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Publication Emergencies, emergences and polycrises: The enduring need for critical feminist interventions(School of Political Science and Sociology, University of Galway, 2024-12-05) Scriver, Stacey; Ballantine, Carol; Basir, Ester[No abstract avilable]Publication The fruits of labour: The role of globalisation in reinforcing, disrupting and reshaping gender norms and relations among Chile’s agri-workers(School of Political Science and Sociology, University of Galway, 2024) Walsh, LilyThis article examines how the processes of globalisation serve to reinforce, disrupt, and reshape gender norms and relations in Chile. Chile has long since been subject to political corruption and societal disruption, but it was the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet and his neoliberal economic policies that reconfigured many aspects of life for Chilean farmers, both male and female. This article contextualises its core arguments in a case study of the fruit market in Chile’s commercial agriculture sector. This article argues that the processes of globalisation operate as a double-edged sword that can transform labour patterns and gender dynamics for better and worse.Publication Who cares? A thematic literature review around the themes of care work, social reproduction and universal basic income(School of Political Science and Sociology, University of Galway, 2024-12-05) Moreno, Sara SusannahThis article explores the themes at the intersection of social reproduction, care work, and Universal Basic Income (UBI) in the literature. UBI has become important, both in the academic and public spheres, in an attempt to even out social disparity and injustice (Parolin and Siöland 2020). Given the global crisis of care, most recently highlighted by the Covid-19 pandemic (Heintz et al. 2021), it is evident that a shift in the relationship between capitalism and social reproduction must take place (Bauhardt and Harcourt 2019; Heintz et al. 2021). The focus of this paper is looking into UBI’s potential to transform the way value is attributed to care work and social reproduction in society and, consequently, the gendered practices that lie underneath (Weeks 2011). This article stresses the complexities of such a transformation and shows that UBI can only be transformative if carefully implemented in co-ordination with other interventions, within a targeted policy frame, and with a specific focus on gender and social reproduction. To offer an accurate picture, the author conducted an extended literature review in search for the main debates around social reproduction, care work and UBI. To identify the most relevant themes within the conversation, Braun and Clarke’s Thematic Analysis (TA) (2017) was chosen as the most fitting method.Publication “I couldn’t help but compare with other countries”: Migrant mothers’ lived experiences of Japan’s COVID-19 state of emergency(School of Political Science and Sociology, University of Galway, 2024-12-05) Connolly, AbigailThis article presents the lived experiences of English-speaking migrant mothers in Japan during the early COVID-19 pandemic when school and childcare facilities closed, there was a national State of Emergency (SoE) and foreign residents were banned from re-entering the country. I examine the influence of the intersecting identities and social locations of being a woman, a mother of a dependent child, and a migrant in Japan. For mothers in this research, the COVID-19 pandemic played out against a backdrop of global gender inequality, which intensifies when women become mothers and is notoriously extreme in Japan. Although non-Japanese people face institutional and social discrimination, these mothers occupy a relatively privileged position amongst migrants, in a country which values English language ability. Still, their daily lives were affected by social structures and inequalities, and by a government response that did not sufficiently mitigate the uneven impacts of the crisis. Mothers experienced stress from the surge in demand for unpaid care of family members in a context of ambiguity, exacerbated by an unmet need for information and, for many, a language barrier. Mothers turned to online communities to provide each other with social support and information; as well as accessing information in English from sources in other countries. Findings support the case for intersectionality-based policymaking and crisis response which utilise knowledge from lived experiences of people with intersecting characteristics, as these factors influence people’s experiences of and access to services, and the ways in which they are impacted by crises such as public health emergencies.Publication What’s in a name? Drawing on women’s lived experiences to introduce and define cyber-located sexual violence (CLSV)(School of Political Science and Sociology, University of Galway, 2024-12-05) Hayman, LorraineFeminists have long since drawn on women’s lived experiences to support advancing the concept of Violence Against Women (VAW) to incorporate previously overlooked behaviours/actions. Still, finding the right language to use when naming and defining VAW facilitated by technologies presents a challenge. For example, stretching the concept of sexual violence to include non physical behaviours/actions occurring online and via Internet-connected devices is questioned within dichotomous binary thinking advocating an offline/online, real/not-real duality. This paper reflects my attempt to meet the aforementioned challenge, providing a working term and definition that applies continuum(s) thinking to the various unwanted negative, sexually-based behaviours/actions occurring online and via Internet-connected devices that women in Ireland experience. I draw on findings from a quantitative multiple-choice questionnaire distributed in Ireland in October 2023 that invited women to share their understandings and experiences of the various behaviours/actions outlined in the questionnaire. N=397 women participated, including N=281 who had experienced unwanted negative, sexually-based behaviours/actions occurring online and via their devices. The respondents unequivocally understood the behaviours/actions outlined, both comment-based and image-based, as sexual violence. I interpret these findings through the lens of continuum(s) thinking, recognising that all forms of sexual violence exist on continuum(s) of experiences, making them episodic and maintaining a sense of fear and threat in women’s lives. This paper offers an insight into the lived experiences of women in Ireland and the potential to shift how we understand safety and (sexual) violence. It contributes to the expansion of our legal, social and cultural understandings of sexual violence.Publication Tweeting disgust: A reflexive thematic analysis of the language of disgust used in response to the Belfast rape trial(School of Political Science and Sociology, University of Galway, 2024-12-05) Chippendale, RόisίnThis study is an exploration into the political potential (or lack thereof) of the vocabulary of disgust that was expressed in Tweets in response to the controversial Belfast rape trial in 2018. Although research has largely examined the positive role that emotion can play in feminist activism, literature exists which suggests that this is not the case for all emotional responses to injustice (Nussbaum 2004; Sullivan 2022). The political potential of the vocabulary of disgust was interrogated using Braun and Clarke’s reflexive thematic analysis within a case study research design. The generation of themes was deeply influenced by the work of political philosopher Chantal Mouffe (2013) on agonism, the political and counter-hegemonic struggles. This work adds to the field of study surrounding the narratives that we construct around rape, as it uses theories of rape and political emotion to interrogate what is really being said when the vocabulary of disgust is chosen when confronted with rape. Ultimately, this article is one that focuses on the importance of reflexivity in how we respond to disclosures of rape, and how this may, or may not, challenge the structural underpinnings that lead to rape and sexual violence.Publication ‘She won’t stop!’ Reframing the sexualisation of Miley Cyrus: A theoretical approach using queer theory to assess Cyrus’s feminist potential through her on-stage performances(School of Political Science and Sociology, University of Galway, 2024-12-05) Keighron, AoibhínThis article explores the feminist potential within celebrity pop culture by using Miley Cyrus as a case study, specifically examining her on-stage performances. It evaluates Cyrus’s feminist stance through these performances and her resistance to negative responses. Queer theory serves as the primary framework to assess the implications of this feminist potential and its contribution to the broader feminist discourse. Miley Cyrus, an American pop singer and actress, began her career as a child star on Disney Channel’s "Hannah Montana" (Kennedy, 2014). As Cyrus matured, she increasingly sought to distance herself from her Disney image, engaging in provocative behavior. Some argue that this was her attempt at achieving personal empowerment (Kennedy, 2014). This research aims to examine this attempt and understand its implications for feminism. A descriptive analysis identifies key findings and themes from queer theory, interpreting these themes within Cyrus’s performances. A thematic analysis of her performances is conducted and assessed through the lens of queer theory. This study contributes to literature on feminist theory, particularly queer theory and feminist approaches, highlighting the complex relationships between celebrity culture and feminist debates. Further research is needed to uncover nuanced insights. Belfast rape trial, Twitter, disgust, rape narratives, feminist online activism .Publication Participation in practice in child welfare: processes, benefits and challenges(Taylor and Francis Group, 2024-11-07) Brady, Bernadine; Devancey, Carmel; Jackson, Rebecca; YAP IrelandInternationally, there has been a significant focus in policy and practice on the participation of children and young people in decisions that affect them, underpinned by respect for their rights under Article 12 of the UNCRC. While children’s participation has become a core focus for practice improvement in child welfare services, there is a dearth of practical examples of how participation is implemented in organisations. In this paper, we provide a reflective case study of participation in practice in the Youth Advocate Programme (YAP) in Ireland, a large non-profit child welfare organisation. YAP Ireland works with young people who are considered ‘high risk’ using a strength-based approach in a wraparound service that is family-driven and youth-guided. Drawing on qualitative interviews and focus groups with young people, parents, advocates, and staff and management, we describe and critically analyse YAP’s approach to participation. Critical factors in practice include a commitment to participation in policy, practice and culture at all levels of the organisation and scaffolding of participation by staff. Challenges include ensuring that participation principles are upheld consistently across the organisation and resourcing participation.Publication The power of critique in the time of emergency: on normative fiction and critical fiction(Taylor and Francis Group, 2024-10-16) Ryan, KevinThis article begins by reflecting on crisis and democracy, arguing that the claim that democracy is in a state of crisis is a normative fiction that sustains rather than transforms extant self-other-world relations. An alternative is to frame the present as ‘the time of emergency’, which implies scope for ‘emergent’ possibilities. With a view to teasing out such possibilities, the article makes a case for critical fiction as a way of radicalising our relationship to the present, looking initially to Foucault’s writings on critique before turning (via a genealogical encounter with normative fiction) to the work of Denise Ferreira da Silva, who reads the present through the lens of a past that is not past, thereby troubling a future that need not come to pass.Publication Book review: Care and Capitalism by Kathleen Lynch(SAGE Publications, 2024-09-30) Hoppania, Hanna-KaisaNo abstract availablePublication A social justice perspective on the delivery of family support(Elsevier, 2024-03-01) Devaney, Carmel; Mac Donald, Mandi; Holzer, Julia; European Cooperation in Science and TechnologyFamily support as an approach to working with children, youth, parents, and families is widely practiced across Europe albeit with a range of diverse meanings and interpretations. This paper responds to this ambiguity and provides a conceptual understanding of the delivery of family support in Europe. In doing so it applies a social justice approach critically examining the extent to which Family Support reflects the right of families, children, youth, and parents to be supported. It identifies and critically examines similarities and differences in the meaning and application of family support as a key concept in the European context. It is based on a comprehensive review of literature, mapping multi-disciplinary approaches to the provision of support, based on academic material from 2015 to 2020 and adopting a broad and inclusive definition of family. The paper considers the complexities in developing a universally accepted understanding of family support that: has value for practitioners and managers; is selected as a focus by policy makers; is open to evaluation and research; is compatible with academic research; and most importantly provides responsive and effective support to children, youth, parents and families.Publication Pastorate digitalized: Social media and (de)subjectification(SAGE Publications, 2024-01-18) Stypinska, DianaTaking its cue from Michel Foucault’s analyses of the pastoral ‘conduct of conduct’, this paper considers social media as a specific dispositif that derives its mode of operation from the religious techniques of individualization. It argues that today’s preoccupation with digital performances, far from exorcizing the pastoral logic, in fact manifests its secular intensification. By examining social media practices through the lens of the sacramental paradigm of confession, the article shows how the digitalization of the pastoral directive culminates in the production of spectral subjects. These spectral subjects, it contends, function as the conduits of the dominant power, guaranteeing the persistence of capitalism by embodying the imperative to complete economization.Publication Reciprocal relationships - non volent resistance and the IASW as solidarity and support against abusive and violence behaviour(Irish Association of Social Workers, 2021) Coogan, Declan; Lauster, EileenThe Irish Association of Social Workers (IASW) creates spaces for voices of encouragement, hope and support for practitioners and researchers using new ways of responding to new needs. A new and innovative response to child to parent violence and abuse (CPVA) is Non Violent Resistance (NVR). The IASW has supported us in our work with this systemic and relatively brief model of intervention with parents since the early days of its use in Ireland from 2007 onwards. As a systemic model of intervention, social workers and other practitioners use NVR to engage parents in the process of change and an end to the problems of CPVA. In this article, we outline the development of the NVR model in Ireland, while celebrating the key role played by the IASW. The Association continues to be a forum in which social workers can share new ideas and practices, learn from each other and further the cause of human rights and social justice in the lives of the people with whom we work. Using a case example, we highlight support and solidarity as key elements of NVR and reflect on the ways in which we have experienced support and solidarity as members of the IASW. We have changed the names and other details used in this article (from the practice of the first author) to protect client confidentiality. Whenever we refer to parents, we are also thinking of grandparents, foster-carers, adoptive parents, same sex single or couple parents and anyone who has parental responsibilities for a child under the age of 18 years old.Publication ‘An Inclusive Playing Field’: How can Gaelic games organisations promote the active inclusion of their LGBTQ+ players?(School of Political Science and Sociology, University of Galway, 2023) Whelehan, OdhranIn 2015, the Republic of Ireland became the first country in the world to legalise same-sex marriage through a public referendum. It represented a dramatic shift in societal values. At the heart of this country is the highly influential institution of the GAA. Present in every community in the country, the GAA is not just a sporting organisation but rather an institution that represents Irish traditions and values. Yet, this same institution has few major role models its male LGBTQ+ players can look up to. The fact that there are currently no ‘out’ gay or bisexual male players in the intercounty game suggests that a taboo still exists around the presence of such players in the organisation. This research explores the reasons for this and what strategies Gaelic Games organisations could pursue to encourage the open participation of LGBTQ+ players. It considers the degree to which the temporalities of Irish LGBTQ+ progress have become embedded in the GAA. These findings are supplemented with the insights of five individuals who have experience in the GAA’s quest to become a more LGBTQ+ friendly sports organisation. These findings are then collated to produce a theory of change that can help guide the GAA’s welfare and inclusion policy in the years to come.Publication The confidence cult(ure): from postfeminism to neoliberal feminism(School of Political Science and Sociology, University of Galway, 2023) Le Goff, DamienIn this article, I explore how the conflation of neoliberalism, postfeminism and selected elements of a broader feminist discourse brought forth a new type of feminism that is amenable to patriarchal neoliberalism: neoliberal feminism. I argue that this has been possible because of two main factors: the confidence cult(ure) and feminism entering the mainstream Anglo-Saxon media. Relying heavily on a postfeminist sensibility yet rebranding itself as feminism, the confidence cult(ure) fostered a new form of neoliberal affective governance directed at women. In doing so, the confidence cult(ure) achieved the tour de force of blending together neoliberalism, postfeminism and specific feminist claims. Cleansed of its radical and transformative power, this hyper-individualized form of feminism has been more easily popularized and embraced by a wider audience within mainstream Anglo-Saxon media. This made it possible to bring forth the new apolitical, patriarchyfriendly neoliberal feminist.Publication Three conditions for equality: feminist organising at the University of Galway(School of Political Science and Sociology, University of Galway, 2023) Ruggi, LennitaThis article investigates the recent history of the University of Galway and its controversial gender crisis. The current prioritisation of equality, diversity, and inclusion in Irish higher education policy was accomplished by long-term feminist efforts. The analysis connects political action from the 1970s and 1980s to contemporary organising in work-related campaigning. In examining two high-profile legal cases of gender discrimination and the subsequent activism, the paper arguesthat collective, continuous, and combative feminist work are conditions to change the power relations and produce gender knowledge. The long-term roots of the local collective feminist struggle show that demands for equality are daily sustained by efforts that are necessarily communal and often anonymous, in which we can all take part.Publication Achieving gender equality through feminist social movements: A case study of Ni Una Menos (Not One Less)(School of Political Science and Sociology, University of Galway, 2023) Minah, KaataThe Ni Una Menos (Not One Less) Movement emerged as a direct response to the alarming increase of femicide in Argentina. This paper analyses how the Ni Una Menos movement mobilises various resources for gender equality. It investigates the role of the Ni Una Menos Movement and utilises Social Movement Theory to understand the movement’s dynamics within Argentina, South America and beyond. Specifically, Resource Mobilization Theory (RMT) is employed as a framework for analysis. Using New Social Movement Theory (NSMT) as a guide, the research will show how social resources were used to advance the movement’s goal. Additionally, the stages of social movements serve as a guide to examining the formation, impact, barriers, and facilitators encountered by the Ni Una Menos movement. By applying these theories, this study aims to shed light on the strategies and tactics employed by the movement, its influence on societal change, and the challenges and opportunities it faces in pursuing gender equality. Through this analysis, the research aims to provide a deeper understanding of how a powerful movement was formed and its implications for gender equality.Publication A critical analysis of Ireland’s approaches to addressing cyber sexual violence(School of Political Science and Sociology, University of Galway, 2023) Hayman, LorraineIn this review article, I will critically analyse various approaches for addressing Cyber Sexual Violence (CSV) perpetrated against adults in the Republic of Ireland1 . CSV is cyberspace-located, non-physical and in-direct, non-consensual or coerced acts of a sexualised nature. I examine two research questions: What approaches to addressing CSV perpetrated against adults exist in Ireland? What are the limitations of these approaches? Drawing on the literature, I will analyse Ireland’s legal approach to addressing CSV, a CSV reporting tool, and CSV awareness-raising campaigns. Notably, recording, distributing, or publishing intimate images without consent is illegal in Ireland. However, Irish laws do not acknowledge this crime as sexual violence. Proving a perpetrator’s intent to harm is central to sentencing rather than a focus on the harms experienced by the victim-survivor. Hotline.ie, the tool for the public to report illegal content online outside of the Garda Síochána2 , has seen increased usage but features inconsistent messaging regarding CSV committed against adults. Also, there exists a gap in the support services available for adult victim-survivors of CSV who did not experience physical sexual violence. By analysing approaches to addressing CSV perpetrated against adults, this article supports future responses to CSV in Ireland to avoid and resolve the identified limitations.Publication Investigating the use of the Danger Assessment (DA) Questionnaire to assess risk at Aoibhneas Domestic Abuse Support for Women and Children(School of Political Science and Sociology, University of Galway, 2023) Gannon, RobynRisk assessment is a key facet in supporting victims of domestic abuse and preventing outcomes such as re-assault or domestic homicide. Campbell’s Danger Assessment questionnaire is a risk assessment tool that is used specifically to estimate the risk of reassault or domestic homicide. This article will investigate the use of the Danger Assessment at Aoibhneas Domestic Abuse Support for Women and Children. A literature review will examine the topics of domestic abuse, domestic homicide, Campbell’s Danger Assessment, and domestic abuse risk assessment in Ireland. A sample of 20 danger assessments was taken and analysed for trends from the 162 that were conducted by Aoibhneas in 2021. The results showed that Irish nationals in the sample were more likely to score within a higher risk category than foreign nationals. Furthermore, many clients in the sample reported experiencing controlling, stalking and jealous behaviours from their partners. Though the data analysis is based on a small non-representative sample, the results indicate a likely need for further research into the development of a danger assessment variation that takes into account contextual and cultural differences between Ireland and the country of the danger assessment’s origin, the USA.Publication Editorial: The Spectre of Violence in Graduate Feminist Research(School of Political Science and Sociology, University of Galway, 2023) Scriver, Stacey; Ballantine, Carol; Chippendale, Roisin[No abstract available]