois livres que j���ai connus pendant mon enfance, c'est-��-dire des livres qui sont devenus comme une ��langue maternelle�� pour moi. En ce sens, ce travail est aussi de ��l���anthropologie du champ natif��. En outre, j���analyse les pr��misses sous-jacentes qui se trouvent non seulement dans les trois livres, mais dans le d��roulement des r��cits de l'��tat sauvage et de la civilisation dans la vie r��elle, des analyses qui paraissent dans cette th��se sous la forme d'extraits d���un journal ethnographique. De m��me que j���examine la nature de la litt��rature ainsi que des structures civilis��es qui domestiquent le monde au moyen de menaces de mort, je trace aussi la pr��sence de ces r��cits dans l'expression scientifique (le r��cit malthusien-darwinien), religieuse, et dans autres expressions culturelles, et r��fl��chis sur les d��fis pr��sent��s par la th��orie anarchiste (Kropotkine) ainsi que par les livres pour enfants ��crits du point de vue sauvage, tels que ceux des Moomines.

On intentional and social agents with graded attitudes

La principal contribuci��n de esta Tesis es la propuesta de un modelo de agente BDI graduado (g-BDI) que permita especificar una arquitetura de agente capaz de representar y razonar con actitudes mentales graduadas. Consideramos que una arquitectura BDI m��s exible permitir�� desarrollar agentes que alcancen mejor performance en entornos inciertos y din��micos, al servicio de otros agentes (humanos o no) que puedan tener un conjunto de motivaciones graduadas. En el modelo g-BDI, las actitudes graduadas del agente tienen una representaci��n expl��cita y adecuada. Los grados en las creencias representan la medida en que el agente cree que una f��rmula es verdadera, en los deseos positivos o negativos permiten al agente establecer respectivamente, diferentes niveles de preferencias o de rechazo. Las graduaciones en las intenciones tambi��n dan una medida de preferencia pero en este caso, modelan el costo/beneficio que le trae al agente alcanzar una meta. Luego, a partir de la representaci��n e interacci��n de estas actitudes graduadas, pueden ser modelados agentes que muestren diferentes tipos de comportamiento. La formalizaci��n del modelo g-BDI est�� basada en los sistemas multi-contextos. Diferentes l��gicas modales multivaluadas se han propuesto para representar y razonar sobre las creencias, deseos e intenciones, presentando en cada caso una axiom��tica completa y consistente. Para tratar con la sem��ntica operacional del modelo de agente, primero se defini�� un calculus para la ejecuci��n de sistemas multi-contextos, denominado Multi-context calculus. Luego, mediante este calculus se le ha dado al modelo g-BDI sem��ntica computacional. Por otra parte, se ha presentado una metodolog��a para la ingenier��a de agentes g-BDI en un escenario multiagente. El objeto de esta propuesta es guiar el dise��o de sistemas multiagentes, a partir de un problema del mundo real. Por medio del desarrollo de un sistema recomendador en turismo como caso de estudio, donde el agente recomendador tiene una arquitectura g-BDI, se ha mostrado que este modelo es valioso para dise��ar e implementar agentes concretos. Finalmente, usando este caso de estudio se ha realizado una experimentaci��n sobre la flexibilidad y performance del modelo de agente g-BDI, demostrando que es ��til para desarrollar agentes que manifiesten conductas diversas. Tambi��n se ha mostrado que los resultados obtenidos con estos agentes recomendadores modelizados con actitudes graduadas, son mejores que aquellos alcanzados por los agentes con actitudes no-graduadas.

Reading comprehension in autism spectrum disorders: The role of oral language and social functioning

Reading comprehension is an area of difficulty for many individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). According to the Simple View of Reading, word recognition and oral language are both important determinants of reading comprehension ability. We provide a novel test of this model in 100 adolescents with ASD of varying intellectual ability. Further, we explore whether reading comprehension is additionally influenced by individual differences in social behaviour and social cognition in ASD. Adolescents with ASD aged 14-16 years completed assessments indexing word recognition, oral language, reading comprehension, social behaviour and social cognition. Regression analyses show that both word recognition and oral language explain unique variance in reading comprehension. Further, measures of social behaviour and social cognition predict reading comprehension after controlling for the variance explained by word recognition and oral language. This indicates that word recognition, oral language and social impairments may constrain reading comprehension in ASD.

Community engagement and social organization: introducing concepts, policy and practical applications

This chapter provides an introductory overview of how the term ���community��� has been conceptualized in sociological literatures, noting that there remains considerable uncertainty with regard to the way in which communities could or should be defined. The chapter examines the salience of underlying concepts of social organization that can shape and influence the extent to which programmes of engagement are likely to be successful. Drawing on recent empirical work some of the key opportunities and challenges for local government in translating the concepts into practice are considered.

Real estate and social inequality in Latin America: approaches in Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Colombia

Latin America is known as the most unequal region in the world, where extreme displays��of wealth and exposure to scarcity lay bare in the urban landscape. Inequality is not just a social issue; it has considerable impact on economic development. This is because social inequality generates instability and conflict, which can create unsettling conditions for investment. At the macro level, social inequality can also present barriers to economic development, as most government policies and resources tend to be directed in solving social conflict rather than to promote and generate growth. This is one of the reasons usually cited in explaining the development gap between Latin America and other emerging economies, take East Asia for example - they have similar policies to those applied recently in Latin America, but are achieving better growth. The other reason cited is institutional; this includes governance as well as property rights and enforcement of contracts.��The latter is the focus of this chapter.

Social innovation and social entrepreneurship a systematic review

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) literature suggests CSR initiatives extend beyond meeting the immediate interests of stakeholders of for-profit enterprises, offering the potential to also enhance performance. Growing disillusionment of for-profit business models has drawn attention to social entrepreneurship and social innovation to ease social issues. Adopting a systematic review of relevant research, the article provides collective insights into research linking social innovation with social entrepreneurship, demonstrating growing interest in the area over the last decade. The past 5 years have seen a surge in attention with particular focus on the role of the entrepreneur, networks, systems, institutions, and cross-sectoral partnerships. Based on the findings of the review, the authors synthesize formerly dispersed fields of research into an analytical framework, signposting a ���systems of innovation��� approach for future studies of social innovation and social entrepreneurship.

Looking back, moving forward: drama, disability and social justice

The aim of this chapter is to briefly outline how disability has been represented in theatre, what access disabled people have had to drama and theatre in the past, and what might be achieved in the pursuit of social justice with young people in relation to awareness of and provision for disability. It will focus in particular on how disability has been addressed in drama education and what assumptions have been made regarding drama and disability in education. In considering such issues one might perceive manifestations of what Freebody and Finneran (2013) recognise as an overlapping and ���somewhat artificially created dichotomy between drama for social justice and drama about social justice.��� This chapter will examine some examples of how drama has been used to give students in mainstream schools insights into disability, and the philosophy that underpins the drama curriculum of one special school where the focus is on drama as social justice: the argument being that in some cases simply doing drama is, in effect, a manifestation of social justice. Finally, some of the progress made in recent years regarding access and engagement will be addressed through specific reference to the authors��� on-going work into ���performing social research��� (Shah, 2013) and how theatres are increasingly attempting to give more access to disabled young people and their families by offering ���relaxed performances.���

Access to knoledge in Brazil: new research on intellectual property, innovation and development

The present volume is the fruit of a research initiative on Access to Knowledge begun in 2004 by Yochai Benkler, Eddan Katz, and myself. Access to Knowledge is both a social movement and an approach to international and domestic policy. In the present era of globalization, intellectual property and information and communications technology are major determinants of wealth and power. The principle of access to knowledge argues that we best serve both human rights and economic development through policies that make knowledge, knowledge-creating tools, and nowledgeembedded goods as widely available as possible for decentralized innovation and use. Open technological standards, a balanced approach to intellectual property rights, and expansion of an open telecommunications infrastructure enable ordinary people around the world to benefit from the technological advances of the information age and allow them to generate a vibrant, participatory and democratic culture. Law plays a crucial role in securing access to knowledge, determining whether knowledge and knowledge goods are shared widely for the benefit of all, or controlled and monopolized for the benefit of a few.

Intellectual property rights and sustainable development: a survey of major issues

Includes bibliography

Social sciences and social reality in Central America

Includes bibliography