tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64382190630380422762024-03-13T05:49:10.097+00:00Johnlever.comWebsite and blogjohnblevershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12603925642515159850noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438219063038042276.post-27794406869809126922022-10-29T14:45:00.024+01:002022-10-29T14:52:25.419+01:00Community Renewal Fund Circular Economy Workshop In a circular economy workshop for Wakefield Council and the third Sector funded via the Community Renewal Fund, on the 17 October 2022 Dr John Lever from the Department of Management at Huddersfield University involved participants in a series of activities to encourage greater understanding of circular economy. <div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCLTlZ6IUxa7V7_Pf586MDBFd8jckERMb-Hp8VsTyfzxcb8H7QsqCCzsF_RddjjlMFCYqPzcE3SeH_Z0ZJ5NrS4RbxlFEKx0yfj0nfh4-rdnpTcEIH5gGbjlyBh8C8Id8kIL6ubOIIWYBSHJ1br6jhsUKh_hhJVVEo9jwQ4vBK_bDn_bOT3HWKYaGF/s1000/Screenshot%202022-10-29%20at%2014.49.20.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="554" data-original-width="1000" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCLTlZ6IUxa7V7_Pf586MDBFd8jckERMb-Hp8VsTyfzxcb8H7QsqCCzsF_RddjjlMFCYqPzcE3SeH_Z0ZJ5NrS4RbxlFEKx0yfj0nfh4-rdnpTcEIH5gGbjlyBh8C8Id8kIL6ubOIIWYBSHJ1br6jhsUKh_hhJVVEo9jwQ4vBK_bDn_bOT3HWKYaGF/w320-h177/Screenshot%202022-10-29%20at%2014.49.20.png" width="320" /></a></div>John asked participants to bring in an object or product that had the potential to be circular or symbolised circularity. This facilitated a great initial discussion. Following on from this, John gave a talk on key circular economy concepts and resource use statistics before asking participants to think about the health and well-being implications of moving towards a circular economy for their organisation and the wider ecosystem of which it is a part. <div><div><br /></div><div>In the final 90-minute activity, participants were put into mixed organisational groups and asked to work through a series of questions to enable collaboration and the design of a new circular venture or activity. The results of this final activity stressed the importance of moving beyond linear thinking in organisation and building circular infrastructure that could better enable collaboration.</div></div></div>johnblevershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12603925642515159850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438219063038042276.post-3361440659267729022021-05-28T15:19:00.043+01:002021-07-09T23:10:10.199+01:00Thoughts on the origins and changing significance of #kosher and #halal dietary laws and practiceEarlier this week I read with interest an article in the <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/">Smithsonian Magazine</a> about <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/what-archaeology-tells-us-about-ancient-history-eating-kosher-180977804/">What Archaeology Tells Us About the Ancient History of Eating Kosher</a>. This shed light on and made me reflect on debates about the origins of some of the oldest dietary practices and food assurance regulations we know. <div><br /></div><div>The underpinning <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">study</a> found evidence that between 539 and 332 B.C (way past the time of Moses) Judeans weren’t following the laws of <i>kashrut</i>, a set of rules in the Torah (the Hebrew Bible) that outline foods that are fit for human consumption (i.e. <i>kosher</i>) and those that are non-<i>kosher</i> (i.e. unfit to eat). The researchers found that during this period Judeans consumed a lot of non-kosher fish (i.e. catfish, skate and shark) but that between 63 B.C. and 324 A.D. the remains of these scaleless fish (scales are the source of many prohibitions) had almost disappeared from ancient trash. A similar study conducted at two ancient Judean settlements found remains of pig bones, which is surprising as the flesh of swine is also strictly prohibited for Jews (and Muslims). This evidence suggests that <i>kashrus</i> dietary prohibitions came into force much later than many scholars assume, which adds weight to claims and mounting evidence that ancient Judeans weren’t strictly kosher<div><br />These insights took me back to a study of <a href="https://utpress.utexas.edu/books/trefoo">Food Ways & Daily Life in Medieval Anatolia</a>, which draws on a range or sources, including archaeological evidence, to explore early Islamic food practices. In a discussion of the religious value of certain foods, the authors draw a distinction between pious asceticism (fasting, for example) and carnal instincts (consuming forbidden foods). However, in Medieval Anatolia their evidence suggests that reference to the Islamic dietary terms <i>halal</i> (lawful or permitted) and <i>haram</i> (forbidden) - which can be linked back to key verses in the Quran - were applied to particular servings of food (i.e. this plate of food is halal) rather than specific food categories. The general impression that emerges is that ordinary people in late Medieval Anatolia did not use the (at the time) <i>‘high-cultured categories’</i> of <i>halal</i> and <i>haram</i> to refer to categories of food and dietary practice in their everyday lives, as they did later, but to general patterns of behaviour.</div><div><br /></div><div>These insights can be aligned with <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2399654418813267" target="_blank">contemporary geographies of religious food practice</a>, which fluctuate in significance across space, time and place, and often have greater or lesser degrees of importance to different cultural and religious groups.</div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0cm; text-indent: 36pt;"><o:p></o:p></p></div></div>johnblevershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12603925642515159850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438219063038042276.post-74285443795492285932020-05-04T18:02:00.004+01:002021-08-08T10:46:56.736+01:00Project Information: A Safe and Just Local Food System<div>
As it unfolded, the <i>#Covid-19</i> crisis drew attention to the task of moving the food system into a<i> “safe”</i> (within planetary boundaries) and (socially) <i>“just”</i> operating space that can provide sufficient resources to meet humanity’s needs without outstripping the planet’s environmental capacity to provide for these needs (<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/461472a">Rockstrom et al., 2009</a>; <a href="https://www.kateraworth.com/">Raworth, 2017</a>; <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969718331887">Velenturf and Jopson 2019</a>). </div><div><br />As the recent bush fires in Australia – which killed tens of thousands of farm animals and burnt innumerable crops – demonstrated, there are other dangerous ecological crises on the horizon. The UK food system is not immune from such crises and the countries we depend upon for food will be negatively affected in by these trends in the coming decades. We thus need to plan and develop local, circular and regenerative methods for growing and producing food if we are to make our food system more resilient to future shocks (<a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Feeding_Britain.html?id=88mrDwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=kp_read_button&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false">Lang 2020</a>; <a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/109/1097397/sitopia/9780701188719.html">Steel 2020</a>; <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2018.00007/full">Firbank et al. 2018</a>; <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S074301671830812X">Lever et. al 2019</a>). <br /><br />Funded by the <a href="https://pure.hud.ac.uk/en/persons/john-lever">University of Huddersfield</a> (alongside work conducted by academic partners from <a href="https://eps.leeds.ac.uk/civil-engineering/staff/850/dr-anne-velenturf">University of Leeds</a>), this project aims to enhance the resilience of the local food system in West Yorkshire by bringing together a network of key stakeholders in and around Kirklees to; 1) understand the pressure points in food supply and demand during the <i>#Covid19 </i>crisis<i>;</i> 2) the solutions that emerged, and; 3) and the innovations required to enhance the resilience of the local food economy going forward. <a href="https://pure.hud.ac.uk/en/persons/john-lever">Please get in touch if you can contribute!</a></div>
johnblevershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12603925642515159850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438219063038042276.post-33247140544466097352020-04-08T12:22:00.001+01:002020-04-08T18:35:20.430+01:00Unsafe and unjust: food system dynamics in a time of crisisBefore the <b><i>Covid-19 </i></b>crisis, many of us took the food on our plates for granted. But as we quickly found out, the UK’s food system <a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/authors/133977/tim-lang.html">is ‘stretched, open to disruption and far from resilient’</a>.<br />
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As the crisis unfolded, the UK media highlighted the impact of panic buying in supermarkets on key workers and on society’s most vulnerable. It is easy to blame consumers. Yet their reaction was largely a consequence of <i>‘just in time’ </i>strategies and the embodied belief that we should be able to buy whatever we want whenever we want it. With children home from school, and eating out all but prohibited, this is understandable. But it also illustrates how <i>‘just-in-time’</i> supply chains come under strain with even the smallest shift in demand, and how the most vulnerable suffer most from the inequities of the system.<br />
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Since the latter half of the 20th century, the rich world has become accustomed to an abundance of food choice. Local food systems around the world have been swept away by the industrialisation of agriculture, and the UK now imports almost 50% of its food. While food has been traded internationally for millennia, the scale and geographical complexity of primary food production is now vast. Buttressed by rapidly evolving technologies that indicate where and when crops are ready to harvest around the globe, <i>‘just-in-time’ </i>production is brilliantly efficient and profitable, yet it is also incredibly fragile and dependent on logistics.<br />
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<b><i>Coovid-19</i></b> is shaking these foundations. While countries in Asia have discussed whether produce should be held back for domestic markets, in the UK supplies of fruit and vegetables are threatened by lockdown and border closures that may restrict the recruitment of migrant workers.<br />
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The need to move food production and consumption into a safe and just operating space within planetary boundaries is widely recognised as one of the <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2018.00007/full">grand challenges of the 21 century</a>. In 2019, the EAT-Lancet Commission’s report <i>'<a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(18)31788-4/fulltext">Food in the Anthropocene' </a></i>concluded that the way the food system operates poses an existential threat. </div>
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<b><i>Covid-19 </i></b>has brought this threat into clear focus. <a href="http://www.fao.org/3/v1430e/V1430E00.htm#TOC">Monocultural production and genetic homogeneity</a> in agriculture has long been identified as a problem. But with <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40227419-speculative-harvests">investment practices</a> eating steadily into the remaining primary forests and smallholder farms worldwide, <b><i>Covid-19 </i></b>has drawn attention to <a href="https://www.grain.org/en/article/6433-capitalist-agriculture-and-covid-19-a-deadly-combination">global agriculture's role advancing global health pandemics</a>.<br />
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There are other dangerous ecological crises on the horizon, as the recent bush fires in Australia (which killed tens of thousands of farm animals and burnt innumerable crops) demonstrate. We are not immune from ecosystems stress, and the countries we depend on upon for food will be negatively affected by such crises in the coming decades. As <a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/authors/133977/tim-lang.html">Tim Lang</a> suggests, we need to plan and develop strategies to protect and regenerate land for growing food quickly if we are to make our food system more resilient to these shocks. <br />
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By 2050, the vast majority of the world’s population will reside in cities, and city governments around the world are already leading the way developing <a href="https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/publications/cities-and-circular-economy-for-food">circular</a>, <a href="https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/covid19-green-deal-by-sandrine-dixson-decleve-et-al-2020-03">regenerative</a> food systems that can work within planetary boundaries. While there is no one size fits all, <a href="https://rgs-ibg.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/tran.12137">policy and theory</a> are increasingly focussed on the development of networked urban-rural interdependencies as a means of developing innovative <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S074301671830812X">place-based food systems</a>. <br />
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Five hundred years ago in <i>Utopia</i> (1512), Thomas More anticipated a network of self-sufficient cities surrounded by suburban food growing sites. <b><i>Covid-19 </i></b>is pushing cities in new directions. Milan has a post pandemic <a href="https://www.smartcitiesworld.net/special-reports/special-reports/plan-zero-milan-prepares-for-the-post-pandemic-new-normal">‘plan zero’</a> involving new ways of planting trees to enhance future social distancing measures, while <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/08/amsterdam-doughnut-model-mend-post-coronavirus-economy?CMP=share_btn_tw#maincontent">Amsterdam</a> has announced it will be the first city to fully adopt Raworth’s economic model to enable a just and safe future. Staying <i>“Safe”</i> (within planetary boundaries) and <i>“Just” </i>(to address a range of inequities) requires that we produce food in new, innovate and more resilient ways. As <b><i>Covid-19</i></b> has shown, this is no longer a utopian vision.</div>
johnblevershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12603925642515159850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438219063038042276.post-38245445038800455442019-06-12T18:03:00.004+01:002019-06-12T18:14:00.939+01:00A Better Future – Understanding Refugee Entrepreneurship (BFURE)<b>BFURE Project, funded by BA/Leverhulme</b><br />
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In recent years, the ‘migration crisis’ in Europe has raised concerns about addressing the social and economic needs of the growing numbers of refugees arriving in the UK from countries such as Syria. The BFURE project is interested not in the costs incurred by supporting refugees, but in the skills and knowledge refugees have when they arrive in the UK, and how these skills can be harnessed to support and enable refugees to contribute to the UK economy and further social integration. <br />
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The project will explore refugees' knowledge and skills through a series of ‘Pop-up Skills Shops/Clinics’ and ‘Skill-Gap Workshops’ with local authorities, non-government agencies and refugees across West Yorkshire during 2019-2020.<br />
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Get in touch for more information.johnblevershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12603925642515159850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438219063038042276.post-50484994306728214042019-05-04T10:28:00.000+01:002019-08-13T14:01:25.154+01:00Reconfiguring local food governance?Lever, J., Sonnino, R. and Cheetham, F. (2019) <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S074301671830812X">Reconfiguring local food governance in an age of austerity: towards a place-based approach? </a><b><i>Journal of Rural Studies</i></b><br />
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<b><i>Abstract:</i></b> In this paper we examine the dynamic nature of local food governance by considering the potential for (and barriers to) developing a more robust approach that can enhance the socio-ecological resilience of the food system. Fusing insights from Eliasian sociology with the literature on local food governance, we focus on a region of northern England to explore understandings of “local food” and the problems local food actors encounter while working within and across the territorial boundaries of “the local’. This is underpinned by an examination of the pressures local governments face as a result of financial austerity and competing neoliberal policy priorities that, we argue, undermine attempts to create synergies between diverse food system actors. We conclude by outlining the potential for developing a more relational approach to (and understanding of) place-based food governance.<br />
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<b><i>Keywords</i></b>: Figurations; governance; local food; place; relational; territorial. <br />
<br />johnblevershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12603925642515159850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438219063038042276.post-59013762531099637682018-12-08T23:23:00.001+00:002019-05-09T10:28:08.687+01:00Breaching the boundaries of the permissible?<h3>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Lever, J. (2018) <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/2399654418813267">Halal meat and religious slaughter: From spatial concealment to social controversy – Breaching the boundaries of the permissible?</a></span> <i>Environment and Planning C: Politics and Space</i></h3>
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<i><b>Abstract</b><span style="font-weight: normal;">: </span></i>Across the secular West, the slaughter of animals for food has become an almost clandestine activity. Very occasionally however, when slaughter comes into view, social and political controversy emerges. In this paper, I examine two such episodes in England and the controversies subsequently engendered: the controversy over kosher meat and the Jewish method of slaughter (shechita) in the 19th century, and the contemporary controversy over halal meat and the Muslim method of slaughter (dhabiha). These controversies are complex and double-edged in that, not only do they involve food, which often invokes anxieties about what is being ingested and what moral boundaries are being crossed, they also involve religion. Both episodes are also linked to periods of rapid migration into the UK, and to concerns about integration and the threats posed to British values and national identity by the food practices of outsiders. However, while concern over kosher meat production and Jewish migrants in the 19th century was largely concealed within the spatial boundaries of Jewish communities, from the late 20th century onwards halal meat has become increasingly visible in line with the demographic expansion of the Muslim population out of racialized community spaces. It is in this context, I contend, in line with a new and emerging geography of religious food practice, that halal meat has breached the boundaries of the permissible to challenge the ‘civilized’ values underpinning the hegemonic food discourse. </div>
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<i><b>Keywords</b></i>: Animal welfare, animal slaughter, civilizing process, halal and kosher meat, hegemonic food discourse, migration, outsiders, stunning</div>
johnblevershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12603925642515159850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438219063038042276.post-3716666152907434212018-07-05T13:27:00.000+01:002018-09-08T10:01:31.657+01:00Supermarket food waste: prevent, redistribute, share - Towards a circular economy?John Lever, Fiona Cheetham, & Morven McEachern, University of Huddersfield Business School.<br />
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<a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326207771_Supermarket_food_waste_prevent_redistribute_share_Towards_a_circular_economy"><b>Project report available here</b>:</a><br />
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<b>Executive summary</b></div>
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<li>This project report explores the sharing of supermarket food waste in Kirklees, West Yorkshire. Conducted over a nine-month period from September 2017, the research was funded by the University of Huddersfield Business School. </li>
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<li>In the project, we used qualitative methods to explore whether the sharing of supermarket food waste through NGOs increases the sustainability of the wider food system, or if this trend is a response to its increasing unsustainably.</li>
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<li>Looking beyond the current extractive industrial model that generates so much waste, in principle the circular economy aims to redesign products and services to eliminate waste at source. It is the links between sharing and circular thinking and the wider relationship with the sustainability of the food system that this project report is ultimately concerned with.</li>
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<li>There was a general consensus that it is all but impossible to eliminate food waste completely from supermarket operations and international food supply chains. Even in a sustainable food system, there will always be a degree of surplus food to be redistributed to people in need. </li>
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<li>All the NGOs consulted were reluctant to call the food they received from supermarkets “waste”, and the terms “wasted food” and “spare food” were sometimes used interchangeably with the notion of “surplus food”. In this context, corporate social responsibility (CSR) is often used to justify the linear model of food production and consumption that generates vast quantities of food waste.</li>
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<li>Independent food banks (IFBs) encounter a number of problems and barriers in their work. These revolve around the type and volume of food they receive from supermarkets, which they have no control over. Conversely, NGOs within the national distribution network (NDN) never accept supermarket “surplus” unless it is in good condition and they have the capacity to redistribute/share it before it becomes “food waste”. </li>
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<li>The value of the work being done by NGOs was widely recognized, yet concerns were expressed from both a political and environmental perspective about the normalization of these ways of working.</li>
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<li>Sending less ‘surplus’ food to anaerobic digestion as ‘waste’ in order to share and redistribute more food through NGOs was seen by some interviewees as one way of enhancing the links between sharing and circular economic thinking. At the same time, others argued that these ways of working add another level of governance to the existing linear model.</li>
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<li>Central government policy is not keeping up with the developments in technology that can drive movement towards a circular economy. As well as redistributing and sharing surplus food from supermarkets regionally, more food needs to be produced regionally, both on local farms and through the use of vertical farming, for example, to minimize food waste at source and encourage circular economic thinking.</li>
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<li>While it is difficult to envisage a completely circular food system emerging, cities and regions such as Kirklees can help to reduce the burden of supermarket food waste by encouraging circular economic thinking. But better Central Government Policy and sustainable business models are needed to facilitate movement in this direction. Public and private bodies at the regional and national level must navigate the tensions involved as a matter of urgency.</li>
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johnblevershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12603925642515159850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438219063038042276.post-44770836344311004322018-02-02T11:12:00.001+00:002018-02-09T18:24:08.398+00:00Religion, regulation, consumption: Globalising kosher and halal marketsLever, J. and Fischer, J. (2018) <a href="http://www.manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9781526103642/">Religion, regulation, consumption: Globalising kosher and halal markets,</a> Manchester University Press<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHKIztqxkaLDWQ4RPzR3ZKdBjcl28WFP67q7u8KlazYnzv0CBqHPERb1HRzNrCiJt02zKib3wYKSGAhj5535UcfG5kajEjm2g8OrwbEV2yq2RmrY_1jFUXx73w5vghNPqcLHGQTjTMoPE/s1600/DSsXtqaWAAIi9pm.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHKIztqxkaLDWQ4RPzR3ZKdBjcl28WFP67q7u8KlazYnzv0CBqHPERb1HRzNrCiJt02zKib3wYKSGAhj5535UcfG5kajEjm2g8OrwbEV2yq2RmrY_1jFUXx73w5vghNPqcLHGQTjTMoPE/s200/DSsXtqaWAAIi9pm.jpg" /></a>In the first decades of the 21st century, kosher and halal markets have become global in scope and states, manufacturers, restaurants, shops and consumers around the world have been presented with ever stricter and more complex kosher and halal requirements. <a href="http://www.manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9781526103642/">Religion, regulation, consumption: Globalising kosher and halal markets</a> explores the emergence and expansion of these markets for religiously certified food products with a particular focus on the UK and Denmark. This is the first book of its kind to explore kosher and halal comparatively in this context and there is a particular focus on the market, consumers, religious organisations and the state. The book moves beyond traditional concerns for kosher and halal meat production and consumption to include developments in biotechnology. It also explores the challenges faced by kosher and halal consumers in this context, and the need for more elaborate forms of justification and self-discipline in deciding what is and is not acceptable.johnblevershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12603925642515159850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438219063038042276.post-40446876356327009032018-01-20T10:33:00.004+00:002019-05-09T23:16:58.141+01:00A Bourdieusian analysis of Syrian refugee identity in JordanDeema, R., Haloub, R. and Lever, J. (2018) <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1465750317750322">Contextualizing entrepreneurial identity among Syrian refugees in Jordan: The emergence of a destabilized habitus?,</a> <i>The International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation</i><br />
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<b><i>Abstract</i></b>: This article aims to contextualize the entrepreneurial identity (EI) of Syrian refugees living outside refugee camps in Jordan. The research adopts a social lens to consider the situation Syrians find themselves in by drawing on the work of Bourdieu. A qualitative design is applied to explore the different experiences and perceptions that pervade refugee stories and the work of refugee aid agencies. By contextualizing EI in the Jordanian context, the article reveals how a destabilized refugee habitus based on an embodied disposition of survivability is emerging. The article makes an empirical and conceptual contribution by highlighting how the entrepreneurial activities of Syrian refugees are driven by their experiences of the harsh social conditions they find themselves in.<br />
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<b><i>Keywords</i></b>: Bourdieu, disposition, entrepreneurial identity, habitus, refugees, survival.</div>
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johnblevershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12603925642515159850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438219063038042276.post-88399537278076812182017-10-25T20:24:00.004+01:002017-10-25T20:30:23.275+01:00A sustainable and secure food future needs #halalThe industrial food system faces many challenges. In recent decades the increasing production and consumption of high calorie, cheap processed food has undermined food security and contributed to a rapid increase in obesity and diet related ill health worldwide (Carolan 2013). The overuse of antibiotics in industrial animal agriculture provides a good example of the issues involved. Many global food companies use antibiotics to prevent rather than treat disease on factory farms and this is now recognized as a major contributory factor in the increase of antibiotic resistance worldwide (Akhtar, 2012). This is hugely significant for animal, environmental and human health and a number of studies have shown that antibiotics in the human food chain contribute to diet related ill health (Collins 2012; Lam et al 2012). A backlash against antibiotic use is now emerging and there is an embryonic movement for factory farm divestment (Levitt 2016).<br />
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<b>Global expansion </b><br />
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To some extent, the global expansion of halal can be linked with concerns and anxieties about industrial food production. The halal food industry is estimated to be worth around $700 billion annually and with the Muslim population expected to increase from 1.6 billion to 2.2 billion by 2030 the opportunities on the horizon are vast (Bergeaud-Blackler et al 2016). In Arabic, the word ‘halal’ literally means ‘permissible’ or ‘lawful’ and in relation to food in particular it signifies ‘purity’ and is protected by certain Islamic practices. A number of Muslim requirements have been met in the global food industry, including injunctions to avoid substances where there is a threat of cross contamination from unacceptable ingredients, yet it has also been argued that the halal certification industry must make it easier for halal consumers to chose healthier food options (Tieman 2016). Much as the UK food industry is under pressure to shorten supply chains and improve sustainability in the aftermath of the horsemeat scandal of 2013, so there is a focus in Malaysia – a leading player in the global halal industry – to incorporate thoyyib<a href="http://blogs.hud.ac.uk/academics/blog/2016/04/25/a-sustainable-and-secure-food-future-needs-halal/#_ftn1">[1]</a> into all stages of halal production and assurance. <br />
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Halal assurance first emerged in Malaysia in the 1980s and Malaysia has since been recognised as a major halal hub in Southeast Asia through cooperation with states such as Indonesia, Brunei and Australia. Instrumental in the development of internationally recognised halal standards, Malaysia has been particularly successful in bridging Islamic traditions with the demands of international markets though its state led certification scheme overseen by JAKIM (Department of Islamic Development of Malaysia) and Nestlé Malaysia. This has added a new dimension to the global production and consumption of halal and Malaysia is pursuing plans to become a global halal hub by improving all aspects the global supply chain. A better understanding of the notion of thoyyib is now seen to be central to this process. <br />
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<b>What is thoyyib? </b><br />
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Little understood, thoyyib is an integrative concept that relates to food safety and quality-produced food and a number of links can be made with sustainable food production and consumption. There has been growing Muslim interest in organic halal food in Europe for a number years and London recently hosted the UK’s first Halal Food Festival, which attracted many consumers from beyond the Muslim community. The links between organic food and thoyyib are evident in the shared focus on a hygienic, nutritious and healthy way of life, and it has recently been argued that the certification of nutritionally deficient halal products is therefore misleading (Tieman 2016).<br />
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Halal and sustainability are now both seen as opportunities. It is no longer enough for producers to focus solely on what type of food is produced – how food is produced is just as important. As well as product ingredients, consumers everywhere are increasingly concerned about farm animal welfare, transport, packaging and waste management, and many are demanding nutritious and quality food options that allow them to lead a healthier lifestyle. Thoyyib provides an opportunity, if better understood, to improve the many aspects of halal production, thus contributing towards a more sustainable and secure food future. Halal is no longer simply an expression of contested forms of production and consumption. It is part of a rapidly expanding, globalized market that is starting to bring the concerns of Muslim and non-Muslim consumers closer together.<br />
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<b>References</b><br />
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Akhtar, A. (2012) Animals and Public Health: Why Treating Animals Better is Critical to Human Welfare, Palgrave Macmillan<br />
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Bergeaud-Blackler F., Fischer, J. and Lever, J. (2015) Halal Matters: Islam, politics and markets in global perspective London, UK: Routledge.<br />
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Carolan, M. (2013) Reclaiming Food Security, Earthscan: Routldege.<br />
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Collins, N. (2012) Livestock antibiotics ‘could have contributed to human obesity’, The Telegraph, 22 August<br />
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Lam, David W., and LeRoith, D. (2012) “The worldwide diabetes epidemic”, Current Opinion in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Obesity 19.2.<br />
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Levitt, T. (2016), Factory farming divestment: what you need to know, The Guardian, 3 March<br />
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Tieman, M. (2016) Halal diets, Islam and Civilisational Renewal, 7 (1)<br />
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<a href="http://blogs.hud.ac.uk/academics/blog/2016/04/25/a-sustainable-and-secure-food-future-needs-halal/#_ftnref1">[1]</a> “Halal alone won’t take you far. Food must also be “thoyyiban”. Statement by the President of the Nestlé Halal Committee Regulatory Affairs of Malaysia, published in a Department of Standards Malaysia newsletter <a href="http://fr.scribd.com/doc/25463489/SH-Nestle-Malaysia">http://fr.scribd.com/doc/25463489/SH-Nestle-Malaysia</a>(consulted on January 24, 2014).<br />
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This post first appeared on the University of Huddersfield current affairs blog - View from the North on 25 April 2016: <a href="http://blogs.hud.ac.uk/academics/blog/2016/04/25/a-sustainable-and-secure-food-future-needs-halal">http://blogs.hud.ac.uk/academics/blog/2016/04/25/a-sustainable-and-secure-food-future-needs-halal</a>johnblevershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12603925642515159850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438219063038042276.post-71732966701374136282017-09-22T21:26:00.001+01:002017-09-22T21:31:56.765+01:00New paper in Human Figurations<div>
Lever, J. and Powell, R, (2017) <a href="http://hdl.handle.net/2027/spo.11217607.0006.209" target="_blank">Problems of involvement and detachment’: Norbert Elias and the investigation of contemporary social processes</a>, <a href="https://quod.lib.umich.edu/h/humfig?page=home" target="_blank">Human Figurations</a> 6(2) </div>
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<b><i>Abstract</i></b>: In this paper, we seek to move beyond dominant interpretations of Elias by drawing attention to an increasing body of work in the fields of social and public policy. We engage with debates about secondary forms of involvement to facilitate an appreciation of how this as yet undocumented tranche of empirical work can lead to greater understanding of the negative effects of state/elite policies in the current period. We conclude that by adopting a position of ‘detached involvement’ figurational sociologists can generate reality-congruent knowledge that allows them to make concrete statements about contemporary social processes. <br />
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<b><i>Keywords</i></b>: Contemporary social processes; involvement–detachment; policy; politics; sociology of knowledge.johnblevershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12603925642515159850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438219063038042276.post-18871530090297459362017-08-15T10:30:00.002+01:002017-08-15T17:16:33.611+01:00Cheap food, fraud and #brexitThe potential fraud and food safety issues posed by brexit come at a time when <a href="http://foodresearch.org.uk/2016/09/brexit-risks-and-opportunities-for-food-policy-and-regulation/" target="_blank">our food system already faces major challenges from climate change</a>. Some of the biggest threats come from <a href="http://theconversation.com/how-brexit-threatens-britains-food-security-61716" target="_blank">the UKs love of cheap food</a>.<br />
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The 2013 horse meat scandal illustrated the need for better regulation to enable traceability and eliminate fraud when food crosses borders within the global food system. Yet at the Oxford farming conference earlier this year, <a href="http://www.foodmanufacture.co.uk/Regulation/Food-industry-red-tape-to-be-halted-after-Brexit" target="_blank">Conservative Party delegates informed us that there will be less <i>but</i> more coherent food policy regulation in the post-brexit period</a>, and that this will enable better consumer protection. Brexit thus provides an opportunity, it appears, to eliminate food fraud, or at least make it easier to deal with.<br />
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But this begs the question of where UK food will be produced in the post-brexit period: will we all consume food produced locally, or at least in the UK? At present this seems unlikely, hence public concern over <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jan/29/britain-us-trade-deal-gm-food-eu-rules" target="_blank">chlorine washed chickens</a> imported from the US and the dilution of <a href="https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2017-01-24/debates/7E2FCDD9-C80D-4488-92C5-1783E703AC45/LeavingTheEUAnimalWelfareStandardsInFarming" target="_blank">animal welfare standards</a>.<br />
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Industry insiders say they aren't loosing any sleep over the potential for a <a href="http://www.foodnavigator.com/Policy/Little-chance-of-post-Brexit-food-fraud-frenzy" target="_blank">food fraud frenzy</a> in the post-Brexit period, not least because there are many barriers that restrict entry into the food industry, and because there are easier ways to make money. But during a recent enquiry by the House Lords Select Committee on the European Union, <a href="http://www.parliament.uk/documents/lords-committees/eu-energy-environment-subcommittee/Transcripts/cD160706ev1.pdf" target="_blank">Chris Elliot argued that the food sector presents many opportunities for fraud</a>, and that the UK is not immune from the consequences.</div>
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There are numerous threats. If prices rise quickly or unexpectedly post-brexit, opportunities for food fraud may increase as producers look to cut corners or substitute cheap ingredients for more expensive ones. New trade relations with the US could increase competition and damage an already shrinking and under threat UK agriculture and farming sector, thus further incentivising fraud. Cutting corners may also increase microbiological hazards as discarded waste re-enters the food system illegally, thus raising concerns over food safety.<br />
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The implications of <a href="https://www.sussex.ac.uk/webteam/gateway/file.php?name=foodbrexitreport-langmillstonemarsden-july2017pdf.pdf&site=25" target="_blank">'A Food Brexit' </a>are vast and little understood. The difficulty of making changes or cutting back quickly without full consideration of the issues at hand increases the potential for food fraud significantly. As the horse meat scandal illustrated only too well, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/feb/15/editorial-the-price-of-cheap-food" target="_blank">cheap food comes at a high cost.</a>johnblevershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12603925642515159850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438219063038042276.post-90972008864472377342017-06-16T16:12:00.000+01:002017-07-21T09:45:07.415+01:00Labour, Mobility and Temporary Migration: A Comparative Study of Polish Migration to Wales <a href="https://lnkd.in/gPNbykF" target="_blank"><span class="ember-view" id="ember6929" style="background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">L</span>abour, Mobility and Temporary Migration: A Comparative Study of Polish Migration to Wales</a> (2017) Julie Knight., Lever J. and Thompson, A., University of Wales Press<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOPhm_G5BhZHFRCuzXL4EJ8fOgQpw5eaZ-_kp2_S16ivw8jl41PP88i3y5a8ac2-iM7uYBJqahKQuKZxmbWGO6TlSpx2GTFP1no6b0jUpD-zV9E6OAICfoH8Mup6lZk62ivnMBvQ4tIr0/s1600/9781786830814.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="614" data-original-width="393" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOPhm_G5BhZHFRCuzXL4EJ8fOgQpw5eaZ-_kp2_S16ivw8jl41PP88i3y5a8ac2-iM7uYBJqahKQuKZxmbWGO6TlSpx2GTFP1no6b0jUpD-zV9E6OAICfoH8Mup6lZk62ivnMBvQ4tIr0/s200/9781786830814.jpg" width="127" /></a>Labour, Mobility and Temporary Migration delves into sociological research on Polish migrants who migrated to the lesser-explored South Wales region after Poland joined the European Union in 2004. At the time of enlargement, Polish migrants were characterised as being economically motivated, short-term migrants who would enter the UK for work purposes, save money and return home. However, over ten years after enlargement, this initial characterisation has been challenged with many of the once considered ‘short-term’ Poles remaining in the UK. In the case of Wales, the long-term impact of this migration is only starting to be fully realised, particularly in consideration of the different spatial areas – urban, semi-urban and rural – explored in this book. Such impact is occurring in the post-Brexit referendum period, a time when the UK’s position in the EU is itself complex and changing.johnblevershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12603925642515159850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438219063038042276.post-10247419786081885612016-06-09T09:54:00.000+01:002016-06-24T16:33:08.173+01:00Where have all the great sociologists gone?<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="text-align: left;">Two days ago I visited the magnificent </span><a href="http://www.cutlers-hallamshire.org.uk/" style="text-align: left;">Cutlers Hall in Sheffield</a><span style="text-align: left;"> to witness the equally </span><span style="text-align: left;">impressive </span><a href="http://www.loicwacquant.net/" style="text-align: left;">Loïc Wacquant</a><span style="text-align: left;"> lead a conference and give a public lecture. During the course of the day, </span><span style="text-align: left;">Wacquant witnessed a group of urban sociologists and social scientists present a fascinating set of papers paying homage to the conceptual finesse brought together in his latest book: </span><i style="text-align: left;">The Two Faces of the Ghetto</i><span style="text-align: left;">. As co-organiser and co-chair </span><a href="https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/usp/staff/johnflint" style="text-align: left;">John Flint</a><span style="text-align: left;"> noted, it was a privilege to be there.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGsu7Gz905mfQWpKwKQbBrL1c5Tpd3dxLVsPPSbfGjNUteg4w90FoGN9QJG6yT-Lvl8klOdYcauaUdSqI0vTTuSPrskKsKU7XPp26b7eRhcVVbR51vNxjJp2JUYuBpnGe8BI0CY0oZVSI/s1600/CkXWgEDWkAAOiJJ.jpg-large.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGsu7Gz905mfQWpKwKQbBrL1c5Tpd3dxLVsPPSbfGjNUteg4w90FoGN9QJG6yT-Lvl8klOdYcauaUdSqI0vTTuSPrskKsKU7XPp26b7eRhcVVbR51vNxjJp2JUYuBpnGe8BI0CY0oZVSI/s200/CkXWgEDWkAAOiJJ.jpg-large.jpeg" width="200" /></a>I first witnessed Wacquant speak as a PhD student 10 years ago in Bristol, where he set about unraveling the policy assumptions of those working in urban policy at the height on New Labour's foray into urban regeneration. At this weeks <a href="http://www4.shu.ac.uk/research/cresr/events/rethinking-urban-inequality-contemporary-times-loic-wacquant">'Rethinking urban inequality'</a> event, organised by <a href="http://www4.shu.ac.uk/research/cresr/staff/ryan-powell">Ryan Powell</a>, Wacquant was equally impressive. An intense, charismatic speaker of voluminous intellect and sociological passion, Wacquant is larger than life and in full flow an experience to behold.</div>
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At the start of the day Loic seemed unusually subdued by his long journey from California, via Paris, but as was pointed out at the start of the pubic lecture, <a href="https://twitter.com/Wallazio/status/740219294940823552">5pm Wacquant is very a different beast to morning Wacquant</a>. However, the talks soon had him intrigued, perhaps epitomised by his response and feedback to <a href="http://www.johncabot.edu/about_jcu/directory/Faculty_Form.aspx?IdFaculty=42">Isabella Clough Marinaro's</a> excellent talk on '<i>The Informal Face of the Ghetto: Ambiguities of Power and Ethnicity in Italy’s Roma Camps'</i>. The array of papers was impressive and demonstrated the range of applications of Wacquant's conceptual apparatus, which as he has pointed out on numerous occasions, should be seen as an empirically testable model. </div>
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For me personally the day illustrated all that is good and bad about sociology. In his feedback to the papers at the end of the day, Loic took issue, controversially for some, with the final two presenters, perhaps, or so it seemed to me, because of their 'overly involved' and 'polemic' styles. In response to <a href="http://www.geog.ox.ac.uk/graduate/research/aelliott-cooper.html">Adam Elliott-Cooper's</a> intriguing talk on <i>'The Struggle That Cannot be Named: Violence, Space and Black Resistance in Post-Duggan Britain'</i>, he suggested that by focusing on single issues activists often miss the chance for wider engagement. Similarly, in response to <a href="http://www.winchester.ac.uk/academicdepartments/applied-social-sciences/PeopleProfiles/Pages/MattClement.aspx">Matt Clement's</a> talk, and his criticism of Elliot's suggestion that many young people today have no idea what a trade union is, Wacquant argued that the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jun/04/observer-france-labour-unrest">current unrest in France linked to trade union activity</a> is not as important as Clement claimed.<br />
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For me this illustrated the changing nature of sociology and sociological knowledge. As <a href="http://www.cambridge.org/gb/academic/subjects/sociology/social-theory/sociology-norbert-elias?format=PB">Kilminster (2004)</a> has argued, the development of sociological theory can be seen as part of a changing set of attitudes towards different forms of knowledge – as evident in the rise of move involved forms of identity politics, for example – and to the evolution of the knowledge process more generally. These changes can in turn be linked, he argues, to increasing levels of functional democratization and with the need for individuals to be more reflexive and sophisticated within more complex networks of social and political interdependence. This in turn raises the intriguing issue, which <a href="http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/21020/1/LeverNorbertLeicester.pdf">I have been working on with Ryan Powell for some time</a>, of the appropriate level of involvement for sociologists working on and engaging with the contemporary issues raised by Wacquant's work. While older sociologists often have a tendency to be more detached, younger sociologists increasingly have a tendency to be more involved.<br />
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This takes us back to where we started. What makes Loic Wacquant a sociological great, in my opinion, is that he allows us to the view the present by focussing on the past and a long-term sociological perspective that combines conceptual and empirical rigour in ways that overcome the superficial temptations of <i>‘presentism’ </i>evident in much contemporary sociology (<a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1468-4446.12106/pdf">Savage</a> 2014). As Wacquant illustrated in a discussion spanning four centuries - from the 16th century Jewish ghetto in Venice to the 20th black ghetto in the US - the ghetto is a vertical and horizontal space constructed for trade, which at once protects and stigmatises its inhabitants. Next time Loic Wacquant is in town put the date in your diary.</div>
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johnblevershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12603925642515159850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438219063038042276.post-86936669067761640142016-04-15T13:14:00.003+01:002016-04-15T14:40:09.579+01:00Planning the future of local food; plotting community enterprise at the University of Huddersfield During a recent research project on <a href="http://www.foodkirklees.org.uk/futureoffood/">the future of local food in Kirklees</a> a local community activist by the name of Stephen Knight drew my attention to an unused plot of land and five derelict greenhouses owned by the University of Huddersfield. Discussions and meetings soon brought a large group of volunteers together - students and staff, as well as organisations and communities from across Kirklees - to work on the development of a new project to grow food for sale on campus.<br />
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Led and coordinated by the drive of Dorota Hajdukiewicz from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/studentsforsustainabilityhud/">Students for Sustainability</a>, enthusiasm has been high, yet we have had to wait a couple of months while Estates at the University completed the formalities required to facilitate access - we are almost ready to go!<br />
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Kirklees has a thriving community food sector and there are many innovative community food enterprises across the borough. Our hope is that this new project can add to the great work already being undertaken by these enterprises and contribute towards taking the <a href="http://foodkirklees.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Food-2020.pdf">Kirklees Food 2020: From Farm to Fork Strategy</a> to the next level. </div>
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I recently accompanied Dorota to a meeting with <a href="https://www.hud.ac.uk/socialenterprise/case-socialenterprisedevelopmentsupport/">CASE Social Enterprise Development Services</a> at the University to push forward plans to start a Social Enterprise to run the project. As well as running extra circular activities, including workshops and training opportunities for those interested in a running a social enterprise, the project will promote healthy, organic and local food to students and staff at the university, as well as creating a community engagement space for events with children and adults.</div>
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Interest in the project is growing by the day. Next week we have some important visitors. We will keep you updated on progress.</div>
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johnblevershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12603925642515159850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438219063038042276.post-81860320178550985432016-02-15T18:04:00.000+00:002016-03-12T10:57:29.648+00:00A Strong and Sustainable Food Economy in Kirklees<div>
<b>Can Kirklees develop a Strong and Sustainable Food Economy? </b>Today saw the launch of a new report outlining a way forward: <a href="http://foodkirklees.org.uk/futureoffood/">click here for the full report</a>:</div>
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<b>Executive Summary</b></div>
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Kirklees Public Health Directorate commissioned the research on which this report is based. Between October 2014 and July 2015, fifteen interviews were conducted in Kirklees with key actors in the community food sector and the local authority. These interviews were complimented with five more at the national level.<br />
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The overall aim of the research was to provide evidence of how the current Kirklees food system contributes to the aim of making local people and the economy more resilient. The research had three main objectives:<br />
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· To explore the potential impact of local food on economic development. <br />
· To examine possible frameworks for an independent Kirklees food partnership.<br />
· To develop awareness and promote the significance of these issues.<br />
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A number of key findings emerge. <br />
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<u>Key findings</u><br />
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1. Many community food enterprises exist in isolation and there is little to bind them together beyond small reciprocal exchanges.<br />
2. The community food sector needs more support and Kirklees should focus on the many good things that are already happening across the borough.<br />
3. Redefining what is meant by ‘local food’ would improve the effectiveness of local supply chains and enable better procurement.<br />
4. Better local procurement and sourcing would enable local producers and entrepreneurs to make a more effective contribution to the local economy.<br />
5. A system of local/ sub regional food hubs is already in place across Kirklees comprised of community retailers, farms shops and schools.<br />
6. There is a wide support for the development of an independent Kirklees food partnership and central food hub to coordinate these initiatives more effectively.<br />
7. The Brighton and Hove partnership provides a good model for Kirklees to follow, but the right people must be involved from the outset if any new approach is to be successful.<br />
8. Any new agenda must ensure that all the diverse communities across Kirklees, deprived as well as affluent benefit from any new ways of working.<br />
9. Better planning and public policies are needed if the joint Kirklees Health/Well-Being and Economic Strategies are to bring about outcomes that cut across different areas of service delivery.<br />
10. More commitment and support for partnership working is needed across all sectors in West Yorkshire. <br />
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Five recommendations are made.<br />
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<u>Recommendations</u><br />
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1. Provide more support for the community food sector in Kirklees<br />
2. Initiative better partnership working and collaboration across all sectors in West Yorkshire<br />
3. Link the local food system with local supply chains to enhance local sourcing and procurement <br />
4. Initiative better planning and policy to link the food system to population needs across different areas of service delivery more effectively.<br />
5. Develop a local food partnership and food hub infrastructure to drive the food strategy to the next level.johnblevershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12603925642515159850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438219063038042276.post-77049749910164912342015-12-26T11:43:00.003+00:002016-01-03T23:45:42.772+00:00Christmas, climate & (over) consumption - it's all getting a bit confusingWatching the BBC news this Boxing Day morning I could not help wondering about the sustainability challenges we face. <br />
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First the weather. Another deluge from the skies for Cumbria and the North West as '<a href="http://news.sky.com/story/1612392/danger-to-life-flood-warnings-for-lancashire">rare' red flood warnings are issued and threats to life are said to be imminent</a>. Yet in southern England it's 'balmy' and they are selling <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3373966/Troops-called-Storm-Eva-threatens-new-flood-misery-Cumbria.html">Christmas pudding flavoured ice cream</a> as people flock to the beach. A moment later we are discussing record online sales and the possibility of the same on Boxing day, with the usual images of shoppers spending billions on useless and soon to be disposed of items flashing across the screen. In the newspaper review <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/property/12064158/Britain-for-sale-8-trillion-or-nearest-offer.html">we are informed that we can sell the UK for £8 trillion - imagine that?</a> But that is exactly what we are doing to the planet - selling it down the river.<br />
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Notwithstanding the unsustainable production and consumption of Christmas trees, a UK Christmas style dinner is said to equate with 20kg of carbon dioxide, over half for the Turkey alone. <a href="https://garyhaq.wordpress.com/">Spending on other food items over the festive period - alongside travel, lighting and gifts - is estimated to result in as much as 650 kg of CO2 emissions per person</a>. And now we've got our annual Christmas day meat fest out of the way, we embark on, or should I say continue our consumption frenzy into the new year at an unknown yet growing cost to the environment and our long term security.<br />
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People are optimistic after #COP21 and there are are signs of change. After decades of corporate greenwashing many big-brand companies are competing hard to be 'sustainability leaders'. By partnering with governments and NGOs, some businesses attain increased credibility and leverage and sustainbability benefits start to emerge. Yet <a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/eco-business">the "big brand" takover of sustainability</a> is failing to find deeper solutions to the environmental problems we face, many of which are created by runaway over consumption. As the BBC news lead Naga Munchetty suggested in her response to the declaration of the UK's estimated <i>for-sale</i> value, <i>"hang on there a minute, it's all getting a bit confusing."</i>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438219063038042276.post-90779886757145317022015-12-23T11:57:00.001+00:002015-12-23T12:06:05.691+00:00The Structural Invisibility of Outsiders: The Role of Migrant Labour in the Meat-Processing IndustryJohn Lever and Paul Milbourne (2015) <i><a href="http://soc.sagepub.com/content/early/2015/12/23/0038038515616354.full.pdf">Sociology</a></i>, Open Access, published first on-line 23rd December 2015.<br />
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<i><b>Abstract</b></i>: This article examines the role of migrant workers in meat-processing factories in the UK. Drawing on materials from mixed methods research in a number of case study towns across Wales, we explore the structural and spatial processes that position migrant workers as outsiders. While state policy and immigration controls are often presented as a way of protecting migrant workers from work-based exploitation and ensuring jobs for British workers, our research highlights that the situation ‘on the ground’ is more complex. We argue that ‘self-exploitation’ among the migrant workforce is linked to the strategies of employers and the organisation of work, and that hyper-flexible work patterns have reinforced the spatial and social invisibilities of migrant workers in this sector. While this creates problems for migrant workers, we conclude that it is beneficial to supermarkets looking to supply consumers with the regular supply of cheap food to which they have become accustomed. <b><i>Keywords</i></b>: civilising process, invisibility, liminality, meat processing, migrant workers, outsiders, Wales.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438219063038042276.post-22182683315484040712015-07-27T20:24:00.000+01:002015-12-23T12:06:23.153+00:00Europe’s perennial "outsiders": A processual approach to Roma stigmatization and ghettoization<div>
Ryan Powell and John Lever (2015) <a href="http://csi.sagepub.com/content/early/2015/07/24/0011392115594213.full" style="font-style: italic;" target="_blank">Current Sociology</a>, published first on-line 27th July 2015</div>
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<b><i>Abstract</i></b>: This paper draws on the theoretical work of Norbert Elias and Loïc Wacquant in seeking to understand the stigmatized and marginalized position of the Roma population within Europe. The paper argues that the persistent persecution of Roma, reflected in social policy, cannot be understood without reference to long-term social processes, which shape the nature of the asymmetric power relations between Roma and non-Roma. Elias's theory of established-outsider relations is applied at the intra-state European level in arguing that Roma constitute a cross-border "outsider" group; with their intense stigmatization explained and perpetuated by a common set of collective fantasies which are maintained through complex group processes of disidentification, and which result in Roma being seen as of lesser human worth. Wacquant's theoretical concept of the "ghetto" is then drawn upon to show how the manifestations of stigmatization for the stigmatized are at once psychological, social and spatial. The paper suggests that the synthesis of the two theorists' relational, theoretical concepts allows for an approach that can expose the way in which power is exercised within and through group relations. Such an approach emphasizes the centrality of the interdependence between Roma and non-Roma, and the fluctuating power balance that characterises that relationship across time and space. The paper concludes that, while existing research focused on policy and outcomes is useful in understanding the negative contemporary experiences of Roma populations, they need to be understood in the context of wider social processes and historical continuities in seeking to elucidate how these processes shape policies and contribute to social and spatial marginalization. <b><i>Key words</i></b>: Roma; disidentification; stigmatization; marginalization; ghettoization; social integration; Norbert Elias; Loїc Wacquant.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438219063038042276.post-86744851709821222762015-06-12T21:44:00.004+01:002015-08-02T11:30:50.195+01:00 Halal Matters: Islam, politics and markets in global perspective<b>Forthcoming from <a href="http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9781138812765/" target="_blank"><i>Routledge</i></a> July 19th 2015 </b><br />
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Bergeaud-Blackler, F., Fischer, J. and Lever, J.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKFhFBffH2yXU7fP1VjIpoeEmZu3zoxxntQgIjgFZFueBwYzX_ql8YGv7dU5z6obfWN0R9tVezWO-jt3mvelngrrWcfo1M-XVm1fGTp_m6eWaK4URbf-b6COJmLz4qQ6BuwgQIJzKhCJ8/s1600/Untitled.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKFhFBffH2yXU7fP1VjIpoeEmZu3zoxxntQgIjgFZFueBwYzX_ql8YGv7dU5z6obfWN0R9tVezWO-jt3mvelngrrWcfo1M-XVm1fGTp_m6eWaK4URbf-b6COJmLz4qQ6BuwgQIJzKhCJ8/s200/Untitled.tiff" width="133" /></a></div>
In today’s globalized world, halal (meaning ‘permissible’ or ‘lawful’) is about more than food. Politics, power and ethics all play a role in the halal industry in setting new standards for production, trade, consumption and regulation. The question of how modern halal markets are constituted is increasingly important and complex. Written from a unique interdisciplinary global perspective, this book demonstrates that as the market for halal products and services is expanding and standardizing, it is also fraught with political, social and economic contestation and difference. The discussion is illustrated by rich ethnographic case studies from a range of contexts, and consideration is given to both Muslim majority and minority societies. Halal Matters will be of interest to students and scholars working across the humanities and social sciences, including anthropology, sociology and religious studies.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438219063038042276.post-4098822330170447642014-05-14T08:05:00.001+01:002014-10-10T19:00:10.137+01:00Sustainable development and the increasing 'visibility' of animal slaughterUntil recently the slaughter of animals for human consumption was almost invisible; many of us consumed meat but remained ignorant of its origins. From the late 20th century onwards a series of farming crises raised concerns about animal welfare within industrial food production systems, but the slaughter of animals was rarely discussed. Over the first decades of the 21st century this has started to change. Animal slaughter is now debated more openly than at any time over the last 250 years.<br />
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<a href="http://library.mpib-berlin.mpg.de/toc/z2010_1372.pdf" target="_blank">The invisibility of animal slaughter is part of what Norbert Elias (2000) refers to as the process of civilisation</a>. As people have come to live together in greater numbers over the course of many centuries, Elias shows that many of the things taken to be offensive in <i>‘civilised society’</i> have gradually disappeared from view – pushed behind the scenes of everyday life. The development of the modern abattoir is a prime example. From the 18th century onwards, large public abattoirs gradually replaced small private slaughterhouses, before they too were pushed out to the urban fringe where <a href="http://brepols.metapress.com/content/c5062wvt6p46020w/?p=0bd248db1a3a4e0cb2ac9b18d3c88f8e&pi=2" target="_blank">they could no longer offend ‘civilised sensibilities’ (Otter 2008)</a>. As <a href="http://www.cambridge.org/gb/academic/subjects/anthropology/anthropology-general-interest/animal-edible" target="_blank">Vialles (1994, p. 27) notes</a>:<br />
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<i>“Forced out of towns, they [abattoirs] were equally banished from the countryside. Condemned to an existence on the fringes of urban and rural society, they were cut off from the consumer and from the stockbreeder alike. The former could henceforth be unaware of the origin of the meat he was eating, the latter of the destination of the animal he was rearing” (1994, p. 27). </i><br />
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<b><i>New directions?</i></b><br />
As the civilising process progressed throughout the 20th century, ethnic minorities gradually gained power in their relations with previously superior groups. As the mass migration of former colonial peoples into countries such as the UK and France increased, <a href="http://www.hurstpublishers.com/book/the-infidel-within/" target="_blank">the cultural practices of minorities became more visible.</a> Over recent decades, a number of complex global processes have combined to push these developments in new directions. <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0743016712000666" target="_blank">One notable trend has been the rapid growth and development of markets for ‘authentic’ halal meat products</a>. Recent <i>#halalhysteria</i> in the UK bears witness to the extraordinary social and cultural (never mind economic) impact of these developments.<br />
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<a href="http://theconversation.com/we-already-have-the-answers-to-humane-religious-slaughter-24428" target="_blank">The welfare of animals at the time of killing is significant in these debates</a>, yet if we take a longer-term view it is clear that there are much bigger issues at stake. Over recent decades, consumers everywhere have been hit by food scandals and trust in food has become a major issue. While consumers in the UK were outraged by horsemeat scandal of 2013, Muslim consumers are equally concerned by the threat of haram ingredients and contaminants in halal products. This situation draws attention to important debates about global food sustainability and security. <br />
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<i><b>Farm animal welfare & sustainable development</b></i><br />
Improving animal welfare is as a central component of the three pillars of sustainable development – <i>Environment, Society and Economy</i>. Environmentally <a href="http://www.fao.org/docrep/010/a0701e/a0701e00.HTM" target="_blank">animal agriculture has a significant impact on climate change and it has been estimated that in total it generates 18% of all greenhouse gases</a>. Animal agriculture is also in direct competition with humans for water, food, space and other scarce resources and it therefore has a significant impact on food security. There are also impacts on water sanitation, ecosystems and ecological conservation; improving the conditions under which animals are kept is essential if we are to improve outcomes in this area. On the societal level, improving animal welfare can impact human health by countering the spread of pathogens with the potential to spread infectious disease; it can also help to create sustainable livelihoods in rural communities. And on the economic front, better farm animal welfare has the potential for greater efficiencies of production, sustainable procurement and consumption practices and enhanced food safety.<br />
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As concerns over sustainability and food security intensify over the coming decades, the concerns of consumer everywhere will be aligned around these emergent global issues. While not so long ago debate about animal slaughter was pushed behind the scenes of everyday life because it offended <i>‘civilised sensibilities’</i>, today it is discussed and debated more openly. Over the long term this cannot be a bad thing; the more visible animal slaughter becomes, the more it will draw attention towards a range of invisible issues threatening the sustainability and security of global food production.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438219063038042276.post-44931526423057261112014-04-29T13:44:00.000+01:002014-12-30T19:47:33.747+00:00The struggles of Filipino migrants in the UKSince the UK government introduced a points based immigration system in 2007 it has become increasingly difficult for migrant workers from outside the EU to work in the UK. Financial cuts, coupled with EU expansion and the widening of the free movement of labour to A8 and A2 nationals has meant that there are also fewer nursing vacancies available for workers from outside Europe. Nevertheless, many Filipino migrants continue to arrive on short-term student visas, which allow them to work part-time for no more than 10 hours a week in term time and 37.5 a week outside term time (until 2011 they were allowed to work 20 hours a week during term time). All but one of those recruited to explore these changes in a recent research project had been in the UK for between 8 months and 3 years. Almost 90% were under 35 years of age; all had arrived to study and find work.<br />
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The Philippines is one of the major global exporters of migrant labour; it is recognised as a labour brokerage state that mobilises and exports workers through an established and efficient migration bureaucracy. One of the major motivations for individual migration overseas is find to work and send remittances home to extended family networks. Many Filipinos continue to pay agency fees in the Philippines for EU jobs that no longer exist, and when they arrive in the UK many are encouraged to take out expensive loans of up to £9,000 to pay for college and university fees. Some of those engaged in the research had unexpectedly found themselves in this situation and there were numerous complaints about the lack of part-time jobs and restricted working hours; most also work in jobs for which they are greatly over qualified.<br />
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This situation underpins many of the problems recent migrants from the Philipines face in the UK. A small number arriving on student visas are lucky enough to stay with established family members who now have dual citizenship; many others live in poor quality private sector housing or expensive accommodation provided by educational institutions. The lack of jobs, combined with lack of entitlement to benefits, means that Filipino migrants can easily end up in debt and/or on the streets if things go wrong (<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/feb/23/nursing-dream-filipinos-uk-jobs"><i>The Guardian </i>2011</a>). Some students from the Philipines are being charged excessive fees to stay in student accommodation over the summer months, and we also heard reports of Filipina women entering into illicit relationships with men to overcome financial difficulties; figures obtained from Citizens Advice Bureau confirm that many migrants from the Philippines struggle to cope.<br />
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This situation also creates barriers and tensions between established migrants from the Philipines and newcomers. When migrants become established in the UK they often disappear, thus leaving newcomers to fend for themselves and undermining the wider development of a national community. This situation appears is made worse by a strong culture of self-sufficiency and a reluctance to ask for help when things go wrong. There is little awareness from within the community of the localised forms of support that are still available and support services often have little knowledge of the problems migrants from the Philippines face. As one interviewee stated: <i>'I think the culture is like this because if you don’t work you don’t have anything… if you don’t earn, you don’t have any food.'</i></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438219063038042276.post-57510053044441039232013-12-20T08:10:00.000+00:002014-06-19T07:38:34.514+01:00The genealogy of the academic paper that changed my careerIn 2003 I was working for Oxfam. I had just completed an MSc in Applied Social Research in Bristol and I had a forthcoming interview for 3 year PhD bursary. At the time I was reading a new collection of essays - <i><a href="https://benjamins.com/#catalog/books/aios.10/main" target="_blank">The Civilized Organization: Norbert Elias and the future of organization studies</a></i> - and I decided to base my interview presentation on a chapter in the book. The chapter by Tim Newton - <i>Elias, organisations and ecology</i> - fused insights from Actor Network Theory (ANT) with Figurational Sociology in what he called an Interdependency Network Perspective (INP).<br />
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I was offered the bursary but dropped the theoretical model during my PhD for a pure figurational approach. Yet I was always intrigued by the fusion of ideas and I continued to use an INP in talks and presentations. During 2007 and 2008, I worked on a project of <a href="http://people.uwe.ac.uk/Pages/person.aspx?accountname=campus%5Cis-smith" target="_blank">Ian Smith's</a>, which set out to explore how planners and built environment professionals changed the ways they worked in order to meet the challenges of New Labour's Knowledge and Skills Agenda on the building of sustainable communities. I decided that an INP framework offered a useful way to present our findings and we subsequently submitted a paper to a prominent planning journal. This was the start of a long and at times tortuous process. In general, academic planners were keen on ANT, but not so keen on Figurational Sociology - this did not sit easily with me.<br />
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The ideas next resurfaced in my first post doc position at Cardiff, where I developed a greater knowledge and understanding of ANT through work with <a href="http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/cplan/about-us/staff/mara-miele" target="_blank">Mara Miele</a>. In 2009, I presented a paper - <a href="http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/18937">Farmers vs. animal scientists: an assessment of welfare quality</a> - based on an INP at the British Sociological Association Annual Conference in Cardiff. Still frustrated by my continuing inability to get the ideas into print, in 2010 I sent the origional paper to a new colleague for review, who subsequently used the ideas (if not the theory) to get a paper published. This increased my determination to get our initial paper published.<br />
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In subsequent years, Ian adopted the approach for teaching purposes. Work pressures meant that he also took the lead on the first paper and Mara and I began the process of fusing our ideas in various <a href="http://www.jblresearch.org/p/publications.html" target="_blank">publications</a>. But we still had no luck getting the original paper into print. Earlier this year, with my new job as a lecturer in sustainability at the University of Huddersfield in sight, I decided to give the paper another go. <a href="http://extra.shu.ac.uk/ppp-online/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/sustainable-communities-inp.pdf" target="_blank">The final published version is available here.</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6438219063038042276.post-21514619218295273782012-09-14T09:24:00.001+01:002012-09-24T16:37:54.316+01:00No Return, No Asylum: Destitution as a way of life?Over recent years considerable evidence has emerged from agencies working with asylum seekers in Bradford that significant numbers of those refused asylum are destitute. A new report launched today by <a href="http://www.destitutionconcernbradford.org/">Destitution Concern Bradford</a> examines the extent and impact of this destitution. Whilst adding to a growing body of research on destitution amongst asylum seekers in a number of UK cities, the report by Dr John Lever (<a href="http://www.jblresearch.org/">www.jblresearch.org</a>) presents important new evidence about the length of time that individuals, families and children are experiencing destitution. <a href="https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B-i8CGHbuYiMc1ZBNC1xekFrQUk" target="_blank">Read the full report 'No Return, No Asylum: Destitution as a way of life' here.</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0