Suchergebnisse

The relationship between human rights principles defined at the international level, and questions of justice, rights, and representation in Muslim contexts, is an issue of significant complexity. Within this broad debate – a defining feature of contemporary international relations – this thesis focuses on the extent to which the discourse of universal human rights provides women in the local Iranian context with a valuable point of reference to advance the ongoing struggle for women's empowerment. To address this question, the author begins broadly by questioning the commonly held view that human rights are a legacy of Western culture. An inquiry into the development of international standards in the second half of the twentieth century suggests that although Muslim actors were not the 'main players' in this process, nor were they passive spectators. Rather, members of Muslim communities – indeed Muslim women – have been active and impacting participants in the ongoing development of the human rights framework. The thesis then provides a more specific exploration of the strategic manoeuvres of the Iranian women's movement. Through an analysis of the shifts that have taken place within the women's movement over the course of Iran's reform and post-reform years (1997–2003, and 2004–present), the author argues that the two conventional approaches to advancing women's rights in Iran – Islamic feminism and secular feminism – carry significant practical limitations when carried out in mutual exclusivity. It appears, however, that women activists of both religious and secular orientations have recognised those limitations, and reformed their approaches accordingly. In the context of the Change for Equality Campaign, launched in August 2006, feminists of both secular and religious orientations are working together in a sustained and systematic attempt to advance mutual goals of non-discrimination. This paradigmatic shift, where practicality has trumped the maintenance of positional ideals, has taken place under a human rights banner. The aim of the Campaign, as defined by its members, is clear: to bring local laws on women into line with international standards on women's rights and gender equality. The Iranian political landscape has thus witnessed the birth of something unique: a non-ideological form of feminism, wherein both secular and religious oriented women have identified a common point of reference in the discourse of universal women's human rights. The author argues that this new form of feminism, expressed through the Change for Equality Campaign, is having a positive impact on both civil society and government, in a way that past approaches to advancing women's rights were unable to achieve.

The economic and financial crisis of 2008 has raised some particularly challenging issues regarding assessing the performance of proposed financial institution bailout solutions. The need for quick action to avoid financial disaster often precluded a full airing of the possible advantages and disadvantages associated with the accountability and performance indicator mechanisms put in place. Now, a vigorous debate is occurring over performance indicators related to the effectiveness, efficiency and equity aspects of the solutions that have been implemented both in the U.S. and Europe. The United States major bailout proposal was the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP) overseen by the Office of Financial Stability in the US Department of Treasury which has taken major ownership positions in US banks. The British bailout plan called the Bank Recapitalisation Scheme (BRS) is being directed by HM Treasury and the United Kingdom Financial institutions, Corp. which has also taken equity positions in major UK banks. These similarities and differences form the backdrop for the empirical case studies. The particular nature of these government programs make them ideal candidates for an extreme type case analysis in the characterizing the fight over defining performance. Not surprisingly, a host of academics, private financial institutions, government agencies and even intergovernmental governing bodies such as the IMF are airing their respective performance definitions. The competition between these bodies will serve as the empirical basis for assessing the arguments and motivations over how to define performance in the context of the bank bailouts. These case studies will be analyzed in the performance regime and competing values conceptual frameworks as initially brought together in Talbot (2008). . The performance regime frame will help assess the institutional forces who are attempting to exert influence over indicators. The competing values frame advances the notion that there are four major types of models by which social relationships are constructed and the form through the regime influences impact indicators and performance definitions. The major new contribution presented here will be in using these case studies to define the types of variables and factors that drive different types of private and public agents in constructing the definition of performance as well as advancing this combination of the performance regime and competing values framework. It is felt that these financial bailouts provide a rich set of data upon which new insights and the advancement of knowledge can be constructed. The United States and United Kingdom models represent important cases where large scale financial bailouts have occurred in two countries that have similar business cultures and yet there remain important differences in their approaches.

Yakın gelecekte, ülke gündemini fazlasıyla meşgul edeceği değerlendirilen Doğu Akdeniz bölgesinin incelendiği bu çalışmanın amacı, Doğu Akdeniz'in öneminin ve Türkiye için stratejik değerinin ortaya konarak, gelecek için bölgeye ilişkin öneriler üretilmesine yardımcı olmaktır.Doğu Akdeniz, Avrasya coğrafyası üzerinde Avrupa Birliği (AB)'den başlayıp, Çin'de sona eren ekonomik güçler arasındaki karşılıklı ticari hatların yoğunlaştığı coğrafyada, önemli bir yer işgal etmektedir.Uygarlık tarihinin beşiği ve tarih boyunca stratejik öneminin ise hiç azalmadığı bir bölge olan Doğu Akdeniz bölgesindeki gelişmelerin belirleyici unsurlarını ise Orta Doğu ve Hazar-Kafkasya bölgesi enerji kaynaklarının dağıtımı ve kullanıcılara ulaşımı, Avrasya içinde yer alan ikinci ipek ticaret yolu ile Orta Doğu ve Kuzey Afrika ülkeleri arasında kurulması hedeflenen serbest ticaret alanı, ekonomik işbirliği ve bölge ülkelerinin su talebi ile bunun karşılanması oluşturmaktadır.Türkiye; AB, Rusya, Kafkasya ve Orta Doğu ülkeleri ile komşuluğu, bu ülkelerle tarihten gelen bir kültür etkileşimi, Doğu Akdeniz'de en uzun sahil şeridine sahip olan ülke sıfatı, bölgede çıkarları bulunan ABD ile olan ittifak ilişkileri, Basra Körfezi ve Hazar Havzası gibi enerji hammaddelerinin Avrupa'ya naklinde oynadığı roller nedeniyle en önemli belirleyici ülkelerden biridir. ; The aim of this project, which studies in the Eastern Mediterranean Region being appreciated as it will keep busy the national agenda in the near future, is to help create strategies in the region, by putting forward the legal status of the Eastern Mediterranean, her importance and significance for the Republic of Turkey.Eastern Mediterranean, being in a critic geography, plays an important role in the Euroasia region that places from European Union (EU) to China, where economic powers trade relations get intense.The characteristic elements of the happenings in the Eastern Mediterranean region, which has been the cradle of the civilisations and has never lost its strategic importance so far, is made up of the distribution of the Middle East and Caspian- Caucasian region?s energy sources, the second silk road which takes place in Eurasia, and free trade zone and economic cooperation to be established between Middle Eastern and North African countries and meeting the water demands of the region.Turkey is one of the most significant and effective countries due to its good neighbour policy and historical culture interaction with Russia, the Caucasia and the Middle East countries, its aspect of having the longest coastline in the Eastern Mediterranean, allied relations with USA having interests in the region and the role it has been playing in transportation of energy raw materials of the Persian Gulf and the Caspian District to Europe.

Las mujeres latinoamericanas compartimos el testimonio memorioso de un pasado común en la historia de nuestros pueblos: conquistas, guerras, colonizaciones, dependencias —¡años de dominación!—, resistencias, rebeliones, insurgencias, emancipaciones y luchas por la independencia y la autonomía. Nos asemejamos en que cada día gestamos la historia que vivimosentre el quehacer y el ritual de lo cotidiano, bajo la impronta de una historia de doble dominación, dependencia y subordinación entre relaciones de poder y los efectos perversos de la cultura patriarcal. Mujeres y hombres coexistimos "cristalizados" en estructuras seculares opresoras como el machismo, el sexismo, la violencia y la exclusión; y "anclados" a un conjunto de prácticas y relaciones sociales desiguales entre los sexos, bajo el peso milenario del dogma constituido por determinismos y esencialismos universales que ya han revelado su desgaste y finitud ante las mismas sociedades humanas que son complejas, cambiantes, pluriculturales y diversas. En esta dinámica sociohistórica va emergiendo el fermento femenino que lleva consigo la inquietud creativa, la intuitiva convicción y el compromiso político de transformar la realidad de opresión de las mujeres del mundo, y ello es posible en la hechura y reconocimiento de un sujeto colectivo con conciencia de género y participación política. ; We share, as Latin-American women, the memorious testimony of a common past in the history of our nations: conquers, wars, colonization, dependencies — years of domination! —, resistances, rebellions, insurgencies, emancipations and fights for independence and autonomy. We resemble each other because every day we develop the history that we live within the chore and the quotidian ritual, under the imprint of a history of double domination, dependency and subordination within relations of power and the perverse effects of the patriarchal culture. We, women and men, coexist "crystallized" in oppressive secular structures as male chauvinism, sexism, violence and exclusion; and "anchored" to unequal practices and social relations between sexes, under the millenarian weight of the dogma constituted by determinisms and universal esentialisms that already have revealed its burnout and finitude to the same human societies, that are complex, changing, multicultural and diverse. In this sociohistorical dynamics, it is emerging the feminine ferment that carries itself the creative restlessness, the intuitive conviction, and the political commitment to transform the oppressive reality of the women of the world, and it is possible in the construction and recognition of a collective subject with gender conscience and political participation. ; 493-505 ; blancaelisa7@cantv.net ; trimestral

Entering and staying on in the field or rather avoiding being kicked out are the two classic ethnographic challenges. The rather positivist nature of textbook guidance on dos and don'ts in fieldwork in general and in delicate issues in particular (for researchers` dilemmas in the field see Ryen 2002), tend to recommend a gentle, middle-class (rather female) interactional style. This gaze suffers from being both researcher-focused (cf.Fine 1994 on "Othering") and based on problematic pre-fixed identities nailing us to the role pair as researcher and key informant. As the introductory extract illustrates, it takes patience also to have an ethnographer "hanging around". This article deals with the credibility of qualitative research when accounting for or exploring how we do staying in the cross-cultural field and it asks how can we credibly explore the stamina that takes us further? If we accept fieldwork as social interaction, we need to bring the social (or the "inter") of it into the exploration of our puzzle. Membership categorisation device (MCD) offers to take us closer to understanding and piecing together our puzzle, but to better get at the events taking place in field interaction there is a need also to introduce the wider cultural context and the images available (or not) to members. In this way I recognise the ethnomethodological differentiation between topic and resource, but argue that when understandings and images are not necessarily culturally shared and collective, we also need to make problematic how members deal with the unavailability of shared images. In the conclusion I argue that the artful side of the local interpretive work in the field is closely entangled with whatever meanings or images are available for construction (in line with Gubrium and Holstein 1997:121). In cross-cultural contexts more than in others, this is particularly delicate because in such contexts images and experiences often do not connect and may lead to complications or even breakdown in communication (Ryen 2002). Mending or repair thus becomes another crucial phenomenon, itself complex, in the evolving field relations. The analysis thus pinpoints the artistry of members` local collaborative efforts accentuated when constrained by images or descriptions that do not connect across cultures. This makes stamina a joint effort, though itself an intricate, emergent phenomenon. Next I will briefly introduce a couple of classic works on working with key informants followed by a brief presentation of the analytic approaches to be applied to my data from East- Africa. Before concluding, I will comment on "wading the field" as reflected in the close exploration of the cross-cultural extracts.

AbstractBased on research organized as a number of workshops, case studies and interviews with experienced practitioners as well as academics, we present in this report the most important findings on how to create and sustain successful knowledge management in a community environment. The cases, workshops and interviews deal specifically with the Microsoft Solutions Sharing Network (SSN) program, but the findings, conclusions and preliminary recommendations can be applied more generally to the development of any knowledge management community. A key conclusion is that the bulk of efforts toward creating successful knowledge management communities focus on less technical, or softer aspects like leadership, culture, social settings and value of participation. However, these are essential, but not sufficient, ingredients for success. Technical issues, issues regarding development and customization of the tools used to facilitate knowledge management (for example, the SSN web portal), and emerging legal issues surrounding the sharing of intellectual property (IP) may be perceived as somewhat less important to the participants, but are nevertheless key factors in the long term success of these communities. It is also concluded that the foundation for successful collaboration is primarily laid in the initial phases of community development. A community must make a positive impression on its participants from the very beginning because most people will not give it a second chance. In this report we have highlighted three important areas to consider when establishing portals for knowledge management: Leadership, Purpose and Process/Infrastructure. A leadership with high credibility in the subject is needed to lead the participants in the right direction, manage the cultural processes and to make sure that relevant content can be found. Initially it is the content that brings people to a specific community. Thus, there has to be some common purpose that not only needs to be in congruence with the professional role of the participants but also be inspiring for them as well. Additionally, the community should have some sort of process that the participants can understand and suits the way they would like to interact. Face‐to‐face meetings and networking activities create trust which is important to get the process started. Language, IT platform, support and rules governing the contribution, creation and sharing of 'knowledge' for the community are other concerns that need to be considered within the process. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

SUMARIO Presentación.López Osorio, Isaac Artículos Los movimientos estudiantiles en la escuela de historia de la ULA. El taller de investigación y diagnóstico de la escuela de historia. Student movements at the school of history at the university of Los Andes. The research and diagnose workshop in the school of history. Soto, Francisco La autonomía universitaria en la década de los 60 a través de la revista SIC. University autonomy in the 60's through SIC. Méndez, Doris y Uzcátegui, Eric El perfume de la nueva canción. Valoración del canto de Gloria Martín. The scent of the nueva cancion. The value of Gloria Martín's singing. Cañas, Darwin El indígena venezolano bajo la mirada positivista de Lisandro Alvarado y Julio César Salas. The venezuelan aborigine under the positivist look of Lisandro Alvarado and Julio César Salas. Pérez Giménez, Nayrín Y. La institución de la familia como factor en la conservación de la cultura. Caso: Colonia Tovar. 1843-1943. The institution of family as factor in the preservation of culture. Case: Colonia Tovar (1843-1943).Breindembach, Hans "La serpiente de siete cabezas" del río Orinoco (Ciudad Bolívar). Un ensayo etnográfico. The seven-head snake of the Orinoco river (Ciudad Bolívar). Ethnographical essay. Ramírez, Sócrates El 12 de octubre de 2004: reflexiones sobre el derribamiento de la estatua de Cristóbal Colón. October 12th 2004: reflections on the pulling down of Cristobal Colon statue. Hurtado, Samuel Preservación y conservación del patrimonio cultural. ¿Tarea de quién? Preservation and conservation of cultural patrimony: whose task? González, Hancer La nueva canción latinoamericana. Notas sobre su origen y definición. The nueva cancion latinoamericana: notes on its origins and definition. Velasco, Fabiola Integración latinoamericana: ALCA vs. ALBA. Latin american integration: ALCA vs ALBA. Moreno Carlos, Ramón Los orígenes del frente nacional en Colombia. The origins of the national front in Colombia. Paredes, Zioly y Díaz, Nordelia Misceláneas La participación estudiantil frente a la investigación en la escuela de historia de la Universidad de Los Andes. Student participation regarding research at the school of history in the University of Los Andes.Molina, Norbert Documento Expediente de reclamos por perjuicios que ocasionaron los trabajos preparatorios del ferrocarril de Mérida a San Carlos. 1889. Prejudice claims dossier that originated the preparatory works of the railroad Mérida-San Carlos. 1889. Martínez, Ovelimar Reseñas Quintero, Inés: el ocaso de una estirpe. (La centralización restauradora y el fin de los caudillos históricos). Reseñado por: Soto, Francisco ; 155-178 ; semestral ; Nivel analítico

Esta tesis doctoral pretende revisar el espacio de producción cultural vinculado con el proceso sociopolítico de la transición española, desde 1968 hasta 1984, a partir de una generación de poetas románticos, cuyas obras no han sido atendidas a la hora de producir el canon del periodo. Partiendo del inventario y análisis del archivo de ese espacio cultural, se propone una lectura de esas producciones en relación con el tiempo político y social en el que sus autores, por el hecho de ser jóvenes y de ser poetas en transición, vivieron. Interpretando sus obras a la luz de otros materiales históricos y culturales de su tiempo, se propone la continuidad de una esfera poética, una comunidad cultural y un espacio sociológico en este periodo, en cuya confluencia se analizan los relieves de un sujeto histórico diferenciado: la juventud de la transición española. Analizando sus obras a la luz de la tradición poética e ideológica de la modernidad, recibida en España entonces, se plantea una relación entre identidad, prácticas culturales y tiempo histórico, a través de las categorías teóricas de una biopolítica y una bioliteratura. Por último, se plantea una reflexión historiográfica a partir de la desaparición de esta generación sobre las particulares condiciones de la cultura moderna en la historia española. ; This PH.D. tries to review the field of cultural production linked with the sociopolitical processus of Spanish Transition into Democracy (1968-1984), based on a generation of romantic poets, which work has not been focused by the cultural canon of the periode. According with an inventary and study of this cultural space, those cultural objects are read in conection with the political and cultural time of their authors, considering them as poets but also as part of the Spanish youth of the time. Interpretating their works with other historical and cultural documents, it is posible to fix the continuity of a poetical sphere, a cultural community and a sociological espace by this time, giving in addition the structure of a new historical subject: Spanish Transition youthness. Interpretating their works from the perspective of the poetical and ideological tradition of Modernism, appeared then in Spain, it is posible to defend a relation between identity, cultural practices and historical time, using the teorical cathegories of biopolicy and bioliteracy. At the end, there is a historiografic reflection about the destruction of this generation and the speciphic conditions of modern culture in Spanish History.

This study is the second in a series funded by the Chief of Naval Personnel to address low retention of officers in the Surface Warfare Officer (SWO) community. Low junior officer retention is a concern, particularly with respect to SWO women--whose numbers have steadily declined since the repeal of the Combat Exclusion Act in 1994. Studies conducted in this area have found that family-related factors, as well as leadership and culture factors (including morale and lack of mentoring), push both men and women out of the Navy. Nonetheless, the Navy's primary effort to improve retention has been to introduce the Surface Warfare Officer Continuation Pay (SWOCP) in 1994 and, subsequently, to offer a Critical Skills Retention Bonus. Retention bonuses have not offset the non-monetary concerns, particularly for women. The present study focuses on the non-monetary factors that have received little attention in the past with respect to changes that could be made to improve retention. The findings apply to both men and women. Unlike previous studies that have assessed intentions of SWOs to stay or leave, the current study is based on a survey of officers who have actually made the decision to leave active duty and who are now in the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR). The data show that family-related factors are the highest-rated influences on the decision to leave active duty; this holds true for both men and women and older vs. younger year groups. Women felt more strongly than men about the influence some of these factors had on the decision to leave active duty, but the similarity between the opinions expressed by men and women was surprising. Further, monetary incentives have less influence on retention than family or leadership factors. Total military pay was more important to men than to women, but still placed lower on the list than many other factors that caused men to leave active duty. Other findings are reported that concern mentoring, gender issues, feelings about the separation decision, and incentives that could encourage this group to consider returning to active duty. More women than men would consider returning, and improvements in leadership were mentioned most often by all groups as a change that needs to be made to improve retention. Finally, recommendations are made for training interventions and research to address leadership issues.

La Constitución de la República Bolivariana de Venezuela contempla desde 1999 en su artículo 81: "Se les reconoce a las personas sordas o mudas el derecho a expresarse y comunicarse a través de la lengua de señas" y en el Artículo 119. "El Estado reconocerá la existencia de los pueblos y comunidades indígenas, su organización social, política y económica, sus culturas, usos y costumbres, idiomas y religiones, así como su hábitat y derechos originarios sobre las tierras que ancestral y tradicionalmente ocupan y que son necesarias para desarrollar y garantizar sus formas de vida". El presente trabajo pretende que reconozcamos los derechos expuestos en el articulado, de venezolanos con idénticos derechos a los nuestros, que hasta ahora no habían podido manifestarlos de manera permanente y natural porque, sin proponérnoslo, los manteníamos en un auténtico silencio social. Se pretende en un análisis muy general, ilustrar el reto que representa para la mayoría hablante del español venezolano entender que convivimos con compatriotas que tienen una forma particular de concebir la vida, de entenderla y de nombrarla, venezolanos y venezolanas con una impronta particular biológica y cultural que, muy por encima de esas diferencias, comparten una misma patria y un mismo patrimonio moral con el resto de la población. ; The Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela states since 1999 in its Article 81 that: "Deaf or mute people are recognized as having the right to express and communicate through sign language", and in Article 119: "The State shall recognize the existence of indigenous towns and communities, their social, political and economical organization, their cultures, uses and costumes, languages and religion, as well as their habitat and originary rights over the lands they inhabit ancestrally and traditionally that are necessary to develop and guarantee their ways of living." The following paper aims to recognize the rights expressed on these articles about Venezuelans with identical rights to ours, which could not have been exercised in a permanent and natural way because, without intending it, we kept them in an authentic social silence. It is intended to illustrate, in a very general analysis, the challenge it represents for most of Venezuelan Spanish speakers to understand that we live next to fellow Venezuelans who have a particular way of seeing, understanding and naming life; Venezuelans who have a particular biological and cultural mark which above those differences, share the same country and the same moral patrimony with the rest of the population. ; 447-453 ; myriam@ula.ve

Le travail initié depuis 2006 sur la zones du lac Alaotra porte principalement d'une part sur l'acquisition de connaissances sur les exploitations agricoles, les stratégies paysannes et les processus d'innovation, et, d'autre part, sur la valorisation de cette connaissance à travers la mise au point d'une approche et d'outils dédiés pour l'aide à la décision dans les projets de développement pour adapter les messages techniques ou organisationnels aux réalités paysannes et favoriser les processus d'innovation. L'approche " exploitation " a été récemment introduite, depuis 2006, dans les projets de développement de type BVPI (Bassin versant/périmètres irrigués) et en particulier sur le projet pilote BV-lac au lac Alaotra et sur le projet BVPI/SEHP (Sud est et haut plateaux) en 2008 (en cours). Cette approche privilégie la compréhension de la structure des exploitations agricoles et l'intégration des technologies à développer (nouveaux itinéraires technique ou améliorations organisationnelles du type accès au crédit .) à travers une prise en compte des stratégies paysannes en fonction d'une typologie opérationnelle au détriment d'une approche classique de type parcelle ou le projet cherchait avant tout a multiplier le nombre de personnes pouvant développer tel ou tel système de culture amélioré sans se soucier de l'impact du choix technique sur le reste de l'exploitation. L'aide à la décision et à la négociation semble dorénavant une priorité en matière d'appui au développement durable. Elle ne vise pas systématiquement à fournir la solution optimale proposée par un modèle mais à éclairer les décideurs et négociateurs en leur montrant les conséquences d'un choix technique ou organisationnel, l'impact d'une mesure sur les prix et la résilience des systèmes après un changement technique. L'objectif d'une telle approche est d'optimiser les efforts de vulgarisation en minimisant les " pertes par abandon " en proposant pour chaque type d'exploitants des techniques et services qui lui soient vraiment adaptés. L'idée est de mieux comprendre les processus d'innovations en cours et passés, de rechercher les techniques et services les plus appropriables par les producteurs en fonction de leur situation et de leur orientation stratégique vis-à-vis du changement technique. Deux outils ont été développés pour supporter une telle approche : les sessions d'autoévaluation de type API (Accélération de la propagation de l'Innovation), initialement lancée par Guy Belloncle et les réseaux de fermes de références. Ces outils permettent également le suivi-évaluation des actions et l'appui à la définition, ou la redéfinition en cours de route, d'éléments de politique publique de développement agricole.

In discussions about Sicily, one often hears how culturally different the region is from the rest of Italy. "We're not Italian," Sicilians love to say. "We're Sicilian." Indeed, the island has its own government, its own dialect, and, many say, its own mentality. It also has the aspect for which it is perhaps best known: its mafia, Cosa Nostra. That the Sicilian mafia has a tremendous impact on island life has long been established. Through extortion, political corruption and murder, the deeply rooted criminal organization has written its presence in bold. The strong antimafia sentiment that has developed in response to it, however, has only recently been acknowledged for the immense cultural and social impact it has begun to have. Only in the past few decades, to be sure, has the antimafia matured into an organized, nationwide movement based on solid understandings of mafia methods and structure. With increasing influence unlike anything known until recent years, the movement has made significant defeats against the mafia and the broad public resignation that allows it to flourish, instilling the important notion that criminality must no longer be passively accepted. With few exceptions, past antimafia scholarship has focused only on what the movement has done – its individual accomplishments and myriad setbacks – without recognizing what it is doing. Such a narrow focus, that is to say, has excluded wider discourse on the effect Cosa Nostra and the antimafia are having on broader national unity. This thesis sets out, therefore, to provide a new, deeper examination of the mafia and antimafia's dialectical interplay, and the increasingly significant impact that the latter is having on the cultural and ideological connection between Sicily and the rest of Italy. Through an analysis of personal interviews, newspaper and journal articles, anthropological studies, political essays and films, it reviews Sicily's historical relationship with the mainland and considers the fundamentals of Cosa Nostra operations and control. It expounds the significance of important antimafia prosecutions in the 1980s and 1990s, and illustrates their impact in sparking a more potent antimafia movement nationwide. Finally, it looks at the movement's successes and failures across Italy, especially in recent months and years, and demonstrates how the spread of antimafia sentiment has allowed for a new, gradual national unity that early attempts at forced assimilation were never able to provide. Cosa Nostra, it concludes, has colored the lens through which Sicilian culture is considered, and the antimafia movement born in response is emblematic of increasingly apparent common national values.

African teachers in general and South Africans in particular face tremendous challenges, several of which are curriculum related. These challenges manifest themselves at various levels and in various areas, that is, from national level to within the classroom. There are various role players who may make a contribution towards overcoming these challenges. It is imperative that each role player must be able to make a significant contribution. Clair and Adgers (2001:17) are of the opinion that school reform efforts must ensure that schools become centres of excellence for all students. This creates certain challenges for teachers, and in turn, demands a certain empowerment of them in order to achieve the vision of excellence in a diverse society with diverse needs (Carl, 2002:03). The purpose of this study was to explore the challenges experienced by South African teachers in the school curriculum and the causes of their poor performance in the teaching-learning situation. It became evident that some of the challenges are as a result of current and recurrent changes in the school curriculum. The researcher used a qualitative research methodology whereby a case study design was followed. The study used purposive sampling where four schools including both primary and secondary schools from the Eastern Cape (hereafter referred to as EC) Province were selected as sites for the study. EC Province is more disadvantaged in terms of resources as compared to the other Provinces in South Africa. Four teachers from each school were chosen as respondents. Data was collected through interviews and observations. Although the study was conducted in EC, it became evident from the findings that it is still a mammoth task country wide for teachers to implement the curriculum effectively. In the South African context, the problem manifests itself in a special way and the question remains, namely, what challenges do teachers in primary and secondary schools experience? The following challenges were identified when research was conducted; inadequate resources, a poor career path, HIV and AIDS pandemic, contractual employment, low remuneration, heavy workload and placement. These are critical issues of compliance if South Africa is going to overcome its past and build a culture of learning and tolerance that embraces and defines its political and educational future. The imbalances of international influences at the expense of teachers need to be rigorously redefined at school level. The study recommends that the National Ministry of Education (MOE) should have some mechanisms in place for remedying this unenviable situation.

In the Special Collections Department of The College of The Bahamas Library resides a little treasure trove of resources pertaining to The Bahamas, the West Indies and Africa. These collections hold a variety of printed materials: books, dissertations, research studies, government documents, journals, newspaper clippings and ephemera. The Bahamian Collection is the most extensive. Established in 1984, it serves the purpose of a research depository for The Bahamas, as the National Library is yet to be built. Officially, the National Archives is the depository for the historical records of the country. The Bahamas is fortunate in having a very fine archival institution, located on Mackey Street. Titles included in the Bahamian Collection Selected Bibliography are books chosen for their representational appeal. The intention was to represent a cross-section of publications highlighting all aspects of The Bahamas. That was the primary criterion. The other consideration was motivational value. By this is meant the ability to tantalize the reader into discovering more about who, why and what has been printed to preserve, inform, entertain and contemplate the fascinating evolution of The Bahamas. Owing to the strong oral tradition of the country, the printed record of the people began somewhat later than in many other cultures. This too is of significance to the interested reader. In August 1996 when I came to work at The College of The Bahamas as the Special Collections Librarian, I knew nothing of the colors, textures and vitality of this country. A Fodor's travel guide provided factual information and description and some enticing photographs. The context of Bahamian life was a mystery to me. As the authors of the books selected for this bibliography, I have grown more and more intrigued by this island archipelago. Thanks to the encoded voice of natives and, like myself, windblown curious wanderers who have had the good fortune to arrive, if only for a short while, and partake, a cache of Bahamian wealth has been shared. This is a reader's bibliography and a work unto itself. It is not meant to support a work of research or any other work. The format used for this bibliography is presented in the following manner: title (in bold italics), author, publication information. This style is a deliberate departure from that of APA to which other articles in this publication of College Forum are required to conform.

Entre 1996 y 2000 tuvo lugar una vasta operación de privatizaciones que redujo sustancialmente el tamaño del sector público empresarial español. Este proceso ocupó un lugar central en la defensa que el Partido Popular hizo de su tarea de gobierno, siendo presentado como eje de la gran reforma de la economía española finisecular. En este texto se ofrece una visión general del tratamiento periodístico de las privatizaciones para esbozar algunas reflexiones sobre su el impacto del proceso y de los discursos creados a su alrededor en la opinión pública y en, lo que podríamos llamar, «cultura político-económica». Con este fin, se realiza, en primer lugar, un acercamiento global a las privatizaciones en Europa entre 1981 y 2000. A continuación se evalúan los artículos aparecidos en la prensa sobre la enajenación global de empresas y participaciones estatales en España a partir de 1996. En tercer lugar se efectúan ciertas consideraciones sobre la configuración de la opinión pública y su relación con las opiniones en la sociedad. Por último se valora la política de privatizaciones a la luz de lo anterior, subrayando las asimetrías entre su presentación programática y su desarrollo en términos discursivos. ; Between 1996 and 2000 an ampie operation of privatization took place, that reduced substantially the seize of the public sector companies in Spain. This process held a central position in the defence of its governmental achievements by the Partido Popular, and was presented as the axis of the great Spanish economic reform at the turn of the century. In this text a general visión of the media treatment of privatizations is presented, in order to introduce some reflections upon the impact of the sales and the discourses produced to justify them on the public opinión and on what we can cali «political-economic culture». To do so, the article gives, to start with, a general approach to privatizations in Europe between 1981 and 2000. In the second place, press articles on the general sale of companies and public participations after 1996 are analysed. In the third place a brief consideraron of public opinión changes and their relationship with opinions in society is undertaken. Finally the text deals with the the policy of privatization from the previously developed points of view, underlining the asymetries between the initially announced aims and the subsequent discoursive defence of the overall process.