Surviving in violent conflicts: Chinese interpreters in the second Sino-Japanese War (1931-1945)

In the past decade interpreting studies has gradually adopted a sociological perspective, taking into account social and cultural factors that affect interpreters actual behaviour in different settings. However, there have been few studies of interpreters practices as forms of social interaction, especially of the ways in which they become professionals and operate as social agents. Drawing upon Pierre Bourdieus theory of practice, this thesis aims to offer a contribution to the history of interpreting by examining the professional training and practices of Chinese interpreters during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1931-1945). On the basis of Bourdieus concept of field, this thesis reconstructs three competing fields dominated by three political and military powers: the Chinese Kuomingtang (KMT) government, the Chinese Communist Party, and the Japanese forces. By investigating interpreters training, employment and practices within these three fields, the thesis examines how the interpreting profession was affected by shifts in foreign policy, and how interpreters professional habitus were formed through their training and interaction with other social agents and institutions. It then highlights the interpreters active position-taking in pursuit of individual interests by examining particular interpreters career development through case studies of two interpreters, Xia Wenyun and Yan Jiarui, who served the Japanese forces and the Chinese KMT government, respectively. The study shows that the practices of the interpreters were broader than the scope of language transfer. In order to survive violent conflicts, interpreters often intertwined their interpreting with other political and professional activities. For them, interpreting was not a mere linguistic practice, but a strategy for self-protection, a route to power, or just a chance for a better life. Frequently crossing social, political and military borders, interpreters sometimes played a crucial cushioning role by protecting local residents from loss of life and property during the war.

Connecting a sociology of childhood perspective with the study of child health, illness and wellbeing:introduction

In the last decades we have seen a growing interest in research into children's own experiences and understandings of health and illness. This development, we would argue, is much stimulated by the sociology of childhood which has drawn our attention to how children as a social group are placed and perceived within the structure of society, and within inter-generational relations, as well as how children are social agents and co-constructors of their social world. Drawing on this tradition, we here address some cross-cutting themes that we think are important to further the study of child health: situating children within health policy, drawing attention to practices around children's health and well-being and a focus on children as health actors. The paper contributes to a critical analysis of child health policy and notions of child health and normality, pointing to theoretical and empirical research potential for the sociology of children's health and illness.

Connecting a sociology of childhood perspective with the study of child health, illness and wellbeing:introduction

This chapter focuses on concepts and theoretical points of departure found in child health and wellbeing studies. Firstly, seeing children as a social group draws attention to the ways this group is placed and perceived in the structures of societies. Children as a social group need to be understood in relation to other social groups. Secondly, understanding children as social agents and as co-constructors of their social worlds is fundamental to studying their experiences and ways of dealing with health and wellbeing in everyday life. Thirdly, in recent years, there has been a turn towards seeing children as beings. The chapter discusses the child health issues and concerns in contemporary society. Children are diagnosed with an increasing range of conditions and are subject to more and more elaborate child health and welfare interventions, reflecting a medical perspective on the changing panorama of illness and health risks in the 21st century.

Usuários de crack, instituições e modos de subjetivação: estudo das práticas e da eficácia terapêutica em uma comunidade terapêutica religiosa (RN)

This anthropological research has as main goal to grasp the meanings and perceptions - mode of subjectivity - of crack users in relation to the proposals of Therapeutic Communities (TC) of religious character. The work emphasizes the analysis of Therapeutic Communities of Rio Grande do Norte state, studying a particular organization, called Anzóis da Dor. I intend to analyze qualitative data, focusing on an analysis of the discursive content of speeches and the observation of social interaction, which results in an ethnographic text characterized by a dense description. In relation to the dissertation’s specific goals, we seek to present a general overview of the emergence and development of Therapeutic Communities – encompassing general and local considerations - and pointing out to the dynamics of religious healing systems of these institutions, besides the principles that guide them. In methodological terms, I conducted the partial mapping of therapeutic communities located in Rio Grande do Norte state; interviews with Therapeutic Communities coordinators, visits, participant observation in one of these institutions as well as some interviews with crack users and people close to these social agents in relation to the Therapeutic Communities and the treatment offered by them

A política nacional de educação ambiental: limites e desafios para a sua efetivação na Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte

The Environmental Education is a plural and diversified knowledge field, composed by a group of social agents of specific State, government and civil society sectors, with different world views and theoretical matrices that exercised and influenced its genealogy and constitutive dynamic. The Environmental Education – while specific knowledge field – has been produced, systematized and diffused in Brazil in the last decades by official State organisms, through public policies, as well as by social movements of popular education, and constitutes a large and historical movement about the environmental question, that was worldwide projected in the 1960 decade (the environmentalist movement). Concerning the creation of public policies and specific programs to the Environmental Education, in the scope of the governmental initiative, the approval of the National Policy of Environmental Education, by means of the Law n. 9.795/99 – together with its regulatory decree, the Decree nº 4.281 – represents the consolidation of a inclusion process of the environmental dimension in the educational field. These normative acts, beyond charging the public power with the incumbency to define public policies that incorporate the environmental dimension and to promote the Environmental Education in all education levels, also charge the educational institution with the duty of promoting this component in an integrated and articulated way with the educational programs that such institutions develop. In this context, it is aimed to identify and analyze under the light of the dialectical and historical materialism, the practices and concepts developed under the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), with regard to its institutional policy on Environmental Education, relating it to establishing the Pnea. The analysis by means specific legislation on the subject and institutional documents UFRN. The research showed that, in general, the National Environmental Education Policy has limits to its effectiveness given the absence of specific funding for this purpose and the little government involvement in that the Brazilian State assumes, by through effective policies, the material conditions of financing actions with respect to this field of education. The fragmented and disjointed way the analyzed actions are developed constitutes a limit to the challenge for the UFRN implement, consistently and objectively, an Environmental Education policy, which can be monitored and evaluated as an effective public policy, both landmarks major goal of own Pnea as the demands of development whose agenda a critical environmental perspective.

Os conceitos de "Cultura Esportiva" e "Habitus Esportivo" : Distanciamentos e aproximaçoes

This work deals with two concepts which serve as a support for studies on sport: "sport culture" and "sport habitus". We aim to identify points of intersection and differences between them in the Brazilian field of Physical Education. We conclude that sport culture concept corresponds to the descriptive and structural dimensions of culture conformation in relation to sport in contemporary society, marked by the phenomenon of economic globalization. This concept refers to the symbolic conception of culture that understands the meanings and directions assigned to the sport phenomenon and to its practice by different individuals and social groups. The sport habitus gradually acquired through the exposure of social agents to the logic of the sport field, corresponds to a willingness to think, to make sense and to act in this space. Not everything that is culturally produced in sports is incorporated in the form of sport habitus, but the habitus is based on aspects of culture. That is, the sport culture has a plurality of manifestations that are not always incorporated in the form of a habitus. The aspect that differentiates the manipulation of concepts of culture and sport habitus is the analytical focus of each, working with both in a complementary manner might become a theoretical and methodological option that contributes to the enlargement of the analysis.

Os conceitos de "Cultura Esportiva" e "Habitus Esportivo" : Distanciamentos e aproximaçoes

This work deals with two concepts which serve as a support for studies on sport: "sport culture" and "sport habitus". We aim to identify points of intersection and differences between them in the Brazilian field of Physical Education. We conclude that sport culture concept corresponds to the descriptive and structural dimensions of culture conformation in relation to sport in contemporary society, marked by the phenomenon of economic globalization. This concept refers to the symbolic conception of culture that understands the meanings and directions assigned to the sport phenomenon and to its practice by different individuals and social groups. The sport habitus gradually acquired through the exposure of social agents to the logic of the sport field, corresponds to a willingness to think, to make sense and to act in this space. Not everything that is culturally produced in sports is incorporated in the form of sport habitus, but the habitus is based on aspects of culture. That is, the sport culture has a plurality of manifestations that are not always incorporated in the form of a habitus. The aspect that differentiates the manipulation of concepts of culture and sport habitus is the analytical focus of each, working with both in a complementary manner might become a theoretical and methodological option that contributes to the enlargement of the analysis.

Risk Consumption: Children and Online Gaming. The Problem of “Responsible Gambling”

Online gambling is a popular activity among adolescents. However, there has been a notable increase in the number of young people who suffer or are on the verge of pathological gambling. We review the impact of online gambling on young people and discuss the desiderability of the concept of “gambling responsibly” in order to alert of their risks and effectively prevent access to minors. The main factors associated with pathological gambling are the age of start, the family environment, the infl uence of advertising, the consumption of stimulants, and the attitudes of the peer group. Both the government and the gaming industry itself should consider these factors and develop comprehensive plans that ensure a safe and controlled model game. In this context, advertising must take into account criteria of consumer protection knowing that even if they are not allowed, children can easily have access to online gambling. All agents involved, including public and social agents, must provide mechanisms for prevention and awareness of a problem that arouses little social consciousness and excessive carelessness.

“Esto es lo que me gusta y lo que voy a estudiar”: Un estudio cualitativo sobre la toma de decisiones académicas en bachillerato

Durante la educación secundaria los estudiantes comienzan a explorar las ocupaciones y expectativas profesionales, forman sus creencias de autoeficacia y consolidan sus intereses académicos. En este contexto, el artículo presenta los resultados de una investigación realizada en el Principado de Asturias para conocer las percepciones y opiniones que tienen los estudiantes de bachillerato y sus progenitores sobre las elecciones académicas realizadas en la educación secundaria, haciendo especial hincapié en los factores contextuales que pueden ayudar u obstaculizar el desarrollo de la carrera. Se ha usado una metodología cualitativa fundamentada en el uso de la técnica del grupo de discusión. Se han organizado cinco grupos de discusión con estudiantes y dos grupos con progenitores. El total de personas que participó en las entrevistas focales fue de 51 estudiantes y de 14 padres/madres. Los resultados obtenidos nos permiten concluir que el bachillerato sigue siendo considerado la puerta de acceso a la universidad y no a la formación profesional de grado superior. También se concluye que los estudiantes fundamentan sus decisiones académicas sobre la base de la preferencia y gusto personal por determinada opciones y esta razón prevalece sobre otras como las salidas profesionales o el rendimiento académico previo. Respecto a la influencia de distintos agentes sociales en el proceso de decisión académica, los resultados son concluyentes al afirmar que el principal apoyo de los estudiantes son sus progenitores, por encima del que perciben encontrar de docentes y grupo de iguales. El artículo finaliza con algunas sugerencias para mejorar la práctica de la orientación educativa en las instituciones de educación secundaria.

Geografia da dominação: um estudo sobre a organização espacial da terra do sal (Macau-RN)

This work aims to understand the spatial organization in the Town of Macau, State of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. This approach focus on bringing back the history of the town, the main personages responsible for the construction of this place, denominated "social agents", as well as its social processes and the spatial forms derived from them. As the personages and their practices were identified, it was found out the existence of a driving force for structuring, interlocking, and maintaining the actions carried out by the social agents during the time. Such actions were materialized in the urban space: "the social segregation". The social segregation takes place as a specific geography of domination. The outcome of those owning the best areas" and ways of accessibility in the urban space, varies from the enrichment by property valorization, because of the concentration of public investments of infrastructure, to the comfort of easily reaching all the daily needs related to the displacements in the urban space. In the latter case, such facility has contributed to improve life quality. While one takes advantage of the location in the urban space, others are negatively affected by the same process. This research identified the salina worker as the weakest element of this social structure, occupying the urban periphery of the town of Macau. Such area is characterized by the lack of services and urban equipment in opposition to the center of the town, the locus of elite. This way, it is established the most known segregation pattern: center x periphery, in which the space acts as a mechanism of segregation

Da bancada ao Bureau: análise do desenvolvimento da biotecnologia no Nordeste Brasileiro sob o enfoque de Sistema Regional de Inovação

The starting point of the present work consisted of investigating the development of biotechnology in the Northeast region of Brazil from the perspective of a Regional Innovation System (RIS). The theoretical framework adopted relied on the approaches and concepts presented by the Neo-Schumpeterian perspective. This framework was chosen because, by means of the Innovation System concept, this literature allows us to analyze the relationships and configurations of actors, as well as the role of the state and of social, science and technology, and economic policies in the studied region. The analysis considered four selected dimensions: physical infrastructure, human capital, scientific production, and funding. These variables were chosen because they allow us to verify the possibilities and limitations of developing a biotechnology RIS in the Northeast of Brazil, and these elements would help in answering the question behind this dissertation. The location of the physical infrastructure was determined by means of bibliographic and documental research and interviews with heads of institutions that do biotechnology research. Regarding human capital, the analysis focused on resource training in biotechnology, highlighting graduate courses and research groups in the area. To measure knowledge production, we delimited scientific collaboration among researchers in the field of biotechnology as the focus of this category. For the funding dimension, information was gathered from reports available at the websites of national and state funding agencies. The data was analyzed through method triangulation, involving quantitative and qualitative research stages. To back the analyses, we revisited the integration policies in the area of Science, Technology and Innovation. Our analysis has shown that these policies play a crucial role in the development of biotechnology in the region being studied. The data revealed that the physical infrastructure is concentrated in only three states (Bahia, Ceará, and Pernambuco). In this regard, the Northeast Biotechnology Network (Renorbio) stands out as a strategic actor, enabling states with poor infrastructure to develop research through partnerships with institutions located in another state. We have also verified that the practices involving human resource training and knowledge production are factors that enable the emergence of a regional system for biotechnology in the studied region. As limitations, we have verified the low immersion level of regional actors, the heterogeneity of socioeconomic indicators, the lack of financial resources, and a low innovation culture in the business sector. Overall, we have concluded that the development of a Regional Innovation System in Biotechnology, based on the current regional dynamics, depends on an effective change in the behavior of the social agents involved, both in the national and regional dimensions as well as in the public and private spheres

Geografia da dominação: um estudo sobre a organização espacial da terra do sal (Macau-RN)

This work aims to understand the spatial organization in the Town of Macau, State of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. This approach focus on bringing back the history of the town, the main personages responsible for the construction of this place, denominated "social agents", as well as its social processes and the spatial forms derived from them. As the personages and their practices were identified, it was found out the existence of a driving force for structuring, interlocking, and maintaining the actions carried out by the social agents during the time. Such actions were materialized in the urban space: "the social segregation". The social segregation takes place as a specific geography of domination. The outcome of those owning the best areas" and ways of accessibility in the urban space, varies from the enrichment by property valorization, because of the concentration of public investments of infrastructure, to the comfort of easily reaching all the daily needs related to the displacements in the urban space. In the latter case, such facility has contributed to improve life quality. While one takes advantage of the location in the urban space, others are negatively affected by the same process. This research identified the salina worker as the weakest element of this social structure, occupying the urban periphery of the town of Macau. Such area is characterized by the lack of services and urban equipment in opposition to the center of the town, the locus of elite. This way, it is established the most known segregation pattern: center x periphery, in which the space acts as a mechanism of segregation

The conversation on political issues on Twitter: an analysis of the participation and frames in the debate on the 'Wert law' and evictions in Spain

The aim of this study is to determine which social agents are involved in the political debate on Twitter and whether the interpretive hegemony of actors that have traditionally been the most prominent is tempered by the challenge of framing shared with audiences. The relationship between the interpretations expressed and the profiles of participants is analyzed in comparison with the frames used by mainstream media. The chosen methodology combines content analysis and discourse analysis techniques on a sample of 1,504 relevant tweets posted on two political issues –the approval of the education law LOMCE and the evictions caused by the crisis, which have also been studied in the front pages of four leading newspapers in Spain. The results show a correlation between political issue singularities, frames and the type of discussion depending on the participants.

O estigma das perturbações mentais: Um estudo qualitativo pela voz das crianças.

Dissertação de Mestrado apresentada ao ISPA – Instituto Universitário

Multi-level governance and social cohesion in the European Union: the assessment of local agents, a study case inside Galicia

Implementing multi-level governance has been a key priority in EU cohesion policy. This study assesses the perceived achievements and shortcomings in implementing European Social Fund by analyzing the deficits and weaknesses as well as the poor participation of local agents who are in direct contact with the beneficiaries in order to design and implement this fund, which is the main financial instrument of EU social policy.