The contexts of early learning and socialization are diverse and complex but not without predicta... more The contexts of early learning and socialization are diverse and complex but not without predictability. The tension between predictability and variation fascinates researchers interested in childhood and culture and motivates careful exploration of different developmental niches to better understand socialization during infancy, toddlerhood, and early childhood. Contexts of early socialization vary in the people and activities present, and the beliefs and norms of caregivers and daily companions. The chapter utilizes anthropological constructs (household structure and composition, settlement patterns and subsistence level, mothers’ workload, gender division of labor, intimacy levels between husbands and wives, and cultural roles and norms pertaining to sibling caregiving and fostering of children) to better understand how parents, siblings, grandparents, extended kin, foster families, early childhood centers, and welfare institutions work together to raise healthy children. The aut...
The Oxford Handbook of Human Development and Culture, 2015
Relationships provide the framework for young children's development. When relationships are pred... more Relationships provide the framework for young children's development. When relationships are predictable, responsive, and reciprocal, they help children break down the incoming stream of information from the outside world so they can assimilate, understand, and trust it. The rhythms of close relationships with parents, siblings, extended kin, and other caregivers in the community support cognitive, social, emotional, language, and motor development in young children. Relationships provide more than the context of early learning: "development takes place within, through and for relatedness" (Josselson, 1996, p. 2). Thus, relationships provide not only the setting but also the constituent elements and motivation for early development. This chapter focuses on family and community socialization practices and goals during the early years of childhood, with a particular focus on infancy and toddlerhood. Using evidence from diverse culturesdrawing from multiple scholarly disciplines and methodologies-we show that different early contexts for socialization vary in their objective parameters (people present, activities, and experiences provided), as well as in their subjective dimensions (values, beliefs, and norms held by the socializers). In our view, these objective and subjective differences in turn play out in different kinds of opportunities and constraints, on the one hand, and expectations and demands, on the other, that influence children in lasting ways. In forefronting these features, we assume an ecocultural perspective, originally formalized by John Whiting (1994) and now reframed by contemporary scholars such as Sara Harkness and Charles Super, Heidi Keller, and Carol Worth
This study explored parental beliefs surrounding prosocial behaviours and the parenting practices... more This study explored parental beliefs surrounding prosocial behaviours and the parenting practices that promote them. A total of 47 mothers of young adolescents participated in one of the seven focus groups, three of which were conducted in Spanish with first-generation Mexican-American immigrants, two were conducted in English among second generation (US-born) Mexican Americans, and two were conducted with European Americans. Responses were coded using elements of the grounded theory approach, and results indicate patterns of shared and unique beliefs about prosocial behaviours in ways that reflect the sociocultural context and acculturative experiences of the respondents. Findings suggest that beliefs about prosocial behaviours and parenting are culturally-structured and dynamic—changing to reflect the experiences and developmental landscape of parents and children.
The cultural ecology of play: Methodological considerations for studying play in its everyday con... more The cultural ecology of play: Methodological considerations for studying play in its everyday contexts. In A. D. Pellegrini (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of the development of play (pp. 119-137). New York: Oxford University Press.
Death on the transplant waiting list is an emotive but relevant measure of the ability of a commu... more Death on the transplant waiting list is an emotive but relevant measure of the ability of a community to care for its members with chronic disease. In this issue, the Liver transplant programme at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (RPAH) has given us a perspective of the problem that awaits a patient with end-stage liver disease in New South Wales (NSW) today. Both waiting times and mortality on the liver transplant waiting list have risen as the mismatch between the number of donated organs and potential recipients has risen, despite substantial attempts both to maximize donations and to increase the utilization of donated organs. It is worth asking what is needed to reduce this toll? To reduce the mortality from chronic liver disease, the first measure that governments must consider is prevention of disease through public health measures. There is an unknown number of people in Australia with chronic liver disease which may progress to the point that they would perhaps benefit from transplantation. The diseases that afflict the majority of potential recipients in Australia are hepatitis C and hepatoma often in the context of hepatitis C, with alcoholic cirrhosis and hepatitis B trailing behind. Prevention of hepatitis infection in our community and fully utilizing the known and effective medical therapies which prevent progression of disease are critical if the rising tide of end-stage liver disease is to be contained. Effective and timely referral for transplant assessment of all suitable patients while their disease is still amenable to treatment would provide the transplant programmes with the best chance of successful outcomes. The barriers to referral include residence geographically distant from a transplant centre, incomplete referring physician knowledge of the criteria for acceptance, and the vagaries of patients’ understanding and willingness to embark upon what is incorrectly perceived to be a hazardous journey to transplantation. Figure 1 outlines the steps from diagnosis of disease to transplantation and the many turns in the path that can lead an individual away from the waiting list. In the first era of transplantation analysed in this study (1985–1993), there were two predominant liver transplant centres in the country – RPAH in Sydney and Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane, with national and slightly competitive referral patterns for both recipients and donors. The liver transplant programmes in Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth commencing during the late 1980s and early 1990s changed the problems of geographical separation between the patient and transplant programme. Thus in the first period in this study, the referral patterns around the country were substantially Figure 1 The pathway from diagnosis of chronic liver disease to transplantation. Internal Medicine Journal 40 (2010) 609–610
The goal of the current study was to explore notions of masculinity and their linkages to HIV/AID... more The goal of the current study was to explore notions of masculinity and their linkages to HIV/AIDS among Owambo men and women in Namibia, where an estimated one-fi fth of 15-49 year-olds have acquired HIV. Thirteen open-ended interviews and three focus groups were conducted with 50 male and female participants aged 19-50 in rural and urban Namibia. Qualitative analysis revealed six central themes: the evolving meanings of masculinity, power dynamics between men and women, women as active agents, the tension between formal and informal education and HIV transmission, alcohol and masculinity, and the blending of masculinity and explanations of HIV and AIDS. The fi ndings suggest both direct and indirect linkages between notions of masculinity and AIDS, and highlight the need for prevention efforts that focus on providing alternative avenues for attaining culturally recognized markers of masculinity. Résumé: L'objectif de cette étude était d'explorer les notions de masculinité et leurs liens avec le VIH/sida chez les hommes et les femmes Owambo de Namibie, où l'on estime que un cinquie`me des personnes de 15 à 49 ans sont infectées par le VIH. Treize entretiens ouverts et trois groupes focus ont été menés avec 50 participants de sexe masculin et féminin, aˆgés de 19 à 50 ans et vivant dans des zones rurales et urbaines de la Namibie. Une analyse qualitative fait ressortir six thèmes centraux: l'évolution des signifi cations de la masculinité, la dynamique de pouvoir entre hommes et femmes, le rôle actif des femmes en tant qu'intermédiaires, la tension entre l'éducation formelle, informelle, et la transmission du VIH, l'alcool et la masculinité, la combinaison entre la masculinité et les explications sur le VIH/ sida. Les résultats suggèrent à la fois des liens directs et indirects entre les notions de masculinitéet le sida, et soulignent les besoins en efforts de prévention concentrés sur des alternatives permettant d'acquérir des marqueurs de la masculinité culturellement reconnus. Resumen: El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar las nociones de masculinidad y sus vínculos con VIH/sida entre los hombres y las mujeres Owambo de Namibia, donde aproximadamente una quinta parte de la población entre 15 y 49 años es seropositiva. Se llevaron a cabo trece entrevistas abiertas y tres grupos de discusión con 50 participantes masculinos y femeninos, con edades comprendidas entre 19 y 50 años de zonas rurales y urbanas de Namibia. Los análisis cualitativos sacaron a la luz seis temas centrales: los cambios de signifi cado de masculinidad, dinámicas de poder entre hombres y mujeres, mujeres en el rol de representantes activas, la tensión entre educación formal e informal, la transmisión de VIH, el alcohol, la masculinidad, la fusión entre la masculinidad y las explicaciones acerca de VIH y sida. Los resultados indican que existen vínculos directos e indirectos entre las nociones de masculinidad y el sida y señalan que es necesaria la prevención enfocada en ofrecer vías alternativas para alcanzar marcadores culturalmente reconocidos de la masculinidad.
Perceptions of good parent-adolescent relationships were explored among 19 Mexican American high ... more Perceptions of good parent-adolescent relationships were explored among 19 Mexican American high school students aged 14-17 who participated in focus group interviews on what it means for Mexican American teenagers to have good relationships with parents. Using a grounded theory approach, five general themes emerged in the responses, corresponding to open communication, instrumental and emotional support, indirect expressions of caring, parental control, and valued relationship qualities. Both genders described distinct relationships with mothers and fathers. Relationships with mothers were closer and more open than relationships with fathers, and mothers were seen as being more affectionate, lenient, and emotionally supportive, whereas fathers tended to express caring indirectly by providing instrumental and financial support and by just being there. Parental upbringing, culture, gender, and parental role expectations emerged as explanations for parents' behavior. Theoretical, methodological, and practical implications are discussed.
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